I have now completed my second year off the staff of a local church and in my almost total emphasis on Gordon Ferguson Teaching Ministries, the official name of my company. 2009 was indeed a learning year, and a very busy one at that. The first half of 2010 has followed in that same path. I entered this new phase of my life with a number of unknowns, many of which have now become much clearer. Although my schedule still tends to keep multiplying, I have at least figured out in principle where my main emphases need to be. After much discussion with many good friends, and an honest evaluation of my gifts, it became obvious that my focus should be on leadership training (staff and non-staff leaders) and the production of written and recorded teaching materials.  Both of these efforts are multiplied into helping thousands of people, and both are commensurate with my gifts and passions.  These conclusions will mean that I will have to say “no” to serving in other ways, which will mean in turn that other brothers with different gift sets can meet those needs.  Anyway, that line of thinking has helped shape my plan for 2010.  I will continue to conduct leadership training here in Phoenix, in Asia (through the Asia-Pacific Leadership Academy) and in Kiev (through what we have named the Ukraine Institute of Ministry, a program similar to the Asia-Pacific Academy).  In both Asia and the Ukraine, we are offering a three year program having two different emphases: one for those on the ministry staff and one for shepherding type non-staff leaders. 

My other teaching will be done primarily through producing written and recorded (audio and video) materials.  In the last quarter of 2009, Toney Mulhollan of Illumination Publishers International, has helped develop and publish a number of my teaching materials in both audio and video formats.  Adding these to my available books and booklets, my repertoire of teaching material is increasing fairly rapidly.  You will note a link on this web page that will take you to my materials on the IPI website. I am currently working on writing two leadership books and finishing a unique software program for developing and filing biblical lessons, ideas and illustrations. That program is one of the most unique and helpful programs on my computer, one that I have used for well over a decade and could not imagine doing without.

The Asian opportunity came when key leaders in the Asia-Pacific group of churches asked me to head up the development of the Asia-Pacific Leadership Academy. Since the beginning of 2008, I helped established the Academy, and serve as the main teacher and as Dean of the program. The Academy consists of three tracks of training: a track for those who are church supported leaders (Ministry Track); a second track for more mature disciples who can be trained to fill shepherding roles, some of whom will ultimately be appointed elders (Shepherding Track); and a third, individually customized type track to further train those who serve in a variety of leadership roles (Elective Track). The first course of the Academy was taught in March of 2008, using an innovative approach to learning that is somewhat unique in our movement. A brochure describing the Academy in more detail is available on this web site (under the Support This Ministry tab) to further explain the program and the approach.  The APLA Steering Committee consists of Frank Kim, Chris Jacobs, Cesar Lopez, Koko Enrile, Rolan Monje and me.  Our work together has been a joy and quite productive.

Beginning in January 2010, we started a very similar program in Kiev, Ukraine at the request of Shawn Wooten.  I taught about 70 students in Kiev in August 2009 as a precursor of the upcoming more formalized program.  I have recently taught the first sessions of this program in January 2010, and it went extremely well. The Kiev Steering Committee consists of Shawn Wooten, Pavel Golub, Masha Lyashenko and me, assisted by our excellent administrator, Sergii Skrypai.  We already have a three year program designed, with three sessions being taught per year for the Ministry Track and also three for the Shepherding Track.  While the courses offered are quite similar to the courses in APLA, there are some variations, based on the different needs in that particular part of the world. 

Although my work in the past two years has been very broad, consisting of speaking, teaching and leadership consulting in many different settings, most of my work in 2010 will be confined to leadership training in these two programs and in Phoenix, plus producing new materials with the help of Toney Mulhollan of Illumination Publishers International. I currently have several new products available, and a number of others coming soon.  (See the tab for my materials on the home page of this web site.)  Additionally, I have been trained and certified by Family Dynamics to train facilitators for the Dynamic Marriage Program. I have trained facilitators in two different locations in the Philippines and in Birmingham, England, and may do some additional training in churches outside the United States.  I recently had worked with Family Dynamics to help arrange funding and translation of all of the Dynamic Marriage materials into Spanish.  I have a similar plan to help the materials to be translated into Russian. We now have formulated plans to conduct a facilitator training session in Kiev as early as possible, likely in 2011, given the translation challenges prior to conducting the training sessions. With materials available in English, Spanish and Russian, we can see this program spread into a large part of the world.  Although I do not plan to conduct more than an occasional facilitator training session, I do want to continue to work with Family Dynamics in helping spread this excellent program into many new places outside the US.

—Gordon Ferguson (July 2010)