Where We Are Preparing Laborers for the Harvest!
Greetings and Welcome to the Department of Church Growth and
Development of the African Methodist Episcopal Church Worldwide!
As the Executive Director, of the Evangelism arm of the AME Church, I along with the Departments various ministries leaders, are tremendously committed to educate, equip and empower clergy and laity throughout the world, in the theoretical and practical dynamics of reaching and impacting the world for Christ Jesus.
We take the mission and vision of Christ Jesus seriously:
Go out and train everyone you meet, far and near, in this way of life, marking them by baptism in the threefold name: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Then instruct them in the practice of all I have commanded you. I'll be with you as you do this, day after day after day, right up to the end of the age." (Matthew 28:19-20, The Message).
The fact that you are visiting this site leads me to believe that you possess an interest and prayerfully a commitment to take the same mission and vision just as seriously. Therefore, may you discover something within that will bless you as you seek to bless your church, your community, your world for the Kingdom of God!
Your Servant in the Lord,
Rev. Dr. James C. Wade
Executive Director
Home to the 25th Annual Seminar on Church Growth and Evangelism *
January 3 - 6, 2012, Arlington, VA
Home to the NEW Evangelism Certification Program for Clergy and Laity!
Home to The Secret Chamber, A Daily Devotional Guide of the AME Church
Bishop Wilfred J. Messiah • Commission Chair(click for Biographical Sketch & Picture)
Dr. James C. Wade • Executive Director
(click for Biographical Sketch & Picture)
Dr. Julia M. Wade • Editor, The Secret Chamber • Registrar, Evangelism Certification Program • jcwade1109_aol.com
Rev. George Turks • Office Manager • Seminar Vendor Coordinator • trkgr58_gmail.com or trkgr58_aol.com
Rev. Dr. Cheryl L. Green • Executive Administrative Assistant •Co-Dean Annual Seminar Assistant Editor, The Secret Chamber • revclg_yahoo.com
Rev. Dr. Mark Crutcher • Co-Dean and Registrar Annual Seminar
Rev. Joel M. Parrish • Graphic Design and Website Development • jnparrish_hotmail.com
Mrs. Lois Clayborn • Assistant Editor, The Secret Chamber
PURPOSE OF THE DEPARTMENT
For nearly twenty five (25) the Department of Church Growth and Development has held to the principle of teaching and training AME clergy and laity in the ways of evangelism and discipleship, that leads to spiritual growth in our members and numeric increase in our congregations.
We aim to assist AME clergy and laity in leading all people to accept the Lord Jesus Christ as ones personal savior, through the guidance of the Holy Spirit.
Working in cooperation with District Committees of Evangelism and Evangelists throughout the denomination the Department helps to raise the standards of Evangelism at the local, District and Connectional levels.
Furthermore, the Department cultivates programming which leads to the enrichment of the worship experience in the life of the local church and enlists the total church in continuing programs of evangelistic outreach.
Likewise, the Department is responsible for instituting and administering a Media Ministry which can be utilized by the entire denomination for the purpose of spreading the Gospel throughout the world.
In addition, the Department produces a number of printed and electronic resources to be used by clergy and laity for establishing and/or elevating Evangelism and Discipleship within the local church.
Lastly, The Department is responsible for developing and publishing, The Secret Chamber, A Daily Devotional Guide, which serves as an aide to individual and corporate: worship, bible study, et.al.. The Secret Chamber is an official periodical of the denomination.
As an official quarterly periodical of the AME Church, The Secret Chamber, serves an aide to individual and corporate: devotion time, bible study, worship experiences, et.al. Each meditation written by clergy and laity from across the denomination is created to enhance the readers understanding of his/her relationship with and to the Lord Jesus Christ, with and to the world.
The questions presented at the end of each months meditations are designed to engage the reader in critical thinking and self-evaluation regarding his/her role as a child of God and a witness for Christ.
At the cost of $25.00 annually, The Secret Chamber is a must have for all AMEs everywhere and can be given as gifts; distributed during Evangelism crusades or wherever the need for Christ is warranted.
Order your
Online Subscription of
The Secret Chamber
Click the Globe
Registration has now begun for the 25th Annual Seminar on Church Growth and Evangelism, January 3-6, 2012, Hyatt Regency, Arlington, VA. This annual training event is hosted by the Department of Church Growth and Development of the African Methodist Episcopal Church International, The Rt. Rev. Wilfred J. Messiah, Commission Chair, the Rev. Dr. James C. Wade, Executive Director
For twenty-five (25) years, the Department of Church Growth and Development AME Church International has equipped clergy and laity worldwide, in leading all people to accept the Lord Jesus Christ as one’s personal savior, through the guidance of the Holy Spirit.
Our annual training seminar offers advanced theoretical and practical evangelism and discipleship skill development to pastors, ministers, lay persons, youth and young adults who serve in their respective communities through the ministries and programming of their local churches.
Our workshops, studies and worship services are led by some of the most spiritually gifted men and women from across the country and in the world. This year is no exception. Simply take a look at the line up of preachers and teachers, and you will know why this is the seminar that you don’t want to miss!
If you are serious about impacting the world for Christ and the kingdom of God, make your reservations, register for the seminar and meet us in Arlington, VA, January 3-6, 2012!
2012 WADE PUBLICATION.pdf
With the support and endorsement of members of the Episcopacy, the Department of Church Growth and Development initiated a two year Evangelism Certification Program in January, 2009 for clergy, laity, church planters and church renewers. This Certification program serves as an opportunity for many persons to not only receive concentrated teaching pertaining to issues critical to evangelism and discipleship but also involves intense practical hands on applications both in and outside the classroom setting.
Who Benefits From the Evangelism Certification?
Persons who are presently pastors seeking to grow their local church spiritually and numerically;
Persons who are not seeking licensure or ordination and have a passion for evangelism;
Persons who are ordained, but are without pastoral charges and have a passion for evangelism;
Persons who are presently in the Board of Examiners process but are not called to parish or pulpit ministry exclusively the .
comprehensive training in evangelism will fill a void missed in the Board of Examiners process;
Persons who are called by the Holy Spirit to be evangelists and have received license at the Quarterly Conference to preach.
Persons who are called by the Holy Spirit to be church planters and have received license at the Quarterly Conference to preach;
Persons who by the unction of the Holy Spirit are compelled to serve children and youth.
The AME Church, by preparing persons to renew stagnate and declining churches
The Evangelism Certification is designed to:
•Enable pastors spiritually and academically to develop and grow spiritually healthy congregations;
•Develop and grow Church Planters and Church Renewers;
•Enable persons spiritually and academically who enter into ministry as a second career;
•Enable laity spiritually and academically to develop and grow as Christs disciples;
•Prepare all for the ability to reach across cultural milieus, ethnicity and nationalities to win souls for the kingdom of God.
Certification Training Anticipated Results
Students who successfully complete the evangelism certification will be able to:
•Organize effective evangelism programs/ministry in the local church with church growth aids
•Specify contemporary church renewal techniques
•Apply small church growth curriculum content
•Create a major marketing thrust with essential demographics before planting a church
•Develop local church and community crisis ministry (Red Cross, HIV-AIDS, Hospice and Grief Counseling, CTCA, etc.)
•Develop a comprehensive evangelism program around resources or lack of resources in the community
•Strengthen local church ministries with an evangelism emphasis
•Target specific age groups as necessary for growth
•Provide a bible based church growth plan for the local church (3 year, 5 year or 8 year plan)
Core courses for the five Certification Tracks are offered during the Annual Seminar on Church Growth and Evangelism.
Address: 280 Hernando Street • Suites 105-107 • Memphis TN • 38126
Office Phone: (901) 523-2777
Office Fax (901) 552-5441
E-mail: ameharvest_aol.com
James Carter Wade, an ordained itinerant elder in the African Methodist Episcopal Church for more than 32 years, pastored in the 4th Episcopal District, where each church in which he served experienced tremendous spiritual and numerical growth through the teaching, preaching and creation of creative and relevant ministries.
Since assuming the position of Executive Director for the Department of Church Growth and Development, African Methodist Episcopal Church in 2004, Dr. Wade has continued his work in assisting bishops, presiding elders and pastors establish effective transformational evangelism ministries to grow congregations numerically and spiritually.
Much sought after on the international front, Dr. Wade has spearheaded Evangelism Crusades and Evangelistic Mission experiences which have taken him to the 15th, 16th, 18th and 20th Districts of the African Methodist Episcopal Church. These international evangelism endeavors have resulted in the significant increase in the level of commitment to church growth and church renewal amongst the people who sat under his time of teaching and preaching, and applied the same in and to their respective congregations.
Moreover, stateside, Dr. Wade has served the 1st, 4th, 5th, 11th, 12th and 13th Episcopal Districts of the African Methodist Episcopal District by providing teaching and training which equipped and empowered persons in these respective districts, to become greater faith sharers and disciplers of the Lord Jesus Christ.
Recognizing that our world is increasingly drawn to technology for information, and the need to reach persons in this particular way, Dr. Wade, has instituted relationships with Streaming Faith Media and CINE Media, two entities which allow Presiding Elder Districts and local churches to effectively reach countless numbers of persons for Christ either via the Internet or at the local movie theatre. Such innovative partnerships has helped in transforming the culture or ideas concerning evangelism and church growth, while simultaneously revolutionizing the Department of Church Growth and Development itself.
With the support and endorsement of members of the Episcopacy, the Department of Church Growth and Development initiated an Evangelism Certification Program in January, 2009 for clergy, laity, church planters and church renewers. This Certification program serves as an opportunity for many persons to not only receive concentrated teaching pertaining to issues critical to evangelism and church but also involves intense practical hands on applications both in and outside the classroom setting.
Dr. Wade has written and published a number of evangelism and How To booklets among them:
How to Pray for Your Children, Sunday School Evangelism at its Best, Praise is What I Do, Now That You Believe: A Compilation of Materials on Being a Member of the Church and Man Up Brothers.
He is married to Dr. Julia M. Wade, and has 2 adult sons and 5 grandchildren.
At the 47th Session of the General Conference of the African Methodist Episcopal Church held in Indianapolis IN, July 5th, 2004, the Rt. Rev. Wilfred J. Messiah was elected on the first ballot and consecrated as the 120th Bishop of the AME Church. This was the first time in the history of the AME Church, that an African had been elected on the first ballot.
Bishop Messiah is the Senior Bishop on the continent of Africa, and serves as the Commission Chair for the Department of Church Growth and Development AME Church Worldwide. This is in keeping with his visions of growth and development among our AME churches in Africa, along with his desire to improve the infrastructure, education and empowerment of all the peoples on the continent.
Upon his election to the episcopacy, Bishop Messiah was appointed to the then newly created 20th District comprising the countries of Zimbabwe, Malawi, Tanzania and Uganda.
In 2008, he was appointed to the 15th District, covering the countries of Angola, Namibia and South Africa.
At present he carries out his mission and vision for church growth and people renewal and empowerment in the 18th District encompassing Lesotho, Swaziland, Botswana, Mozambique and Northeast Lesotho.
The Rt. Rev. Wilfred Jacobus Messiah is the son of the late Presiding Elder Paul Johannes Messiah and Dorothea Maart Messiah. He is married to Episcopal Supervisor Carol Isabella Messiah and is the proud father of three (3) sons: William (Lisa), Justin-Michael and Silvester and two grandchildren, William II and Malia-Gabrielle.
Recognizing that evangelism and discipleship are not solely restricted to adults and/or contained within the four walls of the local church, the Department has a number of ministries which speak to people and issues which are central to worldwide witnessing for the kingdom.
•Apologetics
•Childrens Ministry and Workers
•Street Ministry
•Mens Ministry
•Presiding Elders Ministry
•Pastor/Ministers Ministry
•Youth Ministry
•College/University and Young Adult Ministry
•Womens Ministry
•Rural and Small Church Ministry
•Church Planting Ministry
•Healing Ministry
•Prayer Ministry
•Sunday School Evangelism
•Substance Abuse and Mental Illness
•Prison Ministry
•Cross-Culture Evangelism
•Justice Ministry
•Media Ministry
•E-Evangelism
•Worship, Music and Arts Ministry
