Church of God of Prophecy Enters Historic Global Partnership

The Church of God of Prophecy has signed a “historic” partnership agreement with para-church organization Multiplication Network Ministries (MNM). The agreement, which was signed on Friday, April 17, 2015, in the COGOP International Offices’ archives, will promote church planting in more than 130 nations that the COGOP is ministering in.

Dr. John Wagenveld, founder and president of MNM, was on hand to sign the agreement, along with COGOP General Overseer Sam N. Clements and Bishop David Bryan, executive director of Leadership Development and Discipleship Ministries for the COGOP. Also in attendance were the Church’s general presbyters, including Bishops David Browder, Tim Coalter, Clayton Endecott, Ben Feliz, Clayton Martin, Stephen Masilela, and Gabriel Vidal.

The COGOP has already formed partnerships in several areas of its international ministry, including Central America, South America, and Europe, the CIS, and the Middle East. Today marks the beginning of the partnership reaching globally into additional areas.

“This agreement that we just signed today is a historic agreement since it’s the first one that’s global in nature,” Wagenveld said. “We’ve had over 70 agreements around the world, but this is the first global agreement. I think this symbolizes the beginning of a new harvest in over 130 countries and for that we are grateful to God.”

Bishop Clements, who said he counted the partnership a “privilege,” said the new agreement triggers a new era of church planting and growth for the COGOP.

“We’re looking forward to our new churches being planted all over the world,” he said. “Multiplication Network Ministries has proven to be a wonderful network to work with and it’s also been very productive in our Latin American countries. I feel like it’s going to spread rapidly all over the world.”

During the meeting, Dr. Wagenveld reported the growth of church planting in Latin American countries had far exceeded his expectations, with more than 1,000 workers in those countries being trained to plant churches and the country of Peru alone reporting 700 church plants.

Bishop Bryan, who is responsible for leadership development for the international church, called the new agreement a “significant” one.

“It gives us an opportunity to partner at the highest level of the Church to provide training in strengthening churches and planting new churches. It extends the impact of the Multiplication Network which had signed individual agreements with a number of areas,” he said. “It’s a significant move both for the Church and for MNM.”