Almost 200 years later, God raised another person in whose heart and mind the word “others” seemed to be etched permanently! Bishop Dag Heward-Mills! Other souls, Other members, Other Christians, Other Countries, Other Continents, Other Ministries… Other pastors!
‘Iron sharpeneth iron; so a man sharpeneth the countenance of his friend.’
Proverbs 27:17
Starting in 2004, the Iron Sharpeneth Iron conference was the fulfilment of the Bishop’s desire to strengthen ministers for the arduous work of ministry. He expresses his heart for others in his desire to help other pastors succeed and not experience the same pitfalls he did. In his book, the Mega Church, he writes,
“When I began in the ministry, I was despised and opposed! Looking back, I am
surprised that I was able to survive the storms of beginning a church on my own. At
certain times, I felt like giving up. Everyone in the world seemed against me. They
called me names and ridiculed me. I had no help from any of the bigger churches of my day. Some of them ridiculed me whilst others even opposed me. There was no help or approval from any man of God.”
What started as a convocation of a few hundred Ghanaian pastors has over 17 years
grown into an international 4-day conference where thousands of pastors and church
workers gather.
Additionally, to accommodate the level of demand that these conferences have accrued,
the conference was launched beyond the borders of Ghana and was held annually in
South Africa, the United Kingdom, and France.
‘Meditate on these things; Give thyself wholly to them…’
1 Timothy 4:15
In 2015, the conference was rebranded as the Give Thyself Wholly Conference, where Bishop Dag places emphasis on a wholehearted approach to the ministry. Thereafter, meetings have been held in Sri Lanka, the Republic of Congo, Ethiopia and Namibia.
‘And the spirit entered into me when he spake unto me…’
Ezekiel 2:2
Now, with a greater revelation of the power of preaching and the necessity of the anointing, Bishop Dag has dubbed the new stream of conferences, The Spirit Entered Into Me Conferences.
We are excited and believe that the Lord is going to do greater things through the conference. For those of you who are regular participants, keep coming! For those of you who have not attended before, look out for a conference coming up near you! You can’t afford to miss it! See you at the next The Spirit Entered Into Me Conference.
By Romelle Fletcher