One of the last words of the lord before he ascended up into Heaven was “ Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world. Amen”. Creating branches is the most common way megachurches have been able to obey this commandment. In contemporary society, branching has become an important strategy for megachurch pastors to fulfill this Great Commission. Bishop Dag Heward-Mills is one of the most prime examples of a church leader with the most branches able to accomplish this goal.
Bishop Dag Heward-Mills is the founder and presiding bishop of lighthouse Chapel International (LCI). Starting in a small canteen of a medical school in Ghana, Bishop Dag was able to expand his ministry far beyond its origins with over thousands of churches all over the globe. Through a unique blend of church planting, leadership training, strategic media outreach, and a relentless commitment to evangelism, Bishop Dag has built one of the largest Christian networks in the world, known as the United Denominations Originating from the Lighthouse Group of Churches (UD-OLGC). In this article, we will be taking a closer look into how Bishop Dag Heward-Mills has successfully established a global network of churches and branches and explore some examples of other great church leaders with the most branches as well.
Dag Heward-Mills’s Journey
Bishop Dag’s success in creating many branches started from a clear vision: (1) to build and establish many churches so as to make a substantial contribution to our worldwide vision of having 25,000 churches, (2) to fight fiercely and relentlessly in all battles for the advancement of the churches and the Gospel (3) to produce radical Christians who work for God, and (4) to go to heaven and to hear Jesus say “Well done, good and faithful servant.
It all started in 1985 with a small fellowship of nursing and medical school students meeting in a classroom. Within the next couple of years, the church grew to 40 members. Through the various outreaches, dawn broadcasts, and personal witnessing, this small fellowship was able to grow into hundreds of members right in the medical school canteen. In 1991, with a plan to fulfill this vision, Bishop Dag formalized the growing global network of churches under the umbrella organization called United Denominations Originating from the Lighthouse Group of Churches (UD-OLGC). This umbrella organization brought together all of the branches of the church and provided a unified structure for churches in different nations. The UD-OLGC allowed for the shared mission of evangelism, church planting, and discipleship across borders while giving each church autonomy to meet local needs.
One of the most vital things needed in order for these branches to also be successful in accomplishing the goals within this vision is the need to train up leaders who will go and run these churches. Bishop Dag knew that godly leaders were essential for being able to plant churches all over the world and grow the ministry. He emphasized on the need for leaders to be able to reproduce themselves. Therefore, with this understanding, he focused on mentoring leaders and empowering them to take ownership of their new branches as part of his church planting strategy. Thus, the Anagkazo Bible School, established by Bishop Dag, became one of the most vital aspects in being able to raise up pastors and missionaries that will go on to start churches.
Training of Pastors
The Anagkazo Bible School has produced hundreds of pastors, church planters, and leaders who are responsible for overseeing the various branches worldwide. The Bible school’s curriculum focuses on equipping students not only with theological knowledge but also with practical skills in church management, evangelism, and leadership development. Graduates from the Anagkazo Bible School are sent out as missionaries to plant new churches, and their ability to take on the responsibility of leading these branches has been a key factor in the ministry’s global success.
This was just one of many sources that were critical for training up leaders. In addition to the Bible school, Bishop Dag’s leadership training extended to conferences, seminars, and leadership retreats where leaders from different nations gather to learn, share experiences, and receive encouragement. From the many conferences such as Give Thyself Wholly to the many camps that Bishop Dag has hosted, ordinary church members were built into pastors. These events help foster a sense of community and shared purpose among the church leaders and help reinforce the vision of church planting.
Dag Heward-Mills’s Church growth story
Even though there are many branches all over the world, each branch has been able to keep the unity and maintain the same aim everywhere. This sense of unity and one accord was made possible through Bishop Dag being able to use the media to spread his messages and books. Recognizing the potential of television, radio, and later, the internet, to spread the gospel, Bishop Dag ensured that Lighthouse Chapel International’s messages reached far beyond the physical boundaries of his churches. Even in the early days of this journey. Bishop Dag broadcasted his sermons on national television in Ghana. Very soon after, his messages were being transmitted to other countries in Africa.
The church grew significantly with the utilization of radio programs, television broadcasts, and internet platforms to share its teachings. Through this, Bishop Dag was able to reach the many members in his church in every country. His messages, which focus on practical Christian living, leadership, and soul-winning, resonated with people from diverse backgrounds, contributing to the church’s growing international presence.
Not only was this vital for the members of the church, but it also played a pivotal role in attracting international leaders and followers who were interested in establishing Lighthouse Chapel branches in their own countries. The accessibility of Bishop Dag’s teachings via television, radio, and the internet became an effective evangelistic tool, helping to establish new churches and expand existing ones.
Other pastors with large churches
Many leaders were also able to explode in church growth through church branching like Bishop Dag Heward-Mills. Two such influential leaders who built large churches through extensive networks of branches are Bishop David Oyedepo and Yonggi Cho who were all leaders that Bishop Dag looked up to when it came to the ministry.
Bishop David Oyedepo, the founder of Living Faith Church (also known as Winners’ Chapel), has one of the largest and most well-established church networks in the world. Winners’ Chapel is home to over 50,000 members in its headquarters, Faith Tabernacle, which is considered the largest church auditorium in the world, but the true extent of Oyedepo’s influence is seen in the many branches of Living Faith Church, not just in Nigeria, but across the globe. Living Faith Church is part of a global network of over 10,000 churches, with branches across Africa, Europe, the United States, and parts of Asia. The church has expanded rapidly through a similar church planting model.
Yonggi Cho is the late founder of Yoido Full Gospel Church in Seoul, South Korea, and he is another key figure who demonstrated the power of church branching. Cho’s church grew from a modest congregation of 5,000 members in the early 1970s to a global ministry with over 800,000 members at its peak. To this day, Yoido Full Gospel Church remains the largest single congregation in the world. Cho’s approach to church growth was based on the principle of “cell groups”—small groups of believers that meet regularly for fellowship, Bible study, and prayer. These cell groups served as the building blocks for the church’s rapid expansion. As the cell groups grew in number, they were organized into larger church branches, all connected to the main church in Seoul. This multiplication strategy allowed the church to reach more people without losing the sense of community and accountability that small groups offer. This was a major blueprint that Bishop Dag Heward-Mills expanded on.
Conclusion
Today, United Denominations Originating from the Lighthouse Group of Churches (UD-OLGC) is home to churches in over eighty countries with a strong presence in Africa, Europe, North America, Asia, and the Caribbean. Currently, the United Denominations has over three thousand churches in over sixty nations with over one hundred bishops. Overall, through this model of church planting and branching, the UD-OLGC has a total membership of 524,544 church members thus far.
Through the creation of UD-OLGC, Bishop Dag has successfully established a massive global presence that reaches millions of people across continents. The churches under UD-OLGC work together to support one another in various aspects of ministry. Each church within the UD-OLGC network operates as a branch of the larger Lighthouse Chapel family creating a sense of community wherever you go. Bishop Dag Heward-Mills’ vision for a global church network has become a reality through this model of church planting.