Strategic Global Leaders

VIDEO TRANSCRIPT

Benjamin Kreps

Hey everyone. And welcome to the Mark Prater podcast for our aim is to connect our global family of churches with our Executive Director. Mark, you are not in your usual workspace where we record the podcast. In fact, you're not even in the country. Where are you right now?

Mark Prater

Well, first, you were on vacation last time we talked, and it looks like you're back in your usual workspace.

Benjamin Kreps:

That's right. I am.

Mark Prater:

So, we flip-flopped. Although I'm not on vacation. I'm actually in Guanajuato, Mexico. We have a church here, Iglesia Biblica Gracia Sublime led by Manolo Quintel. And Manolo is a wonderful pastor and good leader. He has built a solid church here that we adopted a few years ago. Manolo was the first elder in Mexico to go through the ordination process and did very well. We celebrated that at the Pastors Conference. I think it was in 2019 if I remember right.

So, I came here because Carlos Contreras asked me to, and I love and respect Carlos and want to serve him in any way I can. He believes that Manolo—and I would agree with him, by the way—is an important, extra local leader beyond his church in what we're building in Mexico and perhaps in Latin America. So, I'm here to get to know him, spend time with his church and his family and his team. We have that all mapped out over the next few days and that that's just a joy. It's a strategic use of my time in the sense that we're trying to connect with some of the strategic leaders God is giving us throughout the world, including Guanajuato, Mexico.

Benjamin Kreps:

What kinds of things will you be doing over the next couple of days?

Mark Prater:

Well, I'm spending time with Manolo today. And then tonight we have a leaders meeting for his entire church. He wants me to just talk about our values in Sovereign Grace and just how we build relationally. I think this is an important feature for the Latin American community because they're relational in nature. And then tomorrow I'll get some more time with Manolo and we have time planned to be with his entire pastoral team. Also, I’ll be with Manolo’s family for lunch today. And then Sunday, they have two services as a church has grown and I'll be preaching at both of those services before flying back on Monday.
Benjamin Kreps:

Excellent. It sounds like a fruitful time. So, any other updates for us about things that are happening globally in Sovereign Grace?

Mark Prater:

Well, I think this trip represents one of the things that God is doing. He is giving us good, strategic, theologically discerning leaders throughout the world. Carlos is obviously one of them. Manolo is one of them. Hellman Avila is one of them here in Latin America. As well as Joselo Mercado.

But in the Philippines we have Jeffrey Jo, and in west Africa with Dyonah Thomas, and Michael Granger in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, Christian Wegert in Hamburg, Germany, Nathan Smith in Bristol, England. These are all men who are important leaders for us to help us steward any global opportunities the Lord gives us. They're not Americans. They're doing ministry in their culture and in their nation or part of the world. And I think that's just going to strengthen and shape Sovereign Grace in the years to come. So we want to be investing into those men which is why I'm taking this trip. And to that end Dave Taylor and I have put together a global leadership development plan. Many of those names, I just mentioned, we hope to pull together in 2022 after Dave can get out of Australia to just do some leadership development with them because we think they're important part of our future.

Benjamin Kreps:

Great. Well, thanks for your investment in Manolo in his church there. And thank you everyone for watching or reading the podcast and we'll see you here next week, Lord willing. Bye for now.