BUILDING REGIONAL STRENGTH THROUGH APOSTOLIC ROUNDTABLES—GARY CARTER
BIO
Gary and Kim Carter are the founders and senior pastors of Life Church International, a network of Christian churches with locations in Canada, Scotland, and Belize, Central America.
Gary's experience in business, church planting, leadership development, team building, and politics has equipped him to connect with the relevant issues facing leaders today.
He is the author of three books: The Power to Effect Change, Small Town Mega Church, and The Keys to the Kingdom. He holds a doctorate of practical ministry from Wagner Leadership Institute.
Gary and Kim are also the founders of Gary Carter Inc., a company dedicated to leadership development through their Transitional Leadership program.
They reside in Fort Saskatchewan, Alberta, have been married for 46 years, and have three children with seven grandchildren, all living in central Alberta.
ARTICLE
The world is made up of very diverse and organic cultures. The apostolic movement is a unifying context to bring these diverse cultures together by embracing diversity and building strength towards a common cause.
Our international gatherings in Dallas, Texas (ICAL), are very inspirational and serve as a great platform to promote the apostolic message. Facilitating the transition from a global message to a regional movement meant that the epicenter of activity needed to be regionalized and contextualized.
Pastors Mark and Nicki have been facilitating that goal and have created the model of regional roundtables in USCAL.
Apostolic people are natural builders. So, when we gather, our discussions quickly transition to the ongoing functionality of the Regional Roundtables once they are in place.
I would propose this organic, relational, five-point strategy that allows for each Roundtable to independently address the issues they feel are relevant for their region and the season they are in.
STEP ONE: C O N N E C T
The first (and ongoing) stage in the process is to create relational environments so people can connect. Many apostolically minded leaders live in the same region but have never had the opportunity to spend quality time together outside of citywide or inter-church events.
A Regional Roundtable is an excellent environment to interact with other ministries, tell their story, hear from others, receive encouragement and support, and potentially find ministry partners who add strength to their cause.
STEP TWO: T R U S T
Nothing of quality can be sustained without trust. The relational environment of a Regional Roundtable has a primary mandate to build trust between its members.
Trust can’t be measured by a calendar deadline or by the number of events we attend. True relational trust takes time and develops at its own pace for each individual stakeholder.
Our role in a Regional Roundtable is to create environments where diversity is embraced, trust grows, and strength is created through authentic relationships.
STEP THREE: V I S I O N
By nature, apostolic leaders are visionaries. Once relational trust is established between two or more apostolic leaders, they naturally begin to talk vision.
When leaders move from conversations about what they are doing independently to discussions about what two or more could do together, it’s a confirming sign that a bridge of trust has developed, and we are moving to another level of regional impact.
STEP FOUR: S T R A T E G Y
Apostles are people of action. Once vision has been cast between apostolic leaders, regional strategies organically begin to form.
Regional Roundtables are the front lines of the apostolic movement. The mandate is to create authentic relational environments with apostolically minded people found in all sectors of society.
Gathering those who are gifted apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors, teachers, marketplace leaders, para-church organizations, and intercessors builds mass, like a lake forming behind a dam, until a critical mass is reached that overflows into the city.
This creates a strong presence in the city (and/or region), and history shows that those with the strongest presence shape culture.
STEP FIVE: R E A L I T Y
This is where prophetic revelations become apostolic realities!
Nothing beyond relationship is pre-determined. The broader functionality of the Roundtable is birthed from the trust created within these authentic relationships of its members.
All is done to position ourselves in regional strength and in preparation for a supernatural move of God.
Let me know if this formatting works or if you’d like further refinements!