Q: One of the great aspects of being in the Assemblies of the Lord Jesus Christ is the opportunity to know people on a more personal level. How has the Assemblies of the Lord Jesus impacted your ministry over the years? How do you feel your ministry has impacted this organization?

When I received the Holy Ghost at the age of 13, my family was not in the church. Many ministers in the Assemblies of the Lord Jesus Christ took me under their wings and became family to me. I started preaching shortly after I got in the church and received my local license at the age of 16. I have been blessed to be involved in some capacity of ministry and leadership the entire time I’ve been in the organization – Sectional Youth Director, District Youth Secretary, District Youth President, General Youth President (14 years), Assistant General Superintendent (6 years), and Editor of the Apostolic Witness. My life has been woven around the ALJC, and it has influenced every aspect of my life.

Hopefully I have had a positive impact on the organization. I have attempted to be inclusive and compassionate, reaching out to everyone in whatever capacity I have served. While General Youth President our National Youth Convention grew from approximately 1,000 to more than 5,000. I have always been blessed with and surrounded by a great visionary support staff. As Editor of the Apostolic Witness, I feel our staff has vastly upgraded our monthly publication that has brought about a needed degree of pride about what our organization is accomplishing.

Q: Vision is essential to the future of any organization. How would you describe the vision and definitive purpose of the Assemblies of the Lord Jesus Christ? Describe the vision you feel the Lord is speaking to your heart for our organization. What are some of the short term and long term objectives?

The Assemblies of the Lord Jesus Christ is divinely positioned to accomplish many great things for the kingdom of God. I feel our organization is becoming more than just a fellowship, but rather a collection of soul-conscious men and women intent on reaching our world with the gospel. That’s not to discount the need and power of fellowship, for we certainly need one another in these perilous times.

My vision is for the Assemblies of the Lord Jesus Christ to become the primary and most effective Apostolic organization in the United States and abroad. I know that is saying alot inasmuch as there are several larger Oneness movements. However, what the ALJC offers in love, compassion, camaraderie, and fellowship is second to none. Now, as we unite for the greater purpose while embracing our unique brand of ministry, we can more powerfully impact our world. I envision an organization known worldwide for its devotion to the gospel, to each other, and to the lost. I envision an organization filled with well- trained, visionary, vibrant young ministers that, although anchored to our past and rich heritage, presses forward in harvest, using every social and technological means to reach our world.

My short-term objectives actually dovetail into long-term accomplishments. I believe that as we seize the day and work to accomplish what I’m about to mention, the end result will be a larger, more effective organization. For one thing, I wish to place greater emphasis on being more proactive and less reactive in our approach to ministry and the world. Our culture nor other organizations should dictate our approach to spiritual success. We have our own niche, and we should positively exploit it.

We should be especially active in recruiting new ministers and churches. I feel for too long we have simply accepted what happened or didn’t happen. We should be diligent and vigilant in reaching out to many of those who have left us, to the many strong independent ministers and churches, as well as to those who are not comfortable in whatever organization they may be a part now.

We should use any technological means in evangelism, whether through the radio, Internet, or television. We should immediately begin planning and developing television ads that can be used on the local level, promoting the local church as well as the Assemblies of the Lord Jesus Christ. We should also glean from many who are successful with television ministry, including Bishop Billy McCool and Pastor Kenny Carpenter, and try to spread our media outreach even further.

We have already begun plans to upgrade our website so that it is more modern and cutting edge. I want it to provide live streaming of certain events (national and district), offer a General Superintendent’s webcast, and offer downloadable teaching for young ministers and leaders throughout our organization, as well as providing constant updated access to what is going in the world of the ALJC.

And certainly as we reach out through every means possible, we want to practice Christ within. Our outreach is only effective as our inreach. But I am persuaded that the more of Christ we possess and the more we develop Christian principles, the more effective our outreach.

Q: What are the steps you will take to facilitate a God-given vision? What can the licensed ministers do to help facilitate this vision? How will you generate greater input from the grass-roots level of each district?

I just mentioned several examples of facilitating vision. Our ministers can help by expanding their horizons and broadening their scope of local evangelism. They can assist by laying aside petty quarrels and disagreements that hinder district growth. Just because we don’t agree on everything does not mean we can’t be united in the greater purpose. Our need for one another is greater than any of our differences. I pray for an organization in which men and women are quick to offer mercy and the benefit of the doubt, for an organization that devises means of getting along rather than inventing means of getting rid of “contrary” preachers.

I plan to generate this mindset by preaching it and teaching it everywhere I go. I plan to offer this vision through our webcasts and lessons on the Internet. I plan to teach it during our organizational meetings in Memphis every October.

I also plan to gather willing ministers to Headquarters ever so often for a time of prayer, fasting, vision casting, and planning. We plan to meet with all willing ministers, especially those who are experiencing great growth, and delve into their minds and spirits and see how we can move forward in love and outreach.

Our newly-elected Executive Board, which I feel is very capable and visionary, is meeting at Headquarters in September for two or three days of prayer, fasting, vision casting, and discussions on how to progress our organization. I am blessed to be surrounded with progressive ministers such as these, and I know they will work diligently as well to further this organization.

Another thing I plan to do that I think will excite and invigorate our ministers is to mail a newsletter on a regular basis that introduces our new ministers, highlights our organizational achievements, and provides degrees of training as well. This will serve to keep our membership abreast of organizational growth, creating more excitement.

Q: One of the greatest challenges facing the church today is the training and equipping of new ministers. What are some ideas you have for meeting this significant need?

This is probably one of the most important need areas in the Assemblies of the Lord Jesus Christ, and in any organization for that matter. To facilitate long-term growth, we must properly train and equip new ministers. There are several ways we intend to do that, several of which I just mentioned – provide minister training at General Conference and National Youth Convention; offer leadership sessions during our fall business meetings at Headquarters that our district and national officials can take back to their districts; and provide downloadable teaching sessions from our new website that is being developed.

Our National Home Missions Department has been offering some such training at its annual bootcamps for home missions’ pastors, and last year the National Youth Department offered several wonderful sessions for young minister training at National Youth Convention. So some of the groundwork is there, but I still feel we need to saturate our young and new ministers with so much stuff that a lot of it will naturally rub off on them. Certainly ministerial growth and effective outreach will be included, but I strongly believe this training must include the development of self, the importance of growing the fruit of the Spirit within, and proper interpersonal relationships.

Q: How will you challenge each Department Director to growth and excellence?

Every departmental director will be challenged through correspondence and through vision casting at General Conference, fall business meetings at Headquarters, and other avenues. We are blessed with visionary leadership, so this should not be difficult to do. I know that they as well have many great things to offer to help progress this organization. Quite frankly, I feel our national directors have been on the forefront of visionary leadership for years. It just seems that their efforts get bogged down on the district level. This is one area that has to be strengthened, and hopefully with proper training we can see a greater dispersion of vision.

Q: It is vital to keep a connection with the past without forfeiting progress. How will you keep this organization grounded while encouraging growth?

The Assemblies of the Lord Jesus Christ has a great rich heritage.

The distance we can reach is predicated upon the foundation we stand on. Our elders went through many trials and troubles to provide us with this great vehicle to further the gospel. With some fine tuning and adjustments, we can go further and faster than ever before. I am blessed to have several previous General Superintendents – David Mayo, Raymond Bishop, Don Johnson, and Steve Wilson – I can lean on, as well as many other great elders who are full of wisdom. I personally don’t think the disconnect between the ages is as great as some would suggest. We all have a heart for souls and a vision for the work of God. We just need to bridge the wisdom of the elders with the zeal and new methods of the young generation. With our past firmly anchored we need to reach out and go forward.

Q: What characteristics do you think a General Superintendent should portray?

I think it is incumbent upon all leaders to exude mercy, graciousness, kindness, impariality, and fairness. He should also give others the benefit of the doubt, not being quick to rush to judgment. Perhaps Micah 6:8 adequately summarizes how I feel a leader should be: “He hath shewed thee, O man, what is good; and what doth the Lord require of thee, but to do justly, and to love mercy, and to walk humbly with thy God?” Do justly. Love mercy. Walk humbly. That’s how we should lead, and that’s how we should live.

Tim Gill pastors Medora Pentecostal Church in Medora, Indiana.