Dag Heward-Mills

Dag Heward Mills healing evangelist, pastor, prolific author.

Dag Heward-Mills is a Christian Minister based in Accra, Ghana. He is the founder and Presiding Bishop of the Lighthouse Chapel International. He is also a prolific author, conference speaker, evangelist and theologian.

Heward-Mills was ordained into the ministry in 1990 at the Victory Church, London, and consecrated as a Bishop in 1996, by the International Ministerial Council of Great Britain.[1]

He has trained more than 1,870 pastors and 470 lay ministers worldwide. Radically involved in mission efforts, he has sent 485 missionaries and built over 400 church buildings worldwide.

He also serves on the board of Directors of Church Growth International [2] and the Pentecostal World Fellowship.[3] He is founder of the National Association of Charismatic and Christian Churches and served as its chairman until August 2003, when Steve Mensah of Christian Evangelistic Ministry (CEM) was elected Chairman for a two-year term as his successor.[4]

Bishop Dag Heward-Mills has been involved in building multiple establishments over the years. One of the most notable features of Lighthouse Chapel International is the rapid production of building projects in several countries [5]/. The church currently has multiple church building projects, embracing the vision of 25,000 churches in 150 countries to invite more souls to the saving knowledge of Jesus Christ. There are currently over 400 physical church buildings, including the Qodesh headquarters in Ghana (this multi-structured building is one of the largest church complexes in Africa[6]); a hospital, an orphanage and numerous schools.

Lighthouse Chapel International

Heward-Mills founded the Lighthouse Chapel International church in 1987. He often states that God placed upon him the anointing to teach, and that led him to begin holding meetings in a classroom on his university campus that accommodated just a handful of people. As attendance steadily increased, larger and larger halls had to be used. In 1994, the church constructed a 3000-seater cathedral in Accra. However the congregation grew until finally, in 2006, he commissioned the construction of the one of the largest church complexes in Africa. Currently, attendance at his meetings have exceeded the capacity of this huge structure. Over the years Dag Heward-Mills’ also indoctrinated and inspired many of his members to become missionaries, pastors and workers to help build the denomination into an internationally reputable ministry.

From the humble beginnings of meetings in a small classroom, there has certainly been astounding growth that continues to spread. Dag Heward-Mills has since planted over 2000 churches in 68 different countries worldwide. The Lighthouse Chapel International denomination has both acquired and built multiple buildings, including the Qodesh – its international headquarters. The Qodesh is one of the largest, ultramodern complexes in Africa.

Mission work

The Bishop’s vision to encourage as many of his members as possible to work for his church is reflected today in the many camps he holds across the world. These camps have seen the birth of many "missionaries", who made several sacrifices including giving up their jobs and livelihood and relocating themselves to different countries to start branches of LCI. Heward-Mills records the messages preached at these "camps" and offers them for sale in a compilation he calls "the Machaneh"[7] — a compilation of all the camp messages.[8]

Dag Heward-Mills and the Lighthouse Church are heavily involved in the raising, training, sending and supporting of missionaries to all corners of the globe.[9] Dag Heward-Mills is marked by his strong emphasis on church planting and the spread of the Christian gospel through the sacrifice of Christians.[10] and obedience to God by ordinary men.[11]

Author

As well as being the head of a large denomination, Heward-Mills is also one of the best-selling authors in the Christian world today.

He has written more than 40 books on several topics that are relevant especially for personal growth and success in the ministry.[12]

His style of writing is notably simple and understandable, with a wealth of scriptures. The books include titles such as The Art of Leadership, The art of hearing, the renowned Loyalty and Disloyalty series of seven titles, the best-selling marriage counselling book Model Marriage and The Megachurch. His writings are now available in 27 languages including French, Russian, Portuguese and Spanish, and have been made accessible to millions of people worldwide. His works have been patronised by several church leaders of other denominations who claim to have tangibly benefited from key biblical insights in the books. The most popular of the books so far has been Loyalty and Disloyalty, which was accredited the Grand Award from the Ghana Christian Book Awards body in 2007. It is now one in the Loyalty series of seven books.[13]

Conference speaker

Dag Heward-Mills is acknowledged in the Christian World as an evangelist and teacher, and a highly respected minister of the Gospel and has been invited to preach in several churches, and organisations, both nationally and internationally.

Heward-Mills has said that he views conferences and conventions as part of the work the Lord has called him to do; sharing on the many and various platforms he is welcomed, the messages he says the Lord has laid on his heart to encourage and strengthen pastors, ministers of the Gospel, leaders, church workers and diverse congregations to continue to do what he calls "the work of the ministry".

He holds an internationally organised Work of the Ministry conference, also known as the "Iron Sharpneth Iron Conference"[14] every year (a gathering of thousands of pastors, ministers, church leaders and workers from all around the globe), where he shares the pulpit with Christian ministers from various denominations.

This conference is usually held at the Qodesh in Ghana, but for the first time was held in the United Kingdom in April 2014, and in South Africa in 2015, taking further his doctrine of Loyalty, Sacrifice and various other self-developed topics.[15] He has also spoken at conferences including the Church Growth International and the Pentecostal World Fellowship conferences.[16]

Anagkazo Bible School

Additionally he founded a bible school — The Anagkazo Bible Seminary, to train men and women[17] in the practical work of the ministry. The Anagkazo Bible School is a full-time Bible Seminary with several thousand students worldwide, aimed at raising other ministers in the doctrines and practices of Bishop Dag and LCI.[18]

Healing Jesus Crusades

Dag Heward-Mills operates as an "evangelist" since the commencement of the Healing Jesus Campaign in 2004, Dag Heward-Mills has travelled throughout Africa; crossing various borders with the sole purpose of spreading Christianity to other nations and cultures.[19]

The crusades notably target the farthest and unreached parts of the world, usually poverty stricken and untouched by the Christian Gospel.[20] The speeches by Heward-Mills at these campaigns is supposedly accompanied by the healing of various diseases and health challenges through the prayers of Bishop Dag.

Many claim to have witnessed the blind seeing, the deaf hearing, the dumb speaking and the disabled walking.[21] Heward-Mills also holds a conference for pastors at these crusades.[22]

The Healing Jesus Campaign also caters to the physical well-being of the towns and cities it visits through the provision of medical care and basic needs for day-to-day living, such as clothing, buckets, etc.[23]

In June 2014, the Healing Jesus Campaign held a campaign in the city of Abomey-Calavi in Benin, thus recording the 100th city to be visited since the commencement of the campaigns in 2004. The purpose of the crusade, he states, is to take the gospel to all peoples of the world.

Leadership International

Other projects that he has founded includes the Leadership International (an outreach into second-cycle institutions), that is aimed at inspiring students to join his movement and church.[24]

Television and radio

His programs are seen and heard domestically and internationally on the radio and television in several countries. The ministry continues to produce CDs, DVDs, pamphlets, books and other Christian resource material.[25] Although Heward-Mills is primarily known for his Healing Jesus Crusades in Africa and other third-world countries, the ministry is also active on the internet, videos, worldwide television and radio.[26]

Humanitarian efforts

Dag Heward-Mills Ministries also caters to the poor, the sick, orphans, widows and prisoners.

Together with his team of professionally trained and qualified doctors, nurses and pharmacists, he diagnoses and treats patients free of charge.

His ministry has also established many schools in underprivileged communities and run a successful "Help the Helpless Charity" that reaches thousands of poor people in various complex situations. Rev. Mrs. Adelaide Heward-Mills, the Evangelist’s wife, runs and manages the ministry’s thriving orphanage[27] built and structured in a way to replicate a home environment.

Experiences from working on the mission fields by way of the evangelistic crusades in deprived cities, towns and villages across Africa, have led Bishop Dag Heward-Mills to pick up his stethoscope again to provide medical care to the needy.[28] He is often accompanied by professionally trained medical teams of doctors, nurses and pharmacists who hold medical clinics as part of the medical outreach to the remote and poor communities.[29]

In 2008, the Lighthouse Medical Mission Hospital and Fertility Centre[30] was founded. Several patients have been treated by Dr. Dag Heward Mills himself.

The First Love Church

In recent years, Dag Heward-Mills has began to pastor the First Love Church,[31] the University wing of the Lighthouse Chapel International. He has handed over active preaching in his other churches (including the Qodesh)to his associate pastors and is the direct pastor of the church on the Campus of the University of Ghana.

Apart from his frequent travels to preach, Bishop Dag currently preaches to a growing congregation of over 1,000 young people at the First Love Church in Ghana.

Personal life

Dag Heward-Mills was born on the 14 May 1963 to a Swiss mother and Ghanaian father (Nathaniel and Elizabeth Heward-Mills) in London, United Kingdom.

He had his secondary education at Achimota School before proceeding to the University of Ghana Medical School, where he was trained as a medical doctor.

He met his wife Adelaide[32] who was at the time a law student, attending the University of Ghana. After a few years of courtship, they married in 1990 and have been married for more than 20 years with four children. Lady Reverend Adelaide Heward–Mills supports Bishop Dag in his vision to win souls, plant churches and raise leaders. She speaks in women’s and young peoples’ conferences all over the world.

Adelaide Heward-Mills[33] has been involved in Christian ministry all of her adult life and has served alongside her husband, Bishop Dag Heward-Mills, throughout their entire marriage. As an insightful speaker, she draws heavily from her education and background in law.

In addition to raising two sons and two daughters, she serves as Executive Director of the Daughter You Can Make Ministry.[34] She also speaks across the country on women’s roles in supporting their husbands, and she is in demand by women’s organizations throughout the nation as a celebrated speaker on issues concerning marriage and family. With echoes of her husband’s preaching style, Mrs. Heward-Mills boldly challenges women to serve as blessings to their husbands and families.

See also

References

  1. ↑ International Ministerial Council of Great Britain.
  2. ↑ http://churchgrowthint.homestead.com/home.html
  3. ↑ 24th Pentecostal World Conference.
  4. ↑ "Rev Steve Mensah Chairs NACCC". Modern Ghana. 1 September 2003. Retrieved 2015-05-10.
  5. ↑ Lighthouse Chapel International.
  6. ↑ "Ghana's Richest Pastors", Modern Ghana.
  7. ↑ The Machaneh TV.
  8. ↑ "The Machaneh Iron", Dag Heward-Mills Books.
  9. ↑ http://www.christianpress.com/us/culture-a-society/494-african-evangelist-sending-missionaries-to-the-us-dag-heward-mills.html
  10. ↑ Samuel Nii Narku Dowuona, "Prosperity preaching is 'nonsense' - Bishop Dag", Modern Ghana.
  11. ↑ Mark Ellis, "African church leader assails church in America", Godreports, 12 March 2013.
  12. ↑ http://www.daghewardmillsbooks.com/
  13. ↑ Kevin P. Emmert, "Why It's Hard to Learn from African Christians", Christianity Today, 14 October 2014.
  14. ↑ "‘Iron Sharpneth Iron Conference", the Qodesh.
  15. ↑ "Home". Pastorsconferenceworld.org. Retrieved 2014-01-20.
  16. ↑ "23rd Pentecostal World Conference, August 27-30, 2013, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia", EBSCO.
  17. ↑ "Home". Pastorshepherd.org. Retrieved 2014-01-20.
  18. ↑ http://anagkazobibleseminary.org/absf/index.php/icons/ordination/2-uncategorised
  19. ↑ http://www.daghewardmills.org/healingjesuscrusade/
  20. ↑ Osman Kargbo, "Healing Jesus Campaign brings good tidings to The Gambia", The Point, 4 July 2012.
  21. ↑ http://www.leferaiguiseleferparis2015.com/#!about-dag-heward-mills/c14xv
  22. ↑ http://ipost.christianpost.com/news/healing-jesus-crusades-bring-true-restoration-across-the-globe-10633/
  23. ↑ Thembeka Dlamini and Noxolo Nkabinde, "Thousands cascade to Mavuso for Healing Jesus Campaign", Swazi Observer, 30 April 2015.
  24. ↑ Leadership International Club on Facebook.
  25. ↑ Dag Heward-Mills on iTunes.
  26. ↑ http://ipost.christianpost.com/news/evangelist-dag-heward-mills-launches-new-on-line-television-site-at-nrb-10661/
  27. ↑ http://www.adelaidedaghewardmills.org/orphanage/index.php/en/9-uncategorised/71-about-the-home
  28. ↑ http://www.helpthehelplesscharity.org/humanitarian/.../healing-jesus-medical- outreaches
  29. ↑ Help the Helpless.
  30. ↑ http://www.lighthousemissionhospital.org/
  31. ↑ http://www.firstlovechurchlci.org/
  32. ↑ "The First Lady". www.daghewardmills.org. Retrieved 2015-04-13.
  33. ↑ "About us: Adelaide Heward-Mills", Dag Heward-Mills website.
  34. ↑ "Events", Dag Heward-Mills website.

External links

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