Institutions offering formal training are far too few at present, and new ones cannot be established fast enough. Nor will traditional formal training models keep in step with what the Lord is doing around the world in terms of growing His church. We are only falling further and further behind in the large scope of the need, while pursuing our individual ministries.

TOPIC seeks to answer the question: "After a church is planted, what next?" Simply planting a church without making provision for its health often stunts the growth-life of the congregation. Church growth without church health is biblically inadequate and missionally ineffective. TOPIC aims for healthy, growing churches through the provision of essential ministry training to the ill-equipped pastoral leader.

TOPIC's Role
Its role is to find and multiply pastoral training opportunities, network pastoral trainers, locate training tools and materials, stimulate training strategies, and to serve pastoral training organizations ministering where the church is growing rapidly. TOPIC does not compete with pastoral training organizations. Instead, the Coalition believes that the Head of the Church, the Lord Jesus Christ, honors ministries intentionally and invisibly working together with clear and common biblical purpose toward a common task.

Looking Back
In December 1997, leaders from 99 Western-based Christian organizations involved in the non-formal training of pastors worldwide, gathered in Wheaton, Illinois for the first-ever TOPIC Consultation. The meeting was called by RREACH International (Ramesh Richard Evangelism & Church Helps) and co-hosted by the Billy Graham Institute for Evangelism. This event may be considered by mission historians as critically decisive in the Church Age, as the focus of missions shifted from Western and indigenous missionaries to the local pastor.

Many of the participants were convicted of the "sin of doing one's own thing." More would and could be accomplished with an organized, cooperative effort. Twenty-four organizations declared "coalition-level" commitment to the TOPIC vision. Others chose an "affiliate-level" relationship, while yet others wanted to stay in the information loop.

Not a "West-to-the-Rest" Approach
Everyone agreed that this should not simply be a "West-to-the-Rest-of-the-world" approach. If large numbers of pastoral leaders were going to be equipped, it would take a truly international, grassroots movement. The transfer of vision took place in March 1999 at the TOPIC Manila Consultation, in the Philippines, also sponsored by RREACH International. At that time, 96 organizations representing 49 countries affirmed the vision of TOPIC and launched it as an international coalition.

The enthusiasm with which TOPIC has been launched, meant that it had outgrown the resources and abilities of RREACH. It is now emerging as its own organization, with Rev. J. Paul Landrey (formerly president of Christ for the City International/CFCI), assuming the position of International Director. A global Steering Committee has been formed and a Board of Directors, with Dr. Ramesh Richard, serving as its chairman.

"As a servant of the Church, TOPIC exists," says Landrey, "to intentionally accelerate the number and effectiveness of non-traditional pastoral leadership trainers, with the vision of every Church with equipped and maturing pastoral leadership."

TOPIC is Global, Regional and National
TOPIC develops today as more and more agencies catch the vision. Numerous regional consultations will take place around the world this year, including: Western Africa, Southern Africa, Southeast Asia, East & Central Africa, the Himalayan Region, IberoAmerica & Caribbean, Brazil, Ecuador and the Philippines