Leading a mega church is no small task. It requires spiritual discipline, strategic leadership, and a deep commitment to God’s calling. Many pastors struggle to balance preaching, church administration, leadership development, and personal spiritual growth. However, Dag Heward-Mills has successfully built and managed one of the largest church networks in the world, all while remaining faithful to his core calling as a preacher and teacher of the Word.
His ability to balance ministry and leadership has allowed his church movement, the United Denominations Originating from the Lighthouse Group of Churches (UD-OLGC), to thrive across multiple continents. This article explores how Dag Heward-Mills manages a mega church, ensuring both spiritual growth and organizational effectiveness.
Keeping the Focus on Preaching and Teaching
One of the greatest challenges of leading a large church is that administrative duties can overshadow the primary calling to preach the Gospel. Many mega church pastors get caught up in meetings, financial decisions, and management issues, leaving them with little time for prayer, study, and spiritual preparation.
Dag Heward-Mills ensures that preaching remains the center of his ministry. He dedicates significant time to:
- Studying the Word of God to prepare fresh messages.
- Teaching and discipling leaders to ensure sound doctrine is upheld.
- Writing books that provide structured biblical guidance for believers.
By prioritizing his spiritual assignment over administrative tasks, he ensures that his ministry remains anointed, powerful, and effective in transforming lives.
Delegating Responsibilities to Trained Leaders
No pastor can run a mega church alone. Many churches struggle because their leaders try to handle everything themselves, leading to burnout and ineffective management. Dag Heward-Mills understands the power of delegation and has developed a strong leadership structure that allows his ministry to function efficiently without micromanagement.
He has established a system where:
- Pastors are trained to lead local branches under his oversight.
- Departmental leaders manage different aspects of the church, such as evangelism, administration, and discipleship.
- Lay ministers are empowered to serve, ensuring that every church member has a role in ministry.
This structured approach allows the church to grow without overwhelming the senior leadership, ensuring long-term sustainability.
Maintaining a Strong Personal Prayer Life
Managing a mega church comes with pressures, challenges, and spiritual attacks. Many pastors lose their spiritual strength because they focus too much on leadership and neglect their personal prayer life.
Dag Heward-Mills has remained spiritually strong because he maintains a deep, disciplined prayer life. He sets aside dedicated time for:
- Early morning prayers to seek God’s guidance.
- All-night prayer sessions for breakthrough and spiritual renewal.
- Fasting and consecration to stay spiritually sensitive.
This personal commitment to prayer and fasting has kept his ministry spiritually vibrant, ensuring that leadership decisions are guided by the Holy Spirit.
Training the Next Generation of Leaders
A church cannot thrive if leadership is not continually developed. Many churches struggle when their founding leader grows older or passes away because there is no prepared successor.
Dag Heward-Mills has addressed this issue by:
- Raising a new generation of trained pastors and evangelists through the Anagkazo Bible and Ministry Training Center.
- Providing structured mentorship for young ministers.
- Encouraging leadership development within the church.
By investing in future leaders, he ensures that his mega church will continue to thrive for generations.
Conclusion
Balancing ministry and leadership is one of the most difficult tasks for a pastor, but Dag Heward-Mills has demonstrated how to do it effectively. His ability to prioritize preaching, delegate responsibilities, maintain a strong prayer life, and train leaders has allowed his church to grow without losing its spiritual power.
His leadership model provides a blueprint for pastors and church leaders who desire to expand their ministries while remaining faithful to their spiritual calling.