Several proposals were brought to the meeting of PRMI’s Board of Directors this past August.
Brad Long shares:
“I proposed to the PRMI Board and the Leadership team that I step back from oversight of the overall ministry of PRMI which requires a constant balancing of the program, people and prayer to fulfill the four vision initiatives of this ministry – Prayer, Leadership Development, Growing the Church, and Mission Outreach.”
Cindy Strickler Named the Director of PRMI and Head of Staff
We need to continue to build a structure that can discern and release people into leadership and put teams in place. In order to facilitate this process, the present Leadership Team, with my enthusiastic endorsement, proposed to the PRMI Board of Directors that the Rev. Cindy Strickler, who already serves as the Director of the Dunamis Fellowship International, be appointed Director of PRMI and Head of Staff.”
Released to Write, Mentor, and Train
Brad adds:
“I will continue in my role as Executive Director but will step back from management and oversight of day-to-day operations. Instead I am being released to focus on specific areas where I feel the Lord’s call and anointing – to write books, prepare teaching materials, mentor and train the next generation of teachers and leaders, see that the work of the Chinese Mobile Dunamis continues forward, and establish our missionary training program with the Evangelical Presbyterian Church.
I also continue to hear the Lord calling me to raise up an army of intercessors to defeat the forces of Satan, currently embodied in radical Islam and to advance the Gospel into the whole Muslim world. I am not abandoning ship!”
Letter from Brad….
Dear PRMI friends and intercessors,
2016 is a pivotal year for PRMI. This is our 50th anniversary. Also I will turn 65 and will have served as Executive Director for 26 years.
God is not taken by surprise! Several years ago the Holy Spirit spoke to me about putting into place what is needed for this ministry to continue into the next 50 years.
Kingdom Opportunity Prayer Initiative
Named Kingdom Opportunity 2014-2016, this initiative focuses on the assets needed to keep moving forward, supporting the move of the Holy Spirit of which we are a part.
These include equipping anointed leaders, building the facilities needed to support the ministry at the Community of the Cross, and the Mobile Dunamis, a bold, ingenious way to distribute Dunamis all over the world so that millions of Christians may be empowered by the Holy Spirit to take part in the Kingdom of God.
Reaching the World with Mobile Dunamis
Our focus for Mobile Dunamis over these three years is copying the teaching onto flash drives in Chinese, and handing them personally to Chinese leaders for use in Mobile Dunamis Schools.
Naturally, the flash drives can be copied onto new flash drives to be distributed yet further across the country.
Next is the Mobile Dunamis in Spanish.
Board Meeting Proposals for this Phase of Ministry
In order to facilitate the next phase of this ministry, the following proposals were brought to the PRMI Board at our summer meeting in late August:
Identifying PRMI’s Pattern Language
1. That we carefully discern PRMI’s “Pattern Language” as we seek to grow into the long-term future. In other words, what are the basic patterns that describe who we are and how we function? This is critically important as we discern who God has called us to be and the role we fill and are to fill in the Kingdom of God. This especially relates to the type of leadership we need for the future.
Passing the Torch through Pattern Language
Although we confirmed these core “patterns” in principle at the Board meeting, the Board of Directors are still refining them. We will be announcing them to you at the annual meeting of the Dunamis Fellowship International in January, 2016, in Black Mountain.
These are very important to identify and begin to name now and live out for the long-term future of PRMI.
Brad Steps Back
2. I proposed to the PRMI Board and the Leadership team that I step back from oversight of the overall ministry of PRMI which requires a constant balancing of the program, people and prayer to fulfill the four vision initiatives of this ministry – Prayer, Leadership Development, Growing the Church, and Mission Outreach.
New Leaders Stepping Forward
The Lord has raised up 100s of people involved in the Dunamis Fellowship International who are critical to the various programs and ministries that are fulfilling these four vision initiatives.
Over the last five years I have been stepping back more and more, and moving to the “grandfather role” so that these anointed leaders may step forward.
I have also been stepping back from forming ministry leadership teams needed to provide leadership for the whole ministry.
In the midst of this, I have experienced a shifting of the anointing away from me to provide this type of apostolic leadership for PRMI.
The Vision Continuity Committee
I interrupt myself here to allow Tom Kemner, PRMI board member and chair of the Vision Continuity Committee, to share a few words that serve to introduce the next proposal I brought to the Board.
“One year ago, the PRMI Board launched a Vision Continuity Committee. At that time we started wrestling with how best to record the spiritual, operational, and practical DNA of the ministry. Over the years, God has revealed to PRMI leadership a distinct model for leadership that is consistent with our understanding of cooperating with Jesus through the empowerment and guidance of the Holy Spirit.
That has proven to be an invigorating time as we reflect back on the kindness of our Lord in including us in His kingdom work. The “pattern language” developed over the past several months, when combined with the depth and quality of the people of the Dunamis Fellowship, positions PRMI very well to continue into the future with stability.
Yes, Brad brings a unique personality to the mix—as would most visionary leaders. But the precious essentials of PRMI are preserved in a way that future leaders can assume the mantle effectively—to the glory of the Father.”
Tom Kemner
Building a Structure that Can Release People into Leadership
3. We need to continue to build a structure that can discern and release people into leadership and put teams in place.
In order to facilitate this process, the present Leadership Team, with my enthusiastic endorsement, proposed to the PRMI Board of Directors that the Rev. Cindy Strickler, who already serves as the Director of the Dunamis Fellowship International, be appointed Director of PRMI and Head of Staff.
Transitional Leadership Team
In this role as Director, Cindy would build a transitional Leadership Team, starting with the present team, which consists of Jeanne Kraak, Mary Ellen Conners, Joe Schlosser, and Chris Walker.
It is very clear to me and actually to the whole team that Cindy has been anointed for this leadership and has actually already been assuming much of these responsibilities.
This now gives her the affirmation and the authority that she needs to step into this leadership position more fully.
Brad’s Continued Involvement
4. I will continue in my role as Executive Director, but will step back from management and oversight of day-to-day operations. Instead I am being released to focus on specific areas where I feel the Lord’s call and anointing – to write books, prepare teaching materials, mentor and train the next generation of teachers and leaders, see that the work of the Chinese Mobile Dunamis continues forward, and establish our missionary training program with the Evangelical Presbyterian Church.
I also continue to hear the Lord calling me to raise up an army of intercessors to defeat the forces of Satan, currently embodied in radical Islam and to advance the Gospel into the whole Muslim world. I am not abandoning ship!
Defining New Roles
I am called to step back so that this new transitional leadership team can emerge and new leaders can step forward. I will be there to assist and help out as they need me, but I do not want to get in their way.
I will remain an ex officio member of the PRMI Board. In her new role as Director of PRMI Cindy will also become an ex officio member of the PRMI Board with voice and vote.
Revising Ministry Structure
5. Further, as we have begun looking at other structural changes, we have dissolved the two ministry units, Support Services and Cyberspace Ministry. The functions of these units are still needed, but we are looking at a revised structure that will serve us well, where we are now.
The Next Fifty Years
These proposals were all enthusiastically received and affirmed. I believe the Board members were greatly relieved that we, the ministry team, including me, were so actively seeking to discern the guidance of the Holy Spirit and to take seriously the hard work of fulfilling the goal of Kingdom Opportunity, that is, to secure the kingdom assets needed for this ministry to stay on track with the Holy Spirit for the next fifty years.
A Word From Pastor Tom Willcox
Here is a word from the Rev. Tom Willcox, past President of the PRMI Board who directed us in this process.
“I am very excited by the work God is doing in PRMI. I am especially excited about the way God is preparing us for the next fifty years of ministry. By God’s grace, PRMI is positioned to continue contributing to the advance of the Kingdom of God far beyond the service and even beyond the lives of those who were involved in previous decades. For such longevity, any ministry must be organized in such a way that it is not dependent on any one person’s service.
For decades now, God has used Brad Long’s gifts, personality, energy and wisdom to shape and guide the ministry of PRMI. I expect that God will continue to use Brad in new and even more powerful ways in the development of PRMI’s ministry in the years to come.
In order to prepare for the day when God calls a new Executive Director to lead PRMI, it is necessary to shift the day to day operational leadership off of Brad’s shoulders and onto our transitional leadership team.
This will free Brad for the focused work of his current calling and anointing as described in this letter. It will also allow PRMI to build on and beyond the incredible work that has been done under Brad’s leadership.
Please pray for Brad, Cindy, the Leadership Team and the Board in this season of God inspired progress, growth and change for PRMI.”
Rev. Tom Willcox
A Word From Cindy Strickler
I quote from Cindy’s letter to PRMI’s Board of Directors, copied to me and the leadership team, a few days after the Board meeting.
“I want to thank everyone for an amazing Board meeting. It was truly led by the Holy Spirit and glorified Jesus Christ. Brad—thank you for your apostolic leadership in initiating the conversation about transition and your humility and honesty in discussing your shift in call and paving the way for us to move into the next season of leadership.
I am grateful and humbled by the trust of all of you at this time in naming me Director and Head of Staff. Please keep me in your prayers as we move into this new way of working together.
I so appreciate the support I have received from my team- they are truly a unique group of people and PRMI is blessed to have their leadership.”
Confirmation and Joy
Friends! I want to assure you how excited I am about what is happening. We have already had many powerful confirmations that this is the right way to go. Several came just a week after the Board meeting when Cindy and I, along with Chris Walker and Judy Cook, were leading an Exousia event. About 35 leaders from the Pacific Northwest including Alaska, participated.
When Cindy Strickler was introduced as the newly appointed Director of PRMI and Head of Staff there was a resounding “Yes” from all there who stood up and clapped for her. The rest of the meeting she was clearly anointed to provide the overall spiritual leadership of this equipping event and demonstrated her gifts to nurture and raise up future leaders and help them find their place in the Kingdom of God.
Anointed to Equip
For myself, I experienced a powerful anointing to equip others in the dynamics of dancing with the Holy Spirit as I taught through the dynamics of spiritual leadership as well as the unique aspects of the Dunamis Project. It was wonderful to see the lights go on among those who have directed tracks, taught and served on Dunamis leadership teams.
Watching Others Step into Prayer Ministry
I was especially blessed when the leadership team there asked Cindy and me to anoint all participants with oil and pray the Holy Spirit’s anointing on them to bring others into the anointing. As we started to pray, the Holy Spirit fell on us and I quickly was led to draw others in. Soon Cindy and I were no longer alone praying for others but nearly everyone was included on teams moving in anointed ministry. As I watched them and then debriefed the prayer time, I saw how Cindy and I, along with the others, continue to be anointed by God to carry out that to which He calls us.
Transition and Empowerment
Please pray for us all as we continue to be 100% committed to following Jesus Christ in this time of transition represented in Kingdom Opportunity 2014-2016. All that we have taken on is humanly impossible so we need the empowerment of the Holy Spirit to lead us into the future. Thank you for your prayers and support.
Brad Long
Executive Director, PRMI
