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History of Ministries In Action

General Background

Ministries In Action, Inc. (MIA) is an interdenominational, nonprofit faith-based 501(c) (3) organization headquartered in Miami, Florida. Since its inception in 1961 MIA has been committed to strengthening local Churches, particularly in the areas of fellowship, discipleship and evangelism, theological training, economic development, and works of mercy. Further, as a result of building coalitions and establishing partnerships with a large network of churches, government officials, and other faith based organizations, MIA initiates relief efforts when natural disaster affects our ministry area.

MIA’s ministry strategy is to be a resource to the local church. It is our goals to see churches in our service area begin to put into practice the “Ministries In Action Strategy (MIAS).” Since 1977 MIA has been lead by its President, E. Walford Thompson. Mr. Thompson was born on the island of St. Vincent in the southeastern Caribbean. He was educated at the University of the West Indies in Jamaica and at Bishop’s University in Canada. Mr. Thompson became a Christian at age 22, and has been very active in Christian work since that time. He served as an evangelist and church planter throughout the Caribbean for many years before joining the Ministries in Action staff in 1969. Mr. Thompson has been guest speaker at many Bible/Missionary conferences in the Caribbean, the United States and other parts of the world. He has participated in several Christian Congresses as workshop leader and speaker including the Congress on World Evangelization (at Lausanne, Switzerland, and Columbia, and South America); Dallas School of Evangelism; Congress on the Evangelization of the Caribbean (in Kingston and St. Catherine, Jamaica); World Congress in Amsterdam and Holland, and in other seminaries, churches and colleges. In 2000 Mr. Thompson was awarded the first honorary Doctor of Ministry from Miami International Seminary.

Ministries In Action Timeline

• MIA was started in 1961 by two seminary trained businessmen, Terry Gyger and David Cauwels under the name of Men In Action. The organization began with a special focus on mobilizing laymen in churches in Ft. Collins, Colorado before moving its headquarters to Miami, Florida in 1967 in order to coordinate both the U.S. and Caribbean projects. In 1974 the organization was incorporated and in 1981 the name was changed to Ministries In Action, Inc. Initially, special seminars on evangelism were conducted leading up to evangelistic crusades. Gradually, other evangelistic methods were added, including small group studies, friendship evangelism and outreach breakfasts. A broader thrust developed when MIA expanded its plan to include the development of other areas of the church’s life in addition to evangelism. Fellowship and discipleship ministries became important segments in the total strategy. Later, a major thrust in leadership training was also incorporated into the plan. Other additions also include research tools by which a congregation can get an accurate fix on its patterns of growth as well as its strengths and weaknesses. These research and evaluation tools also enable the Ministries In Action staff to judge the effectiveness of its ministry. The materials written for ministry developed into what is now called the Ministries In Action Strategy (MIAS).
  
• Ministries In Action Strategy was extended into the Caribbean area. Under the dynamic leadership of E. Walford Thompson a pioneer, 12-month project was conducted with 30 cooperating churches in the island of St. Vincent. Following the success of this project, invitations from other countries were extended to the MIA team.
  
• In 1969 E. Walford Thompson accepted the call of MIA to a staff position as MIAS Program Director for the Caribbean.
• Ministries In Action Strategy was culturally adapted for the country of Haiti and named Christ Pour Tous starting with churches in Southern Haiti from the denomination called the Mission Evangelique Baptiste Du Sud D'Haiti. In this continuing program, seminars were conducted in a four-phase strategy including leadership development, prayer cells, faithful witnessing and indoctrination. Initially, thirty-seven superintendents were given special training who then returned to their districts to train some 200 pastors who in turn trained the Christians of their congregations. In a second denomination in central Haiti, approximately 40 pastors and 1,000 church leaders were trained in the second cycle of their program. A third denominational project involved 40 pastors and 700 lay leaders in the Port-Au-Prince area and northwest Haiti. MIA has assisted in distributing some forty thousand witnessing booklets, especially prepared for the Haitian culture and used by Christians in sharing their faith.
• In 1970, Mr. Thompson moved to Jamaica to introduce the Ministries In Action Strategy to the churches in the parish (County) of Manchester. In Jamaica, God blessed his efforts in unusual ways. In seven years, the Ministries In Action Strategy was introduced to more than 200 churches in the parishes of Manchester, St. Elizabeth, St. Andrews, Trelawney, and partially in Cornwall. Prayer Cells mushroomed everywhere, and thousands of lives were touched from every strata of the Jamaican society from university students and professors, to members of the Rastafarian cult.
• 1976 marked the beginning of Ministries In Action's seminary project. This three-year effort conducted in three seminaries involved students in a series of training seminars, designed to teach the Ministries In Action Strategy to future pastors and church leaders. Many of these men were able to implement the program in congregations to which they had been called.
• In 1977 following eight years of service in the Caribbean E. Walford Thompson was elected as president of Ministries in Action. That year, he moved to Miami with his wife Jen and four small children; Karen, Barbara, Kevin and Andrew.
• In 1979 God lead MIA to start a ministry that would be called “Project Ebenezer”. The burden for a wholistic ministry that would meet the material needs of people began while Mr. Thompson was serving the Lord in Jamaica. The first project was located in Guichard between the city of Aux Cayes and the town of Camp Perrin in the southern peninsula of Haiti. The initial project is now completely self-sufficient, financially, and organizationally, with a growing and maturing church with a seating capacity of 200 at the center of this community. Surrounding the church is a Manse, School, Craft House, Clinic and multi-purpose building for craft production and teaching. The funds for this first project, a testimony to God‘s supernatural provision, came primarily from individuals and churches in Pennsylvania.
  
  
  
• In 1979 responding to a need in Jamaica of too many churches without trained Pastors, MIA started the program that is now called, the IONA Center for Theological Studies. This non-residential theological education program came together through the collaborative efforts of Dr. David Calhoun, professor of Church History at Covenant Seminary in St. Louis, Missouri, Dr. Herbert Swaby, Founder and Principal of the IONA High School in Tower Isle, Jamaica, and E. Walford Thompson, President of MIA.
  
• In 1980 MIA published in cooperation with World Mission to the Whole Man the Haitian Handbook: An Introduction to the History, Economics and Religion of the People of Haiti written by Dr. Ken I. Boodhoo. This brief background of the history, economics and social conditions, and the role of the Church and of voodooism in Haiti has been a valuable resource for effective evangelism. It has also provided a needed motivation to minister in this very poor and misunderstood country. In the words of Dr. Boodhoo, “In studying Haiti…one should keep in mind the following: the overall living conditions in Haiti are so deplorable, especially to the American mind, that reading about Haiti does not provide a complete picture of the country. Haiti has to be experienced.”
• In 1983 Terry L. Gyger, David B. Calhoun and E. Walford Thompson co-authored the Ministries In Action Handbook For Church Growth. This handbook was adopted directly from the seminars MIA was conducting. While not a literary masterpiece, it has been a valuable tool that has been proven and refined over more than twenty years of direct experience in helping churches grow. The handbook is a unique book on the total mobilization of the church for long term growth. It combines a practical and detailed, step-by-step instructions with a profoundly Biblical theology of the church, evangelism and discipleship.
• In 1985 MIA felt compelled to respond to the needs of people who had experienced overwhelming disaster from Hurricane Gilbert and began its first Disaster Relief Program by distributing several tons of relief supplies in Jamaica, Haiti, Antigua, St. Kitts, and St. Maarten.
  
• To be continued.  Check back soon...