About World MAP

As a ministry to the Body of Christ, World MAP exists to:

• Provide church leaders in the countries of Asia, Africa and Latin America training that will make them effective messengers of the gospel; and
• Share with believers in the western nations their triumphs and tragedies so that the church will pray more fervently and give more sacrificially to aid and abet the work of these who are on the front lines of evangelism.

Frank and Wendy Parrish

The Board of Directors of World Missionary Assistance Plan unanimously appointed Frank and Wendy Parrish as the new Directors of World MAP in 2002. Based in Burbank, California, World MAP provides free Christian training literature and seminars to impoverished church leaders in Asia, Africa, Latin America and Eastern Europe.

Additionally, Frank Parrish assumed the role carried by Ralph Mahoney – who founded World MAP more than 40 years ago – as President of the international non-profit organization.

Frank and Wendy Parrish’s call to join World MAP came “none too soon,” said Mahoney, Wendy Parrish’s father, who had hoped to entrust the ministry to someone who shared his passion for training the struggling church leaders in the Third World. The issue, he explained, was “Who could carry on the work with the same level of integrity, competence and conscientious use of the donors’ gifts – as our donors have rightfully come to expect? Who could ensure the continued effectiveness of the ministries World MAP has carried on for nearly forty years?”

The Board’s unanimous decision prompted Mahoney to comment, “World MAP is seeing the dawning of a new day!”

“It has been our privilege,” said Board member and spokesperson Jeff Clark, “to have Frank and Wendy on-board at World MAP for the past three years as the ministry has navigated this transition of leadership from Founder Ralph Mahoney to Frank and Wendy Parrish.”

“Along with a fresh burden, vision and perspective for the work and ministry of World MAP,” Clark added, “Frank and Wendy also bring with them many years of pastoral, administrative, and church planting experience. The passion for preparing workers and leaders for the Harvest in these last days is the absolute central theme of the Parrish family.”

Other prominent church leaders have echoed the Board’s confidence in the Parrishes.

Pastor Jack Hayford of The Church on the Way and the King’s College and Seminary in Van Nuys, California, said, “Frank is not only a proven, trustworthy leader greatly respected by pastors – and in earlier years, marked by success in youth leadership – but he is a leader of such solid integrity and commitment to the Gospel, that World MAP is certain to benefit by his leadership.”

“Wendy is a devoted wife and mother, as well as an anointed writer,” continued Hayford. “Her full-hearted partnership with her husband in ministry is unsurpassed, seeing she was raised from infancy in a home filled with missionary vision.”

“Being privileged as I am to serve across denominational and independent lines of Christian fellowship, I am aware of the expectations contemporary church leaders have for those who lead parachurch and missionary organizations. This new generation is no less passionate for the Gospel than the preceding one, but they expect a quality of sensitivity, integrity and practical skill that can answer to the present technically advanced, media-minded world of the 21st century. Frank and Wendy are made for this moment and answer these requirements,” Hayford concluded.

“My husband, Cliff, and I have been privileged to serve as District Supervisors for Frank and Wendy Parrish as they have ministered as senior pastors and as the featured speakers for many youth camps and conferences,” said Rev. Mari Hanes, Christian author and wife of Foursquare International Vice President Dr. Cliff Hanes. “In all that they do, Frank and Wendy demonstrate excellence. To know them personally is to see a man and woman of great integrity who show the love of God in both ministry and daily life. They are trustworthy leaders, divinely anointed for their special calling of service to worldwide missions.”

“World Missionary Assistance Plan and its ministry have reached a new and important milestone,” observed Carlton Spencer, President Emeritus of Elim Bible Institute in Lima, New York. “It is a real joy to know that our personal friends, Frank and Wendy Parrish, have been unanimously chosen to lead into the future. Their years of church ministry and service to the Body of Christ have well prepared them for this responsibility – under the lordship of Christ.”

With gratitude for a “tremendous legacy,” Frank Parrish stressed the necessity of a “daily reliance on our all-sufficient God” for guidance and enablement in the “monumental task” ahead. Citing Philippians 3:12-14, Rev. Parrish invited World MAP’s supporters to “press forward” with him and Wendy to “reach the nations for Christ”.

Toward that goal, World MAP mails ACTS Magazine, a 40-page Christian training magazine for Third-World church leaders, free of charge. Additionally, each church leader can request a free copy of World MAP’s equipping book, “The Shepherd’s Staff” – a 1,000-page comprehensive training manual that has been hailed as “A Bible School in a Book” by many of the leaders who have read it. The magazines are available to church leaders in English, Spanish, French, Portuguese, Indonesian, Urdu, Swahili, and the Indian languages of Hindi, Tamil, Telugu, Malayalam, Bengali, Marathi and Oriya. The Shepherd’s Staff is available in all of these languages, as well as Russian and Chinese.

The Vision of World MAP

What - In The World - Is “World MAP”?
by Frank Parrish

A Clear Vision
“Write the vision and make it plain. . . that he may run who reads it” (Hab 2:2).

The scriptural admonition to document and disseminate a clear vision is of supreme importance to any God-appointed endeavor.

Refreshing Reminder
What is the vision for this ministry called “World MAP”?

Many of our beloved brothers and sisters in Christ have asked that question. And the conversations that followed brought a stark realization:

In recent years, many new people have joined the faithful ranks of World MAP supporters; they have not had the privilege of being part of World MAP's more than four decades of spiritual heritage…and also may not have a clear vision of what this ministry is all about. For that matter, how many of us World MAP “veterans” could use a refreshing reminder?

Because of this, we are taking this opportunity to show the people, ministry, vision and mission of World MAP. This, we hope, will not only inform you – but inspire you to “run along with us” in the race to “reach the lost till we've reached the last.”

A New Focus
“Joseph is a fruitful bough. . . his branches run over the walls” (Gen 49:22).

World MAP (Missionary Assistance Plan) is a trans-denominational teaching “vine” that, for nearly 40 years, has “run over” the denominational walls dividing Pentecostals, Baptists, Catholics, Methodists, Lutherans, and many others in the Body of Christ.

World MAP was born with a vision of assisting Western missionaries in the Third-World by providing resources and support.

Over time it became clear that the world-sized task of reaching those who have not yet heard the Gospel – some 16,000 ethnic groups – could be best accomplished by the leaders already present in the Third World churches themselves. Thus, World MAP’s primary focus shifted from financing and supporting the Western missionaries to training and equipping the national church leaders in Third World nations.

What IS Our Vision?

As a ministry to the Body of Christ, World MAP exists for one purpose:
To provide training and equipping to the church leaders of Third World nations, that they would be prepared for every good work to advance the fulfillment of the Great Commission.

Our vision is simple but strategically profound; focused, yet large in scope. It has been said: “If you give a man a fish, you’ll feed him for a day. But if you teach him how to fish, you’ll feed him for a lifetime”. This homey proverb illustrates what Paul commanded his young disciple Timothy when he wrote; “And the things you have heard from me among many witnesses, commit these to faithful men who will be able to teach others also” (2 Tim 2:2).

This is the vision, goal and driving force in all we do and strive for at World MAP.

... but HOW!?

Less than 10% of the estimated 2 million church leaders in Third-World nations has had formal ministry training. So, the task before us seems immense, yet its size dwindles rapidly when we consider the “size” of our God! Just how is World MAP reaching out to the needy Third-World church leaders?

Our Mission

We have discussed the God-given vision that guides the ministry efforts of World MAP: To provide training and equipping to the church leaders of Third-World nations, that they would be prepared for every good work to advance the fulfillment of the Great Commission. This is the vision, goal and driving force in all we do and strive for at World MAP.

With this over-arching purpose firmly in place, the question then arises: “Just exactly HOW are we going to accomplish this monumental task?”

As we stated above, it is estimated that there are approximately two million Third-World church leaders – a number that is growing – and very few of them have received any formal ministry or Bible training. This would seem to make our task insurmountable. How can we possibly reach across the linguistic, cultural, geographic, political and economic boundaries of the Third World? What tools or methods can we successfully use?

Where do we start??

When God gives a vision to a person or a people, He will also give the strategy of how to accomplish it. We call this the “MISSION” of World MAP's ministry.

Our Strategy

The “printed word” is still a respected, inexpensive, readily obtained and easily used form of communication in our world. Computers, cassettes and videotapes are wonderful modes of communication. But how many Third-World people have free access to these items that seem so commonplace to us? Very, very few.

Hence, the printed page is our main vehicle for teaching and training Third-World church leaders. The two primary tools we employ you probably already know of: ACTS Magazine and The Shepherd’s Staff.

But that is not all....

An Incarnational Principle

When we read the Bible, we see that God gave revelation to men through the Law, the prophets and the written word. Yet, He did not stop there. His final and ultimate revelation of His heart was when “the Word became flesh and dwelt among us” (John 1:14) in the Person of Jesus.

When God’s Son took on mortal flesh and came to this world, humanity could finally “see” what God was like. Not His physical appearance, but rather the heart of God. As the Apostle John explains in his first epistle, “That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked upon and our hands have handled, concerning the Word of life [Jesus!] – We declare also to you, that you also may have fellowship with us” (1Jn 1:1,3).

What John describes here is the incarnational principle – the Word becoming flesh. By coming into the world in the Person of His Son Jesus and living among people, God could be right there with them to answer their questions (Luke 10:29-37; Matt 22:35-40; Matt 24:3ff); encourage and comfort them (Matt 5:11,12; John 14:1-3); set an example of service (John 13:3-15); and inspire them with missionary zeal (Matt 28:18-20; Acts 1:8).

World MAP has attempted to follow this incarnational principle by not just sending the teaching material (ACTS Magazine and The Shepherd’s Staff) into the Third-World, but also by going into the Third-World in the form of Leadership Training Seminars, to teach the church leaders directly, answer their questions, exhort them to “teach others also” (2 Tim 2:2), and set an example of “servant-leadership” as fellow servants of the Most High God.

World MAP had not done its own seminars for a number of years. Over the last several years, however, God has directed us to do so once again, as well as participate in other seminars put on by various Third-World groups.

There is yet more . . .

The VISION of World MAP is to train and equip Third-World church leaders. Our MISSION (or strategy for accomplishing the VISION) is to disseminate scripturally sound, Spirit-filled, and practically oriented teaching through 1) the printed page, i.e., ACTS Magazine and The Shepherd's Staff, and 2) overseas seminars – using godly, anointed and experienced teams of teachers, prophets, apostles and pastors to bring encouragement and equipping to these Third-World leaders.

“Behold, I will do a new thing...” (Isa 43:19). Because our God is a Creator-God Who delights in doing new things, there is yet more He has in store for the future.

Our Methods
A Brief Review

To summarize:

World MAP’s VISION: To provide sound, biblical training and equipping to church leaders in Third-World nations, that they would be prepared for every good work to advance and fulfill the Great Commission.

World MAP’s MISSION (strategy to accomplish the Vision): To disseminate scripturally sound, Spirit-filled, and practically-oriented teaching through:
1. ACTS Magazine - a 40-page equipping resource
2. The Shepherd’s Staff - a 1000-page Bible training manual, and
3. Spiritual Renewal Seminars - to teach Third-World church leaders in person in their own nations.

In addition, World MAP shares the trials and victories of the Third-World Church with believers in Western nations, so that they will pray more fervently and give more sacrificially, to bless and advance the work of those who serve on the front lines of evangelism.

Having discussed the VISION and MISSION of World MAP’s ministry, let us examine some of the Holy Spirit-led METHODS we use to carry out our MISSION and fulfill our VISION.

Strict Accountability

The proliferation of non-profit organizations in the last decade has led to a growing concern about ministry trustworthiness in the realm of finances.

Support for a non-profit ministry like World MAP comes largely from the sacrificial giving of faithful believers like you. So you have a right to expect your donations to be used to MAXIMUM EFFECTIVENESS in the Lord’s work.

At World MAP, we know it costs many of you greatly to give for the purpose of training Third-World church leaders. We desire with you that every dollar you give be stretched and multiplied to accomplish as much as possible for our brothers and sisters around the world.

We want to assure you that World MAP was founded upon, and continues to function by, a strict set of policies and principles regarding our financial procedures and fundraising.

Cornerstone Of The Ministry

There is one foundational truth that permeates all we do and seek to become here at World MAP: This ministry belongs to God – not to any person(s).

We know, therefore, that our primary role here is to serve God’s sovereign will, to bring glory and honor to His Son, Jesus Christ, and to edify His Church at home and abroad.

This is not spiritual rhetoric. This fundamental truth has been the cornerstone of World MAP’s ministry since its inception; it is our firm commitment that it shall continue to be so.

Here, then, are some of the key policies and guidelines that shape this ministry and guide our service.

Organizational Structure -- Checks and Balances

World MAP is a non-profit ministry, legally recognized and licensed by the Federal Government and the State of California to carry out its ministry functions. World MAP is overseen by an independent Board of Directors who serve in a voluntary capacity.

As stated in our Board of Directors manual, the Board is to “monitor, support, and act as general overseers of organizational goals and objectives.” The organization’s Ministry Director is to be a “link between the Board of Directors and the other managers and supervisors to see that the policies, motions, and prerogatives of the Board are respected, initiated, implemented and not violated.” The Ministry Director and key personnel are to plan, organize, and efficiently and economically use the needed resources to accomplish a given goal following the Board’s approval.

The Board, along with the Ministry Director, establishes policy, governs the affairs of World MAP, reviews and approves both compensation (all staff salaries are determined and set by the Board) and program budgets. There is a preset limit for capital acquisitions that is monitored. Every quarter, the Board of Directors reviews a detailed financial report prepared by the World MAP bookkeeper. The Board is the primary overseer of the ministry, and has the authority to approve or disapprove decisions of the Ministry Director. The Board, as stated in their policy manual, is to “protect and defend the moral and financial integrity of the organization.”

In other words, the leadership and stewardship functions of World MAP are accountable to an independent Board of Directors. This is a strong system of checks and balances that are irrevocably set in place.

Financial Accountability

As stated, the ministry of World MAP belongs to God. Therefore, the Board and Ministry Director must be faithful and integritous stewards of both the opportunities God gives for ministry, and the resources He releases through His people to carry out that ministry. In order to function with an economy of effort, several important policies have been established:
1. World MAP has a yearly audit by a licensed CPA. This audit helps us to evaluate and maintain proper bookkeeping practices. It also holds us accountable for proper procedures in the handling of all donated monies. It helps ensure that correct record keeping is in place for documenting all financial transactions.
2. The Board has set a policy that the cost of Administration/Accounting is not to exceed 15% of the total amount of donations per year.
In addition, it is Board policy that costs for fundraising and trust management are not to exceed 10% of revenue.
[Note: ALL donations to World MAP that are designated for a specific purpose are used 100% for that purpose; administration and other costs are met through other non-designated contributions.]
3. As stated previously, each Board member receives a quarterly detailed financial report for their review, in order to stay current as to the state of World MAP’s resources.
4. The ministry of World MAP does not operate on borrowed funds for ministry purposes. When God leads us in a ministry outreach, we trust Him to confirm His desire by making provision for that ministry outreach to be accomplished.
Scripture tells us: “Be diligent to know the state of your flocks” (Prov 27:23). We take this admonition to include using wise business sense; but we balance that by remembering we are NOT a business – we ARE a ministry. The “bottom-line” is not profit, but fruit!
5. In order to do the “work of ministry”, we make purchases from vendors. We pay our bills as the invoices are due on the 1st and 15th of each month. We do not use a vendor's credit to finance our operations. We pay our bills on time, recognizing that the witness of Christ is seen (or not) in everything we do as a Christian ministry.

Guidelines For Ethical Fundraising

Recognizing that the ministry of World MAP belongs to God, we are careful and diligent stewards of the resources He releases to us. This also means that if He chooses to close the doors of supply to this ministry, we will humbly yield to His sovereign will.

Apart from that occurring, however, we are completely committed to fulfilling the vision and mission God has given us. It is both spiritual and scriptural to let your requests be made known to God and His people, so that God’s people can respond as He directs (see Acts 11:27-30; Romans 15:26,27; 1 Corinthians 16:1-4; 2 Corinthians 8:1-12, 9:5-15; etc.).

Therefore, we try to communicate with you on a regular basis to inform you, inspire you, and give opportunity for the practical expressions of faith so many of you make. I cannot tell you how grateful we at World MAP are for each of you – and how humbled we are by your faithful prayers and sacrificial giving. You are a treasure and an inspiration to us, and a tremendous blessing to the cause of Christ in the world today!

In order to be faithful to the trust you have placed in us, we have set strict guidelines to avoid common fundraising abuses:
1. Because we respect you, we will not resort to manipulative, dishonorable techniques or “cheap tricks” to elicit a response – even when the need is overwhelming. We will do our best to accurately communicate the need and the urgency, trusting the Holy Spirit to stir the hearts of those He would lead to support this ministry.
2. We will give our utmost effort to maximize the benefit of every dollar given. We recognize that as stewards of the gracious gifts you entrust to us, we are honor-bound to direct that money carefully and prayerfully.
We understand that, as a ministry, we must balance faith for God’s provision with practical common sense in releasing the resource given for ministry. Obtaining multiple bids for service, traveling as economically as possible, printing our publications overseas, etc., all help to “stretch every penny”.
3. We try to raise only the money we need to fulfill the current ministry requirements. Unfortunately, right now our regular contributions do not equal our present ministry expenditures. This has required us to draw upon our limited reserves, and also to cut both staff and programs. We believe the Lord will help us balance faith for expanding need and vision, with wisdom to fulfill the call within the bounds of what He is providing.
4. We receipt all donations and respond with a letter of acknowledgment within 48 hours of receiving a gift. We want you to know when your gift has been received, and to be assured that we are sincerely grateful for your partnership.
5. We do our utmost to guard the confidential information in our mailing list. Therefore we will never sell, loan, rent or distribute the mailing list of our friends and supporters of World MAP.
6. Each and every donation that we receive that is designated for a particular area of ministry is used 100% for that designation.
7. We will never knowingly receive support or other resources that should be directed to another church, para-church ministry or missionary endeavor. Instead, we will seek to foster the unity of the brethren and, where possible, participate in advantageous, mutually aligned partnerships for the sake of the advancement of the Gospel.

We Dedicate Ourselves

Wendy and I consider it a sacred trust that we have been called to serve and direct the ministry of World MAP. We are also keenly aware of the saints that have gone before us and blazed a “trail in the wilderness” through much sacrifice and hard work.

Therefore, we dedicate ourselves first to the Lord Jesus Whose cause we serve; to you, our beloved partners and friends who faithfully support this ministry; and, together with you, to the multiplied millions of our brothers and sisters in Christ around the world, to give our all as they do, for the sake of the Kingdom of God and the edification of the Church – to the glory of God.

IN CONCLUSION

God has been faithful to supply this ministry with some truly gifted and gracious staff members. There have been many wonderful, gifted people, who have served this ministry in the 40-plus years of its existence. We extend our thanks and appreciation to them!

We wanted to take a moment and have you meet a few of the current long-term staff who are serving World MAP; those who sacrificially and faithfully minister to the church leaders around the Third World each day without ever leaving their desks!

Pat McCratic: Faithful in service to World MAP since 1972, Pat derives satisfaction from knowing that “the vision of the Lord for this ministry is being fulfilled through the training of Third-World church leaders to disciple their own nations.” As the mail analyst, Pat is ever mindful of the personal sacrifice made by so many of you through your prayers and giving that make the ministry of World MAP possible.

Brian Davis: “I love to serve others” – this is Brian’s motto, and since 1985 his work at World MAP has demonstrated that. With amazing resourcefulness and quiet good humor, Brian keeps a firm and steady hand at the controls of the computer system that is so vital to the ministry he so deeply believes in.

Keith Balser: A graduate of New York University with published articles and poems to his credit, Keith has a deep respect for the kind of writing that both informs and inspires – and strives to produce that quality of writing. His meticulous nature and commitment to communicating the Word of God with accuracy make him an invaluable resource. He believes – and we agree – that his years serving World MAP since 1985 have allowed him to play a part in world evangelism.

Gayla Dease: Award-winning accomplishments in the field of journalism and publishing – as reporter, writer, photojournalist, graphic designer and newspaper editor – make Gayla eminently qualified to coordinate World MAP’s worldwide publication network. Since 1988, her passionate commitment to church leaders in the Third World motivates an unstoppable drive, an inspired creativity, and quality of work and service rarely matched.

Kay Webster: Kay brings a strong background in bookkeeping and accounting management in the legal, manufacturing, sales, property management and construction fields to her years of service to World MAP since 1991. Her precise and faithful recording of the funds our supporters entrust to World MAP, and the accurate tracking of their distribution, keep us informed and in compliance with the requirements of the government, auditors, and our stewardship responsibilities before the Lord.

Ann Baker: Grateful for her Christian heritage, and guided by a firm commitment to the spread of the Gospel, Ann tirelessly puts her vast array of business management and accounting skills to work as the Office Manager. Her service to World MAP since 1995 has allowed her to “accomplish eternal results around the world.”

If you are like Wendy and me, reading these brief “bios” helps you realize that God has truly blessed World MAP with the high caliber and level of giftedness of those He has brought alongside this ministry.

World MAP’s VISION , which is world-sized; our MISSION to fulfill it, which is practical and effective; our METHODS we use, which are guided by integrity and submission to His Lordship; and the Spirit-empowered gifts of the PEOPLE who make it all happen – all these work together for the good of those we serve in the Third World, and for the maximum praise to our God.

We are also deeply indebted to each of you who fervently pray and sacrificially give to this ministry. We are grateful to be partnered with great saints like yourselves, who are doing so much to advance the Kingdom of God around the world today.

For every nation,
Frank and Wendy Parrish
World MAP Directors

The History of World MAP

Into All The World!
A Walk Through World MAP’s History 1956: The seed for World MAP’s worldwide ministry is sown at Bethel Temple in West Monroe, Louisiana in the small church’s Missions Department.

Spring 1959: World MAP founder Ralph Mahoney sets out on the first of many overseas evangelism expeditions – this one to Nicaragua – which gather much “fruit for eternal life” (John 4:36).

1961: World M.A.P. [Missionary Assistance Plan] is birthed out of the burgeoning Bethel Temple Missions Department.

January 1961: The first issue of World MAP DIGEST appears. The inside front cover outlines the new ministry’s initial six-fold plan for implementing its motto, “World MAP is filling the Gap”:
• Assisting missionaries who have no guaranteed support
• Enabling missionaries to meet emergency needs of native church leaders/workers
• Providing monthly assistance allowances for native evangelists
• Sponsoring/conducting overseas evangelistic campaigns
• Free mission-funds processing for churches
• Overseas distribution of Gospel tracts, booklets and Bibles

1964: World MAP leaves Louisiana to set up a new base of operations in Fontana, California.

January 1966: World MAP embarks on a fruitful nine-year season of joint ministry with Elim Bible Institute and Missionary Assemblies of Lima, New York.

August 1966: World MAP helps coordinate the first-ever Elim West Coast camp meeting at Big Bear Lake, in southern California’s San Bernardino Mountains – which launches the 27-year World MAP summer family camp ministry.

March 1968: World MAP’s Seminar ministry gets off to a powerful start as Ralph Mahoney and Costa Deir (Elim’s Missions Secretary) board an SAS airliner for a three-month round-the-world odyssey to “seek lost souls for the Savior”.

1970: “Tape-a-Month” program gets underway, and for more than two decades supplies missionaries and church leaders worldwide with powerful Bible teaching tapes (more than half a million mailed). Devoted volunteer teams kept this anointed teaching and training “sounding forth” across the mission field.

 1971: World MAP acquires its new International Center at 900 North Glenoaks Blvd in Burbank, California; it serves the rapidly-growing ministry for the next 17 years.

1975: World MAP acquires ACTS Magazine from Kathryn Kuhlman ministries. ACTS – at first primarily for Western readers – includes reports from the worldwide mission field, accounts of the Holy Spirit’s renewal, and in-depth Bible teaching.

1978: ACTS Magazine “sets sail” for the “uttermost parts of the earth.” Its new focus: Supplying Bible teaching and church leadership training material where it is most desperately needed – in developing nations, beginning with the Philippines.

The 80s & 90s: World MAP’s ministry horizons begin rapidly widening, with dramatic expansion in the reach and effectiveness of World MAP’s “2 Timothy 2:2” ministry: “And the things that you have heard from me among many witnesses, commit these to faithful men who will be able to teach others also”.

The wisdom of God is strikingly evident in guiding World MAP beyond its original focus – support of Western missionaries – to a new, Spirit-led strategy: supplying training for indigenous missionaries, evangelists, pastors and teachers in developing nations. These “faithful men” – by the tens of thousands – sorely lack the scripturally-sound training resources that would make them fruitful in the end-time harvest.

Throughout these fruitful decades World MAP Spiritual Renewal Seminars for Church Leaders, along with ACTS Magazine, are “filling the gap” in greater and greater measure.

Intensive training at the Seminars generates a rippling effect as these native church leaders return to their flocks and mission fields equipped, freshly empowered by the Holy Spirit, and fired up with zeal to advance the Kingdom of God on earth. More than 100,000 leaders attended World MAP seminars, in turn reaching millions more.

The Right Kind of Building: By 1989 a crisis is growing in Mainland China – a training “gap” that is more like a chasm. The Gospel is exploding in China, and house churches are multiplying exponentially. Chinese house-church leaders are desperate for sound, biblical knowledge and training in order to be kept safe from error, and to raise up strong disciples and more house-church leaders.

World MAP’s founder Ralph Mahoney and the Board of Directors decide to sell the World MAP headquarters and purchase a more modest facility nearby. 

Proceeds from the sale fund the distribution of World MAP’s newest resource tool, The Shepherd’s Staff – first in Chinese, then in many other languages. This 1,000-page “Bible School in a Book” is a rich resource that includes: several entire books by Ralph Mahoney; anointed teachings by other godly authors; and the “best of” ACTS Magazine teachings to date. 

The Mantle Is Passed: Founder Ralph Mahoney retires in 2001, and World MAP crosses the threshold of the twenty-first century under the new leadership of Frank and Wendy (Mahoney) Parrish.

Thousands of Bible teachers and Gospel preachers are growing mighty in the Scriptures through ACTS Magazine. The magazine is in 14 language editions – familiar languages like Spanish, French and Portuguese, and exotic dialects like Bengali, Hindi and Urdu. God’s guiding hand has made World MAP a truly worldwide mission body that is impacting lives and ministries across the globe.

New frontiers for outreach have opened up with the publication and explosive distribution of The Shepherd’s Staff. This 1,000-page resource is being studied in all the languages in which ACTS is published (14) – plus Chinese, Russian and even Vietnamese – by hundreds of thousands of church leaders in nearly 150 nations.

And even wider horizons lie ahead. Translation is already underway for yet another edition of The Shepherd’s Staff – in Arabic!

Fruit For Eternal Life
God, in His sovereign wisdom and grace, has raised up World Missionary Assistance Plan and given it a vital role to play in His eternal redemptive plan.

God has provided faithful and dedicated donors, prayer warriors, staff, volunteers and ministers who have helped World MAP be fruitful in the vision and mission birthed more than four decades ago. Many of these continue to faithfully partner with World MAP in fulfilling all that God has ordained.

World MAP is a ministry birthed by God, and led by His Spirit. Like Paul, we press on to lay hold of that for which Christ Jesus has also laid hold of us, always pressing toward His upward call (Phil 3:12-14). We rest in God’s faithfulness, and the assurance that all that lies ahead for World MAP is “‘Not by might nor by power, but by My Spirit’, says the Lord of hosts” (Zech 4:6). Amen!

Ralph Mahoney: Founder of World MAP

Honor to Whom Honor is Due: A Tribute To The Ministry Of Ralph Mahoney
By Frank and Wendy Parrish

A Personal Note: As the Directors of World MAP since 2001, Wendy and I have had the profound privilege and responsibility of leading World MAP into the continued destiny God has appointed for this ministry.

We are deeply humbled and grateful for the phenomenally rich legacy and heritage of God’s sovereign workings, grace and anointing that have made the ministry of World MAP so effective.

We know this legacy has not come without a great deal of sacrifice, hard work, obedience and sensitivity to the Holy Spirit’s leading on the part of many staff members, volunteers, ministers and committed donors who have all faithfully partnered with World MAP over the last 43 years.

Yet this worldwide ministry, which has influenced more than 140 nations and hundreds of thousands of church leaders for the sake of the Gospel, all began with the vision held in the heart of one man to impact the world for Christ – Brother Ralph Mahoney.

The Bible instructs us that it is good and right to give “honor to whom honor” is due (Rom 13:7). In a similar light, it is important to recognize the things in the lives of others that are praiseworthy (Prov 27:2).

It is our privilege to follow these scriptural injunctions, and to honor the Founder of World MAP, Ralph Mahoney, for a lifetime of service to God and dedication to advancing God’s Kingdom purposes throughout the earth.                

By My Spirit
“Whatever God does, it shall be forever. Nothing can be added to it, and nothing taken from it. God does it, that men should fear before Him” (Eccl 3:14). Ralph Mahoney would be the first to acknowledge that God deserves the glory for what has been accomplished through Ralph’s life and ministry.

It is God, through the saving power of Jesus Christ and the work of the Holy Spirit, Who saves, heals, delivers and transforms. It is Jesus Who builds His Church (Matt 16:18). Nothing done by man’s power and might is eternal – apart from man being yielded to God’s Spirit to work in him and through him.

This is how God uses men and women to accomplish the work of ministry – “‘not by might nor by power, but by My Spirit,’ says the Lord of hosts” (Zech 4:6). God calls and anoints people for particular purpose and service – if they are willing. God looks over all the earth to show Himself strong on behalf of those whose heart is loyal to Him (2Chr 16:9).

It was more than 65 years ago that the eye of the Lord saw a loyal and willing vessel in Ralph Mahoney.

Yielding To The Call
Ralph’s parents were Spirit-filled, and active in the Assemblies of God. It was during a prayer meeting in their home that Ralph, at 5 years of age, had a profound sense of calling from the Lord. 

The issue was finally settled in his own heart when he reached his late teens. Throughout an entire summer, young Ralph felt the Holy Spirit’s gentle “pressure” to dedicate himself to missionary service. 

Then, “in a church service in 1948, I made a commitment of my life to the Lord Jesus Christ,” he recalls. Ralph says he has tried, since that day, “to walk in the will of the Lord.”

Though Ralph expected an immediate call to a far-away country, the first place the Lord told him to go was only 3 miles from home! Ralph obeyed the Lord, and considers that first step of simple obedience critical to all that has transpired since. “Had I not obeyed God’s call at that time, so much of my life would have been different,” Ralph explains.

Later, in the Lord’s timing, Ralph enrolled in a missionary training school in Northern California. It was there that more of God’s purpose for his life unfolded, when he met his wife-to-be, Rose Shelton.

Critical Crossroads
The missionary training school was non-charismatic. Ralph was openly Pentecostal, and shared freely with those who asked him questions about his experience. Many students at the school, including Rose, felt they did not have the gifting or power to fulfill their calling. Ralph showed them scriptures about the baptism in the Holy Spirit. Later, as different ones went privately to God in prayer, they were baptized in the Holy Spirit!

This activity did not sit well with the school’s leadership; they told Ralph he would receive a missionary appointment only if he would promise to not teach or preach on the Baptism in the Holy Spirit.

Ralph had come to a critical crossroads in His ministry walk. He was already beginning to understand that the Holy Spirit’s power and work were essential to effective evangelism and missionary service. Had he denied this truth, one of the foremost ways in which God desired to use Ralph Mahoney to advance the Kingdom of God would have never been realized. 

Ralph could not agree to the stipulation of the leadership, so he left the school. However, before he left, he asked Rose to marry him; she accepted his proposal. 

Jehovah-Jireh
Ralph and Rose were married in 1951 in Louisiana, where Ralph was serving as a youth pastor. Shortly thereafter, they participated in a tent crusade in the area, and from the new converts they pioneered a church.

Within the next 6 years, Ralph and Rose had 5 children! Rose took care of the children while Ralph pastored. They expected to be called to the mission field soon (a desire both Ralph and Rose shared); so as soon as one of their newly-formed congregations became self-supporting, they would turn it over to another pastor. They still pursued missionary service, but the doors just did not seem to open. While they waited, they would pioneer yet another church.

In each church, Ralph and Rose would give 50% of all church income to foreign missions work. This was a sacrifice for both the church and the family, but God was always faithful to provide.

As the church made missions a priority, God would often make miraculous provisions for them – such as land being donated or made available at a fraction of its value. In one case, a small sanctuary was built from logs discovered in a river bed, long-abandoned by a timber company.

What great lessons of faith and provision were learned by the Mahoneys and the churches they served! God does have a different economic system than man, and what a glorious and joyous system it is. Ralph and Rose learned in those early days that you can never “outgive” God, especially when your priority is His priority – reaching the lost with the Gospel. 

Rose used to tell the story of a time when the cupboards were almost bare, and she wondered what she would feed the children. A knock came at the door, and there stood one of their poorer Louisiana parishioners, holding a burlap sack. They had just butchered a prize hog, and wanted to share it with the Mahoneys.

Rose thanked them and closed the door. When she opened the bag, to her surprise she found the hog’s head! But having grown up on a farm, Rose knew how to use even that to feed the family for many days.

World MAP Is Born
Though a missionary appointment had not yet materialized, opportunities began to open up for Ralph to travel and minister outside the United States. At that time, the Lord quickened Romans 9:17 to Ralph’s heart: “For this very purpose I have raised you up, that I may show My power in you, and that My name may be declared in all the earth.”

Ralph traveled with teams to Central America, and then Japan. In both instances, hundreds of people came to Christ and signs and wonders followed the preaching of the Word. Ralph’s missionary burden grew as he saw the desperate need for more laborers who would go into the ripened harvest fields of the world.

As more overseas trips followed, Ralph began to come across many “displaced” missionaries. This was during the beginning days of a season in the Body of Christ commonly known as the “Charismatic Renewal”. Many Christians around the world – including many missionaries – were sovereignly being baptized in the Holy Spirit and speaking in tongues. They also embraced divine healing as something still available to Christians today.

In those years, many mission agencies and non-charismatic denominations and churches were not favorably disposed toward either the baptism in the Holy Spirit or divine healing. When they would hear of their missionaries being baptized in the Holy Spirit or praying for others to be healed, they would drop the missionaries’ support and help, sometimes leaving the missionaries abandoned on the field.

Ralph saw the need to help missionaries remain on the field, and took steps to establish ways to assist them. He began to maintain their Stateside mailing lists; print and mail their newsletters; and raise additional support for them as he could. Serving the needs of these displaced missionaries became the “missions department” of Bethel Temple, the local church Ralph and Rose were pastoring at the time. This department later took on the name World M.A.P. (Missionary Assistance Plan).

Before long, however, the growing needs of more and more displaced missionaries began to compete with the daily demands of the equally growing church. Ralph was frustrated. He felt he was not adequately serving either ministry; neither was prospering. He found himself at yet another crossroads in his ministry walk.

A Critical Turning Point
Ralph came to a point that so many in ministry come to. In their zeal to serve the Lord, they work very hard accomplishing what they can for God. But at some point, they realize that even their best human efforts – their own might and power – are inadequate to accomplish God’s purposes. In desperation, they finally cry out to God for His help – recognizing that without Him they can do nothing (John 15:5), but with Him, all things are possible (Matt 19:26).

It was in this challenging season in 1963 that Ralph Mahoney, feeling like a complete failure, wrote a letter to God. “Lord, I quit working for You. If World MAP is something You desire, I need Your sovereign intervention and direction. You must take the initiative, open the doors, and provide the finances, staff and facilities. I will co-labor with You, but I cannot do this on my own. If this is not Your desire, I don’t want to do it anymore.”

God sovereignly visited Ralph with a fresh dimension of grace, and “turned his captivity”. Ralph began to truly understand the difference between working FOR God and working WITH God. Within a matter of months, the Lord had confirmed His desire for World MAP and launched the ministry into what would be many years of fruitful service. 

Ralph readily acknowledges God’s providence in all this: “In retrospect, I realized it was the will of the Lord that my own efforts fail, so that I would know that only God could bring to birth and accomplish what He had given me as a vision.” 

A Fruitful Vine
During this season, the Lord gave Ralph a mental picture in which his church in Louisiana appeared as a vine being pruned. Then the vine began to wither and die, and was burned with fire until only a stump remained. The remaining root was transplanted, and burst forth into new life again – but this time the vine reached “over a wall” to the ends of the earth (Gen 49:22).

The Lord used this vision to help Ralph understand that he was to leave the Louisiana church, and transplant the ministry of World MAP and his family to California. The first official World MAP offices were “planted” in an old chicken coop in Fontana, California!

A short time later, World MAP began a close association with Elim Bible Institute and Missionary Assemblies in Lima, New York. Elim was experiencing a mighty outpouring of the Holy Spirit; many of their staff were traveling the world, preaching the Gospel and proclaiming the message of the Holy Spirit’s renewal. Ralph began to join with them in their travels as they held crusades and lit the fires of renewal in the hearts of believers around the world.

Elim also held annual summer family camp meetings; in 1966, World MAP assisted them in their first-ever West Coast Elim camp meeting. The glory of God descended upon that gathering – and it fell freshly upon the ministry of World MAP as well.

World MAP began to grow and flourish in the purposes of God. Finances and staffing were released, and adequate facilities to house the ministry also followed. God began to use Ralph Mahoney and World MAP even more to advance the Kingdom of God in North America and many nations of the world.

World MAP’s Outreach: In North America
Summer Family Camps
During the 1960s, the Church in North America was also experiencing the Charismatic Renewal: thousands were revived, baptized in the Holy Spirit, and “set on fire” for Christ. This revival of the Church was the precursor to the “Jesus Movement” of the 70s, when tens of thousands of people in North America came to Christ. 

Many mainline denominations and churches still opposed the baptism in the Holy Spirit, or were uncertain how to pastor this outpouring. Christians were left with few places to express this new-found gift, or the other gifts and expanded flow of worship that accompanied this move.

World MAP camps were a place where the Holy Spirit was invited to freely move, and hundreds (even thousands) would gather at these oases of refreshing each summer. God brought together anointed teachers, prophets and missionaries from around the world to minister His Word and heart, and help families grow in the Spirit-filled life.

This was yet another instance where Brother Mahoney recognized a need in the Kingdom purposes of God, and did what he could to facilitate it.

God also provided hundreds of faithful staff and volunteers who selflessly served to make the World MAP camps powerful times to come away to a “place of meeting” with the Lord. God visited mightily to heal, deliver, save, freshly baptize and empower. God is faithful to meet His people who are hungry for more of Him!

Brother Mahoney describes the goal of the camps: “We wanted to reach as many people as possible in North America with a ministry that would help them become mature believers who, in turn, would accept the responsibility of helping to reach the billions in the world who had yet to hear the Gospel.” 

Many people did embrace the call of God to support global evangelism, and still do so to this day. “Our ministry in East Africa has been strongly influenced by [Ralph] and by World MAP ever since we took steps to leave Canada for Kinshasa, Zaire in 1988,” report Sig & Joy Feser. “The World MAP Canadian Camp was our launching pad! The friends of World MAP housed us and pointed us to the next place of our itineration travels… Ralph and World MAP helped to establish this ministry in our present location [in Tanzania]. 

God also challenged all those who attended the World MAP camps to live consecrated lives – as proclaimed by the camp platform banner, “To gain for the Lamb the reward of His sacrifice.” Local pastors also came to the camp meetings, which profoundly impacted the Body of Christ in North America. To God be the glory for the great things He did through the World MAP camps! 

World MAP DIGEST
Brother Mahoney began World MAP DIGEST magazine in 1961. It was originally printed by him in the “chicken coop turned print shop”, and assembled and mailed by a team of volunteers that often included the Mahoney children. 

The DIGEST developed into a full-color magazine, and continues to provide World MAP’s North American family with:

• news of what God is doing in the world;
• in-depth Bible teaching;
• reports on World MAP’s impact and ministry in developing nations;
• accounts of the triumphs and tragedies of the church leaders on the front lines of evangelism in Asia, Africa and Latin America.  

World MAP’s Outreach: Into All The World
Tape Ministry

In the 1960s, as Brother Mahoney traveled to other nations, he met many missionaries who felt cut off from what God was doing and saying to His people – especially concerning the move of the Holy Spirit in the Church. There was very little access to current teaching ministries through television or radio (this was decades before satellite or the Internet).

Ralph saw this need. So he made arrangements to send cassette players and monthly tapes of anointed Bible teaching (mostly from the camp meetings) to encourage and uplift missionaries on the foreign fields. The tape ministry grew; eventually a total of more than half a million tapes were delivered free of charge to missionaries and foreign church leaders, thanks to loyal World MAP donors. Many of these tapes are still in use today, as confirmed by Nancy Rottcher of Emmanuel Press in South Africa: “Now 25 years later I have a treasured library of tapes from the World MAP conferences, which I listen to carefully in the presence of the Lord.”

God also provided World MAP with faithful staff and precious volunteers who made this vast tape distribution possible. Their dedication to preparing and mailing these monthly tapes kept a teaching lifeline open to hosts of ministers around the world. 

The missionaries and church leaders were faithful to pass on the teachings they received; thus the Word of God was multiplied and spiritual renewal was spread internationally. 

God is always faithful to meet the spiritual hunger of His people; but His purposes are furthered when people make themselves available to do the work of ministry involved in perpetuating the Gospel. Brother Mahoney was willing to do that work, and to encourage others to also “put their hands to the plow”. As a result, God used this to bless multitudes around the world and advance His Kingdom on earth! 

Spiritual Renewal Seminars
Brother Mahoney traveled with teams to many foreign nations in the 1960s and 70s, preaching the Gospel and encouraging the baptism in the Holy Spirit. However, he began to realize an alarming fact: though many were being saved, many were also later “reverting” due to a lack of trained leadership to shepherd them. In addition, if the people were renewed by the Holy Spirit, but the leaders were not, something of the lasting impact and work of the Holy Spirit was lost. 

God began to deal with Ralph about the need to raise up, train and release the indigenous local church leaders into ministry – to equip them to reach their own people, without having to depend solely upon Western missionaries to spread the Gospel. 

“We believed our first objective was to train the national worker to do what the missionary had done,” explains Brother Mahoney, “and to take over the initiative of evangelism in his country”.

The native church leader already knows the culture and the language, and can thus immediately begin to pastor and evangelize – IF the necessary training can be provided. Indigenous church leaders are also in a far better position to reach out to the more than 10,000 still-unreached ethnic groups, many of whom are within the borders of developing nations.

Brother Mahoney recognized another unmet need – so World MAP began to develop and sponsor “Spiritual Renewal Seminars For Church Leadership”. They would go into a foreign country, obtain a facility, provide a teaching team, and bring together 250-1,000 national workers and missionaries for a week of concentrated prayer, worship, Bible teaching, and testimony. 

The local pastors would meet and form relationships at these gatherings. As the Holy Spirit ministered, divisions between groups and denominations were mended. The brethren began to “dwell together in unity” (Ps 133:1), cooperating to reach their communities and villages with the Gospel.

The Holy Spirit powerfully met leaders at the World MAP seminars; they were filled, renewed and strengthened to more effectively continue in ministry. The seminars gave the leaders the opportunity to be taught, refreshed and refired – and they brought this fresh empowerment back to their home congregations. Many churches began to explode in evangelism and ministry following a World MAP seminar.

Gerald Rowlands of Church Planting International has observed the dramatic effects of this: “World MAP’s Spiritual Renewal Seminars in Asia literally transformed the national churches in many Asian nations. This was particularly true in Singapore, Malaysia and the Philippines. My wife and I later went to Southeast Asia as missionaries in the 1990s; many influential church leaders told us then, ‘The World MAP Spiritual Renewal Seminars held in the 1970s transformed the spiritual destiny of the national churches in our country! Thousands of our leaders were baptized in the Holy Spirit and the whole direction and effectiveness of their ministries and churches was enhanced at that time. As a direct result of this, thousands of new churches have been planted.’ 

God alone can accurately measure the full impact of the World MAP seminars, attended by over 100,000 church leaders around the world. The following is just one story of one leader who was impacted by World MAP Spiritual Renewal Seminars:

A young university professor attended a World MAP seminar in the Philippines, where he and hundreds of others received the baptism in the Holy Spirit. He went back to school and, in the year that followed, led 500 students to the Lord.

The following year, he attended another World MAP seminar, and heard the Lord call him into fulltime service. God impressed him to train the 500 student converts to become soul-winners; within 7 years his Sunday night church service numbered over 20,000 people! They birthed many more church plants, which grew into a fellowship of churches known as the “Jesus Is Lord” (JIL) movement in the Philippines. This movement now numbers in the millions. JIL leaders have evangelized and planted churches all across the Philippines and into many other nations.

(Following a brief hiatus in the 1990s, World MAP is again sponsoring ministry teams and Spiritual Renewal Seminars for church leaders in developing nations!)

ACTS Magazine
ACTS Magazine was acquired by World MAP from Kathryn Kuhlman Ministries, and was originally published to provide news of the Holy Spirit’s renewal around the world. As more Christian periodicals began to flood North America, ACTS limited its free distribution to developing nations, where virtually no Spirit-filled Christian material was available.

Soon the pages of ACTS began to include more and more Bible teaching, until it became a follow-up equipping tool for church leaders who had attended World MAP renewal seminars. Word spread of this free teaching magazine, and thousands more church leaders requested it.

“In 1984, I took over the responsibility of National Coordinator for the World MAP seminars in India,” recalls R. Abraham of New India Church of God. “I was able to organize over 60 seminars…which touched and transformed more than 20,000 pastors and leaders in our country.”

Even long after the seminars, Rev. Abraham reports, “the teaching magazine called ACTS continues to encourage and inspire tens of thousands of church leaders even today.”

Millions of copies of World MAP’s ACTS Magazine have made their way into the hands of church leaders who serve in remote locations from the Amazon River to the mountains of Nepal. It is now published in 14 languages, and hundreds of thousands of copies are still sent annually into over 140 nations to help train and equip church leaders. For many, it is the only Bible training they have – or may ever have.

Speaking for thousands of ACTS readers in India, Mrs. Rajkumari Madhukar of India Bible Literature (IBL) says ACTS is like “an oasis that quenches the thirsty travelers in a desert”. 

The Shepherd’s Staff
God brought to partner with World MAP a particularly gifted and servant-hearted man, Marvin Fast. For many years, Marvin was a key point-man in the implementation of World MAP’s Spiritual Renewal Seminars. As Marv traveled the world, laying the groundwork for these seminars, he was struck by how little written material was available for Christian workers in developing nations. The World MAP seminars were immensely helpful, but the church leaders needed more follow-up study and training materials. 

This was particularly true in China, where very few house-church leaders even had Bibles, let alone equipping materials. The underground church in China was exploding with growth, but there were very few able shepherds who could disciple these new babes in Christ. ACTS training magazine (or any other Christian material) could not be mailed into China; what could be done?
Marv Fast brought this question to Ralph Mahoney in the mid-1980s; Ralph had recognized the same need. They began to seek the Lord about it. They decided that a Spirit-filled study Bible with extensive notes could be developed to meet the training needs in China. However, to include within a complete Bible ALL the basic material needed to train a Christian leader would make for a HUGE book – probably too cumbersome to even carry. 

So they decided to trust the Lord and other ministries to meet the need for Bibles in China. Meanwhile, World MAP would focus on providing training material for house-church leaders.

Unfortunately, soon after this Marvin Fast succumbed to cancer. But Ralph worked to assemble and edit the “best of” World MAP’s ACTS teaching articles – along with other solid Bible-based teaching – into a small, Bible-sized book that a Chinese house-church leader could easily carry (and hide).

This three-and-a-half-year project resulted in The Shepherd’s Staff, fondly referred to by some as World MAP’s “Bible school in a book”. This 1,000-page equipping resource is now distributed in the Chinese language – and 16 additional languages as well!

Mr. E.Velayutham of IBL attests to The Shepherd’s Staff’s success. Crediting Brother Mahoney’s preaching and writing in general, he says the World MAP founder “has enabled thousands of Indian preachers to give solid spiritual messages based on the Word of God. I am happy to say that every student who passes out of IBL School of Evangelism is introduced to The Shepherd’s Staff and takes it as a resource book.”

Because of the faithful World MAP donors dedicated to the cause of global evangelism, more than 600,000 copies of The Shepherd’s Staff have been distributed free of charge to church leaders – who are in turn discipling literally millions of other believers. Frank and Wendy (Mahoney) Parrish, who now direct the ministry of World MAP since Brother Mahoney’s retirement, estimate that 2004 will be another banner year for The Shepherd’s Staff distribution, with more than 30,000 copies going into China alone! 

From Humble Beginnings 
World MAP’s first “headquarters” was a church desk drawer in West Monroe, Louisiana; the next was an abandoned chicken coop in Fontana, California. What a God we serve, Who raised up from such humble beginnings a highly effective global ministry organization that continues to this day to provide Spirit-filled training resources in 17 languages…and is now on the threshold of making even deeper inroads into the unreached areas of the earth! 

World MAP’s founder, Ralph Mahoney, walked the road to that threshold. Along the way, he experienced trials, blessings, disappointment, joys, obstacles, loss and great victories. God called Brother Mahoney – and graced and anointed him for a unique role and purpose. Ralph fulfilled that call with diligence, sacrifice and an immense amount of work. 

Giving Honor
As to the impact of Brother Mahoney’s labors, several of World MAP’s friends and ministry partners have been kind enough to share their thoughts:

“We do honor Rev. Mahoney and all that he has done to propagate the Gospel around the world. His leadership has resulted in a great harvest of precious souls, and the birthing of an army of National Christian Leaders” (T.L. Osborn Ministries).

“Everybody has a goal but only some achieve goals. Ralph Mahoney has achieved his goal for God. He is an example to all the church leaders. We want to congratulate Brother Mahoney for this great contribution to the evangelists, preachers and the Christians of India at large.” (Mrs. Rajkumari Madhukar, IBL)

“In every generation God, in His sovereignty, raises men and women… to uphold certain truths which must be passed on to succeeding generations of missionaries and leaders for His glory. My friend Ralph Mahoney is such a leader… a man of God greatly loved by Africans and a great teacher of the Word.” (Dr. Elijah Maswanganyi, Founder/Director of Christ Is The Answer For Africa Ministries)

All Things Through Christ
Ralph Mahoney is a person – just like you or me – who allowed his eyes to be raised to see needs in the Body of Christ, then did what he could to meet those needs. He responded to the heart-cry of Jesus: “Lift up your eyes and look at the fields, for they are already ripe for harvest!” (John 4:35). The “harvest” may be across the sea or across the street – but we must lift our eyes to the need and allow our hands to be God’s hands extended.

Ralph never allowed a lack of education or a perceived lack of gifting to stand in the way of rolling up his sleeves and taking action to meet a need. He took his “five loaves and two fishes” and allowed God to freely have them – and they were multiplied for the Master’s use to serve multitudes.

What Only God Can Do
“We could never have dreamed in those early years,” recounts Ralph, “that someday the ministry to which He was calling us would reach around the world.”

Through it all, Ralph grew, as he himself puts it, “to understand and appreciate more fully the promise in Ephesians 3:20.” Ralph echoes the Apostle Paul in praising and thanking “Him Who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us.”

God gave Ralph Mahoney a vision to carry the Good News of salvation through Jesus Christ to “every tribe and tongue and people and nation” (Rev 5:9). Under God’s direction and Lordship, and by His empowering Spirit, the strategy for bringing this vision to pass steadily broadened in scope and effectiveness, advancing the Kingdom of God in over 140 nations.

Ralph Mahoney’s own words are best in describing the work of God through World MAP: “To God be ascribed all honor, glory, majesty, praise and dominion both now and forever. Amen!”

A Special Thanks
Since this article is intended to give “honor to whom honor” is due, we would be sorely remiss if we did not humbly acknowledge and sincerely thank all of the precious saints who have kept World MAP advancing through its many phases and ministry outreaches over the years.

These beloved folks are the friends and supporters of this ministry, which include: World MAP donors; staff; Board members; camp and seminar speakers; translators; partnership ministries; and volunteers in North America and many other parts of the world.

They have been faithful – and are still faithful – to pray diligently, partner faithfully, and provide sacrificially for the ministry of World MAP and the tens of thousands of pastors, evangelists and church leaders around the world who serve on the front lines of the Gospel.

Be assured that, “God is not unjust to forget your work and labor of love which you have shown toward His name, in that you have ministered to the saints, and do minister” (Heb 6:10). To every one of you who supports World MAP, we extend our heartfelt gratitude and appreciation for your partnership and sacrifice. We pray God’s multiplied blessing to be poured out upon you and through you.

It has been said that “without God we cannot; without us God will not”. We believe that God has a continued purpose and destiny for World MAP to fulfill, with even more nations and peoples to be influenced and reached with the Gospel. We are deeply grateful that you are walking with us across the threshold of this new century into all that God has ahead for World MAP, “reaching the lost ‘til we’ve reached the last”!

May the Lord bless you, anoint you and equip you – as you, “lift up your eyes and look at the fields, for they are already ripe for harvest!” (John 4:35). 

Ralph Mahoney Today
After 40 years of faithful and diligent leadership, Ralph Mahoney retired from leading the ministry of World MAP in 2001. He and the World MAP Board of Directors entrusted the ministry to the leadership of his son-in-law and daughter, Frank and Wendy Parrish. 

Ralph lost his marriage and ministry partner, Rose Mahoney, in 1991 to cancer. We honor Rose for her many years of faithfulness to God, through her willing sacrifice and diligent service to God’s Kingdom and her family.

God, in His grace, gave Ralph a new marriage partner in 1992, Gretchen Finch Mahoney. She and Ralph are together enjoying their retirement years, and continue to minister in churches and conferences in North America.