Building a Global Movement One Local Church at a Time - Janice Allen | Faithly Podcast

The younger people that continue to be a greater part of the ministry, their understanding of technology has really shifted a lot of the way you lead the team. Because so much of the way we operate now can be done remotely and digitally. And I love just the creativity of some of the younger folks that have become part of the ministry. This is the Faithly Podcast. Today on the Faithly Podcast, I am joined by Janice Allen. Janice is the CEO and president of ICM. It is an organization working to put a healthy church within walking distance of everyone in the world. And I can't wait to dig in to find out exactly what that means. Janice, welcome to the Faithly Podcast. It is wonderful to be a part of sharing the story of what God's done through ICM. Thank you. Yes, wonderful. Well, before we talk about ICM and before we talk about leadership and global ministry, I'd actually love to start with your own story, Janice. I understand that before joining ICM that you worked in the healthcare space. What made you decide to pivot into ministry? Yeah. Well, you know, it's interesting why I went into nursing to begin with, and it really was something that God put on my heart when I was about 12 years old, was the desire to be involved with missions. And I had read a book about Dr. Albert Schweitzer, who was a medical missionary to Africa, decades ago and I was just so taken with the idea of doing medical missions that I made the commitment at a very young age to go into nursing so that I could do missions. Never knowing that God was going to, in a parallel way, be using my own father a number of years later, who was a businessman, owned many car dealerships. But at the age of 65, God would start doing a new thing in his life where he was the founder of ICM. Oh, wow. And so I have really been a part of the ministry for 40 years. This year we're celebrating our 40th anniversary. Yeah. And I love the idea that, you know, when it's something that God is doing organically and that old adage that was popularized by Henry Blackaby, you know, look for where God is working so you can join him in his work. And I had that modeled for me by my father who pivoted his life at a retirement age. to really begin supporting indigenous ministries. But in my own life, I had worked in health care, did not do international ministry long term because my husband was a physician. He was an ophthalmologist, and he wanted to stay in the United States in order to pursue academic medicine. And so in that season, I was raising three boys. My husband had a very busy career. But even in the midst of that, he and I would do short term medical mission trips, most of which were associated with eye care. So we went to many places in Central America and Philippines and other places. But then he contracted eye cancer himself. and passed away from that at the age of 54. And for me, it came right after I had launched my youngest son to college. And now I was widowed, and I hadn't been working outside the home, and really asking God to show me what he would have for me to do in that season of my life. And my father kept saying, Janice, you know, I see him well. You've been on many, many international trips with the ministry. Why don't you consider coming on board full time in a leadership role? And after lots of prayer, I absolutely felt confirmed in my spirit. That was exactly what God was calling me to do. And so that was 21 years ago. when I made that decision to step into a leadership role at ICM. I cannot imagine the sorrow that you must have held when you lost your husband. One thing that I've learned from leaders I've spoken with over the years is how in the kingdom that sorrow and joy can coexist, that they must coexist. And I can see that in your story, the joy of fulfilling your calling. I asked you the wrong question when I asked, you know, how did you pivot from health care? You didn't pivot, you fulfilled your calling. Absolutely. I remember I was sitting in a church in Africa a number of years after I had made the decision. And it just was this overwhelming sense of God having brought me full circle. Yeah. God really brought me full circle and what he put on my heart as a little girl. Wow, it's so powerful. Well, so for listeners who may not be familiar with ICM yet, can you share a little bit more about the ministry? Well, the ministry started because my father had participated in some Bible teaching that had been written by a pastor in Williamsburg, Virginia. And it was a survey of the full Bible, the complete Bible. And my father felt so compelled about the clarity of the teaching. Even though he'd been a student of the Word all his life, he felt this was material that others should have the opportunity to hear in their own language. And so he started partnering with Transworld Radio for them to do the translation of the survey of the whole Bible, first in Hindi and then in Mandarin, and would subsidize Transworld Radio broadcasts. of those materials on the radio. And he traveled to India to meet with leaders to see was this being effective? Was it being used? Was it meeting a need for discipleship materials? And they resoundingly said, yes, we don't have anything like this. But we have so many people in India that are coming to faith First generation believers out in villages hearing about the gospel, hearing the Bible for the first time. And so it was these India leaders that said, Mr. Rosser, keep doing the broadcast. But we need permanent places where these new believers can gather and grow in their faith. And so that really became the two pronged focus. of ICM. And ICM stands for International Cooperating Ministries. A much longer word, but I think it captures the essence of who we are. We're a ministry. We do work internationally, not in the U.S. And everything is about cooperating. Everything we do is through the identification of existing believers, existing ministry platforms within the countries where we work. And we come alongside and help resource them with discipleship material in their own language and. and a permanent place that they can build for existing congregations. And so ICM has been doing that for 40 years. We have our content, our curriculum, is available in 66 languages. And we have, through our donor base in the United States, generous believers who want to be a part of, a tangible part of the Great Commission internationally. And the generosity of these people have, through ICM, enabled partners to purchase the materials in-country, locally, for them to build their own church. And we have done that over 14,300 times. Now, that's the thing that really stands out to me is that C word, cooperating. I mean, it makes it different from the traditional sort of Western missionary structure. Why is that philosophy so important to the organization? You know, it's interesting that my father was never one. He'd never been to Bible school, never been to, you know, learned missiology. But because he understood franchise systems by building lots of different automobile dealerships, He saw very simply that a local church is God's own franchise system for transforming the world for Jesus Christ. That if you can put a healthy church with healthy leadership together, provide them discipleship materials they can use for small group study or for training their pastor, and that becomes a healthy church. And we repeat that over again and over again and over again. And that is really what we see happening through our partners that is very different kind of getting back to your point, very different from the Western model of feeling like we have to send the missionary or, you know, we have to provide the vision. The partners we work with are so passionate about the gospel and so committed and so sacrificial. And I just see the body of Christ being. The ability to work together, to accomplish so much more together than we ever could separately. So if we can resource them with discipleship material maybe they don't have in their own language, or help them have a permanent church home that they never otherwise would be able to afford. And then they sustain it. They oversee it. They have their congregation and pastors accountable in country. And it can expand things so much more quickly and so much more effectively, so much more cost-effectively. I have never thought about the local church being like the franchise model, but that is a brilliant analogy. That's a brilliant analogy. Wow, the way that God would use your father's work, his vocation and his training. It's really, really cool. So ICM has been around for decades, as you've said. Has the model evolved over the years? Has the mission evolved or has it always stayed constant? Well, I think one of the things that was kind of drilled into me as a leader, focus, focus, focus, that it's very easy to get pulled in different directions because you see so many different needs. But I think one of the things that we have seen evolve when we stay focused on our part of the puzzle is. And for example, Compassion International, their wonderful child sponsorship program, requires there be a church building before they go in and do what they do. Oh, yeah. And then we also see like Samaritan's Purse for them to do their Operation Christmas Child shoebox distribution. They have to have a local physical church building to do their shoebox distribution. We had not. I mean, that to me is the evolving thing that God has done. We didn't have a grand strategic plan for that. But we have seen over and over, once the building is there, all these other ministries can come in. And all these ministries, each doing the thing in their lane, can truly transform an entire community. just cast a whole different narrative for that community. So I would say that's one of the things that we have seen evolve over the years. But clearly, the ability to use technology has dramatically changed everything for so many people in so many ministries. So I remember the day early on where we would do a construction project and the volume we could do was so much less than what we can do now just because of technology because it's... They would send in a little paper application. I'd have 15 postage stamps on the envelope. And then they have to, because we require photo documentation as we send payments out in increments. And they would have to go to the field, take a little photo snapshot, get it developed, put in the envelope, mail the envelope to us before then we could distribute the next payment. Now everything is handled on a secure website. All the photos get uploaded, all the applications are received. They have access to the same project management software that we use in our office. So we can expedite the entire process because of the way we have developed our technology to do the project management. So that's been huge. The other thing that has changed so dramatically, it used to be we would have to figure out ways to get cassette tapes out. with the curriculum and other hard copy distribution modalities. Now we distribute so much of what we do with our partners digitally for them just to download and use on their phones. We have developed our own proprietary technology where we create a Wi-Fi experience at the churches. with solar panels, because so many do not have electricity. And the solar panel enables us to load onto these devices our entire curriculum. We partner with other entities that have audio Bible so we can put that on the device. We partner with Jesus Film. that we can put the Jesus film in their language on the device. So it becomes, and that's just a list. I mean, we have partnering with, for storybook, for children's content, but we can load an entire digital library that is solar powered using a micro SD card at the church. So anybody in the vicinity of the church can download all that Bible based content for free. I mean, we've never thought we'd be able to do that. This is wonderful. It sounds like the opportunity to reach even more and more people has improved significantly over the years as technology has improved, as you've built technology, and as you've struck more and deeper partnerships over the years, which is incredible. Now, what about your role? So you've now been at ICM for a couple of decades. How has your role changed and how has your leadership style evolved over the years? Yeah. Well, you know, I think because of the younger people that continue to be a greater part of the ministry, their understanding of technology has really shifted a lot of the way you lead the team. Because so much of what the way we operate now, you know, can be done remotely and digitally. And I love just the creativity of some of the younger folks that have become part of the ministry. And just truly their passion to be involved with advancing the gospel and involved with the Great Commission. So I think that has changed my experience. desire to have a culture at the ministry that truly reflects a Christ-like perspective. And, you know, moving away from probably an older leadership style that was more kind of top-down. So this has been, you know, real effective, I think, in terms of leading the ministry. Yeah. Yeah, that's wonderful. Janice, you've had a front row seat to what's going on in the global church over the last 20 years. When you travel and you're seeing all this and you're meeting believers around the world, what encourages you? What surprises you? You know, I think the thing that I have seen consistently that humbles me is truly the, just the devotion, the passion, the sacrifice that our brothers and sisters are willing to make around the world. It's just amazing. It's just humbling that we get to come alongside and help equip them. One of a partner that we work with in Central America, and he said, Janice, when I see him comes alongside us, it's like throwing oil on the fire. And I love that because, you know, the fire of the Holy Spirit is already burning. And that we get to put accelerant on what God is already doing and accelerate what our partners already have the passion to do. And I think that is, you know, something that will always be a critical takeaway for me in terms of the personal value that I see visiting these other places. in our conversation already. You've talked not just about the church buildings, but you've talked about the discipleship and the content. Why is that so important? Well, from our perspective, the building is only four walls. It's only the space that allows for the gathering of God's people having the discipleship component is critical, we feel, for it to be a healthy church. And that's why that part of our tagline is so important, a healthy church within walking distance of everyone in the world. Making sure that the pastor is trained, that the Bible study materials are available, that people can really... have an opportunity to go deep in their faith that's so much more than just the building. And I'll never forget hearing the story of a partner that we've worked with in South Africa. And he was saying how there were these congregations meeting, but there was not good training for the pastors. And they didn't know otherwise. They were taking some of what they were reading in the Bible literally, that you're the sheep, I am the shepherd. And he would send the pastor. congregation out into the field to get down on their hands and knees and eat the grass because they were the sheep. Right. There is something kind of beautiful about taking the Bible so literally, but I take your point. Yeah. So, you know, just feeling that the discipleship has to be married with the provision of permanent space. You know, some people, and I think very accurately in North America, the buildings in many instances have become a burden. And so there's a sense of we don't need the building. So in North America, there's a sense, well, we can use a storefront or we can rent a theater. But taking that hat off and thinking about in some of these countries, the government, for example, in many countries where we work, it is illegal for a congregation to meet unless they have a building. It's against the law. Interesting. I didn't know that. They have a space where they can meet. Wow. And then we have so many instances where a congregation, for example, will start worshiping under a mango tree. And we had one partner, he said, and then the congregation kept growing and we had to find a bigger mango tree. And then the congregation grew anymore and we had to find an even bigger mango tree. And that is so often, I think, restricting the growth of the church. If a group is trying to meet in the living room of a modest little home and they can't ever grow beyond 25 people because they can't fit, you know, being able to give space where they can have people come and be together in a safe place and learn the Bible. and grow as disciples. That's good. Janice, I've been absorbing from you in this conversation. This world just really celebrates platform and speed and visibility. It seems to me that you and ICM have really placed great value on faithfulness and longevity. Can you talk a little bit about that and the lessons you've learned? There are so many examples. Heroes that I have met in places where we have traveled, people who will never have a platform. And I'm thinking about this wonderful pastor who was part of a refugee family after the Vietnam War, settled in Akron, Ohio, and connected with ICM. to try and benefit the growing evangelical church in Vietnam. That relationship started with him in 1995. We still work with him today. And that means we have been a part of over 700 churches that have been built in Vietnam. Well, that was, you know, one example of just a pastor from a refugee family faithfully serving year after year after year and what the partnership has enabled to happen with over 700 churches in Vietnam today because of his faithfulness. We were working in Rwanda. An Anglican bishop there took a partner of ours, a pastor actually from Roanoke, Virginia, and took him to a deserted island in Lake Kivu in Rwanda to show him this island that the government had forgotten. where teenage girls were sent when they became pregnant out of wedlock and where prisoners were sent. And everyone had told him it was too far gone to do anything. And that pastor from Roanoke, Virginia called ICM and he said, can we engage ICM and maybe help them on this island? And I visited that island myself. And today there are three church buildings. Other donors came and helped build a school for 1,200 students that had never had education. And because these buildings are now there, compassion came in and Hope International to teach Savings Club. It has transformed that whole island because of the faithfulness of one bishop in a remote area of Rwanda. These people who will never have a platform, but because of their faithfulness, God has used them powerfully. to change the world for Jesus Christ. Wow. What a powerful story. Thank you for sharing that. Here's my last question for you, Janice, as we wrap things up. When you look ahead to the next season of life and leadership, what gives you energy and hope and excitement about what God is doing around the world? Well, you know, I really thought in thinking about what everyone experienced with COVID, in the lockdown, when we couldn't travel to oversee, make sure the construction projects are going on well. We had over 900 churches under construction then. None of it slowed down. None of it stopped because the indigenous church was doing it. And it just reinforced for me the passion of the ministries within their own countries. The passion is there. to advance the kingdom of Jesus Christ. And we just get to be a part of it. We get to come alongside and, as I said before, help accelerate. But I think, you know, even after COVID was over and we could start traveling around the world again, Nothing has diminished in terms of the passion for God's people to have permanent places of worship and to be studying the word of God. It is not slowing down at all. And that would be, I think, the greatest encouragement for me to communicate is that. The work of expanding the kingdom is accelerating. It is accelerating. There is so much opportunity to be a part of what God is doing to expand the kingdom around the world. And that's exciting. I love it. Thank you so much, Janice. This has been a really inspiring and really encouraging conversation. It's been such a pleasure to get to know you, to get to know ICM and what you've been called to do. So thank you for sharing it with me and with our listeners. For those who wish to follow along what ICM is doing, who want to get in touch or get involved, where can they find you? Well, our website is pretty easy. It's icm.org. And on the website, you can find all the information about the ministry. Our curriculum is Foundations by ICM. And you can Google that and find the material that's available for free, as I said, in 66 languages. And we just encourage any ministry leaders who are interested in using the curriculum to If you can easily access it, just get in touch with us and we'll make it available to you. Perfect. And we'll include all of that in the show notes as well. Thank you again, Janice. Looking forward to the next conversation. Thank you so much. God bless.