All Pastoral Leaders Trained; Every Pastor a Trainer: A Vision for the Global Church

“Pastoral health affects church health, and church health affects societal health.” This simple statement captures the heartbeat of Dr. Ramesh Richard—and the vision behind the Global Proclamation Commission.

Dr. Richard’s story begins more than 300 years ago in southeastern India, when two young German missionaries obeyed God’s call to share the gospel, even though they, as Dr. Richard says,“broke every possible rule in cultural anthropology.” One of the first believers was a member of the king’s court, and generations later, Ramesh Richard was born into that legacy of faith.

As a child, he came to know Christ through his mother’s faithful teaching using the “wordless book.” His father, a respected airline pilot and lay leader, and his pastor, known as the “D.L. Moody of India,” modeled godliness and public ministry. By his teens, Ramesh was preaching in the markets of Chennai. Those early experiences gave him a lifelong burden for evangelism and, later, for training pastors.

That second burden took root when he returned to India as a pastor after seminary. “I saw the many, many pastors who did not have any training at all,” he recalls. “They were called, gifted, and faithful, but they simply didn’t have the skills and tools to serve.”

This burden toward pastor training grew when he learned that only five percent of pastors worldwide have formal training. “My definition of a vision,” he says, “is that over which you lose sleep and that over which you weep. I could not sleep after that.”

Ramesh’s response was not just to train as many pastors as he could personally, but also to mobilize a global effort. This became the Global Proclamation Commission, which seeks to see 100,000 trainers of pastors drawn from and contributing to the better training of 1 million pastoral leadersby 2030.

At the heart of this global commission is a simple but powerful framework. Every pastor, everywhere, needs to:

• Preach Biblically: Faithfully prepare and deliver God’s Word so congregations grow beyond hearing the same “hobby themes” week after week.
• Live Biblically: Cultivate character and holiness so that gifting never outpaces integrity.
• Think Biblically: Develop theological depth and discernment to navigate a culture full of competing values.
• Serve Biblically: Lead as a “junior shepherd,” equipping others to grow and serve.

When pastors are healthy in these ways, churches become healthy—and healthy churches impact families, neighborhoods, and even nations for Christ

You can be part of this vision. Whether you are a pastor, trainer, or simply someone who cares about the health of the global church, visit gprocommission.org to connect, learn, and find resources for equipping pastors.

As Dr. Richard reminds us, “If every pastor is a trainer, while being a pastor, that significantly increases the numbers.” Together, we can see every pastor trained, every church strengthened, and every community transformed.

Want to hear more from Dr. Ramesh Richard? Check out our discussion with him on the Global Pastor Trainer Podcast here: (Link to Episode Post on web site)