Dag Heward-Mills

Heward-Mills was born on 14 May 1963 to a Swiss mother (Elizabeth Heward-Mills) and Ghanaian father (Nathaniel Heward-Mills) in London, United Kingdom. He moved with his family soon after his birth to Accra Ghana and has spent his entire life in Ghana. He was converted to Christianity while having his secondary education at Achimota School. He joined Christian youth campaigns such as the Scripture Union as well as the Calvary Road Singers (which later became Harvest Chapel International[4]) immediately after his conversion.

He proceeded to the University of Ghana Medical School, where he was trained as a medical doctor. He started the Lighthouse Chapel International while still a student in Medical school, having felt a strong call of God to start a church. In his fifth year of medical school, Heward-Mills started the church in a little classroom in the School of Hygiene, Korle-Bu, with no more than 15 members. Amidst persecutions in various forms and with his academic work demanding time and effort, he saw this little church grow until it now filled the Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital Canteen.

Dag Heward-Mills founded the Lighthouse Chapel International church in 1987.[5] He often states that God placed upon him the anointing to teach, and that led him to begin holding meetings in a classroom on his University campus at the Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital. As attendance steadily increased, larger and larger halls had to be used. In 1992, the fledgling church acquired an old cinema hall within the Korle-Gonno area and mobilized its members to renovate the structure. The Korle Gonno Cathedral would become the first of several Cathedrals with the city of Accra that Dag Heward-Mills would build.

The congregation grew steadily until finally, in 2006, he commissioned the construction of one the largest church complexes in Africa; The Qodesh.[6]

Over the years Heward-Mills has inspired many of his members to become missionaries, pastors and workers to help build the denomination into an internationally reputable ministry.

From the humble beginnings of meetings in a small classroom, there has been growth that continues to spread. Heward-Mills has since planted over 3000 churches in more than 90 different countries worldwide. The Lighthouse Chapel International denomination has both acquired and built multiple buildings, including the Qodesh – its international headquarters. The Qodesh is one of the largest, ultramodern complexes in Africa.

The Bishop's vision to encourage as many people as possible to work for God is reflected today in the many camps he holds across the world, it is also explained in the book titled Many Are Called. These camps have seen the birth of many "missionaries", who made several sacrifices including giving up their jobs and livelihood and relocating themselves to different countries to start branches of LCI.

Heward-Mills records the messages preached at these "camps" and freely makes them available in a compilation he calls "the Machaneh"[7] — a compilation of all the camp messages.[8]

Heward-Mills and the Lighthouse Church are heavily involved in the raising, training, sending and supporting missionaries al all corners of the globe.[9]

Heward-Mills is marked by his strong emphasis on church planting and the spread of the Christian gospel through the sacrifice of Christians.[10] and obedience to God by ordinary men.[11]

As well as being the head of a large denomination, Heward-Mills is also one of the best-selling authors in the Christian world today.

His style of writing is notably simple and understandable, with a wealth of scriptures. The books include titles such as The Art of Leadership, The art of hearing, the renowned Loyalty and Disloyalty series of ten titles, the best-selling marriage counselling book Model Marriage and The Megachurch. His writings are now available in 52 languages including French, Russian, Portuguese and Spanish, and have been made accessible to millions of people worldwide. His works have been patronised by several church leaders of other denominations who claim to have tangibly benefited from key biblical insights in the books. The most popular of the books so far has been Loyalty and Disloyalty, which was accredited the Grand Award from the Ghana Christian Book Awards body in 2007. It is now one in the Loyalty series of ten books.[12] He has also compiled 73 of his best selling books in a library and named it the Makarios Library

Heward-Mills is acknowledged in the Christian World as an evangelist, teacher and a highly respected minister of the Gospel. He has invitations to preach in several churches, ministries and organisations (both religious and secular), nationally and internationally.

Heward-Mills has said that he views conferences and conventions as part of the work the Lord has called him to do; freely sharing in a down to earth manner, the messages the Lord has laid on his heart. Many pastors, ministers of the Gospel, leaders, church workers and diverse congregations are thus encouraged and strengthened to continue in what he refers to as "the work of the ministry".

He holds annual international conferences dubbed "Give Thyself Wholly - Work of the Ministry" conferences, in the United Kingdom, France, South Africa and Ghana. These were formerly known as the "Iron Sharpneth Iron Conferences".[13] These conferences bring together thousands of pastors, ministers, church leaders and workers from various denominations, all around the globe, whose participation often births fresh hope, new visions, revivals and higher levels of ministry.[14]

Heward-Mills has also spoken at conferences including the Church Growth International and the Pentecostal World Fellowship conferences.[15] He was this year re-elected to the 7-member executive board and advisory committee of the Pentecostal World Fellowship.

Additionally he founded a bible school — The Anagkazo Bible Seminary, to train men and women[16] in the practical work of the ministry. The Anagkazo Bible School is a full-time Bible seminary with several thousand students worldwide, aimed at raising other ministers in the doctrines and practices of Bishop Dag and LCI.[17]

In 2004, Heward-Mills began a campaign to win the lost across Africa called The Healing Jesus Campaign. Heward-Mills' evangelistic campaigns have taken him across the whole of West, East and Southern Africa, with massive outdoor campaigns in many cities, towns, and villages where the gospel had not yet been preached.

With its convoy of tracks, 4x4s and buses, the campaigns have traveled thousands of miles, crossing various borders with the sole purpose of spreading the Gospel of Jesus Christ to other nations and cultures.[18] His campaigns have been likened to those by Evangelist Rienhard Bonnke, whom the Medical Doctor turned Evangelist, has publicly referred to as a father in ministry.

Healing Jesus Campaign - Abidjan, Côte d'Ivoire. 2013

In 2018, Heward-Mills announced a vision of winning 100 Million souls through the campaigns. The campaigns have attempted to reach the farthest parts of the world. Heward-Mills’ personal passion for soul-winning has led to these massive evangelistic efforts across the African continent, sometimes gathering over half a million souls in a single night. These evangelistic campaigns have recorded over 11 million decisions for Christ.

The campaigns held by Heward-Mills have been marked with several signs and wonders, with healing of many blind, deaf and lame. He has witnessed the resurrection of the death twice in his ministry. Once in a crusade in Columbia, a young boy, declared dead by a hospital, was carried to the crusade by his mum, only for the boy to come back to life after the Evangelist prayed for the sick, during the service.[19] Heward-Mills also holds conferences for pastors at these campaigns.[20]

Healing Jesus Campaign - Maputo, Mozambique. 2017

The Healing Jesus Campaign also caters to the physical well-being of the towns and cities it visits through the provision of medical care and basic needs for day-to-day living, such as clothing, buckets, etc.[21]

Freetown Campaign-Healing Jesus Campaign

In June 2014, the Healing Jesus Campaign held a campaign in the city of Abomey-Calavi in Benin, thus recording the 100th city to be visited since the commencement of the campaigns in 2004. The purpose of the crusade, he states, is to take the gospel to all peoples of the world.

His programs are seen and heard domestically and internationally on the radio and television in several countries. The ministry continues to produce CDs, DVDs, pamphlets, books and other Christian resource material.[22] Although Heward-Mills is primarily known for his Healing Jesus Campaigns in Africa and other third-world countries, the ministry is also active on the internet, videos, worldwide television and radio.[23]

Heward-Mills' ministries also cater to the poor, the sick, orphans, widows and prisoners.

Together with his team of professionally trained and qualified doctors, nurses and pharmacists, he diagnoses and treats patients free of charge.

His ministry has also established many schools in underprivileged communities and run a successful "Help the Helpless Charity" that reaches thousands of poor people in various complex situations. Rev. Adelaide Heward-Mills, the Evangelist's wife, runs and manages the ministry's thriving orphanage[24] built and structured in a way to replicate a home environment.

Experiences from working on the mission fields by way of the evangelistic crusades in deprived cities, towns and villages across Africa, have led Heward-Mills to pick up his stethoscope again to provide medical care to the needy.[25] He is often accompanied by professionally trained medical teams of doctors, nurses and pharmacists who hold medical clinics as part of the medical outreach to the remote and poor communities.[26]

In 2008, the Lighthouse Medical Mission Hospital and Fertility Centre[27] was founded. Several patients have been treated by Dr. Dag Heward Mills himself.

In 2011, Dag Heward-Mills began to pastor the First Love Church,[28] the University wing of the Lighthouse Chapel International.

He has handed over active preaching in his other churches (including the Qodesh) to his associate pastors and is the direct pastor of the church previously on the Campus of the University of Ghana but has moved into their own building at East Legon, Accra- Ghana.

Apart from his frequent travels to preach, Bishop Dag currently preaches to a growing congregation of over 6,000 young people at the First Love Church in Ghana.

Heward-Mills met his wife Adelaide[29] who was, at the time of his education in the University of Ghana, a law student. After a few years of courtship, they married in 1989 and have been married for more than 30 years with four children.

Adelaide Heward-Mills supports Dag in his vision to win souls, plant churches and raise leaders. She speaks in women's and young peoples’ conferences all over the world.

Adelaide Heward-Mills[30] has been involved in Christian ministry all of her adult life and has served alongside her husband throughout their entire marriage. As an insightful speaker, she draws heavily from her education and background in law.

In addition to raising two sons and two daughters, she serves as executive director of the Daughter You Can Make it Ministry.[31] She also speaks across the country on women's roles in supporting their husbands, and she is in demand by women's organisations throughout the nation as a celebrated speaker on issues concerning marriage and family. With echoes of her husband's preaching style, Mrs. Heward-Mills boldly challenges women to serve as blessings to their husbands and families.

• Lighthouse Chapel International

• Official website