Our Story

2003

Connection

The journey began in 2003, when Dr. Daniel Fodorean met Dr. Bill Lawrence during a research period at Dallas Theological Seminary connected to his doctoral studies at the University of Bucharest.

Through the Christian Leadership Center, then led by Dr. Andrew Seidel, and with the help of mutual friends Steve Breedlove and later Sam Ingrassia, a relationship began that would develop into a long-term partnership in Christian leader formation.

From their first conversations, Bill and Daniel discovered a shared concern for the formation of church leaders and a common conviction that healthy Christian leadership must be rooted in the spiritual life and character of the leader.

2005

Beginning

In 2005, that shared vision began to take practical shape when Bill Lawrence made his first visit to Romania.

Training sessions were held for pastors and Christian leaders in Constanța and Galați and for students at the Baptist Theological Institute of Bucharest. The response to these first gatherings encouraged the development of an ongoing ministry dedicated to forming Christian leaders.

This work developed through the partnership between Leader Formation International and Antioch Center Association.

2006–2008

Conference-Based Training

Between 2006 and 2008, annual intensive conferences brought together approximately 70–80 pastors and Christian leaders for training, spiritual reflection, and relationship building.

The training focused especially on the leader’s heart, spiritual life, identity, character, and ministry responsibilities. These gatherings also created meaningful opportunities for mentoring and relationships among leaders.

Conferences can inspire and equip leaders, but lasting transformation requires a deeper and more intentional formation process.

2008

Curriculum & Formation Process

In 2008, following a period of prayer, reflection, and strategic planning, Dr. Bill Lawrence and Dr. Daniel Fodorean moved from conference-based training toward an intentional three-year leader formation process.

This became Leader Formation Network (LFN).

A six-module curriculum was developed around three interconnected dimensions of formation:

The process began with the formation of the leader — character, convictions, and commitment. It then addressed leadership as the outward expression of the leader’s life in family, church, mission, and society, and ultimately sought to develop leader-mentors capable of training, mentoring, delegating, and investing in others.

The goal was no longer simply to teach leadership. It was to accompany leaders through a transformational process.

2012–2018

Multiplication

Beginning in 2012, the formation process expanded beyond Romania with the launch of two cohorts in Ukraine.

The Ukrainian cohorts completed the program in 2015, the second Romanian cohort in 2016, and the Moldova cohort in 2018.

This period demonstrated that the Leader Formation model could be contextualized and applied across different cultures and ministry environments. More importantly, participants began carrying its values into their own churches, organizations, mentoring relationships, and ministries.

Multiplication increasingly became part of the vision:

Formed leaders becoming leaders who form others.

2017

European Vision

As the work expanded in Eastern Europe, a broader vision began to emerge.

Starting in 2017, we explored how the experience, values, and model developed through Leader Formation Network could contribute to a wider European movement of Christian leader formation.

The vision was larger than reproducing the same program in different countries. We wanted to see leaders embrace the values of inside-out formation and integrate them into their own churches, ministries, organizations, and relationships with emerging leaders.

Multiplication is not primarily the replication of an organizational structure, but the multiplication of transformed leaders and enduring values.

2022

Institute & Systematization

In 2022, Leader Formation Network entered a new season and became Leader Formation Institute (LFI).

This transition did not mark the beginning of a new ministry. It represented the maturation and systematization of a vision developed through years of training, mentoring, reflection, and ministry experience.

The new stage allowed us to articulate more clearly our values, Leader Formation Model, curriculum, and strategy, while developing new faculty, formats, partnerships, and educational resources.

At the center remained the conviction that had shaped our journey from the beginning:

Transforming leaders in order to transform the church and society.