After three years of intense courses and hands-on experience, 16 students from the Southwest Moldova Leadership Development Institute (LDI) graduated in the summer of 2006, applying their knowledge in the churches they have been planting.

In 2006, the LDI program trained 30 church planters and missionaries in the three LDI's conducted in Moldova and Russia. The zealous LDI graduates led more than 30 souls to Christ and planted seeds in the hearts of many more.


How the Leadership Development Institute Got Started

In 1997, Walt Shearer, President of International Interns, was approached by the missions coordinator of the Baptist Union of Moldova. “Brother Walt,” he said, “please consider providing a training program for our missionaries.”

“What kind of missionaries?” Walt asked.

“Missionaries! Missionaries to Moldova! To our people, to our villages...missionaries who will plant churches that last and win more for Christ…”

With that, Walt returned to the States and gathered a group of highly experienced men of God to brainstorm the possibilities of creating such a program, and, a year later, the Leadership Development Institute was born.

The Leadership Development Institute (LDI) exists to equip Christian leaders through mentor pastors to establish, edify, and rapidly extend the local church. The men who are chosen to participate in the LDI meet 3 times a year for 2-week segments of intense studies for 3 years. Professors from distinguished seminaries teach these men NT & OT Survey, Church History, Foundations for Missions, Apologetics, Worship, and other foundational elements of being an effective church planter. All students are required to plant a church in their first year, allowing them to use the skills they learned in class. They also participate in evangelism and church planting campaigns with American teams during the summer months.

The first class graduated in 2001—all had planted a church; some had planted more! As of this date, there are at least 22 new churches with more in different stages of the church planting process.

Originally, the request was to train these men to be missionaries in Moldova, but God placed a burden in their hearts of reaching not only their country for Christ, but the world! Couples and graduates have gone to Turkey, Crimea, and other central Asian nations to reach the lost for Christ.

Everything I learn at the LDI, I invest in the youth ministry at church. -Vladimir Borzin, Class of 2007 Without love for people we will never achieve anything in the mission ministry. -Vladimir Kruglenco,  Class of 2009 In church, when there was an altar call, some people came forward having tears in their eyes. This is the clearest evidence of His presence and power - the total humbling of a heart in repentance. -Gheorghii Sarandi, Class of 2009

The LDI program helped me better understand God’s will for my life. I now have a clearer vision of the work to which I have been called. -Leonid Botnari, Graduate, Class of 2001 The LDI program prepared me in many ways—it changed my perspective and helped me understand the processes involved in planting a new church. -Sergiu Rutcovschii, Graduate, Class of 2001