By Precious Enaike

No fewer than 1,000 pastors and church leaders from across Africa and other parts of the world are expected to converge on Lagos on July 16 and 17, 2026, for the maiden edition of the Global Church Systems Conference (GCSC).

The two-day conference, scheduled to hold at Daystar Christian Centre, Ikeja, is themed, “Building Sustainable, Scalable, Spirit-Led Church Systems.” Organisers said the summit is designed to equip churches with effective structures that will promote sustainable growth and ensure continuity beyond the tenure of individual leaders.

Founder and Senior Pastor of Daystar Christian Centre, Pastor Sam Adeyemi, said many churches struggle not because they lack vision but because they lack the systems needed to sustain growth.

According to him, “Growth is a blessing, but unmanaged growth becomes a burden. Too many ministries are personality-dependent. When the leader is gone, the structure goes with him or her. This conference exists to change that. We are not here to inspire people for two days and send them home. We are here to help them build something that outlasts them.”

Co-founder of Daystar Christian Centre, Pastor Nike Adeyemi, said the conference would also emphasise the need to balance organisational systems with people-centred leadership.

She said, “Systems without people are cold, and people without systems are chaos. What we have learned over thirty years is that the strongest churches are those where structure actually protects people. It gives them room to belong, to grow, and to be cared for, even as the church gets bigger.”

Unlike conventional church conferences, organisers said GCSC would adopt an interactive format, with participants working in small groups to identify gaps in their ministries and develop practical solutions.

Adeyemi added, “We didn’t want another conference that people forget by the time their flight lands. You leave with a plan, not just a feeling.”

The conference, according to the organisers, would feature sessions on church vision, governance, finance, staffing, technology, succession planning and ministry operations, targeting senior pastors, general overseers, executive church leaders and ministry administrators.

Organisers said each participant would leave with a personalised 90-day implementation plan, while scholarship opportunities would also be available for student pastors.