Some leaders leave behind impressive programs. Others are remembered for conferences, strategies, or organizational accomplishments. While those achievements certainly have their place, the truest measure of ministry is found in people. Long after events have concluded and titles have changed, the lives shaped through faithful leadership continue to bear fruit for generations. That is the legacy of Bishop Kirk Rising.
As he concludes his service as International Youth Ministries director for the Church of God of Prophecy, the global Church celebrates not only years of faithful leadership but also a ministry that has consistently looked beyond the present to invest in the future. Throughout decades of service, Bishop Rising has believed that young people are not merely the future of the Church, they are an essential part of the “now” of the Church. More importantly, he has possessed the rare ability to see God’s potential in young men and women long before they recognized it in themselves. That ability has defined his ministry.
Long before he assumed international leadership, Kirk Rising developed a heart for discipling young people through local church ministry, youth leadership, and missionary service. His assignments carried him from the United States to Germany and French Polynesia, where he discovered firsthand that although cultures differ, the call of Christ remains the same. Young people everywhere long for purpose, belonging, and opportunities to serve. Those experiences shaped a ministry philosophy that would later influence thousands of churches across the Church of God of Prophecy.
Before becoming International Youth Ministries director, Bishop Rising faithfully served as a youth pastor and as a state youth director, investing countless hours in camps, retreats, leadership conferences, discipleship gatherings, and local congregations. Those who worked alongside him quickly recognized that he viewed every event as something greater than an event. Every retreat became an opportunity to call young people into deeper discipleship. Every camp became fertile ground for future pastors, missionaries, evangelists, worship leaders, teachers, and church planters. Every conversation became an opportunity to encourage someone who was still discovering God’s purpose for his or her life.
When Bishop Rising accepted the responsibility of leading International Youth Ministries, he carried that same philosophy onto the global stage. Rather than focusing primarily on programs, he emphasized people. Rather than asking how the Church could simply attract young people, he continually challenged leaders to disciple them. During his tenure, the Church of God of Prophecy continued its remarkable growth around the world, and International Youth Ministries reflected that expanding global vision. Bishop Rising encouraged ministry that crossed cultural boundaries while remaining rooted in biblical truth. He championed leadership development that equipped national and regional leaders to minister effectively within their own cultures while remaining united in doctrine, mission, and purpose. Young leaders from Africa, Asia, Europe, the Caribbean, Latin America, North America, and the Pacific increasingly found themselves connected by a shared calling to advance the kingdom of God.
Bishop Rising’s leadership continually reminded the Church that youth ministry is not a department operating on the margins of church life. It is one of the Church’s greatest investments in the generations to come. Every teenager who discovers a call to ministry, every young adult who chooses faithful discipleship, and every emerging leader who is mentored with wisdom becomes part of a legacy that extends far beyond a single generation.
Across the world today are pastors who first sensed God’s calling while participating in youth ministry. There are missionaries serving among unreached peoples, evangelists proclaiming the gospel, worship leaders leading congregations into God’s presence, and faithful church members quietly serving in local congregations because someone believed in them before they fully believed in themselves. While every story has its own unique path, many have been influenced by the leadership, encouragement, and vision that Bishop Rising has consistently demonstrated.
Throughout those years of ministry, Bishop Rising has never served alone. Beside him has been his wife, Sarah, whose faithful partnership has strengthened every season of their journey together. Like so many ministry spouses whose influence is often expressed quietly rather than publicly, Sarah has shared in the demands of travel, the rhythms of international ministry, the hospitality extended to leaders from around the world, and the countless unseen moments of encouragement that sustain those serving in God’s kingdom. Together they have demonstrated that ministry is most effective when it flows from a shared commitment to Christ.
The apostle Paul instructed Timothy, “The things that you have heard from me among many witnesses, commit these to faithful men who will be able to teach others also” (2 Timothy 2:2 NKJV). That simple pattern of faithful disciples making faithful disciples has always been at the heart of Bishop Rising’s ministry. He has understood that leadership is never about creating followers for oneself. It is about preparing others to follow Christ and equipping them to lead those who come after them.
Perhaps that is why his influence has been so enduring. Programs eventually change. Ministry methods evolve. New technologies reshape communication. Yet the timeless work of discipling young believers remains unchanged. Through changing cultures and changing generations, Bishop Rising has remained committed to that enduring mission, calling young people to lives marked by prayer, holiness, biblical discipleship, evangelism, servant leadership, and a passion for the mission of God.
As this season of international leadership comes to a close, the Church of God of Prophecy gives thanks for a ministry that has consistently invested in what matters most. Bishop Kirk Rising leaves behind far more than years of faithful service. He leaves leaders who are now mentoring others, pastors who are shepherding congregations, missionaries carrying the gospel to the nations, and countless young men and women who discovered that God could use their lives because someone believed He already was.
Together, Kirk and Sarah Rising have modeled what it means to invest faithfully in the next generation. Their ministry reminds us that the Church does not secure its future merely by preserving its past. It does so by recognizing God’s call in young people, walking beside them with patience and wisdom, and releasing them to fulfill His purpose.
The influence of Bishop Kirk Rising cannot ultimately be measured by miles traveled, conferences conducted, or years of service. It is measured in transformed lives. It is seen in every leader who now encourages another, every disciple who now makes disciples, and every young believer who steps forward in faith because someone first saw God’s hand upon their life.
For that enduring legacy, the Church of God of Prophecy offers its heartfelt gratitude to Bishop Kirk Rising and Sarah for their faithful service, their unwavering commitment to the next generation, and their steadfast devotion to Jesus Christ.