In 1961, the Lord spoke to me through prophecy that a ministerial fellowship would be established and ministers would be ordained to go forth into all the world. My first reaction was to put this on a shelf and wait and see what the Lord would do concerning it.

About a year later, at a morning prayer meeting, I was saying  in my heart, “Lord, there are so many things on my heart to do for You, surely they all couldn’t be of You.” As I prayed, someone laid hands on me and began to prophesy, “My son, I shall cause you to walk down many avenues.” Then the Lord said, “I’m going to send you on an expedition as an explorer.” I pondered the meaning of this, and the Holy Spirit said in explanation, “As an explorer you shall declare a new thing. As to expedition, there will be more people than yourself who will be involved in declaring this new thing, and it will reach into many parts of the world.”

About two months later, I was ministering at a meeting in Tyler, Texas. At the close of the service, a man from Mexico came up to me and said he had been blessed and would like to pray for me. He then laid his hands on me, but instead of praying, he began to prophesy. The prophecy was identical to the one given in Shreveport, Louisiana two months prior with the exception of the terminology used. He said “you shall declare a new thing” instead of “explorer,” and “many others shall be involved with you,” instead of “expedition.” He also stated we would reach into many parts of the world.
The Baptism of the Holy Spirit was beginning to be poured out upon ministers in many different denominations at that time, and the Lord began to reveal to me the great need for establishing a ministerial association. This association would offer fellowship to the numerous denominational ministers receiving the Baptism of the Holy Spirit. He then showed me some would be able to remain with their respective organizations for a while, but some would be put out immediately. In either case, these ministers would need to have fellowship and receive the Word of God with others of like experiences. It was a new thing for ministers of differing denominations to come together in fellowship, to worship and preach together. In fact, many came to me at that time and said to me, “Brother Bill, it is a good idea and certainly a good thought, but it will never work.”

As I began to realize what the Lord was asking me to do, much doubt came against me. A group of Spirit-filled denominational ministers gathered at the church one morning. As I prayed quietly in my heart, telling God I didn’t have the ability to do that which He was asking me to do, a Methodist minister came and laid his hands on me and began to prophesy, “My son, I will give you of My own ability.” The Lord then gave me the name World Ministry Fellowship.
The Lord began to speak to me in the early part of 1963 concerning the governmental structure of the Fellowship. Over a three month period, He told me to formulate the different boards. I had no idea how to go about such an undertaking, having had no occasion or opportunity to get experience in these fields. The Lord spoke to me while in prayer, and as He spoke, I wrote it down. He showed me that the Board of Directors should consist of twelve men and that their term of office would be perpetual. These men should be like-minded and desirous of seeing that World Ministry Fellowship would remain a fellowship and not become a denomination.

The Legislative Body of the Fellowship would be the Advisory Board. They would be the counterbalance to the Board of Directors. Although the term of office of the Board of Directors would be perpetual, the Advisory Board members would be selected from among the membership. Seven men would be selected from the membership each year until twenty-one men would be on the Advisory Board. Each year, seven men would be replaced, thereby forming a board that was staffed with a majority of experienced men. Legislation was to be initiated and passed by the Advisory Board, then submitted to the Board of Directors to be either approved or rejected. One of the prime reasons for this system was to ensure that WMF remained a fellowship and not become a denomination.

Next, He showed me there was to be an Ordination Council. This Council would be responsible for interviewing, Licensing, and Ordaining ministers who meet Biblical standards. I was further instructed that there was to be a Mission Board established for both home and abroad. A minister’s bulletin was to be published and sent out to the membership, and its name would be in the likeness of its purpose. Hence, the name was given, “Point of Contact.”
In the summer of 1963, after having been given the format, I invited a group of ministers to a meeting at Shreveport Tabernacle, the church I pastored in Shreveport. I then shared the vision of World Ministry Fellowship. At the beginning of the meeting, the Lord spoke to me, “Be still and know that I am God.” I rested in the Lord while the ministers took the vision of WMF and, in a period of about two hours, built it into a colossal organization in which the concept achieved could not have been recognized as having anything to do with the original concept. However, in the space of another hour, the ministers had brought their discussion back to the original structure.

The Holy Spirit witnessed to me that, as He was able to keep WMF that night, He would be able to preserve it continually, the way He wanted it. WMF has never deviated from its original structural design, although it has weathered many a satanic storm; the intent of which was to change its purpose. World Ministry Fellowship remains a fellowship to this day, and always will as long as the leadership looks to Jesus Christ for direction. We thank God for a cooperative fellowship of ministers and churches.