Born in Caruaru, Pernambuco (1983), Pastor Edilson de Lira had his first experience with the Lord in 1998, with a group of believers who gathered to study the Bible and share moments of prayer. Thanks to the diligence of brothers who constantly and wisely debated about the Scriptures, he surrendered to the Lord after reading his first New Testament at home and being convinced of God's purpose in his life this year. At the same time he met his first girlfriend and future wife, Mizia Elian, who had been in the group for some time. Born in 1985, as a child she was influenced by the Christian teachings of her mother and the assembly of God's church where she had attended. At age 12 she had a spiritual vision that was the mark of her conscious decision to follow the Lord Jesus. Still at 15 she had a second vision, which forever confirmed the prophetic call in her life.
In January of 1999 they met pr. Isaac Roberto (now pastor in London UK), and that initial group became the first Verbo da Vida Church (“Word of Life”) in Caruaru. They led the youth and teenagers, and became actively involved in practically all aspects of the local church. They graduated from the Rhema Bible Training Center in 2001 (Mizia) and 2002 (Edilson). Still in Rhema, they had their first missionary experience in Bolivia, where they were able to minister in indigenous churches and tribes in the region. That moment would mark their ministries forever with the desire to touch nations and burn others with the GO of the Lord.
In 2004, he ranked among the first places of the Federal University of Pernambuco, in Recife, where he studied medicine for six years. His studies, however, never diminished his intensity and fervor in the Lord. He continued to travel, teaching the Word, and assisting the main “Verbo da Vida” Church in Recife, where they stayed five years connected with pastor Humberto Albuquerque. During this period, he was awakened by the call to raise leaders and ministers of the Gospel, and he focused on planting some churches in the surroundings of Recife. Despite his approval at the Medical Residency of the University of São Paulo (USP) in 2009, in Ribeirão Preto, he decided to move to Petrolina, in the interior of Pernambuco, to marry Mizia, who began her medical course in that city. In their first year of marriage they traveled through Brazil and over 10 nations preaching the Word in churches of different denominations, and since then their vocation has only grown.
In 2011, the couple was invited by the apostle Luis Augusto Emery (head of “Word of Life” Ministries - a “Kenneth Hagin Ministries” associate) to pastor the “Verbo da Vida” Church (portuguese of “Word of Life”) in Petrolina. The city is in the Northeastern Backlands (“Sertão Nordestino”), known as the least evangelized region of Brazil, coined by many scholars the “Brazilian 10/40 Window”. In seven years, the group of about 180 people became a lively and dynamic church of more than 1,300 people of all ages, with a infrastructure that totals two buildings (around 3,000 square meters), which continues to grow every year. More than twenty people work full-time in ministry, and nine other churches were planted in this period, at different cities of this region. The Church has a Rhema Campus, it’s own bookstore and restaurant, and is transforming the city through the “Movement NGO”, which is building a Daycare Center (for autistic children), has a program to relocate unemployed people in the labour market, a Bible school and vocational training in the two city prisons, and many other relevant activities. One of the marks of pr. Edilson’s ministry is the deep conviction that each local church should be God's response to its city, transforming all sectors of society with the power of the Gospel. For this cause he dedicates himself completely, and he stopped practicing medicine in 2015. Today he supervises more than 30 churches in Northeast of Brazil, 2 churches in Bolivia, and dozens of pastors travel annually to Petrolina to receive personal guidance and participate in their mentoring initiatives. Through the youtube channel, the church services inspires thousands of people weekly with their messages and songs. At the end of 2018, the Chapter 2 project was born with the purpose of building, in an area of 7,5 acres, the headquarters of all these institutions.
In recent years, many have sought pastor Edilson and expressed the desire to connect more directly, being mentored and receiving specific guidance on leadership, not just in the ministerial context (pastors, department leaders, and preachers from various ministries and denominations), but even in a business and corporate context. Others, inside and outside Brazil, have sought a way to get financially involved in partnership with the projects developed by him and his wife, as well as blessing his personal life. Listening to various requests and even prophecies over time, and considering in prayer for two years in a row, he decided to found Maximize Ministries in 2017, and in 2018 he launched the Online Mentorship Platform and the Maximize Conference (annually in September). Also in 2018, the pastor was the youngest man in the city to receive the title of Petrolinian Citizen ("Key to the City"), in recognition of his services rendered to the community.
Whether you are a pastor, a leader in politics, arts, the corporate world, or even someone who does not currently hold a leadership position, but has a desire to learn more about it, Maximize will expand your potential. When a leader improves, everything and everyone around him evolves. It is this growth that the Online Platform proposes to awaken on the partners, through exclusive videos (subtitled in English), interviews, texts and much more. In addition, by becoming a partner you will be believing and sowing in the projects of this ministry and the personal life of pastor Edilson, and surely the harvest on your life will be guaranteed!