Behind every great move of God lies a great cost, and Bishop Dag Heward-Mills has never hidden that truth. His life is a living testimony to the fact that apostolic expansion does not happen through convenience—it happens through sacrifice. He has paid the price in time, in strength, in resources, and in personal comfort. Because to build at this level, you must bleed. You must let go of what others cling to, and embrace what others fear. Apostolic ministry is not glamorous. It is rugged, relentless, and often lonely. Yet Bishop Dag continues to walk this path with unwavering faith and joy.
He teaches that the call to expand is not a call to ease. It’s a call to death—the death of self, the death of ambition, the death of comfort. It is about building churches where there are none, raising pastors who have nothing, and planting the gospel in soil that has never been touched. Every church he plants carries a story. A story of a missionary who left everything. A story of prayer and fasting. A story of a leader who chose to stay when it would have been easier to go.
The cost is real. And he bears it without complaint, because he knows the eternal reward far outweighs the temporary pain.
The Burden That Cannot Be Ignored
Apostolic ministry comes with a burden—a divine pressure that will not let you rest while souls are still unreached. Bishop Dag carries that burden. It follows him from country to country, city to city. It speaks to him in prayer. It weeps through him during altar calls. It keeps him from settling.
He often says that the Church must not only grow where it is strong—it must go where it is weak. That means going to places where the name of Jesus is not known, where churches are not welcome, and where missionaries are often misunderstood. It means sending people to dark places and trusting that the light of Christ will shine.
This burden has led him to organize crusades in regions far from the comforts of city life. It has caused him to send missionaries into nations closed to the gospel. And it has compelled him to keep expanding, even when it would be easier to maintain what already exists.
The Personal Price of Obedience
The journey of apostolic expansion has also required a personal cost from Bishop Dag. Time with family. Rest for his body. Opportunities he could have taken for himself. All laid down, again and again, for the sake of the call. He does not speak of this as a complaint, but as a reality. Because every true apostle carries scars.
He teaches that obedience is costly, but disobedience is far more expensive. You may lose sleep, but you gain souls. You may lose friends, but you gain favor. You may lose comfort, but you gain a crown.
There is a kind of joy that only comes to those who know they are walking in obedience, even when the path is narrow and steep. That joy fuels him. It sustains him. And it continues to inspire others to follow in the same footsteps.
A Price Worth Paying
As he looks at the fruit of his labor—thousands of churches, multitudes of souls saved, and generations of leaders raised—Bishop Dag Heward-Mills is reminded that every cost was worth it. Every tear, every mile, every sacrifice has been redeemed by the faithfulness of God.
The Church today needs more apostles who are willing to pay the price. Men and women who will go where others won’t go and do what others are unwilling to do. Through his life, Bishop Dag is reminding us all that apostolic expansion is not free—but it is worth everything.