About Us
Fellowship of Ministers International, Inc. (FMI) is a fellowship of Christian ministers dedicated to the work of advancing the kingdom of God. FMI’s members come from various backgrounds and denominations, but all are in agreement with our purpose and Statement of Faith. Members have come to us by recommendation of other churches or ministers with respect for their calling and gifts. FMI began in 1944 under the name of Full Gospel Pentecostal churches International, Inc., originally founded by Pastor Cone Reneau in California. Given the long- standing history of FGPCI, it was decided to build upon this history and make some changes. Although the name changed in 2008, the vision has not. FMI will both continue and improve its mission to unite ministers as well as license and ordain individuals for ministry. We are here to encourage, build up, provide counsel, and do whatever we can to support you in the ministry that God has called you to do.
“And He Himself gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers, for the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ, till we all come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a perfect man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ.” Ephesians 4:11-13
Tom and Rhoda Wilhoit
Pastor Tom Wilhoit serves as the FMI President as of the summer of 2023. He has served as an officer with FMI for many years. Tom received a call to be a Youth Pastor in high school, and Rhoda felt a call to Music Ministry about the same time. They met at Jimmy Swaggart Bible College in Baton Rouge, Louisiana where they continued to volunteer in ministry. They married in 1990 and soon after moved to Lakeland, FL to attend Southeastern Bible College and work part-time at Carpenter’s Home Church as High School Directors. Tom completed Bible College in 1993 and they began working full time at Fellowship of Believers Church in Sarasota. They served at FOB for 27 years as youth pastors (1993-2003), associate pastors (2003-2013), and senior pastors (2013-2021). Rhoda also served on worship teams, led women’s ministry and served as the creative arts director at FOB. For many of those years, they served with Pastor Don and Diane Lafler (also leaders with FMI). They are so blessed to have a wonderful family including their daughter, Summer, and their son Chandler, and his wife Courtney, who have given us 2 wonderful grandchildren! In addition to leading FMI, they also lead the following ministries:
Salt & Light Ministries
Outreach and Mission Projects (acts of kindness, street ministry, disaster relief, sharing the Gospel)
Speaking Engagements (church services, youth & young adult camps, men’s & women’s retreats)
Music and Creative Arts Ministry (working with worshipping teams, choirs, special projects)
Online Teaching and Training (Messages)
Free Discipleship Resources (EQUIP)
Parakletos Ministry Consulting
Parakletos means “one who pleads another’s cause”. We love to hear the heart of ministry leaders and help their team come into alignment with their purpose, mission and values
In short, our focus is to help churches and ministries love God and people well
We offer ministry assessments, ongoing relationships, and leader coaching to keep ministries healthy
If you’d like to know more about Tom and Rhoda or want to connect with them, please click the buttons below.
Jim and Debbie Reneau
Jim Reneau continued the Reneau legacy in the calling to ministry. He attended International Bible College and married his wife Debbie. Together they pastored at Faith Farm Ministries in Boyton Beach, Florida for many years, beginning in 2006. Their ministry there gave them the opportunity to be part of seeing many people transformed by the power of God! At their ministry in Boynton Beach, they averaged 150 men and 28 women who came through the ministry program every 9 months to a year. Many of them were changed forever!
Several years ago, Pastor Jim retired from this ministry and also began to lead FMI as President. Currently Jim serves as Vice President and Debbie serves as the Secretary of FMI. If you have a ministry that is reaching out to people with addictions, contact Pastors Jim and Debbie for coaching and wisdom as they’ve had a lot of experience in this area.
Don and Diane Lafler
Don Lafler became the President of FMI after Richard Reneau passed away. Don met the Lord when he was serving in the United States Air Force in Tampa, Florida. A group of students from Southeastern Assembly of God College were witnessing on the streets of Tampa when they stopped him and a friend and challenged them with the gospel message. Don gave his heart to the Lord and later went to San Antonio, Texas to study at International Bible College. It was there where he met Diane Reneau, who became his wife in 1970. A year after they were married, they flew to Rhodesia, Africa (Zimbabwe today) to join in the missionary work of Bob and Stella Bosworth who had been ministering there for many years. While there, they pastored two churches, taught and ministered to students in the public schools, establishing International Bible Club. They helped build Salisbury Bible College and taught there. It was a wonderful season for them.
Returning to the United States after three years of ministry, they settled in Sarasota, Florida. With missions still on their hearts, they were involved in founding The Fellowship of Believers, a thriving mission-minded church who continued to support over 35 missionaries and outreaches over the years. Don was the lead pastor at the church for almost 40 years, stepping down and continuing to assist in counseling and visitation for several years. He also continued to oversee FMI during these years. After his retirement, he stepped down from being the President. Jim Reneau, son of Richard Reneau, then became President.
Richard and Hazel Reneau
Richard Reneau was born in Garrison, Texas. He grew up in California and was part of a growing and exciting church in Marysville full of young people serving the Lord. At an early age, Richard felt a call to ministry. He was only 17 years old and his good friend, Andrew Freeborn was 15 years old, when they took their first ministry trip preaching and evangelizing throughout the southern states and into Texas. He married his wife, Hazel Davis, who was also a member of the church in Marysville.
After a few years of marriage, he moved his young family to the heart of the Redwood country in northern California, eventually settling in Eureka. There he founded Christian Redwood Center where he pastored for many years. Richard and Hazel were part of a strong network of churches and ministries throughout the state of California where he was active in church activities such as conferences, camp meetings and youth camps. After his five children were grown, he left California and moved to Nampa, Idaho where he pastored an established church, Nampa Fellowship Church, for about 15 years.
Upon retiring from the church, Richard and Hazel moved to Sarasota, Florida where he assisted in the ministry of his son-in-law and oldest daughter, Don and Diane Lafler. He also moved FMI to Sarasota, and established it in the state of Florida. There organization continued to grow with ministers and ministries throughout the States.
It was at the age of 70 that Richard got a call from Faith Farm in Boynton Beach, Florida, a ministry to those overcoming addictions. They asked him to come and be the campus pastor. He felt God told him that He would give him five years there, and those five years became the most fruitful years of his ministry. Many who came through the ministry there went on to full-time ministry and became a member of FMI. Richard returned to Sarasota, where he later died at the age of 84 years.
Through his many years of ministry and leadership in various organizations including the FMI, Richard had great influence and friendships with many ministers and churches throughout the United States.
Cone and Lois Reneau
Cone Reneau was born in Converse, Louisiana in 1899. He moved to Texas where he married, Lois Shoemake and they began to raise their family. Moving to California while his children were still young, they settled in the central valley near Marysville. Cone had been involved in ministry for many years. In 1944, at the age of 45 yrs., he established the Full Gospel Pentecostal Church organization as a covering for independent ministers. The name was later changed to Fellowship of Ministers International.
Later in his life, he founded Faith Tabernacle in Linda, CA, and pastored it for many years. It is still a strong church today, having changed its name to Emmanuel Faith Tabernacle. After his death in 1978, the leadership role went to his son, Richard Reneau.
