Nearly 15 years ago, a group of people, interested in mobilizing African-American churches for missions, became increasingly aware of a divided Christian community --individuals, churches and para-church organizations-- working hard to evangelize with limited results due to a lack of coordination and resources. This group of people from different churches and locations envisioned these parts of the body of Christ coming together in a common vehicle to accomplish the task of world evangelization.

The small number of Christians interested in world missions within Black churches needed the comradeship and expertise and the encouragement of a collective relationship without losing their own individual identities. The main thrust of this collective would be the mobilization of African American Christians (Churches) for involvement in cross-cultural world missions.

In 1997, the group met in Atlanta to see whether they had a common cause and if they could work together. After much discussion, they decided to have another meeting in Los Angeles in the spring of 1998, inviting more people, churches and organizations of all races. At the California meeting, they determined they could work together for the common purpose of the mobilization of the descendants of Africa toward involvement in Biblical missions, consistent with the Great Commission of Matthew 28:16-20. They adopted the name Cooperative Missions Network of the African Dispersion (COMINAD).

COMINAD met again in October of 1998 to further develop the structure and invite others to participate as partners. To this end, COMINAD appointed an action committee to work out the details. In March of 1999, COMINAD's operating agreement was adopted and the group became a formal organization. COMINAD's papers to become a Limited Liability Company were filed in the Commonwealth of Virginia.

Brian Johnson, National Coordinator of COMINAD