Word of Life Christian Fellowship, (WOLCF), otherwise known as Word of Life Ministries International (WOLMI), was established in November of 1985 under the leadership of the Right Reverend the Honorable Dr. Phillip S. Phinn, OEA, as a local church in Kingston, Jamaica. Within a short period of time the church grew from a group of 30 to 300 members and within the first decade of its existence, forged national and international linkages with other churches and ministries around the world, most notably the International Third World Leaders Association, (ITWLA), that is based in Nassau, Bahamas, of which Dr. Phinn is one of the founding trustees under the leadership of the late Dr. Myles Monroe. In November 1996, eleven years later, WOLCF created history by becoming the first and only full gospel church to be granted an NGO in Special Consultative Status with the United Nations Economic and Social Council, (ECOSOC). This is the highest level of accreditation that is awarded internationally to all designates.