'Release Ministries' began in the 1990's during a series of visits Lionel Batke made to Japan with veteran missionaries, Donnel & Venda McLean. One day Donnel said, ‘This is a release ministry’. Years later when the society was being formed, Pastor Doug Fortune prophetically confirmed it to be the name of this new thing God is doing.

This ministry was incorporated under the Societies Act of British Columbia September 19, 2011 and registered in Ottawa as a charity January 24, 2013. Lionel was the founder together with a Board of Directors, and sole minister at that time.

In April, 2015 Liz Fitzgibbons, a prophetess, laid her hands on Lionel during a visit to Cork, Ireland. She said God was calling him to finish the work He started in him, and that younger men would be raised up during his lifetime with the ‘same lick of the Lion’. This would give ‘continuity’ and ‘multiplication’ to the ministry because everything God does continues and is multiplied.

In 2018 the Lord began leading certain ministers with similar vision, to work together. This resulted in the formation of intersect- ing circles of ministry within the society, in which each one moves freely in their own sphere of influence at home and abroad.