WorldServe Ministries…
Impacting Lives for Eternity
WorldServe Ministries has been, and will continue to be, unashamedly committed to the proclamation of the gospel in the same spirit as Paul when he declared,
“For I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God that brings salvation to everyone who believes…” Romans 1:16. (NIV)
Our Statement of Faith:
WorldServe Ministries has adopted the Lausanne Covenant as its statement of faith. That the Lausanne Covenant was agreed upon by 2,300 people from 150 nations from all branches of the Christian church in the space of ten days is one of the miracles of contemporary church history. Humanly speaking, the Covenant was adopted with such wide agreement because it broadened the world view of evangelicals in such a way as to put together in one document an acceptable statement about matters that had been increasingly in tension both in the experience of individuals and in relationships between groups. How this came about was a significant work of the Holy Spirit in our time.
Our Ministry's Core Values:
Evangelization
We believe the Gospel of Jesus Christ transforms – individuals, people groups, communities, cities, nations. This is the main reason why sharing the gospel is a core component of any WorldServe initiative. We put a priority on helping advance the gospel in restricted-access areas and hard-to-reach people groups.
Building Leaders
We know that indigenous leaders are best positioned to advance the gospel, plant churches, and sustain ministry to their communities. At WorldServe, we come alongside the indigenous church to help connect, train, equip and raise up generations of leaders to ensure healthy, vibrant churches.
Compassion Ministry
We stand ready to help the indigenous church let their light shine through good works by putting compassion into action. True compassion flows out of believers as a move of the Holy Spirit in their lives, creating pathways to share the love of Jesus Christ and His Good News.
Spiritual Renewal
We recognize that transformation is essential to the Christian life – from people of the world to people of God … from self-centered to Christ-centered … from unrighteous to righteous … from selfish to selfless … from hearers of the Word to doers of the Word. To that end, we cherish and nurture the spiritual renewal that comes from being part of God’s work.
“Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age…” Matthew 29:19-20 (NIV)
Our Operational Culture:
WorldServe is a "registered participant" with the Lausanne Standards, a set of principles to facilitate international funding relationships that establish a common language with our indigenous partners for the giving and receiving of God’s money for God’s work, across borders, cultures, and ideologies. These standards are designed to help us become more effective stewards of God’s money, to earn the respect and trust of our partners, to enrich ourselves culturally, and to help us work together toward the betterment of God’s kingdom.
As part of our internal strategic planning process, we have affirmed these cultural values:
The Gospel of Jesus Christ transforms – individuals, people groups, communities, cities … nations. (2 Corinthians 3:17-18)
Transformation is essential to the Christian life – from people of the world to people of God … from self-centered to Christ-centered … from unrighteous to righteous … from selfish to selfless … from hearers of the Word to doers of the Word. (2 Corinthians 3:17-18)
Effective ministry begins and ends with the local church. (Acts 2:42-47)
Evangelizing and church planting must be at the core of any community transformation. (Matthew 28:19-20; Acts 8:4-8)
A holistic approach to ministry helps accelerate community transformation, blending evangelistic objectives with social objectives to meet educational, economic and physical needs. (Matthew 25:34-36)
The most important element of effective ministry is prayer. (Ephesians 6:18)
Indigenous believers and church leaders are best positioned to minister to their communities, and the role of WorldServe is to come alongside these indigenous church movements as a “faithful brother.” (Philippians 2:1-5; 1 Peter 5:12)
Partnerships fuel the acceleration of advancing the gospel and transforming communities, and are at the core of WorldServe’s strategy. (Romans 12:3-8)
Trust based on integrity, intent, capability and results is the foundation of relationships with indigenous leaders as well as domestic partners. That trust is one of WorldServe’s most valuable assets. (Luke 16:9-11)
WorldServe works closely and confidentially with its indigenous partners in restricted-access areas to document results and impact to share with donors, but values the safety of our brothers and sisters in Christ more than reports. (1 Corinthians 12:22-26)
We recognize the risk our indigenous partners take and realize that it can take months to get the documentation of the impact of our work together – and we encourage our donor partners to join us in being prayerfully patient. (Romans 12:10-13)
While suffering is part of the Christian experience, suffering in restricted-access areas can come at great physical and emotional hardship. WorldServe will always stand with our brothers and sisters, and make compassionate assistance a priority in these cases. (1 Peter 3:14-15)
Self-sustainability of indigenous churches is the goal of everyone involved, and financial support will be carefully managed to be culturally appropriate to avoid developing any dependence. (Romans 15:13)
Indigenous business entrepreneurship is encouraged and supported to help develop a strong, vibrant indigenous support base for churches planted. (Acts 18:2-4)
The spiritual renewal that comes from being part of God’s work is expected and nurtured as a ministry focus for everything WorldServe does. (Romans 12:1-3)