MISSION PRIORITIES Evangelism and Discipleship: Vision: Jesus Christ is drawing all nations to God through the power of the Holy Spirit at work in the church (John 12:32; Philippians 2:10-11). International Ministries serves this vision by crossing cultural barriers to proclaim the gospel in word and deed, seeking both to make disciples of Jesus Christ and to grow in our own discipleship, following the Lord of life. We are called both to give and to receive, in a process that seeks the transformation of individuals, societies and all creation. We expect this process of transformation to be at work in us and throughout the world until the return of our Risen Lord (Philippians 1:6). Strategies: International Ministries will: Recognize that while evangelism and transformation are needed in every place, we are called to give more attention to those places and people groups where there is the least awareness of the gospel.
Expand significantly its ministry to peoples and cultures that historically have been underserved by American Baptist mission outreach.
Support evangelism that establishes new churches and promotes discipleship.
Arrange opportunities for our Christian sisters and brothers from other countries and cultures to share their vital witness and renew American Baptists.
Measurable Goals: By 2010, International Ministries will:
Join with partners to work among at least one unreached group in every country in which we have missionaries.
Establish work in 10 countries that have not historically been served by American Baptist mission, giving special attention to those with large numbers of those who have not had the opportunity to hear the gospel.
Develop a network of churches engaged in outreach to unreached and underserved peoples.
Celebrate and support the church planting work of our partners. We anticipate that they will establish 10,000 new churches and 10,000 new preaching places.
Work with all ABC regions as they receive missionaries from international partner churches.
Christ-like Mission: Vision: Jesus preached the good news of salvation and demonstrated it with actions, and that God’s work of salvation will ultimately embrace not only persons but creation itself (Romans 8:19-21; Revelation 21:1). International Ministries serves as one of God’s agents to make real the redeeming love of Christ in a world of personal sin, social injustice and ecological destruction. International Ministries focuses especially on ministry to and with the poor, seeking together with them the coming fullness of God’s Reign (Luke 4:18-19). Strategies: International Ministries will: Develop ministries specifically dedicated to work with and for children, youth and women.
Serve the whole person and the whole community through ministries of economic and human development (health, education, community development, agriculture, stewardship of the earth, chemical dependency rehabilitation, etc.) that are fully integrated with proclamation.
Pursue peace, justice and reconciliation through ministries of conflict transformation and education, as well as by standing with and serving the victims of conflict.
Work with all international partner churches to assess local needs for expanded ministries of service (especially to "the least of these") that would complement existing ministries of proclamation.
Promote effective stewardship, economic self-sufficiency and the sustainable use of the earth’s resources.
Give special attention to persons and groups whose place in society reduces their experience of the fullness of life that God desires for them.
Measurable Goals: By 2010, International Ministries will:
Establish a number of "Global Ministry Specialist" missionaries dedicated to engaging our partners in developing and expanding strategic ministries. The first two such positions will focus globally on ministry to at-risk women and unreached people groups. We expect to establish at least 8 ministry specialist positions.
Support at least 2 projects dedicated to empowering women and nurturing their leadership in each of our administrative areas.
Join with and encourage all overseas partner churches to develop or strengthen ministries to children and youth.
Establish an office dedicated to enabling American Baptist entrepreneurs and businesspersons to participate directly in job-creating development projects around the world.
Use information technology to develop an interactive skills bank of people who can serve as consultants to specific mission efforts and/or advisors for the coordination of related ministries.
Assemble teams of advisors and missionaries to respond to particular ministry opportunities, especially to those involving work on: AIDS; at-risk women and children; community-based health care; drug detoxification and rehabilitation; sustainable community and economic development; reconciliation and conflict transformation; relief; stewardship. At least 10 advisory team engagements are expected during the decade.
Equipping Leaders: Vision:
Jesus and the first Christians were dedicated to calling and equipping leaders (Mark 3:14-15; 2 Timothy 2:2). International Ministries seeks to promote the strength and maturity of the global Body of Christ by giving priority to the formation of leaders, both pastors and laypersons. We envision significant growth in leadership training within all the groups whom we serve. This growth will come as we and our partners together respond to the call for new models of training and theological education that are more accessible, more holistic, globally related and yet grounded in local cultures and contexts. Strategies: International Ministries will: Promote and share innovative strategies for training lay and pastoral leaders, especially those strategies that most effectively equip leaders to combine proclamation and service.
Pursue training strategies that keep leaders most closely connected to their place of service and cultural context, as well as those that make the greatest possible use of local resources.
Give special attention to the needs of groups whose leadership potential has traditionally not been fully recognized in their own context.
Promote the exchange of information and leaders among its international partners and between those partners and American Baptist constituencies.
Expand our commitment to send missionaries dedicated both to enter their places of service as learners and to equip partners to replace missionaries with local leaders.
Measurable Goals: By 2010, International Ministries will:
Develop both internet-based and low-technology-based models for in-service training for church leaders, both lay and ordained.
Sponsor conferences for international and American Baptist mission partners and International Ministries personnel in 5 different regions of the world, devoted to sharing and developing innovative training strategies.
Designate 30% of general scholarship funds to the support of study by persons who have traditionally been underrepresented in the leadership of their church bodies.
Work with American Baptist and international congregations to develop 25 locally-funded exchange programs to enable lay and pastoral leaders to do cross-cultural ministry and reflection.
Train all missionaries to function as practitioner-trainers, and work with partners to incorporate this function into all missionary job descriptions.
Mission Education: Vision: God continually renews American Baptist churches through their engagement in and study of cross-cultural ministries at home and abroad. Inspired by the Great Commission and enriched by the lessons of mission involvement, the community of faith grows through education in the theory and practice of mission. Such education nurtures the passion for mission that leads to a lifelong commitment to put faith into action. In this way, believers and churches both increase in number and grow toward the fullness of Christ (Ephesians 4:15). Strategies: International Ministries will: Promote meaningful, direct and personal involvement in mission by the greatest possible number of American Baptist persons and congregations. This will include both a wide variety of mission service opportunities, as well as personal relationships between missionaries and the congregations that support them. In particular, International Ministries will support the work of local churches that provide youth with life-changing experiences in cross-cultural ministry, drawing them closer to Christ and to a lifelong commitment to global mission.
Cooperate with Educational Ministries, National Ministries, American Baptist regions, local congregations and international partners to provide American Baptist churches with age- and culture-appropriate resources for education in mission theory and practice that leads to personal involvement in global mission.
Promote mission learning experiences for pastors, theological educators, ministers of Mission Support, Mission Advocates and other key mission mobilizers in local churches.
Expand and diversify the financial resources devoted to cross-cultural mission by engaging more people in global mission and developing new sources of funding.
Support the efforts of local churches to incorporate the gifts of the worldwide Body of Christ into their worship.
Work with American Baptist regions, National Ministries and Educational Ministries to provide consulting services to American Baptist congregations engaged in cross-cultural ministry in the U.S. and Puerto Rico.
Encourage all sectors of the American Baptist family, including all ethnic and racial groups, to participate fully in cross-cultural global mission.
Measurable Goals: By 2010, International Ministries will:
Help interested ABC-related seminaries, colleges and campus ministries establish effective programs for providing their students semester- or year-long mission and study experiences at International Ministries-related institutions around the world.
Arrange for a short-term mission engagement team each year to carry out special-focus ministries (sports, music, arts, etc.) in cross-cultural settings.
Support the work of 1000 short-term mission groups per year from American Baptist churches.
Train and deploy mission education instructors for mission training events in all ABC regions.
Produce electronically-available mission education resources for all major ABC language groups in partnership with American Baptist congregations, regions, program boards and international partners.
Produce 3 additional Vacation Bible School curricula designed to increase understanding of and engagement in global mission.
Provide 20 scholarships per year to enable pastors, theological educators, ministers of Mission Support or Mission Advocates to engage in structured short-term international mission learning experiences.
Produce 12 mission-related worship resources per year.
Provide cross-cultural consulting services to ABC regions in partnership with other ABC program agencies.
Establish a significant number of mission partnerships with every sector of the American Baptist family, including all ethnic and racial groups.
Co-sponsor, with the leadership of each racial-ethnic caucus, a special-focus world mission conference that responds to the interests of that part of the ABC community.
Appoint missionaries and staff so that the International Ministries mission team reflects fully and accurately ABC diversity.
Urban Mission: Vision: God will ultimately transform today’s cities according to the model of the coming City of God (Revelation 21:2). God is calling International Ministries to complement its historic strength in rural and tribal work with an increased commitment to seek the shalom of the great cities of our world (Jeremiah 29:7). We pursue this goal as part of a global network. International Ministries’ role is to promote the sharing of expertise, learning and resources for use both within the network and also for pioneering ventures. International Ministries works with all relevant American Baptist agencies when engaged in ministry within the cities of the U.S. and Puerto Rico. Strategies: International Ministries will: Form a team of urban ministry advisors to guide International Ministries’ search for global and local urban strategies, models, funding and opportunities. This team will be drawn from among American Baptist urban ministry practitioners (working in local churches, National Ministries, regions, non-denominational organizations and International Ministries) as well as specialists from international partner churches.
Develop centers for the study and practice of cross-cultural urban ministry in strategic cities worldwide.
Provide consulting services in cross-cultural urban ministries as requested.
Measurable Goals: By 2010, International Ministries will:
Establish an Urban Ministry Team.
Create an Urban Ministry Specialist position.
Establish cross-cultural urban ministry centers in 5 strategic cities.
Mission Explosion: Vision: God sends the worldwide Body of Christ to engage in mission to, from and within all six continents. International Ministries joins with other members of that Body to form a network that multiplies cross-cultural mission efforts in all directions. Members of the network include international churches and conventions as well as American Baptist churches, regions and other ABC program agencies. International Ministries practices a policy of "high sensitivity and low control," affirming the creativity, freedom and responsibility of all members of the network. Sharing a commitment to a set of core principles and operating guidelines, members of the network join together to access funding, resources and personnel and engage in the full range of mission activities. The mission potential of the Body of Christ is multiplied as the gifts of the whole body are recognized, exercised and celebrated (1 Corinthians 12, Ephesians 4). Strategies: International Ministries will: Mobilize a prayer network with all those to whom we are joined in mission, sharing news of mission needs, opportunities and God’s mighty works as widely as possible to support thanksgiving and specific intercession.
Support new models of mission service as American Baptist local churches and regions engage directly in international mission (including sister-church relationships, leadership exchanges, intra-ethnic outreach, short term teams, etc.), while continuing to send traditional long-term missionaries.
Encourage mission in many directions by cooperating with international partners as they send their own cross-cultural missionaries, including missionaries to the U.S. and Puerto Rico.
Aggressively use emerging information technologies to support the broadest possible participation and collaboration of American Baptist and other partners in responding to global mission opportunities.
Redesign its internal structure in order to promote flexibility, creativity and responsiveness, so that initiative and decision-making are located as close as possible to the ministries involved.
Measurable Goals: By 2010, International Ministries will:
Maintain an effective interactive communications system for sharing both regular and urgent service opportunities and prayer needs with American Baptist and international partners in mission.
Pursue specific international mission initiatives with at least 100 American Baptist partnership groups (local churches, regions, program agencies), guided by formal partnership covenants.
Help at least 500 American Baptist congregations to establish and maintain church-to-church ("sister church") relationships with international congregations.
Make our missionary orientation program available to any American Baptist preparing for cross-cultural missionary service, regardless of sending agency.
Recognize and cooperate with American Baptists serving internationally with other sending agencies.
Deploy 10 missionaries whose job descriptions include helping partner conventions to send and support their own cross-cultural missionaries.
Invest 10% of its annual operating budget in creative initiatives.
Create a staff position to provide leadership in the use of information technology for mission.
Create a staff position to coordinate and shape the implementation of the Mission Explosion strategy.
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