Our ministry philosophy

Christians understand themselves as ambassadors (Latin: missionaries) of the good news of Jesus Christ, inviting others—through their lives, words, and actions, in creative and relevant ways—into a personal encounter with the living God. Christians consider it a fundamental right that every person should have the opportunity to hear the gospel. How a person responds to this message is left to their own free choice.

Christians understand themselves as people who have been generously blessed by God and who want to share this personal experience with others. It is an expression of their joy in God, their enthusiasm, and their gratitude. They also seek to help those in need selflessly and without ulterior motives, because they see every person as created in the image of God—therefore of infinite value and endowed with profound dignity. For this reason, they treat others with great respect and accept their way of life and personal convictions, whatever they may be. Following the example of Jesus, they firmly reject any form of coercion or pressure.

The Holy Spirit is the driving force of mission. He opens doors, convicts people of their separation from God, and encourages intercession. He empowers the church and the ambassadors of Jesus for committed service in the world.

Christians understand Jesus Christ as the full revelation of God and the way to salvation—as the risen and returning Lord, the Savior and Judge of the world. They are convinced that God has also revealed Himself in nature and in the human conscience. Therefore, they recognize traces of true insight in other religions, though these do not lead to salvation. For this reason, they seek respectful dialogue with followers of other religions. However, such dialogue cannot replace the call to repentance and faith in Christ. Christians do not possess the truth; rather, the truth has taken hold of them. They are on a journey with Jesus—remaining lifelong learners, open to new insights and guidance.

This mandate applies to the whole church of Jesus, with local congregations carrying primary responsibility. Mission organizations are intended to be an extension of the church. Without the church, there is no mission—and without mission, there is no church. Church planting in other cultures should not create “branches” of the sending church, but rather communities that live out the gospel in ways that are appropriate to their cultural context.

Christians see humanity’s turning away from God, its Creator, as the root problem of the world—manifesting itself in personal selfishness, the pursuit of power, exploitation, war, and environmental destruction. Therefore, they do not see a lasting solution in social, economic, or political change—these would only address the symptoms—but in deep reconciliation with God through Jesus Christ. Christians confess that they know of no one else capable of this except Jesus Christ. That is why they call Him the Savior of the world.

Christians see this fundamental problem in people of every culture; therefore, they seek to make the good news of Jesus Christ known everywhere. This begins in traditionally Christian countries, where materialism and increasing secularization have led to a loss of familiarity with the gospel and a need for spiritual renewal. It continues in countries where local churches request external expertise and invite missionaries. There, they work in partnership, offering their professional skills under local leadership—being recognized both as missionaries and as skilled professionals. The message of Jesus Christ also applies to cultures where no Christian church has yet been established. They, too, have the right to hear the gospel and to make an informed decision.

Christians firmly stand up for people and for universal human rights. This explicitly includes the right to practice one’s religion (or worldview) both privately and publicly, to share it with others (mission), and to change one’s religion voluntarily (freedom of religion). All proclamation must be carried out in a respectful manner, and no pressure may be applied.

Christian communities have a social responsibility toward society; helping the poor and the oppressed is an expression of God’s love for humanity. Therefore, social action is a natural part of lived Christianity and cannot be separated from the mission mandate. Reconciliation with God leads to reconciliation between people, and a new life shaped by God results in a committed stand for justice and peace. Ambassadors of Jesus carefully analyze the society in which they serve in order to understand its structures, values, and needs, and to communicate the message of God’s love in an appropriate way. They seek not only to proclaim the gospel but also to live it. God’s love is meant to become visible. This involves humbly seeking access to people and identifying, as far as possible, with their social reality and suffering. Such a calling cannot be fulfilled without personal sacrifice.

Ambassadors of Jesus will do everything they can to draw close to people in their host culture. They accept them as they are and seek to learn from them. All cultures—including our Western culture—are unique and valuable, yet shaped by human beings and therefore also affected by destructive elements. In every culture, there are aspects that burden, oppress, or even destroy people. To label the overcoming of such oppression as destructive to culture would in fact legitimize that oppression. The gospel is meant to enrich, inspire, and bring life to a culture, while decisions must ultimately be made by the people of that culture themselves, not by an outsider. In this sense, Christian mission actively seeks to preserve culture. Many cultures and languages might no longer exist today without the tireless work of missionaries, particularly in the fields of linguistics, medicine, and ethnology. Through the gospel, people of different cultures, skin colors, and languages come to understand themselves as part of one global humanity.

The gospel is not a Western religion but originated in the East. Christians confess that the almighty God revealed Himself in the history of Israel, and that this good news spread through Turkey into Europe. In regions such as present-day Iraq, Syria, Egypt, North Africa, Ethiopia, Yemen, and India, strong churches emerged early on—long before the Germanic peoples ever heard the gospel. For the first 1,000 years, Europeans (and certainly North Americans) were a small minority among Christians, and in recent times this has again become the case. While de-Christianization is advancing in the “Christian West,” churches in Asia, Africa, and Latin America are growing rapidly. Today, two-thirds of Christians have brown, black, or Asian backgrounds. Christianity is now largely shaped by the Global South (the “two-thirds world”). This is also true for mission: the majority of evangelical missionaries today come from countries such as India, Korea, the Philippines, Brazil, and Nigeria—no longer primarily from North America or Europe. They live out their spirituality in both word and deed. There is much we can learn from one another, and we can support each other in training workers and developing new forms of church. Mission today is from everywhere to everywhere.