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BIBLE |
We uphold the Bible as
our final authority which contains everything we need for life and
godliness. |
|
WESTMINISTER CONFESSION |
We uphold the
Westminster confession as an excellent summary of the system of doctrine
taught in the Bible. |
|
CHURCH |
We believe in working
with and through the local church as much as possible. We prioritize
the needs of believers in mercy ministry and we respect the
authority of church bodies in the administration of mercy ministry. |
|
ACCOUNTABILITY |
Knowing that mankind has
a fallen sin nature, and knowing the need for trustworthiness in
handling God’s money and ministering to God’s people, we uphold
systems of accountability that discourage corruption and encourage
confidence, both in accounting practices and in policy leadership.
This is in keeping with God’s character as one who calls His people
to be accountable to Him (Luke 16:2, Romans 14:12, 1 Peter 4:5, Heb.
13:17) and with the Apostle Paul’s practice in the matter of
collecting money from the early church (2 Cor. 8:20-22). For these
reasons we have a U.S. board that oversees our U.S. administration,
and we have a Regional Committee that oversees the field
administration. Although our small size prevents us from immediately
becoming members of the Evangelical Council for Financial
Accountability (ECFA) and the Association of Evangelical Relief and
Development Organizations (AERDO), we are working towards membership
in these organizations in the future. |
|
PARTNERSHIP |
We seek to complement
local churches and other mission agencies. For this reason, we work
alongside other mission agencies active on the field and we work
through the leadership of local churches. In Uganda, we work closely
with the Presbyterian Church in Uganda and with African Christian
Training Institute, and we seek to complement the work of the PCA
and OPC mission agencies. |
|
BUSINESS |
In keeping with Reformed
tradition, we believe in the sanctity of all of life – that business
is important as kingdom work. We believe that the
strengthening of Christian business is vital to the economy of the
nation and the church. For this reason we seek to help Christian
entrepreneurs develop businesses through The TentMaker Project. |
|
MERCY |
The strong are to have
compassion on the weak (Rom. 15:1; Acts 20:35; I Thess 5:14). In
keeping with the character of our God who has mercy upon us, we are
to show mercy to others (Matt 5:7; Matt 9:13, Rom. 12:8; James
3:17). For this reason, we encourage the development of ministries
that combine mercy and preaching through the Five Loaves program,
and we extend loans without usury to business owners, being patient
and gracious in the case of failure. |
|
RESPONSIBILITY |
We seek to build
reliance upon God and His principles of wisdom, not dependency upon
foreign funds. For this reason we require repayment of loans, and we
set up systems of accountability to ensure this. We combine this
with systematic teaching of Biblical principles of business and
money management. Our goal is to see the national church take
responsibility for itself and for the spread of the Gospel, able to
do so without the help of foreign funds in the future. |
|
NATIONAL LEADERSHIP |
We believe in having
indigenous leadership because of their intimate knowledge of the
culture and situation of the needy in their locale and their
superior ability to communicate and hold people accountable on the
field. In places where the church exists, and there is Godly
leadership, there is no need for our program to field foreign staff.
By the same token, we have American staff administrate the American
side of the program. |
|
GENEROSITY |
God’s word contains many
exhortations to be generous to the poor, with the promise that God
will bless those who are generous to the poor
(Psalms
37:21-26; 112:5; Proverbs 14:21, 31; Proverbs 19:17; Romans 12:8; 2
Corinthians 9:11; 1 Timothy 6:18). For this reason, we seek to
stimulate the generosity of the church, in the United States to give
to the poor, and in the churches on our fields, to tithe and give
offerings for the furtherance of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. |
|
GRASSROOTS |
We focus on small
businesses and facilitate loans that even a child in the USA can
afford to underwrite. |
