Partnering Together to Reach the Urban Unreached

Capital Campaign - Executive Summary

“I thank my God every time I remember you. In all my prayers for all of you, I always pray with joy because of your PARTNERSHIP [Koinonia] in the gospel from the first day until now.” (Philippians 1:3-5)

Koinonia (Greek): A fellowshipping partnership with purpose

When the Apostle Paul gives thanks, with joy, because of the Philippians’ ‘partnership in the gospel” or “fellowship in the gospel,” he is thanking God that his brothers and sisters in Christ— from the moment of their conversion (“from the first day until now,”)— rolled up their sleeves and got involved in the advance of the gospel. They continued their witness in Philippi, they persevered in their prayers for Paul, they sent money to support him in his ministry— all testifying to their shared vision of the importance and priority of Gospel Impact! Paul isn’t sitting back, basking in the nostalgia of the church potlucks they attended together, the softball games they played, or the barbecue’s their families might have shared together, good as those things can be. Instead, his focus was on how God was moving in their lives. Partnership is why Paul is thanking God!

This biblical understanding of partnership and fellowship – a fellowshipping partnership for Gospel Impact – frames not only how we partner with our missionaries, prayer partners and financial supporters, but also a new generation of indigenous ministry partners that have emerged because of 75+ years of Gospel Impact around the world. In partnership with these indigenous ministry partners, WorldVenture helps US churches send global workers who can provide theological training, professional development, and innovative pioneering to join them in making disciples of Jesus Christ.

Like Paul, we are grateful for your faithful partnership over the years. And we invite you to review WorldVenture’s Executive Summary to discover our key ministry initiatives and how they maximize a truly global strategy to bring everyone together for the singular purpose of engaging the world for gospel impact.

Our 21st century priority is discipling unreached peoples living in urban centers.

WorldVenture recognizes the 21st century need to prioritize the discipling of unreached peoples living in urban centers. As we set our sights towards this priority, we are prayerfully and strategically developing Five Key Ministry Initiatives.

Vision – Strategically making disciples of all nations
Mobilization – Recruiting, training, and sending global workers
Service – Providing critical care and financial services for global workers
Relief – Aid for global workers to distribute when disasters strikes
Global – Worldwide provision for wherever it is most needed

Vision

WorldVenture has identified three strategic initiatives that shape our vision for global missions: unreached people groups, urban mission and holistic 360 missionsOur 21st century priority is discipling UNREACHED peoples living in URBAN centers through 360 holistic mission

Unreached | When Jesus tells the Church to go to “all nations,” He means what He says: go to every people group and make disciples. There are currently 16,528 people groups in the world and 40.5 percent are still unreached (joshuaproject.net). An unreached people group is simply defined as a people group within which there is no indigenous community of believing Christians able to evangelize this people group without outside assistance. Currently, WorldVenture global workers are engaged with over 100 unreached people groups.

Urban | The world today is 55% urban, or 4.2 billion people, and is expected to increase to 68% by 2050. Scripture tells us that God loves cities (Jonah 4; Luke 19:41-44) and that He shows His care for cities by sending prophets and missionaries to them (Micah 6:9; Acts 13-14, 16-21). Migrants, diaspora, and unreached peoples are moving into cities and often perceive themselves as outsiders. As a result, we have new and better opportunities to reach them in cities. Not only that but, young people are moving into city centers in record numbers. This generation of the future, a global youth culture, is largely in cities, searching for meaning, identity and authentic relationships. WorldVenture workers minister in dozens of major cities throughout the world, including several European urban centers receiving refugees and immigrants from countries in the Middle East and North Africa that are normally closed to our global workers.

360 Ministry | 360 Missions is our way of saying the Gospel should impact whole communities, all of it anchored in local churches. God wants his truth to shape our personal lives and He also wants it to shape society – public policy, commerce, the courts, arts/entertainment, healthcare, families, etc. (see Matt. 6:10, Isaiah 1, Amos 5). As people are transformed by God, they have the responsibility to impact their families, communities, and world. Currently, WorldVenture personnel and local colleagues are influencing medical practice, serving in slums, developing public policy, influencing music and the arts, restoring damaged ecosystems, combating human trafficking, and creating jobs in underserved communities all around the world – all of it integrated with evangelism, discipleship, and building up local churches.

Mobilization

In partnership with churches, WorldVenture recruits, trains, and sends global workers equipped to minister to unreached peoples in urban centers with 360 missions.

Appointee Launch | WorldVenture has nearly 100 appointees currently in the training and partner development (fundraising) phase! Most are ready and willing to deploy within 12 to 18 months, perhaps sooner if funds were available. The Appointee Launch Fund provides the needed resources to our appointees so they are able to reach the field more quickly.

Church Mobilizer | The Embedded Church Mobilizer is a 24-month commitment for a young and emerging leader to partner with the local church to mobilize and send missionaries. The Embedded Church Mobilizer will serve on staff of key WorldVenture partner churches, assisting pastoral leadership on all aspects of the church’s missions’ program, ensuring a deeper missional engagement of church members and guests. All the while, the Embedded Church Mobilizer will be mobilizing, mentoring, and coaching those interested in serving in cross-cultural ministry.

WorldVenture provides critical services to global workers to keep them in ministry for the long-term.

Paraclete Services | The care and counseling team at WorldVenture assists our Global Worker staff through the varied challenges they face on the field so that they are positioned and prepared for meaningful and impactful missionary service. Through proactive counsel and care our team of counselors and spiritual formation leaders listens, coaches, guides, encourages and prays for our global missionary staff so that they remain healthy and whole and best equipped to serve and disciple others for Global Impact.

Financial Services | Throughout its 75+ years of Global Impact and ministry, WorldVenture has emphasized wise stewardship and financial integrity. By continuously providing sound financial services and support to our global missionary team, we have allowed our missionary team to focus on the relational aspects of ministry to maximize Global Impact. Relief Fund

WorldVenture coordinates short and long-term relief efforts in regions where our global workers are present or have established networks.

Relief | Unexpected moments of hostility, chaos and disaster always leads to unexpected costs, time and energy in order to respond appropriately manner. The love of Jesus compels us to compassionately give aid and care to our neighbors around the world in desperate need. The Good Samaritan Fund enables WorldVenture to respond with Christian compassion to the physical and material needs of people, especially in disaster or crisis situations. The Good Samaritan Fund has been used for refugee relief in Ukraine, Afghanistan, DR Congo and Sri Lanka, and flood relief in Brazil, Argentina, Mozambique and the Philippines.

WorldVenture’s global ministry requires a global mindset and global commitments.

The Global Mission Fund | The Global Mission Fund at WorldVenture is our “where needed most” fund that supports various aspects of WorldVenture, wherever the support is most needed. When you give to the Global Mission Fund, you are, quite literally, giving to God’s global effort through WorldVenture in more than 65 countries in Africa, Asia, Europe, the Middle East, South America, and the South Pacific.

Summary

Through 75+ years of ministry of engaging the world for Gospel Impact, WorldVenture has formed deep and meaningful partnerships with missionaries, US-based churches, and faithful followers of Jesus like you.

We have sent hundreds of missionaries into nearly 100 countries since our founding. It’s not an exaggeration when we say that hundreds of thousands of people have come to know Jesus us their Lord and Savior. Thousands of churches have been planted and tens of thousands of seminary classes have been taught by those that God sent through WorldVenture; multitudes of disciples, compelled by the love of God and willing to risk all so that people are transformed by God, impacting their families, communities, and the world.

Through the years, as Gospel Impact unfolded before our very eyes, we witnessed church leaders, pastors, business owners, seminary students and the like grow not only in their faith, but in their ownership of the ministry. Their commitment to Gospel Impact has redefined what it means to partner together. Our partners throughout the world are strategically located, linguistically prepared and spiritually motivated to take the Gospel to the unreached in their midst. Faced with this new reality, we now ask ourselves – where is God sending us next?

WorldVenture believes that the Holy Spirit is answering that question in powerful ways, including through the ones whom we have served for decades – our church partners regions throughout the world. Together, in a fellowshipping partnership, we can join our brothers and sisters around the globe and partner together to disciple unreached peoples in urban centers! With this in mind, we invite you to join us – all of us – in this next chapter of engaging the world for Gospel Impact!

Two church associations, founded in part by WorldVenture workers in West Africa and Southeast Asia, view themselves as gateways to their regions. In partnership with WorldVenture workers, they are committed to reaching unreached people groups.