BUILDING UP AND MULTIPLYING THE CHURCH – THE PRINCIPAL AIM OF PROCLAIM! INTERNATIONAL
Wherever the gospel is proclaimed, communities of the saved come into being. Adopted as spiritual orphans into God’s family, followers of Christ seek each other out to share their common life in him. The proclamation of the gospel inevitably produces gathered communities of God’s people called churches. Jesus Christ declared that he would build his church and that the gates of hell would not overcome it (Matthew 16:18). We understand that the principal instrument by which God will transmit his redemptive message to the ends of the earth is through the authentic and visible life and witness of Christian churches. This is the indispensable means by which he makes known his way, truth and life to all the nations. It is about such churches that Jesus Christ gave his promise. He will build them, and they will not be overcome. Churches will be established and flourish, the aim being that in every culture and community throughout the earth, God’s people will be gathered for worship, service, witness and redemptive influence. God has called Proclaim! International into being for the principal purpose of advancing that plan - to fulfill the promise of building and multiplying the church. Staying true to this aim is vitally important to us in all aspects of our ministry.
PUBLIC PROCLAMATION USING MUSIC AND THE ARTS
One of the ministries of Proclaim! International is public evangelism through music and the arts. When we send a team for a two-week campaign, for example, we do so only after consultation with the local churches and ministries and at their invitation. This insures that we will be able to work harmoniously with local partners who will be in the community long-term to gather and preserve the fruit of the evangelism. These local churches and ministries carry the ongoing burden and responsibility of reaching out to their own communities. We can assist them in many specific ways, but only if we can work together as true partners. In this way we can help build up local churches. In this way we also have been instrumental in helping numerous local churches and ministries launch new church planting projects.
PERSONAL MINISTRY IN THE LOCAL CHURCH AND COMMUNITY
In addition to public evangelism, our missionaries and staff are also involved in ongoing personal ministries. Some are involved in church planting; some are teachers and consultants. Proclaim! International staff members are involved in a wide variety of ministries in their churches and communities such as personal evangelism, preaching, Bible studies, youth and children’s work, leading worship, mentoring, sports evangelism, media, the visual and performing arts, counseling, the encouragement of prayer movements, the facilitating of fellowship and joint action among local churches and ministries, humanitarian aid, etc. All of these ministries have as their aim both the proclamation of the gospel and the building up of
the church.
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