The Philosophy of World Christian Fellowship

Vision Statement
We pray that God will be glorified by developing aware and active members of the global body of Christ and by joining our brothers and sisters in intercession and celebration as spiritual warfare.

Click here to see the philosophy behind WCF's vision statement.

The Current State of the World Church
Today more than ever, the epicenter of the Church is moving southward to Africa, Asia, and Latin America. Not only is the southern Church growing, but "the types of Christianity that have thrived most successfully in the global South have been very different from what many Europeans and North Americans consider mainstream," writes Philip Jenkins in The Next Christendom: The Coming of Global Christianity (p. 90).

In fact, Jenkins asserts that "already today, the largest Christian communities on the planet are to be found in Africa and Latin America. If we want to visualize a 'typical' contemporary Christian, we should think of a woman living in a village in Nigeria or in a Brazilian favela" (p. 2).

Our generation has inherited a Body that is demographically radically different from that of our parents. As a result of globalization, we are offered increased travel opportunities and new communication technologies that make this Body more accessible than ever before. With these new opportunities come new responsibilities. We want to take steps to properly understand, listen to, pray with, learn from, and mutually encourage the members of the Church – all over the world. These are our spiritual brothers and sisters, mothers and fathers.

The Changing Face of Missions
We recognize that the Western approach to missions is undergoing a radical paradigm shift. Previously, WCF has been focused on a Euro-centric approach to missions. However, in light of the growth of the Southern church, modern missions must focus more than ever before on partnership with indigenous movements.

The Reverend David Zac Niringiye writes in his sermon "The Christ of the Cross and the World Mission of the Church," "The koinonia engendered by devotion to Christ crucified opens our eyes to our brethren with whom we must go. The paternalism that has characterized many a missionary effort, leading to a separation of the mission station of the church, must be rejected not only as unbiblical but also as a denial of our common heritage and equal standing at the cross. Partnership in mission is not just a strategic imperative, a missionary catchphrase or façade. It is a logical consequence of the koinonia in Christ crucified... The leveled ground at the foot of the cross implies that there is no legitimacy for the characterization of churches in their missionary relationships as some 'sending' and others 'receiving.' Rather as communities that share in the benefits of God's grace together, we declare and share our unique endowments, physical and spiritual, for the purpose of mission" (p. 18).

The Challenge
As we think about missions we need to move away from the traditional "us/them" mentality that has marked much of missions work in the past. This approach tends to disrespect other cultures and presume that the Western church somehow has more to offer than its neighbors. As a result, existing indigenous congregations have been excluded from ministry going on in their own regions. As members of the global Body of Christ, this hurts us all. When we are deprived of the understanding that is gained as the gospel is translated across cultural boundaries, we lose the ability to evangelize, and we miss an opportunity to know more of God.

Rather than thinking that we have everything to give, we must understand that the Church is alive and well throughout the world. When we do missions, we should seek to partner with the global Body and together work towards a more full understanding of God.

Though the Mission of the Church is far from over, we need to find ways to be involved in mission that reflect these global realities. We recognize that, in order to fully realize our purposes, we will need the help of our spiritual family around the world. A World Christian seeks to network within the Body of Christ and asks God for help in understanding her/his role in the Kingdom of God.

Implications for WCF
A World Christian is someone who lives with the awareness that they will find Christian completion in this world only within the context of the global Body of Christ. Through World Christian Fellowship we seek to become better citizens in the worldwide Kingdom of God.

At our Sunday night services we hear from women and men who are working for the Kingdom of God all over the world. By hearing stories of the way Christians are living our common faith in other parts of the world, our hearts are encouraged and our minds are opened to how diverse and far-reaching is God's Kingdom and his majesty in it. Through prayer and worship, we stand in solidarity with the Body and implore the Lord to further establish the Kingdom he inaugurated on this earth. On Sunday nights as well as in our numerous prayer groups that meet throughout the week we enter into the joy as well as the suffering of God's people who are far from us. By praying we join together in active ministry with sisters and brothers throughout the world in a partnered effort to advance the Kingdom to the ends of the earth.

For comments or questions, please contact Brian Medaglia, Director of the Office of Christian Outreach and Supervisor for World Christian Fellowship. You can call the office during normal business hours CST at 630-752-5076.