Reaching Souls International was founded in 1986 with the mission of training Africans to reach Africa for Christ. Our primary tool has been the Leadership Development Institute (LDI) which allows teams of Americans to go to Africa for a time of intensive study and training. African pastors and evangelists would make their way to the LDI’s and submit themselves to 4 days of intensive study and 3 days of practical, in-the-field direction. At the end of their time, Bibles in hand, they were more equipped to do the ministry to which they had been called.
And they did, with amazing results.
These pastors and evangelists hit the ground running. As they spread the gospel message, people responded in exponentially increasing numbers. Most of the pastors were preaching as often as they were able, but still struggling with the responsibilities of life and family, they were hindered. It was time for an expanded vision.
In 1996 the National Missionaries program was put in place to expand the work of Reaching Souls International. In perfect alignment with our vision of II Timothy 2:2, we began to identify faithful men and support them with a monthly stipend so that ministry could be their sole focus. With this support came accountability through monthly reports and an African leadership team to over-see the men. Starting with 50, we now have over 800 men in the field and as God supplies we will see that number grow.
Core Driving Force
To reach Souls for Christ.
Strategic Purpose
Our strategic purpose, therefore, is to reach the maximum number of people for Christ in the least amount of time in the most efficient way.
Mission Statement
Proclaiming the Gospel to emerging nations by loving, reaching, training, equipping and multiplying the laborers.
Mission Statement Expanded
Proclaiming
To announce officially and publicly; declare (American Heritage Dictionary). “Officially” means we have been authorized by the appropriate Authority. The first word of Jesus’ Great Commission was not “preach” but “go”. The prelude to proclamation is presence. We cannot proclaim Christ from a distance, therefore the Christian presence in the world is indispensable to evangelism.
Gospel
The Good News that because of what Christ has done, we can have a personal relationship with God through Jesus. God revealed His love to us by sending His Son Jesus Christ to live a sin-less life as a human being, die on the cross, and rise from the dead. Because Jesus died for us, our sins can be forgiven. Because Jesus conquered death, we can have eternal life. To all who will turn (repent) in faith to Jesus Christ, relying upon Him for their eternal salvation, God has promised His gift of eternal life.
Emerging Nations
It is more than just “missions”. It is about answering God’s command to join Him where He is working! Our time is short and our resources are scarce, it just makes good stewardship sense to invest where God is giving us the greatest eternal returns. We have heard it said that God isn’t speaking more in third world countries, but the people are listening more.
Loving| Sometimes Christians regard evangelism and social concern as mutually exclusive. We at Reaching Souls believe both are necessary expressions of our love for our neighbor, and of our obedience to Jesus Christ. Because mankind is made in the image of God (Gen 1:26, 27), society’s casualties should be respected, served, and loved (Lev. 19:18, Luke 6:35). Our ministry includes both evangelistic and social action, but if a choice has to be made, evangelism will be primary. Souls are of paramount priority.
Reaching
We are convinced that this is the time for God’s children to pray earnestly for the salvation of the unreached and to launch new efforts to achieve world evangelization. Now in many parts of the world there is an unprecedented receptivity to the Gospel. We are troubled that so many have been neglected. We are committed to Evangelism.
Training| We are committed to indigenous principles by developing national leaders through imaginative pioneering methods. Our training is thorough and intense. Hands-on participation in proven methods of evangelism and discipleship training produces motivated personnel for God’s use with or without our presence.
Equipping
Foreign missionaries have sometimes stayed too long in leadership roles in the national church, and in consequence have impeded the development of the church’s own leaders. We are making an urgency-driven transition to change a mission situation to a church situation by handing over leadership to the nationals. We give the nationals the necessary tools and support to reach their own people.
Multiplying
It is our goal, by all available means and at the earliest time possible, that every person will have the opportunity to hear, understand, and by God’s grace, receive the Good News. Reaching souls for Christ is our primary objective; training and mobilizing the faithful has been the most effective and available means to that end. We must multiply the laborers so that all may hear the Good News.
*These definitions include ideas from the Lausanne Committee for World Evangelization.
Statement of Faith
We believe the Bible to be the inspired, the only infallible, authoritative Word of God.
We believe that there is one God, eternally existent in three persons: Father, Son and Holy Spirit.
We believe in the deity and humanity of Christ, in His virgin birth, in His sinless life, in His miracles, in His vicarious and atoning death through His shed blood, in His bodily resurrection, in His ascension to the right hand of the Father, in His present rule as Head of the Church and in His personal return in power and glory.
We believe that for the salvation of lost and sinful men regeneration by the Holy Spirit is absolutely essential.
We believe in the present ministry of the Holy Spirit, by whose indwelling the Christian is enabled to live a godly life.
We believe in the resurrection of both the saved and the lost, they that are saved unto the resurrection of life and they that are lost unto the resurrection of damnation.
We believe in the spiritual unity of believers in our Lord Jesus Christ, with equality across racial, gender, and class differences.
Core Values and Guiding Principles
We want to value what God values. Consequently, we humbly seek to be guided by the following eight core values in our ministry and to constantly seek the wisdom of God to improve our understanding and implementation of these principles. Our values guide how we will operate and behave; they guide our actions and judgments. They are the standards that influence us as we make choices among alternative courses of action. Our values form the foundation for our ministry and our commitment to these principles is apparent at every level throughout Reaching Souls.
- A commitment to Obey our Lord Jesus Christ and His Word
This ministry belongs to God and we seek to do His will at all times.
His Holy Scriptures are foundational to life and ministry.
- A commitment for Souls
Reaching Souls doesn’t save anyone, but the Lord works through this ministry to reach souls. What we value, we pursue. You cannot say that you value the lives of the lost and perishing and do nothing about it. We value souls. The quest for souls supersedes all other ventures. For the sake of Souls is our battle cry – our chief pursuit.
- A commitment to Prayer
Recognizing our dependence upon God, we acknowledge the need to be earnest in prayer, not only regarding our work but also that of our partners.
- A commitment to Faithfulness
We seek to be faithful followers of our Lord Jesus Christ. In a world of much need, we seek to remain focused on our calling. We seek to be in continuous fellowship with Him.
- A commitment to Integrity
We will conduct business according to the highest ethical principles and ensure accuracy, validity and reliability in all that we report. We are committed to the consistent expression of these core values and manifest those daily. We recognize that how we conduct our ministry is just as important as what we accomplish.
- A commitment to Excellence
We seek to maintain a high standard of excellence in our work. We seek to maintain the most rigorous standards for organizational quality at every level – our people, our methods, our development, our ministry.
- A commitment to Stewardship and Accountability
We are accountable to our stakeholders and the Lord to be trustworthy stewards of our resources. We will invest every penny given for a maximum return. We accept responsibility to operate in an honest and transparent manner and act prudently in the use of financial and volunteer resources. Because of our desire to honor the Lord and be accountable to our supporters, we will faithfully report the results of His work.
- A commitment to Effectiveness
We are committed to being results-oriented for Kingdom’s work. We will use the principles of multiplication to maximize our accomplishments. We will choose world evangelism strategies that accelerate closure of the gap between reached and unreached.