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International

International Mission: Who? Why? and Where?

Jesus inhabited a specific time and place in history. He learned the intricacies of 1st century Jewish culture, but transcended it. He broke through ethnic, national, political, and religious divisions. The last thing he told his followers was to take his message with them into their city, their region, and to the ends of the earth (Matthew 28 & Acts 1) Consequently, the church he established flourished in the Middle East, Africa, & Asia before developing in the West. Throughout its history Christ's good news has not only been translated linguistically, but culturally. Today's church mirrors Jesus' transcendent mission even though most Westerners don't realize it. (I.e. The "average christian" now lives in Africa and South Korea sends out more missionaries than any other country except the US)For more info See Christianity in Global Context: Trends and Statistics

Terry LeBlanc states that "Christianity is unique because it can be expressed in any culture equally well." The array of worldviews attests not only to the vastness of God, but the inability of a single culture to accurately represent him. Each culture bears the fingerprints of God, and the Church is impoverished when it looks to only one culture to define itself. As John Stott said "The Church must be a global Church because God is a global God."

In our city and region:          

The world now lives next door. The number of immigrants in the US is growing faster than the American birthrate and has almost tripled in the last 30 years. In the St. Louis metro area this number has grown by 65% in the last decade and nearly 81,000 immigrants and refugees lived in the region in 2000. St. Louis has the nation's second highest concentration of newly arriving refugees and immigrants.

To be a church in and for the city means investing and integrating into these diverse communities. We connect with local ethnic churches. We take seriously God's charge to welcome foreigners and ensure justice. We care about world events. We learn about local neighborhoods and strive to know the inhabitants beyond their ethnic label. For more information and ways to get involved check out our ministry partner www.refugeofnations.com.

To the ends of the earth:

While there is diversity in our city to we also recognize that Jesus commanded his people to care about more than their own country. This mandate calls us to get involved internationally. For some this means crossing cultures, boundaries, and borders. In some parts of the world we work with indigenous Christians as they translate the Gospel.  In other places we translate the Gospel and walk alongside new and not yet believers figuring out what it might mean to follow Jesus in their cultural context, because they are the first believers in their culture.

Our church partners with these indigenous and cross cultural workers by exchanging resources, prayers, and knowledge.

To Share Information, Offer Comments, or Ask Questions regarding cross cultural mission e-mail

Journey Partners serving Cross Culturally

Beyond Knowing -Prayer Guides for current world events and specific countries