Página en español próximamente.
The Crecer Philosophy
What motivates and drives Crecer to fund and develop projects around the world? In a word, "Missions." We provide resources so that churches can more effectively transform communities.
The impact of the church is felt in many aspects of the community. Even in the early periods of "Western modernity" converted Christians "were a crucial catalyst initiating the development and spread of religious liberty, mass education, mass printing, newspapers, voluntary organizations, more major colonial reforms, and the codification of legal protection for nonwhites in the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. These innovations fostered conditions that made stable representative democracy more likely...." (Robert D. Woodberry, The Missionary Roots of Liberal Democracy, American Political Science Review, May 2012).
As Woodberry clearly illustrates in his research, communities where the gospel is preached, accepted and lived provide an improved quality of life for its residents. It must be understood, however, that quality of life does not necessarily mean wealth and prosperity. Rather, it describes (at least) improved social relationships, work environments, and often better physical, spiritual and mental health. Communities that have been impacted by the gospel often have a greater sense of purpose and direction as well.
A Missions Equipping Agency
Specifically, Crecer is a missions equipping agency that supports the work of the local church in South America and selected locations around the world. Our funding, planning and communication services accelerate the church planting cycle (Train, Send, Establish, Plant) and help in the process of establishing strong, biblical-based congregations.
Crecer's passion is to help men and women answer the call of God to go into the world and make disciples who will also go into the world and make disciples. There are many steps that must take place at the local church level, but we believe that God has called and gifted us to play a catalytic role to enable world evangelization.
The words of Jesus to his disciples in Matthew 28:18-20 (known as The Great Commission) were a charge that extends to all believers. While it began with the disciples, it is a common theme throughout the New Testament to share the good news and become "fishers of men."
Today, we live in a new missionary era. The center of gravity in world missions is shifting south, but the Great Commission is still our call.
The Global South = an increasing number of missionaries
A major research study reports that international missionaries increasingly are coming from the global South. This is occurring at the same time that missionary sending from the global North is declining significantly. Thus, of the ten countries sending the most missionaries in 2010, three were in the global South: Brazil, South Korea, and India. The “second top ten” included six Southern countries: South Africa, the Philippines, Mexico, China, Colombia, and Nigeria (making nine of the “top 20” from the South). Southern missionaries go not only to other Southern countries but also to Northern countries, in a reverse of the pattern seen over much of the twentieth century. Christianity in its Global Context 1970-2020, Gordon Conwell Theological Seminary, June 2013
Latin Americans are uniquely suited to play a leading role in the new missionary era. For example, cultural and social factors make them the ideal missions force to reach the Muslim world. However, this capacity is limited by the lack of options for quality theological education and the support structure that missionaries from the global north often take for granted. This is where Crecer can step in and make a difference. We provide resources that allow theological education to become a powerful tool in South America. We have access to resources not necessarily available to many South Americans at this time.
Our passion is to see the gospel spread throughout the world with men and women maturing in their faith and reaching out to others. We recognize that God's Word is central. The Scriptures, both Old and New Testaments, are the final word in doctrine, faith and practice to what we believe. It is because of the authority of His Word that we respond in obedience to make disciples of all nations.
The Church is Primary
On his missionary journey to India, William Carey had three goals. "One of those was to plant churches," writes Jack Voelkel in William Carey The Father of Protestant Missions. Carey didn't want to be a one person force; he saw that to sustain the ongoing work, churches must have a primary role. Scripture is clear that the work of the ministry in done by individuals functioning in harmony within the body (i.e., the church).
In some instances today, a missionary may be viewed as a rugged individual going into the jungle or into an isolated village to work with those individuals. Perhaps this is how a church gets established in a remote area initially, but our conviction is that the church must be primary in the process--both, in sending the missionary and the organization that the missionary builds. Therefore, the purpose of the missionary is to build a church (or churches) and they in turn, train and send others who will do the same. Even in the earliest days of the church, we read that the Christians "...devoted themselves to teaching, fellowship, breaking of bread and prayers." They were gathering together, so they could later be sent out.
Crecer also agrees with Carey that the goal in establishing churches is to equip them to be self sustaining, self governing and self propagating. The local congregation must become autonomous in the sense that they are not dependent on Crecer for daily financial support, for oversight/governance or for sending out missionaries to begin work in other areas.
We believe there is an important role for Crecer--but it must be done without destroying an important balance. For example, a missionary often begins meeting with a small group of people in their home located in a South American town. As they grow spiritually and perhaps in numbers, they bring in a pastor to shepherd the church. The pastor is supported by that local congregation and the commitment between the congregation and the pastor is important.
But, soon they outgrow the home and it is time to purchase land and build a church. The church building will allow them more opportunities for outreach, a place to conduct more frequent and extensive Biblical training. The church building allows for more ministry opportunities. But, like most congregations in the southern hemisphere, the economy is such that there are no additional funds to go toward land and construction.
At this point, Crecer can play a part in the growth. Donations can be generated through Crecer and used to purchase land and a building. The church is now able to expand, and can gradually begin paying back the monies they received into a fund that will help plant other churches. Crecer has facilitated the church in their obedience to the Great Commission, but accomplished it through a support role. In addition, the funds generated may be used over and over to start new works.
The Indigenous Principle & the Church Planting Cycle
The idea of making disciples on the mission field is the same no matter where it happens. Churches are established by identifying people who are committed to knowing and following God and who will be able to lead a group of people who are committed to the same. This pattern is similar in South America, Africa, Asia or anywhere else. The indigenous principle comes into play as missionaries start the process of making disciples, but the goal is that local converts will continue and expand the work in their own home country.
The critical piece of this equation is to ensure that leaders receive effective training in teaching Biblical truth, building strong communities and imparting a vision that is focused on reaching others.
The church planting process can be viewed as a cycle, which is a useful communication tool when explaining a concept that follows a regular pattern of activities and then repeats that exact pattern over and over. A cyclical model can be engaged at any data point, where as a linear model has a specific starting and ending points.
For example, the church planting cycle of a missionary. There are several ways to describe the cycle, but I'm using an illustration that contains four major components of the cycle: 1) Send, 2) Establish a ministry center, 3) Start a church, 4) Train. I began at sending, but the cycle can start at any point.
The sending step takes place when a biblical church sends a person (or family or team) to a selected geographical area to begin sharing themselves and the gospel (1 Thess. 2:8). Next, ministry centers are established whenever a missionary establishes an accepted platform for growing the ministry. It may take the form of a weekly Bible Study, activities in a community center, Sunday services in someone's home, an after-school program, or any number of settings where the community is regularly engaged. Planting a church occurs when a congregation is formed, they are meeting regularly for worship, they are reaching the community, and their donations support (or help support) the pastor. Training is the step that takes place when God raises up a person (or family or team) to go out from the church and begin a new work. Once trained, they are sent and the cycle repeats itself.
The result of Christians being trained and sent out to establish churches impacts the community in many ways. At the spiritual level, individuals who choose to believe and follow Christ are adopted into God's kingdom based on the mercies of a loving and just God, who provides a sacrifice for their sins. They start their growth process, beginning as babes in Christ and maturing to adulthood.
Crecer Fills a Supporting Role in the Mission Cycle
The work of The Crecer Foundation is one of supporting and helping the local church to carry out its mission by: a) Funding capital investments such as buildings for ministry centers or churches, b) raising start-up funds to launch new, strategic programs, and c) initiating other activities that serve as a catalyst for keeping the cycle moving.
When William Carey penned his article on using means to build churches and evangelize the world, he understood that everything in this world belonged to God. As believers, God is Lord over our intellectual and emotional worlds. So our minds are engaged to discover new strategies and develop plans for taking the gospel into the world and communicating it in a compelling, loving manner that God uses to bring life.
Crecer uses every means possible to help churches accomplish their mission. For example, communications are more effective as advances in technology and the internet are leveraged. Grants are used to help fund our missions programs and follow established procedures of fiduciary accountability to ensure our organization is one of integrity. New ways of connecting with Christians and non Christians will be discovered and developed continually.
So, the use of means is an important tool that can be changed to help our effectiveness. Crecer strives to see communities changed with the gospel. Though, the one constant--and the reason we exist is the gospel of Jesus Christ. Our commitment to proclaim His truth and power to save is core and will never be altered.