The Mission

By missions we speak of that unique deliberate  Holy Spirit empowered work of laboring in the distinct proclamation of  the Gospel of Jesus Christ—the counsel of God concerning the salvation  of mankind from sin and its consequences—for the express purpose of  making disciples—baptizing them, gathering them together into local  assemblies, teaching them to observe all that Jesus has commanded us,  and organizing them into Churches—for the purpose of worshiping and  reproducing themselves in like manner. Thus, we define missions and the  work of missionaries as primarily Gospel preaching and teaching, while  seeing compassion and mercy ministries as the natural byproduct of the  Christian life which ought to spring forth as fruit—in the wake of  missionary labors—from disciples and their newfound life in Christ.

In light of this understanding of biblical missions we will primarily labor in four related, progressive tasks:

1. Evangelism unto conversions.
2. Discipleship of converts unto the establishment of local churches.
3. Organization of local churches unto an association of local  churches, demonstrating a cooperation in benevolent purposes and  missions (2nd Cor. 8:16-19) and unity in fellowship and doctrine (Col.  4:16).
4. Equipping of local churches through a church-based Bible  institute(s) that trains and equips Guatemalan nationals who aspire to  the office of overseer, who are given by God to the church to serve in  their respective giftings; either as evangelists, pastors, or teachers  —these three being co-laborers.

In  short this is evangelism > conversions > discipleship > church  planting > sending > repeat! We see the plenitude of this Great  Commission task, and more specifically the fullness of the context of  Ephesians 4:11-16, as the basis of God's design for the harmonious  co-laboring of Christ's gifts of evangelists, pastors, and teachers  being expressed through the churches' elderships/overseerships.