Statements of Meanings

 

Vision: That every community of every country on earth have a Bible-believing church so that every resident might have a gospel witness and every believer be grounded and settled in the truth.

Purpose:  Reach through the barriers with the Word of God to closed and gospel-resistant countries and the regions beyond.

Mission:  Minister in partnership as ambassadors for Christ throughout the world that people might be reconciled to God and see the fellowship of the mystery of Christ as revealed in the Word of God.  RIM exists as an independent Baptist mission board to facilitate the ministries of workers and their sending and supporting churches in establishing and sustaining effective missionary outreaches and churches.

Outlook:  Our perspective is global but our specialized focus is on closed and gospel-resistant countries and regions.  Whether the barriers are political, religious, economic, cultural, geographical or in any other form, we must reach them with the Word of God to be "for salvation unto the ends of the earth" (Acts 13:47)

Mission Development Strategy:  To accomplish our mission, we must develop a strong and capable missionary and ministry team network.  Therefore, we strive to:

  1. Present the opportunity, obligation and organization that modern-day believers have in closed and gospel-resistant locations and with REACH to obey and glorify God in missionary service.
  2. Prepare the missionaries to evangelize, establish local indigenous churches and train and support the local believers to reach their own people groups within scriptural, ethical and cultural guidelines.
  3. Place the missionaries when assistance is needed in gaining entrance and access to a closed or gospel-resistant country or remote region.
  4. Provide ongoing support to the missionaries and churches of the USA and the foreign fields in a variety of spiritual and practical services as needs exist and resources allow by the grace and provision of God.

Field Ministry Strategy:  To fulfill our purpose of reaching the world with the Word of God, our team must have a coherent, focused and Biblical approach that can be implemented and duplicated across the world.  Therefore, we strive to:

  1. Evangelize the lost through preaching, personal relationships, literature distribution and outreach Bible studies.
  2. Establish churches in urban and rural areas that are indigenously led, internally supported and intentionally replicating.
  3. Equip the faithful with discipleship, education, study aids conferences, seminars, material resources, ministry capabilities and encouragement.
  4. Expand the ministry by assisting trained workers, American and foreign, establish new ministries throughout the world.

Tenets of Ministry:  Our ministry is to be patterned in principle and practice after that of the Apostle Paul.  We are to follow Paul as he followed Christ.  Therefore:

  1. We strive to do what is right according to the Word and leadership of God.
  2. We walk and minister in grace, truth and purpose.
  3. We seek to glorify God and edify others in partnership, and not to build personal or organizational empires.
  4. We minister as an expression of excellence with integrity and without extravagance.
  5. We maintain accountability to God, our church, our partners and our supporters.

Methods:  We believe we should employ all missionary methods available to us that are consistent with Scriptural principles in getting the gospel to a lost world.  Along with traditional mission methods, we also support using "tent making" evangelism, short term mission trips, communications technology, seminars, business opportunities, athletics, teaching in schools and conducting medical and dental clinics.  We must be innovative if we are to enter and effectively minister in difficult countries and cultures.

Statement of Faith:

  1. We believe in the verbal-plenary inspiration and preservation of the scriptures.  The King James Bible  is God's Word for the English speaking peoples.  We have the responsibility to translate the Bible into all languages and we condone the use of translations in other languages.  However, where differences exist between the non-English translation and the King James Bible, the King James Bible is the final authority for accuracy and application in all matters of faith and practice. Deuteronomy 4:2, Psalm 12:6-7, Proverbs 3:5-6 and Revelation 22:18-19.
  2. We believe in one true God, eternally existing in three persons: God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit.  Matthew 3:16, Acts 17:29, Romans 1:20 and Colossians 2:9.
  3. We believe in the Lord Jesus Christ as virgin born, true God and true man, as well as His impeccability, voluntary and substitutionary death, bodily resurrection, present advocacy, pre-tribulational rapture of the church, personal pre-millennial return and 1000-year reign.  Matthew 1:25, I Thessalonians 4:13-18, I Timothy 2:5, I Timothy 3:16, I John 2:1 and Revelation 19:11-18.
  4. We believe in the fall of man resulting in his death of spirit, nature of sin and need of salvation.  Genesis 3:6, Romans 3:10-18, 23 and Romans 6:23.
  5. We believe that salvation is a free and everlasting gift of God entirely apart from man's works. Every person is responsible to receive salvation by personal belief on the Lord Jesus Christ.  Although every person can reject the gift of salvation by never believing on the Lord Jesus Christ, once salvation is accepted it can not be lost or rejected due to the sealing of the believer in the Body of Christ by the Holy Spirit.  Romans 6:23, 11:6; Ephesians 1:13, 2:8-9, 4:30 and Titus 3:5-6.
  6. We believe the Holy Spirit regenerates the believer, baptizing him into and sealing him in the Body of Christ without outward evidences and sign gifts today.  I Corinthians 12:13 and Titus 3:5.
  7. We believe in eternal conscious bliss with the Lord Jesus Christ for the saved and eternal conscious torment for the unsaved.  I Thessalonians 4:16-17, Philippians 3:20-21 and Mark 9:44, 46 and 48.
  8. We believe that water baptism by immersion and the observance of the Lord's Supper are ordinances given to us in this age to observe within the local church.  Acts 19:1-5, I Corinthians 11:2, 23-34 and II Thessalonians 2:15.
  9. We believe in dispensational study and interpretation of scripture whereby we may refute the heresies of cults and correct the misapplication of scriptures, such as the modern charismatic movement.  We recognize the Apostle Paul as God's special example and pattern for the church and believe we are charged by God to follow Paul as he followed Christ.  Romans 11:13, 15:15-21, I Corinthians 11:1, Philippians 3:17 and I Timothy 1:16.

We believe in a strong, local church and missionary emphasis.  We believe every believer has the responsibility to get the gospel to every person in every generation.  All cannot physically go to a foreign field, but all can be directly involved in worldwide evangelization by prayer, finances and encouragement, as well as giving the gospel to the lost who live nearby.  Acts 13:47 and Romans 10:14-17.