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:
- 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.
- 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.
- Place the missionaries when assistance is needed
in gaining entrance and access to a closed or gospel-resistant country or
remote region.
- 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:
- Evangelize the lost through preaching, personal
relationships, literature distribution and outreach Bible studies.
- Establish churches in urban and rural areas that
are indigenously led, internally supported and intentionally replicating.
- Equip the faithful with discipleship, education,
study aids conferences, seminars, material resources, ministry capabilities
and encouragement.
- 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:
- We strive to do what is right according to the Word and
leadership of God.
- We walk and minister in grace, truth and purpose.
- We seek to glorify God and edify others in partnership,
and not to build personal or organizational empires.
- We minister as an expression of excellence with integrity
and without extravagance.
- 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:
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.