“But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.”
Acts 1:8
Grace Point exists to help more people become fully committed followers of Jesus (Mission) by building bridges for life change through Christ (Vision). Mission and vision are driven by values and strategies enabling us to evaluate, select, and prioritize the work in which we involve ourselves here, near, and far away. In missional efforts we hope to foster a sense of urgency concerning the Gospel, to promote all life as service to Jesus, and to engage in sustainable and reproducible ministries for His glory.
His last command is our first concern!
“And Jesus came and said to them, ‘All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to Me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.’”
Matthew 28:18-20
From the beginning, God’s people have been blessed to be a blessing (Genesis 12:1-2) for the purpose of glorifying God among all people groups (the nations). God’s people have always been called to be a light to all nations. The Church is called to be active and desirous of the Gospel, transforming people here, near, and far away, who will in turn glorify God and create disciples.
Our Acts 1:8
We believe that God has commissioned each of us to be witnesses in the three circles of influence from Here, Near and Far, as per Acts 1:8:
Here
This circle is about walking with Jesus personally, taking on His heart for others, and stepping out in risky faith with family, friends, co-workers, and neighbors. Discipleship, EV training, biblical literacy, and encouragement of risky faith are key. This relies heavily on the teaching/preaching/study mechanisms of church and our willingness to respond. Church events/activities serve as opportunities and support in this process.
Near
This circle is concerned with those who, although near geographically, are further in some significant way (socio-economic/cultural/religious). They may be next door, or we may have to travel regionally. The same things are true here as the category above, but with the added need to gain greater understanding to bridge differential gaps. Some may be ongoing partnerships or be project based and are mostly done through ongoing financial, relational, and prayer support coupled with local short terms or events to be a blessing to those involved fulltime.
Far
This circle specifically relates to cross-cultural international ministry. Focused global partnerships with missionaries, support/mobilization workers, indigenous Christian workers, and other like-minded churches/organizations who emphasize church planting among the unreached, while growing and sustaining the local church and showing holistic care to the suffering in efforts to bring Gospel transformation.
Our Missions focus
Our strategy focuses on “church-planting on teams among unreached people groups.”
Currently 97% of Christian missionaries, armed with 99% of missionary funding, go to places which already have established churches to witness to their own people group, whereas others do not. In obedience to the Great Commission (Matthew 28:18-20), we want to see the Gospel brought to ALL nations.
People groups are referred to in Scripture as “nations” in places like the Great Commission. They are distinct ethnolinguistic groups of people, not nations of political boundaries. A political nation may have thousands of “nations/people groups” within its borders. Jesus says in Matthew 24:14, “And this Gospel of the kingdom will be proclaimed throughout the whole world as a testimony to ALL nations, and then the end will come.” And the Book of Revelation describes all these nations worshiping before the throne at the end of days.
Currently there are approximately 7,000 unreached people groups to which only 3% of the Christian missionary force armed with less than 1% of missions giving are sent. The Unreached are distinct ethnolinguistic people groups with little to no Christian witness among them. This means there are no established churches, possibly no Bible in their language, and possibly no Gospel presentations easily available. These people groups cannot respond to the gospel because it is simply not available to them. The largest concentration of these is in the “10/40 Window” from North Africa across the Middle East to Asia. Although some reside outside these boundaries or have moved out in large numbers due to transmigration.
We want to preach the Gospel where Christ is not known, as Paul said in Romans 15:20: “…I make it my ambition to preach the gospel, not where Christ has already been named, lest I build on someone else's foundation…”
Our strategy focuses on supporting teams—we believe teams are necessary for health and longevity. For example, if one person on a team burns out, the rest of the team can carry on the work. We hope to reserve around 15% of our mission funds for doing work which may not directly align with this focus and the other 85% to go towards it.
Short-Term Missions
We understand that a short-term missions trip will do very little in the way of changing the world, rather God gets to change us through the experience. We go as learners open to understanding the complexities of mission work in a cross-cultural context. A trip forces dependence on Jesus through study, experience, prayer, and suffering. Seeing God move, we develop a deeper love for Christ and the Gospel which we bring home with us and by God's grace, personal evangelism increases, and prayer and Bible study become rich. With good training and debrief, we better understand the story of God, and our purpose in the Kingdom. We want to support our missionaries well have them feel blessed by our presence and that we will be better long-term partners in their work. We ask that the Holy Spirit have us return as better ‘Goers’, ‘Senders’, ‘Mobilizers’, and ‘Prayers’ for the unreached people groups of the world.
Learn More Short-Term Missions Interest Form
Helpful Missions Resources
Websites
- Joshua Project - a great website for missions data and understanding the state of the unreached people groups of the world
Videos
- Biblical Basis of Missions
- What is the Kingdom of God?
- What is a UPG?
- What is a Frontier People Group?
- How are we doing in Mission?
- When Helping Hurts
Books
- Let the Nations Be Glad | John Piper
- Far Off Saints | Ivan Veldhuizen
- Operation World | Jason Mandryk
- Eternity in Their Hearts | Don Richardson
- Peace Child | Don Richardson
- Seeking Allah, Finding Jesus | Nabeel Qureshi
- A Wind in the House of Islam | David Garrison
- Encountering the World of Islam | Edited by Keith Swartley
- God’s Heart for Muslims | Keith Swartley
- Engage Muslims with Christ | Horizons International
- Engaging Islam | Georges Houssney
- Disciple Making Among Hindus | Timothy Shultz
- Toxic Charity | Robert D. Lupton
- When Helping Hurts | Steve Corbett & Brian Fikkert
- The Externally Focused Church | Rick Rusaw & Eric Swanson
- The Art of Neighboring | Jay Pathak & Dave Runyon
- Living Out Loud | Kevin King with Christine Daniels