Global Frontier Missions - Core Foundational Values and Distinctives

There are several things that make up the core foundational values at Global Frontier Missions. This is the DNA of our movement and what we hope to instill in others as they participate in our short term mission trips, summer internships, or missionary training. These are also the things that we want to instill as we go about making disciples of all nations. If invited to speak at a small group or church, chances are that our staff and students will be teaching on one of the following "soap boxes" that we are passionate about.

Prayer – Apart from the vine we can do nothing. Absolute dependence upon the Lord is necessary to see any ministry fruit that will last. We are committed to only making decisions for our individual and corporate ministries as we listen to God in prayer. If you are around GFMers very long, you will pick up on a strong ethos of intercessory prayer.

Worship as a lifestyle – Missions exists because worship doesn’t. Worship is both the fuel for missions and goal for missions. When Christ returns, there will be no more need for missions, so we put a high value on what will last for all of eternity: worship of the one true God. You will find us constantly delighting in God through testimonies, music, fellowship, enjoying His creation, food, etc.

Death to Self – Jesus said that in order to be his follower that we MUST deny self, take up our cross, and follow Him. One of our core values is no longer living for self but for God and His glory. You will notice GFM folks much more concerned about Christ than their own comfort and security.

Unreached People Groups – One of the main disctinctives of GFM is our exclusive dedication to UPGs. Everything we do must indirectly or directly affect praying, giving, or going among the unreached. We do very little missions work in places and among peoples that already have a culturally relevant witness of the Gospel. Check out th biblical basis of missions and the state of the world to find out why!

Strategy – GFM thinks good stewardship is central to Christianity and want to make the best use of our time, talent, treasure, people, etc. We do not want to just be busy, we want to be strategic in everything that we do as the Lord leads. We constantly review goals, programs, and personnel to make sure that we are maximizing our resources to bear fruit and see the kingdom expand.

Hospitality – We put a very strong value on being welcoming. GFM believes being hospitable to the foreigners that are coming to this country is going to be one of the keys to seeing the Great Commission fulfilled. We also love bringing people into our community to experience Christ along with us. Come for a visit; we've always got a room for you to stay in!

Holy Spirit – Jesus said to wait for the Holy Spirit to come before going out and fulfilling this great task that He gave us. We need His conviction, His gifts, His fruit, His prayers, His counsel, and His power to be able to take the Good News to all nations. GFMers live out Ephesians 5:18 "being filled" always with His spirit, putting off our old man and putting on the new, not grieving the Holy Spirit but ministering in His power.

Incarnational Ministry – We believe that Jesus was the perfect example of a missionary when He came and "dwelt among us". Paul said that when he was among the Jews he acted like a Jew to reach the Jews and he did likewise for the Gentiles and the weak. We want to become like those we are seeking to serve, so GFM mission trip participants, interns, students and staff live right in the middle of the people groups we are trying to reach.

Healthy, Loving Relationships – Interpersonal problems are the number one reason people leave the mission field, so GFM is dedicated to seeing healthy individuals, marriages, and teams serving the Lord together. We pray that the world will know that we are disciples of His by our love for one another.

Generosity and Faith in Finances – We place a strong emphasis on depending on the Lord to provide for all of our financial needs. We are constantly amazed by his miraculous provision as our staff and students raise financial support by trusting God for their daily bread. The GFM family also lives like the early church did in Acts 4 and take care of one another as there are needs in the body.

Ministering in Teams or as a Community (the body of Christ) – We believe that God’s favorite way to work on this planet is through his church, so we are absolutely committed to prayer, the apostle’s teachings, breaking bread, sharing everything in common, and would love to see people come into the kingdom daily. We think that Jesus sent the disciples out two by two for a reason, so GFM places a big emphasis on ministering in a team context.

Obedience Based Discipleship / Multiplication – We believe that the kingdom of God is supposed to grow naturally and organically. GFM is firmly dedicated to make disciples that will make other disciples (disciple making movements) and plant churches that will plant other churches (church planting movements). We are constantly teaching others to teach others and equipping the body of Christ while trying to constantly work ourselves out of a job.

Unity – GFM puts a strong emphasis and value on working together with other churches and para-church organizations to see the Gospel taken to all nations. The Great Commission is only going to be fulfilled when we all work together to see Christ glorified throughout the whole earth, so we are ruthless about promoting unity in the body of Christ and working with people throughout the Church.

Simple, Reproducible Methods - At GFM, we try to do everything (discipleship, church planting, missions work) in ways that are easy for others to follow. The simpler we keep our Christianity (Jesus is Lord; Love God and love others), the easier it is for people to "sneeze" on others and infect them with kingdom-mindedness.

Being Lifelong Learners – You will notice that the people at GFM are in constant learner mode as we read books, attend conferences, talk to field missionaries, compare notes with other churches/organizations, etc. We love being creative, trying new things, and "failing forward". We also love sharing new things that the Lord is teaching us in prayer, ministry, and His word.