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Some Basic Presuppositions We believe New Testament Missions has as its objective the evangelization, discipleship, establishment and continuance of independent, indigenous, local churches (Matt. 28:18-20; Acts 14:27, 20:17, 28:32; 1 Tim. 3:1 13; Titus 1:5 11). We believe that God has delegated to the local church (Matt. 28:18-20) the mission of sharing the message of Christ with every tribe, tongue, people, and nation (Rev. 5:9). Individual church planters supported by Waukesha Bible Church are extensions of her missionary responsibility in fulfilling the mission of churches planting churches. Her desire is to be a global-impacting ministry. We believe church planters are to be sent through local churches and supported by local churches. This does not negate individual gifting, but individual gifting cannot negate the church's responsibility of being the means through which the Holy Spirit sends missionaries. We believe church planting is not done in isolation, but in community. The New Testament's call to missions is a call to teamwork within local churches and with local churches. Church planters are not independent entities but extensions of a believing community. We believe God has entrusted to us a message where "grace reigns because the cross still stands" and we are to be stewards of this message. No agency can fulfill our responsibilities. We rejoice with what every agency seeks to do for the advancement of God's program in and through local churches for the establishment of His Kingdom. We have no desire to replace the role of the agency as it relates to the local church. We believe the means God has chosen to use in the bringing of His redemptive message to the nations during this period in history is in and through His church in the strengthening of existing churches and the establishing of new churches among every tongue, tribe, people, and nation of the world. We believe God may do as He wishes with what is His and this includes the reaching of His people. 
We believe the local church is the primary means
God is using to reach the nations during this period in history. Primary,
however, does not mean exclusively. Thus we acknowledge the church
universal and His working in and through His people who are not working
under, in and through local churches. We believe during this period in history God has called into existence a community of believers for the purpose of fulfilling His promise to the nations. We believe as a local church family, we want to duplicate ourselves by "birthing" sister churches; churches that will readily align themselves with our core values and be a part of what God is doing in and through the Waukesha Bible Church family. We believe it is the role of the local church to identify those on whom the call of God rests, to assist in the equipping process (2 Tim. 2:2) and to send them forth as approved workers (Acts 13:1-3). We believe local churches have received from God a sacred trust. This trust is a mission. This mission is defined for us in Matthew 28:18-20, Acts 1:8, and 2 Timothy 2:2. This same mission is pictured for us by the early church in the activity of the apostle Paul beginning in Acts 13:1. The mission is to duplicate herself in the lives of others. We believe church health is not defined by numerical size or budgetary well-being, but by the degree to which they are intentionally engaging in the reproducing of local churches. Churches birth churches. The quest to super-size has not left the church unmarked. God's safeguard against doctrinal defect and pastoral apathy is through the strengthening and establishing of local churches. In her quest to fulfill God's biblical mandate to have churches birth churches, Waukesha Bible Church has sought to establish an intentional approach to church planting. We are convinced God has, in each generation, raised up His people to reach their generation for Christ through a mission that is sourced in and flowing through local churches. Therefore, our vision is to be a church planting church locally, nationally, globally by strengthening existing churches and establishing new churches. The Waukesha Bible Church Missions Vision for the Strengthening and Establishing of Local Churches Missions as used in this document, and all documents of Waukesha Bible Church (hereinafter "WBC"), refers to the carrying out of the Mission of God which she believes to be the strengthening and establishing of local churches through the making and maturing of disciples by church planters and Christian workers. The vision for strengthening and establishing local churches begins with the local church, is through the local church, and ends with the local church. WBC desires to plant churches - locally, nationally and globally - that share her core values (as stated in the preface to the WBC constitution), and that will plant other churches with similar core values. 
To
enable WBC to do so, and to provide a model for future church plants, WBC
desires to be led by elders who share this vision, and who are willing and
able to be students of the Word, men of prayer, and shepherds of the
sheep, and who are enabled to do so by delegating responsibility for the
administration of WBC ministries and ministry facilities to deacons (both
male and female) operating under the oversight and authority of the
elders.To further enable WBC to plant other churches with similar core values, WBC desires to raise up church planters and Christian workers from within the congregation by means of an internship program and by means of church-based theological and ministry training for those who desire additional training without leaving WBC. It is the desire of WBC that all male church planters be "elder qualified" prior to being sent out. To further enable WBC to plant other churches with similar core values, WBC desires to fund these church plants and church planters to a level significantly higher than any current church planter or Christian worker is presently being funded. In order to do this, WBC sees the need to reevaluate its existing "missionaries" as either "church planters" or "Christian workers," and possibly, to reduce or eliminate funding to some church planters and even more Christian workers, giving priority consideration (first to church planters and then to Christian workers) to those who are from within the WBC body and who share WBC core values. "Church planters" for this purpose are defined as those who are directly and immediately engaged in proclaiming the gospel with the intention of making and maturing disciples and gathering them into a local church that will duplicate the church-planting process. "Christian workers" for this purpose are defined as all other workers in Christian ministries, whether in missions administration, education or support, or in other Para church capacities, at home or abroad, who require monetary support. This vision statement is neither all-inclusive, nor exclusive of any other ministry vision of WBC, now or in the future, that does not conflict with this vision statement. Discover our other Ministries: Student Ministries Adult Discipleship Ministries Worship Arts Ministries Torn Veil Publications Outreach Ministries |
