Our Work

How We Work

CBM’s Missional Framework

a unified, holistic approach to mission

As Christians, we are invited to join God in the work of healing a broken world. Integral Mission is the proclamation and demonstration of the gospel, where – as in the life of Jesus – being, doing, and saying are at the heart of our integral task. As an expression of our transformed selves, we actively live out our faith in every aspect of our lives through the inextricably linked proclamation and demonstration of the gospel.

The concept of integral mission is not new; rather, it is rooted in scripture and exemplified in Jesus’ own ministry. (Luke 9:2, Luke 10:9)

Central to integral mission is the focus on responding to all the needs of human life. This approach avoids turning our attention only to spiritual needs (such as forgiveness), or solely to physical needs (such as adequate nutrition). Rather, it affirms that God is Lord over the totality of life, in all its interconnectedness, and that our words and actions cannot be separated.

Thus, as God’s people, CBM is concerned with all the basic needs of humanity, including God’s grace, loving relationships, shelter, clothing, food, mental and physical health, and the respect and value we all hold as his creation.

A key part of integral mission is the understanding that the local church is the agent of transformation in the community and in the world. At CBM, we partner with and support local churches around the world as they work to address all the basic needs of people in their own communities, including physical, social, economic, political, spiritual, and environmental needs, as well as the sense of human dignity.

At CBM, we believe the purpose of mission is transformation, so that God is glorified in all dimensions of life, including our relationships with God, with others, and with creation itself.

Partnership

God brings about transformation in communities all around the world through the work and witness of the local church.

CBM exists to partner with these local churches. Our goal is to help resource them and accompany them in their participation in the mission of God at a local level so that they can be effective agents of change.

Our partnership model is directed by these principles

Invitation

With all our programs, we only work by invitation of the local church. We don’t send any field staff without an invitation by our local partner. We are only there to accompany the local partners – building up the capacity of local churches to help heal a broken world through word and deed.

Mutuality

Together with our partners, we work in a spirit of mutuality to determine the scope, style, and scale of the activities at an early stage, and agree on how best to implement the project or program. We often help our partners when they need assistance in building their local capacity for effective holistic ministry and sustainable programs.

Co-learning

We work together to assess and improve one another’s ministries and are always ready to learn and receive, while we also seek to share the gifts and resources we have. And when the task is completed and the time has come, we celebrate what we managed to do together.

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