WE BELIEVE THAT THE MISSION OF GOD MATTERS
The Mission of God is the reason for this divine dispensation. Except for it we do not have any reason to still be here. Its fulfilment must therefore be the goal of our lives and endeavors. The Mission of God is the work of the triune God. Jesus said “My father is working”. The Father sent the Son and the Son, with the Holy Spirit, invited the Church as His body. God is in the Mission fulfilling His eternal plan. He calls to us is to join Him and we cannot neglect such a big privilege.
We must join in intentionally, in surrender and with a sense of emergency. The Mission of God is both words and deeds, it is holistic. It, both includes, the Preaching of the Word, the Communion of the saints, Service to the poor and the Education in the ways of the Lord.
In the global south, Churches are growing in numbers. However, their intentional commitment to the Mission of God and their capacity to effectively use their ministry to reach out to the unreached and serve the believers is tragically limited.
Winds recognizes the unique mandate of the Church in this times and the challenge to support the Church in keeping up the flame of its reason d’être. Through its partnerships with local churches not only does Winds contribute in building the capacities of the local churches in digital technology but it does so with an intentional focus on the outcomes of the Mission of God.
WE BELIEVE THAT THE CHURCH MATTERS
The Church of Jesus is the mandated body by the owner of the Mission to carry that Mission in the creation. God invites the Church to participate in His mission as His body.
The power of the contribution of the Church in solving the societal discussions of the Digital era cannot be underestimated. The Church of Jesus Christ is the support and foundation of the truth and the great hope for the world. She carries and eternal Good News that has a unique power to keep and sweeten life. As the salt of this world the influence of the Church has been proven through history. It is the hope the world has to stand corruption, provide ultimate security and communicate fulfilling taste to life even in the era of big data, artificial intelligence and the internet of all things. When the Church is rightfully empowered to fulfill its divine mandate in society the world has a hope.
WE BELIEVE THAT MINISTERS MATTERS
The term is used to refer generically to those who serve the gospel. The Lord Jesus Chris has established in His church bodies of individuals whose role is to make it work.
The importance of these people derives both from the One who established them with reasons and purposes and from the practical role they visibly play in the life and destiny of the communities they serve.
The burden of fulfilling God's plan on earth has been placed in their hands. The Apostle Paul presents it as: the perfecting of the saints, the building up of the body of Christ, the unity of faith, the knowledge of the Son of God, the perfect Stature of Christ. These offices are none other than prerogatives that God has given Himself through all of Scripture!
The risk, the price and the fight that the Lord provided to have them and the role that He assigned to them are enough to tell us that this gift is of capital importance and is precious in the sight of God. The Church must value this gift. Their role is pivotal to the fulfillment of God's mission because of the purpose for which the Lord has called them and which is clearly expressed in His Word and also that they must be helped, supported to fulfill this role.
WE BELIEVE THAT MINISTRY TOOLS MATTER
Possessing the right tool for the ministry is important. Moses had a rod. Through it, God empowered Moses for the improbable mission of delivering His people. Peter and Andrew had boats; on which the Lord stood to teach the principles of the Kingdom. The Lord uses the writing skills of Mathew and researcher capacities of Luke, the education and tent making skills of Paul, the eloquence of Apollos. The Lord uses the right skills and technology for the right season.
As we face the complexities of the digital age, we have the same God but with a different stick. The digital tools, devices, and capabilities are considered distractions of the enemy by some. But they are awesomely powerful when wielded to do God’s work.
The majority of the time, Moses used the rod in accordance with God’s will. But through a lapse in judgment, it also became a tool of disobedience.
With intentional commitment the current technology will be the rod of God to lead in this time. As we surrender it to the wisdom of God we will avoid becoming a tool of oppression of the Church or of disobedience. We need to engage.
WE BELIEVE THAT TECHNOLOGY MATTERS
Digital advances have rewired the way humans think and spawned cognitive and behavioral changes in the way we interact with the world around us. New patterns of behavior, including finding and sharing information, creating and using data, connecting all aspects of life can help the church. Because, a church’s unique quality is its ability to create community and be a place of life-changing teaching, learning, and launching of disciples.
Today, technology allows us both to extend that community and amplify our message to groups that we can more tightly target than ever before.
As our daily lives move increasingly into the digital realm, it is clear that to be offline is to be excluded. For this reason, it is more critical than ever for the Church to access, use and impact technology. Unfortunately, the reality is that in Developing World, Ministers (all genders included) and Churches are unacceptably lagging behind. Failure to close this digital divide and the digital gap of the Church in society threatens to reinforce existing de-mission patterns of the Church and inability to reach the unreached and contribute in a relevant manner to the questions poverty and inequalities that continues to undermine Global Missions.
The digital era matters in God’s dispensation. Let’s not miss the opportunity to bless the world with the Church’s presence and leadership in the Digital realities.