Our Philosophy
Servant Leadership
Ambassadors’ philosophy of ministry incorporates two basic principles into its operations. First, there is the matter of who serves whom. Second, there is the issue of the global Body of Christ and the place of that Body in the global ministry.
It should be established that the leadership and the and the Board of Ambassadors is here to serve, not to be served. Whether it be in the local church or as the missionary on the field, the leadership of Ambassadors does not exist to be served; nor does it exist to act as the Holy Spirit in the lives of others. We are here to serve. It was our Lord who stated that if we desired to be great in the kingdom of God, then we should plan on serving others.
Local Cultural Cooperation
Second, there is the issue of the global Body of Christ. This matter revolves around something called “indigenization of ministry.” Ambassadors is working with new concepts, but also with a re-application of old concepts, such as indigenization of the work of Christ globally. Historically in biblically based mission outreach we have seen the outflow of people and money from the U.S. to foreign lands. Much of the ministry was done by American missionaries and with them came money. Such a procedure undercuts the idea that there is a global Body of Christ. No matter where we minister there will be a Body present in some form, although not always worshiping in the American model. If Christ is building His Church globally – and He is – then we must take that promise and the fulfillment of that promise seriously.
By controlling the ministry that is done globally, we portray the idea that no one else outside our borders has the knowledge to accomplish anything for the glory of the Lord. It is assumed that we in America have the best education and the best methodology that money can buy. The truth is that the Lord has given special wisdom and power to the Body of Christ abroad, indeed to those very people who lack all the things that supposedly make us “do it better.” Though we would be hesitant to admit such a thing, some of thinking is tainted by racism. When we presume that those in other countries cannot do without our expertise, we lean towards a form of racism.
The answer to such thinking is to realize that Americans do not always do things better than everyone else. The work of Christ, building His church in the midst of terrible settings, is a wonder to behold. Our model often depends on big dollars, large cities, and capitalistic thinking. The Lord has blessed America with money and large churches, but perhaps He has done so to allow us to work alongside the global Body of Christ, to assist rather than replace them.
Missions work always requires money to function, but money is certainly not the panacea that will bring success on the field of the world. People who are attuned to what the Lord is doing and who are willing to give the local nationals the lead will be successful. Others will fail.