Our Philosophy

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The ministry opportunities in Haiti and South Asia are massive, and at the same time, so are the dangers and challenges. Ministering in a cross-cultural context requires sensitivity and skill, and add to that a third-world nation ravaged by one disaster after another, we need wisdom and discipline to avoid the potential mine field of personal disappointment, group entitlement, unintended consequences, unfulfilled expectations and failed execution.

Essential to what we do through Gospel Systems is knowing the answers to the “why?”,  “how?” and “so what?” questions. Why do we do what we do? How do we do it? So what if we do it differently? Does it really matter? In other words, a healthy and robust mission will consider all the ramifications of the work God is calling us to do, not simply answering the “what?” question alone.

We believe strongly in:

Leadership and vision takes place both from leaders in each country as well as in the United States. We reject both paternalism as well as post-colonial guilt where outside (US) leadership accepts de facto the decisions in the host country. Rather, we believe in true partnership where both sides are giving and receiving, learning and leaning on one another to develop a strategic vision for lasting change. 

No one knows the context better than those in the host country.  Indigenous missionaries, local church pastors and field coordinators give primary direction and understanding to the work taking place day in and day out, week in and week out, year after year. Consequently, the process of planning does not arise out of a blueprint but from a participatory learning process so that the vision is consistent with realities on the ground and not merely theorized in our heads. In other words, we don’t begin with an agenda and see how it can be exported to the host country; we begin with God’s work among God’s people and see how we can join them in seeing in the invisible kingdom made visible as partners together.

We are committed to modeling our commitment to indigenous leadership by encouraging them, empowering them, helping them, and getting out of the way as much as possible. 

We must be careful not to import our cultural norms into our work in cross-cultural missions. Instead, we want to learn the customs, patterns, and ways of living in the countries in which we work so that those we minister to can clearly come to know and understand the gospel without artificial barriers. To overcome these barriers, we want to know our biases and traditions on the one hand, and also seek to understand the cultural beliefs and behaviors of the local people on the other. Our desire is not to teach them the American way of doing ministry but the biblically faithful way of being the people of God in their culturally-specific society.

We believe the local church is the outpost of the kingdom of God and should be central in kingdom affairs. All of our efforts operate in and through local churches in Haiti and South Asia. Central to our ambition is to strengthen and build healthy, indigenous churches with solid, biblically qualified leadership. Whether orphan care, church planting, micro business, or community development, the work is carried out by the people of God, not an organization or program. The outcomes that drive our work are tied to the promises of God, specifically the promise that Christ will build His church, and the gates of hell will not prevail against it. Those promises are not given to governments or organizations (like our own) but to God’s people living together as a covenant community under the Lordship of Jesus Christ.

We seek to build church-centered partnerships for long-term commitment for the good of Haiti and South Asia. We believe short-term mission efforts are most effective in the context of long-term relationships, and stateside churches can know, understand, and participate in the work of missions  in more meaningful and significant ways through this enduring commitment. 

The needs and opportunities are massive. The temptation to jump in and want to fix all the problems is real, and often times we do not think about unintended consequences due to neglecting the “How?” question. The biggest unintended consequence is building an entitlement mentality among the indigenous people through paternalistic practices. 

Instead, our desire is to leverage our gifts, resources, money, and trips to equip and empower churches through training and encouragement. We are cheerleaders, not the star players. We want to increase their capacities and diminish their vulnerabilities so that the kind of development they experience comes through change wrought by God —change that includes the way they think and how they live.

Realistically speaking, the transformation needed in Haiti and South Asia may take decades, if not longer. The reason we stress church-based partnerships is because we desire short-term missions with a long-term commitment. Some of the work is relief-based and short-term. Other work is mid-term focusing on community development, while others still is long-term focused on reform.

Our approach is to connect gospel labors with the purposes of God for the churches in these countries. Churches who partner through Gospel Systems are encouraged to consider how God might use them to impact the world through generational change one mission trip, one investment, one pastor, one church at a time. Mission trips are simply the manifestation of a year-long relationship that includes more than just trips, but prayers, ongoing correspondence, and ongoing practical support of the church.