“CORE VALUES” of IRIS GLOBAL Rolland Baker B
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TOWARD A BIBLICAL “STRATEGY” OF MISSION: THE EFFECTS OF THE FIVE CHRISTIAN “CORE VALUES” OF IRIS GLOBAL Rolland Baker B.A., Vanguard University, 1985 M.A., Vanguard University, 1986 Faculty Mentors Gary Greig, Ph.D. Andrew Park, Ph.D. Jon Mark Ruthven, Ph.D. A FINAL PROJECT SUBMITTED TO THE DOCTORAL STUDIES COMMITTEE IN PARTIAL FULFILLMENT OF THE REQUIREMENTS FOR THE DEGREE OF DOCTOR OF MINISTRY UNITED THEOLOGICAL SEMINARY DAYTON, OHIO December, 2013 United Theological Seminary Dayton, Ohio Faculty Approval Page Doctor of Ministry Final Project TOWARD A BIBLICAL “STRATEGY” OF MISSION: THE EFFECTS OF THE FIVE CHRISTIAN “CORE VALUES” OF IRIS GLOBAL by Rolland Baker United Theological Seminary, 2013 Faculty Mentors Gary Greig, Ph.D. Andrew Park, Ph.D. Jon Mark Ruthven, Ph.D. Date: _______________________ Approved: ____________________________ ____________________________ ____________________________ ____________________________ Associate Dean of Doctoral Studies Copyright © 2013 Rolland Baker All rights reserved. TABLE OF CONTENTS ABSTRACT...................................................................................................................... iii ACKNOWLEDGMENTS................................................................................................. iv DEDICATION................................................................................................................... vi INTRODUCTION.............................................................................................................. 1 CHAPTER 1. MINISTRY FOCUS.................................................................................... 6 The Past The Present The Future 2. THE STATE OF THE ART IN THIS MINISTRY MODEL..................... 18 Mainstream Evangelical Missions Discussion The State of the Art in Iris Global 3. THEORETICAL FOUNDATION............................................................ 38 Faith Seeking Understanding Revival History and Theology Remaining Theological Foundations Academic Research on the Miraculous Conclusion Addendum 4. THE FIVE CORE VALUES OF IRIS GLOBAL..................................... 91 From Abstraction to Reality Reality in Relationship Relationship in the Secret Place i The Five Core Values of Iris Global An Updated Rendition of the Five Values Application 5. FIELD EXPERIENCE: THE VISION TESTED.................................... 121 6. REFLECTION, SUMMARY AND CONCLUSION.............................. 228 The Glory of God Our Weaknesses The Perfection of Multiple Perspectives Our Otherworldly Focus Our Essential Core Values The Plain Gospel, Pure and Simple The Power of Impartation Honor The Unbelieving and Hard of Heart Conclusion Future Study APPENDIX A. MY SPIRITUAL LINEAGE................................................................... 239 B. MY SON’S SPIRITUAL LINEAGE...................................................... 246 C. MEDIA AND PHOTOGRAPHS............................................................ 264 BIBLIOGRAPHY........................................................................................................... 275 ii ABSTRACT TOWARD A BIBLICAL “STRATEGY” OF MISSION: THE EFFECTS OF THE FIVE CHRISTIAN “CORE VALUES” OF IRIS GLOBAL by Rolland Baker United Theological Seminary, 2013 Faculty Mentors Gary Greig, Ph.D. Andrew Park, Ph.D. Jon Mark Ruthven, Ph.D. Traditional missions research focuses on developing “scientific” strategies. By contrast, this thesis, based on the experience of “real world” evangelization and on the premise that true Christian mission methods and outcomes are ultimately “spiritually discerned,” examines the influence of a missions strategy consisting not of “scientifically” determined mission “methods,” but the integration of five simple, New Testament-based “core values” which manifest in the attitudes, experiences and tangible results of Iris Global's ministry, primarily in Mozambique, Africa. This thesis, accordingly, employs a post-modern, intuitive, pro-active, qualitative research model, articulated in narrative form, in order to assess the validity and fruit of these values. iii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS First of all, I must acknowledge my wife Heidi for her unswerving confidence that Jesus wanted me to finish this degree program, and her never-ending faith that it would happen in spite of the intensity, pressures and challenges of our nonstop ministry in Africa and around the world. Her affectionate love and support, and even stubborn insistence, was crucial to me. The core values of Iris have originated as much through her as through me, and in many ways this is “our” project. For many years her giftings and encounters with God have given her the faith, love, initiative, courage and endurance to model our core values daily for the world to see. Iris Global would not exist without her, and I would not be writing this document without my history with her. My first exposure to this program and my possible participation in it came through Randy Clark and Tom Jones during one of their visits to Pemba, Mozambique. Their faith, example and testimonies, added to their child-like enthusiasm in the Lord and their good-natured, fun friendship over many years, made the decision to participate easy. Throughout the program their encouragement has been a gift from Jesus. Surprise Sithole, for many years our national director of Iris Global in Mozambique, and one of our international directors, together with Heidi and me, has been a pillar of revelation, strength, purity and integrity in the power of God, and his life, love and encouragement has been used by the Lord to keep the ministry of Iris Global centered and on track. He is a priceless friend with whom I confer regarding all aspects of our core values. Our entire family of Iris Global, including our friends, directors, pastors, leaders and pioneers all over the world have been consistently supportive of my work and iv writing, and all have played a part on solidifying our core values and putting them into practice in obedience to the Word of the Lord. Finally, my mentors, Jon Ruthven, Andrew Park and Gary Greig, have been amazing with their constantly supportive, always edifying, and even bold, encouragement for me to write as the Spirit leads me into ever newer ground. They are agreed that scholarly care, integrity and precision can mix with unlimited devotion and experience with our Perfect Savior for the purpose of building up the body of Christ. v DEDICATIONS This project is dedicated to my wife Heidi, and our children Elisha and Crystalyn. vi INTRODUCTION A large-scale supernatural phenomenon has occurred in southeast Africa. A Christian people movement encompassing thousands of mostly small, remote bush churches has sprung up and flourished across the ten provinces of the huge but extremely poor nation of Mozambique.1 Beginning in 1995 with a small band of delinquent, abandoned street children at a neglected government center, the movement has become a holistic ministry not limited to particular specialties, but which includes evangelism, village outreaches, Bible schools, missions schools, medical clinics, primary and secondary schools, farming, vocational training, church planting, bush conferences, counseling, child sponsorship and in the near future, a university for the poor—and more.2 The movement has grown organically, taking on the flavor and direction of the giftings brought its way in the lives of hundreds of missionaries and thousands of national believers. It is more a family than a ministry organization, and hunger for its atmosphere, 1. A summary of Mozambique’s economic history can be found at: U.S. Central Intelligence Agency, “Mozambique,” The World Factbook, last modified November 5, 2013, accessed November 14, 2013, https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/mz.html. The 2012 rankings in the Human Development Index, calculated by the Human Development Report Office of the United Nations, still list Mozambique at position 185 out of 187 nations. This information and other “International Human Development Indicators” are provided at: United Nations Human Development Report Office, “Human Development Index (HDI) - 2012 Rankings,” Human Development Reports, March 14, 2013, accessed November 14, 2013, http://hdr.undp.org/en/statistics/. 2. This trajectory is partially chronicled in three of our books: Rolland and Heidi Baker, There Is Always Enough (Tonbridge, Kent, UK: Sovereign World, 2003); Rolland and Heidi Baker, The Hungry Always Get Fed (Chichester, West Sussex, UK: New Wine Press, 2007); Rolland and Heidi Baker, Learning to Love (Barham Court, Teston, Maidstone, Kent, UK: River Publishing, 2012). Much more information concerning our history, activities and plans are available in written, photographic and video form at our website, http://www.irisglobal.org. 1 2 “feel” and spiritual “DNA”3 has spread to the extent that it now touches more than thirty nations.4 Now called “Iris Global,” it is primarily a practical, down-to-earth demonstration of the truth of the gospel and the power of God in one of the most challenging environments on earth. It is a testament to God’s agency, for all that has happened in these eighteen years since 1995 could not possibly have been foreseen and engineered by human strategic methodology. This project has resulted in a compendium of spiritual understandings gained through more than thirty years of practical ministry on foreign mission fields, a record of activity that could be described as continuous, long-term action research.5