Our Values
Core Values
The Supremacy of Relationship
All of Scripture relates to a personal encounter with the living God
We are created for relationship; with God, other believers, and the world around us
The Authority of Scripture
Provides a framework for accountability
We seek to work with partners who agree
Centrality of the Gospel
Drives all activity and program
Filters ministry opportunities
The Imperative of Prayer
We recognize our dependence on God
We seek to promote a culture of prayer in the GF family
Priority of the Individual over the work
Member Care is first
Individual and family needs
Relationship of the missionary to the mission
Mission First…Infrastructure behind
Low bar for minimum support
Minimal “Bricks and Mortar”
Optimal “Tools”
Multi-Cultural Teams – Local/Non-local
Build Teams that respect each other
Biblical focus on the “Family of God”
Glory in similarities, honor differences
The Validity of Family on Mission Together
Husband and Wife are a Team
Children are an asset, not a hindrance
Policy vs. Principles
Smaller organizations often have no policy manuals and staff are often expected to “do the right thing.”
When organizations grow, this tends to get supplanted by lengthy books that attempt to capture the right behaviors in detailed rules that capture every scenario. A better approach would be to hold onto the culture of “doing the right thing.”
When presented with a clear set of rules, people tend to change their behavior just enough to circumvent rather than break the rule. Often this is not completely intentional. They don’t want to break the rule so they read it thoroughly and figure out how they can achieve BOTH their desired outcome AND obey the rule. We often refer to this as obeying the letter of the rule but not the spirit.
When expectations are principle based rather than rule based, people tend to act in such a way as to respect the principle, then formulate their own behavioral guidelines that fit the moment much better than any black-and-white rules written years earlier. We might even think of these principles as capturing the condensed “spirit of the rules,” since that seems to be what we really want followed anyway.
In a sense, this method treats staff as intelligent people who, when given guidance and ownership over the outcome, can act in a principled way that also agilely adapts to new situations as they arise.
Our Principles of Function
Live Righteous lives, “beyond reproach”
Respect Co-workers
Be Healthy
Communicate well
Work Hard, Play and Rest Well
Include others
Respect and Honor Relationship Priorities
Be Generous
Be Humble