Values - InDepth

CRM - VALUES

In who we are, what we do, and how we operate organizationally, we value Character, Relationships, and Mission, all of which are thoroughly invigorated with Spiritual Passion

Character

—Expressed through integrity
We believe that biblical integrity should permeate every aspect of how we live, minister, and operate as an organization. This means being above reproach in personal moral conduct as well as organizational policies and procedures. We believe we are accountable to God, to one another, to those who give, and to secular legal authority. _For CRM in the United States, we seek to insure our organizational and financial integrity through membership in the Evangelical Council for Financial Accountability, and we abide by their standards.

—Expressed through excellence
Our understanding of excellence is captured in CRM’s stewardship statement:
  

Stewardship for CRM means doing things right the first time for:
        • the leaders we empower
        • the staff we serve
        • the donors who trust us
    ...so that the Name of God is renowned among the nations.

We believe that character is demonstrated in a disciplined, focused life. We value this attribute with those who minister with CRM and seek to impart it to others. We believe disciplined people do not need hierarchy, disciplined thinkers do not need bureaucracy, and disciplined action does not need excessive or centralized controls. Therefore, we seek to combine a culture of discipline with an ethic of entrepreneurship to produce an alchemy of exceptional performance. In this pursuit, we strive to use the best technology that is affordable and are willing to experiment with the most current understandings and insights of organizational management and leadership theory.

—Expressed through clear expectations, privileges, and responsibilities.
Character for us – in who we are and whom we recruit - is lived out by a mutual commitment to clearly articulated expectations, privileges, and responsibilities. For CRM in the United States, these are captured in three documents: The Expectations and Privileges of CRM Staff, The Expectations and Responsibilities of CRM Staff, and The Essential Competencies of CRM Staff.

Relationships

—That empower leaders through coaching and mentoring
We pursue ministry that is profoundly relational and, where advantageous, incarnational. To do so, we cultivate and value spiritual gifts, natural abilities, and acquired skills that enable us to disciple, coach, train and, mentor leaders for the Church. We are biased toward informal, life-on-life relationships in the trenches of everyday experience rather than institutional settings. Because leadership is more caught than taught, we believe modeling is the most effective means to transfer truth if deep change is to occur. While we thrive on empowering others to lead, we are also committed to empowering structures, realizing that multiplying leaders is a group as well as an individual function. We therefore value the behavioral sciences and what they teach us about how churches, as living organisms, launch, grow and, multiply.

—That are grace-filled and real with one another
We desire to live and work as friends and are deeply committed to one another. As wounded, broken individuals in need of grace, we are drawn to one another in relationships that are transparent and real. We are a people who desire to live as conduits of grace to each other as well as the leaders we empower. We thrive in an environment of authenticity, honesty, and humility. And it is our passion to be safe individuals and builders of safe places for those called to lead throughout the broader body of Christ.

—That thrive in community
Our commitment to “community” as an essential component of genuine, biblical Christianity is expressed in several ways. First, we desire to minister in teams, of multiple expression, where harmonious, complementary relationships can flourish. Such teams provide a context where unique gifts, abilities and, skills can meld together toward the common accomplishment of CRM’s calling. In these environments we seek to nurture mutual relationships of trust. Secondly, we catalyze and shape communities of transformation among church planters, pastors, lay leaders, younger leaders, and among the poor. While diverse in form, these communities of transformation most often are small groups or cells where leaders can know and be known. They are safe, grace-filled environments where there is transparency, honesty, and accountability which promote spiritual formation and authentic change.

Mission

—That is apostolically driven
We thrive on adventure and seek it out. Our lives are characterized by risk and an entrepreneurial spirit. We embrace a lifestyle of sacrifice... physically, emotionally, and materially. We seek to live as pioneers, creators, and innovators committed to the advancement of Christ’s Kingdom in all its eclectic diversity. We celebrate this diversity theologically, methodologically, and contextually. While we will not compromise foundational doctrinal truth in choosing who serves on our staff and the churches we launch, we will minister in environments “outside” our theological comfort zone as long as our convictions can be tolerated and when our presence is not interpreted as an acceptance or endorsement of obvious sin or doctrinal deviancy. Apostolic passion drives us toward multiplying and reproducing who we are, our apostolic calling, and the vision we hold in common. We are committed to Christ’s purposes in a lost world and we are unequivocal in our obedience to his final command.

—That is creative and effective
While truth never changes, how it is articulated and proclaimed must be adapted to the times, the settings, and the cultures in which it is engaged. Therefore, we seek new, innovative means for empowering leaders and we value the discovery of fresh paradigms of effective ministry and mission. We seek to be life-long learners and work to create learning environments and reproducible systems for life transformation and ministry skill development. We crave an atmosphere where our staff and leaders are free to be imaginative and to create. We desire to be daring and try things that have never been tried before, doing so with an openness and willingness to partner with others of similar heart and calling. Because we value ongoing discovery and learning, we pursue ministry that is a fresh response to what God wants done in this day and in this generation.

—That is adaptable and relevant
In a world of exponential change, we desire to remain nimble and adaptable. We value the freedom to be spontaneous in decision making and are biased toward decentralized structures. We do not fear change but embrace it a posture that allows us to be flexible and fluid. Where possible, we seek to be proactive agents of change. As we cross cultural, social, economic, or linguistic barriers to serve the Church, we are committed to ministry that is appropriately contextualized and culturally sensitive.

—That is prophetic
We are inclusive and not limited by our own doctrinal convictions from ministry among those of broadly varying theological traditions. In nominal contexts, we will be voices for evangelism, renewal, and the creation of innovative structures to sustain and reproduce spiritual vitality. Among fellow believers, we will speak prophetically and challenge the church to a missional commitment and lifestyle. As we work as servants... in the background, slowly, and perhaps unnoticed... we believe that God can raise up that which is significant from that which is unseen. We serve as agents of change, committed to the leavening power of Christ’s “upside-down” kingdom.

Spiritual Passion

—Characterized by intimacy with Christ
We value above all else intimacy with Christ and a life that is profoundly vertical in its relationship with God. We desire to become people who love God more than life itself. We believe the living, abiding presence of Jesus is the indispensable ingredient for leadership and the sole sufficiency for who we are and what we do in ministry.

—Characterized by intentional spiritual formation
We also believe that effective ministry flows out of being and is useless apart from the anointing of Almighty God. Therefore, we are intentional about our own spiritual formation, and imparting this commitment to leaders is foundational to all we do.

—Characterized by biblical obedience
We believe such spirituality must be firmly grounded in the authority of the Bible and an unwavering willingness to obey the clarion call of Scripture. It is a spirituality that embraces a dynamic understanding of the Holy Spirit and his ability to act in our lives with sovereign, supernatural power. We believe such power is accessed through prevailing prayer and intercession. The spirituality we embrace is consistent with the great creeds of the early church, draws on the rich tapestry of Christian experience in many traditions, and is compatible with modern day expressions of historic, Christian orthodoxy.