MINISTRIES

of the Church of God of Prophecy

In order to facilitate the accomplishment of its mission, the Church operates a number of specialized ministries designed to impact all segments of society. Listed below are those ministries, including a brief description and statement of departmental mission.

CENTER FOR BIBLICAL LEADERSHIP

The Center for Biblical Leadership (CBL) is a leadership development program within the Church which operates worldwide from its base at the International Offices. According to its stated mission, the Center exists to serve the developmental and educational needs of the worldwide leadership of the Church of God of Prophecy on the local, state/regional/national, and international levels, so that they may fulfill their biblical mandate of "equipping the saints." The Center strives to accomplish its mission through a diversity of teaching programs, leadership conferences, and publications.

The work of CBL is founded in the following values upon which all its programs, publications, and decisions are to be based.

1. Headship of Christ
2. Integral Church Relationship
3. Congruence with Church's Mission
4. Servanthood
5. Decentralization of Control
6. Focus on the Learner
7. Excellence

While its short-term goals and objectives are continually being refined to meet changing demands, the Center's primary objectives remain constant. They are,

To exalt Christ in all activities.

To fulfill the biblical obligations of being the Body of Christ.

To facilitate the development of servant leadership within the Church of God of Prophecy.

To advance the propagation of the gospel of Jesus Christ.

To provide both short- and long-term educational programs.

To provide suitable forums for dialogue among the Church's leadership.

To provide a continuing flow of inspirational publications for church leadership development.

To model servanthood in all areas of operation.

To incorporate the broadest possible range of constituencies into the planning and implementation of Center initiatives.


To contextualize all programs and publications in order to effectively meet the existing needs of each area to be served.

WHITE WING PUBLISHING HOUSE

The enormous task of printing the Church's wide array of gospel literature is carried out by the White Wing Publishing House. Its main press is located in Cleveland, Tennessee, but it also maintains printing facilities in the Dominican Republic, Guatemala, India, Indonesia, Mexico, Peru, Philippines, South Africa, and the Ukraine. The Publishing House prints the Church's official magazine, The White Wing Messenger, the Happy Harvester which is a monthly paper distributed to prisoners, a complete graded series of Sunday school literature, gospel tracts, and a wide variety of religious books.

According to the Publishing House's statement of purpose, it was in November 1916 that the cry for the Church of God to own a publishing house resulted in the General Assembly collecting $786.50 toward the project. The following year a printing plant worth over $3,000.00 was in operation. The 1917 Assembly Minutes records, "The plant is paying no dividends yet but it is printing the gospel and sending it forth by the thousands of papers, books, tracts and Sunday School literature." While the need for prudent management and some financial reserves are necessary in today's business, the Publishing House continues to embrace the words spoken in that Assembly, "I would be afraid to have money laid up now, and hold it out of the Lord's service, when the demands are so great, and the Lord's coming so near, and so much work to be done." As the publishing arm of the Church, the White Wing Publishing House, a subordinate corporation within the Church, endeavors to fulfill its role in proclaiming the glorious gospel of Jesus Christ through the printed word.

WORLD LANGUAGE DEPARTMENT

A vital adjunct to the printing ministry of the White Wing Publishing House is the World Language Department, which has produced translations of Church literature into more than fifty-seven languages. Following the example of Nehemiah 8:8 (NASB), "they read from the book, from the law of God, translating to give the sense so that they understood the reading," the World Language Department functions in translating materials requested by departments within the International Offices to further the gospel and fulfill the Great Commission. In addition to literature and correspondence translation, the Department also provides simultaneous and consecutive interpretation for the General Assembly, conventions, conferences, retreats, leadership meetings, and telephone calls.

WORLD MISSION DEPARTMENT

The broad purpose of the World Mission Department is to facilitate the international outreach efforts of the Church. The department seeks to bring together the human and financial resources of the Church of God of Prophecy around the world in a concerted way, giving emphasis to those areas of strength that the Church can bring to God's people as a whole.

The specific role of the World Mission Department is to facilitate the Church's international development through global-level leadership; to foster racial, social, and cultural harmony; to develop and refine world-level forums for effective decision making; to organize for better regional representation and administration; to continue church planting efforts with an awareness of the need to be a true New Testament model; and to reflect a commitment to biblical unity by building bridges to other Bible believing Christians, cooperating with other biblically based outreach ministries, and faithfully recognizing what God is doing around the world and through whom He is doing it.

YOUTH MINISTRIES

The mission of the Youth Ministries Department is to assist young people in meeting Christ, maturing in Him, and finding their personal ministry with Him.

Youth Ministries sponsors regional, national, and international youth conferences, retreats, and leadership meetings, as well as youth related activities in state and national conventions and the General Assembly. This department also produces Victory Magazine, a monthly publication which proclaims the life-changing power of Jesus Christ to a lost world, gives Christian young people the support and encouragement needed to grow in their faith, and strives to uphold the Absolute Truth, Jesus Christ.

CHILDREN'S MINISTRIES Children's Ministries exist to partner with our Lord in the dual purpose of "seeking and saving" lost children at the earliest possible age. This office undergirds the efforts of the local church's ministry to children in the following ways:

1. Developing awareness among ministry and laity of the urgency, purposes, and opportunities of children's ministries.

2. Providing training for state/regional/ national Children's Ministries Directors that will enable them to provide information, resources, ministry, and training to local congregations.

3. Providing training for the pastoral staff related to developing, staffing, equipping, and evaluating local children's ministries.

4. Providing training for children's ministers through on-site instruction, regional conferences, audio-visual materials, and informative publications.

5. Serving as a resource center providing current information on available curricula, ministry publications, statistics, and other relevant information.

6. Providing a model of appropriate ministries to children through events conducted at conferences, conventions, and the General Assembly.

7. Challenging children to passionately pursue a personal relationship with God.

SUNDAY SCHOOL

The mission of the Sunday School Department is to help prepare the minds and hearts of every child and adult in recognizing their responsibility of knowing and sharing the Word of God through weekly systematic study of the Bible.

This department supports the efforts of local Sunday schools around the world through training publications for teachers and Sunday school superintendents, promotional campaigns, and leadership development conferences. It also works with the White Wing Publishing House in developing and producing Sunday school curricula for all age groups.

EVANGELISM DEPARTMENT

The Evangelism Department of the Church of God of Prophecy exists to reach the world with the gospel of Christ.

Specifically, this department will provide:

1. Resources for local church renewal, outreach, and follow-up efforts.

2. Resources, encouragement, educational opportunities and support for those called to be evangelists.

3. Inspirational leadership for the Body of Christ through modeling an evangelistic lifestyle, prayer, involvement with other Christians, and developing effective evangelism strategies.

This department will continue to provide a constant reminder that the Church exists to evangelize the world.

COMMUNICATIONS MINISTRIES

God's Word -- We will faithfully communicate the truths of God's infallible Word without compromise.

Consistent Prayer -- We will give ourselves to intercessory prayer believing that all things are possible though Christ.

Exemplary Lifestyle -- We will model the truths communicated in this ministry by pursuing a vibrant relationship with Jesus Christ.

Christian Service -- We will reflect the love of Christ by being sensitive to the needs of each person touched by this ministry. We will respond in a loving, kind, and energetic manner to each individual.

Broadcast Excellence -- We will use every means available to produce the best possible programming and bring honor to our Lord Jesus Christ.

Financial Integrity Honesty, prudence, and wisdom will be used in all fundraising and expenditures. We recognize that the funds given to the support of this ministry belong to the Lord. We trust that God will meet the financial needs of this ministry.

Unity in Christ -- We will assist and cooperate with other Christians to effectively reach the world for Christ.

WOMEN'S MINISTRIES

The Women's Ministries Department of the Church of God of Prophecy is a resource center which provides assistance in ministering to the needs of women, identifying ministry opportunities for women, and increasing awareness of world missions needs. This is accomplished by several means, including regular communication with state/regional/national women's leaders, supporting and conducting international and Regional Ladies Retreats, and frequent mailings of newsletters and mission updates.

The Helping Hands Ministry, a sharing ministry of financial giving, is an extension of Women's Ministries designed to assist with specific material needs on the mission field. These funds are marked for immediate distribution and go directly to the field for support of local workers and projects as specified by the donors.

PASTORAL CARE MINISTRIES

Since its inception in the early l900's, this caring and sharing small-group ministry has assisted local pastors in meeting the needs of each member and friend of the Church, as well as providing support in outreach ministries. The small-group ministry within the Church is defined by a threefold mission:

1. To nurture and encourage members and friends of the Church.

2. To assist in the restoration of fallen Christians, and

3. To provide for outreach evangelism to others in the local community.

This is accomplished by organizing small groups within the larger community of the local church, members of which meet regularly in the comfort of group members' homes. Spiritual and community growth are encouraged as the members study God's Word, participate in intercessory and group prayers, and share fellowship with one another. Restoration is realized as each member of the small group accepts the challenge of daily praying for, and loving discouraged members back to a healthy relationship with the Lord. Evangelism is accomplished by inviting friends and neighbors to the meetings. Thus, this ministry fulfills the exhortation of 1 Corinthians 12:25, "that the members should have the same care one for another."

CHURCH of PROPHECY MARKER ASSOCIATION

The purpose of the Church of Prophecy Marker Association is to document and preserve historical events and articles concerning the Church of God of Prophecy. This department supports two unique ministry opportunities:

1. Fields of the Wood, a biblical theme park located in the Smoky Mountains, is an evangelistic outreach tool that ministers to thousands of people every year.

2. Mission Markers, an extension of the Church of Prophecy Marker Association, is designed to assist congregations in third-world countries, who are without sufficient monetary resources, in their efforts to build a place of worship. Acting as a clearing house for the distribution of funds, this ministry links individuals and/or local churches who have a desire to help with congregations who need church buildings.

The information above is from the booklet "AN INTRODUCTION TO THE CHURCH OF GOD OF PROPHECY" © 1995 -- The Church of God of Prophecy World Headquarters, P.O. Box 2910, Cleveland, Tennessee (U.S.A.) 37320-2910 URL: http://www.cogop.org

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