| BIBLE | We uphold the Bible as our final authority which contains everything we need for life and godliness. |
| WESTMINISTER CONFESSION | We uphold the Westminster Confession of Faith as an excellent summary of the system of doctrine taught in the Bible. |
| CHURCH | We believe in working with and through the local church as much as possible. We prioritize the needs of believers in mercy ministry and we respect the authority of church bodies in the administration of mercy ministry. |
| ACCOUNTABILITY | Knowing that mankind has a fallen sin nature, and knowing the need for trustworthiness in handling God's money and ministering to God"s people, we uphold systems of accountability that discourage corruption and encourage confidence, both in accounting practices and in policy leadership. This is in keeping with God’s character as one who calls His people to be accountable to Him (Luke 16:2, Romans 14:12, 1 Peter 4:5, Heb. 13:17) and with the Apostle Paul’s practice in the matter of collecting money from the early church (2 Cor. 8:20-22). For these reasons we have a U.S. board that oversees our U.S. administration, and we have an Advisory Panel that oversees the field administration. Although our small size prevents us from immediately becoming members of the Evangelical Council for Financial Accountability (ECFA) and the Association of Evangelical Relief and Development Organizations (AERDO), we are working towards membership in these organizations in the future. |
| PARTNERSHIP | We seek to complement local churches and other mission agencies. For this reason, we work alongside other mission agencies active on the field and we work through the leadership of local churches. In Uganda, we work closely with the Presbyterian Church in Uganda and with African Christian Training Ministries, and we seek to complement the work of the PCA and OPC mission agencies. |
| BUSINESS | In keeping with Reformed tradition, we believe in the sanctity of all of life - that business is important as kingdom work. We believe that the strengthening of Christian business is vital to the economy of the nation and the church. For this reason we seek to help Christian entrepreneurs develop businesses through The TentMaker Project. We believe that our program allows church elders and deacons to take an active role in the pastoral care of their members even in the area of private enterprise, an area considered "hands-off" by most of the church of the past. |
| MERCY | The strong are to have compassion on the weak (Rom. 15:1; Acts 20:35; I Thess 5:14). In keeping with the character of our God who has mercy upon us, we are to show mercy to others (Matt 5:7; Matt 9:13, Rom. 12:8; James 3:17). For this reason, we encourage the development of ministries that combine mercy and preaching through the Five Loaves program, the education of orphans to their becoming productive and self-sustained, and we extend loans without usury to business owners, being patient and gracious in the case of failure. |
| RESPONSIBILITY | We seek to build reliance upon God and His principles of wisdom and finances, not dependency upon foreign funds. For this reason we require repayment of loans, and we set up systems of accountability to ensure this. We combine this with systematic teaching of Biblical principles of business and money management. Our goal is to see the national church take responsibility for itself and for the spread of the Gospel, able to do so without the help of foreign funds in the future. The first church we entered with our micro-loan program is now independent of us with their own development fund and so our resources can go to another church. |
| NATIONAL LEADERSHIP | We believe in having indigenous leadership because of their intimate knowledge of the culture and situation of the needy in their locale and their superior ability to communicate and hold people accountable on the field. In places where the church exists, and there is Godly leadership, there is no need for our program to field foreign staff. By the same token, we have American staff administrate the American side of the program. |
| GENEROSITY | God’s word contains many exhortations to be generous to the poor, with the promise that God will bless those who are generous to the poor (Psalms 37:21-26; 112:5; Proverbs 14:21, 31; Proverbs 19:17; Romans 12:8; 2 Corinthians 9:11; 1 Timothy 6:18). For this reason, we seek to stimulate the generosity of the church, in the United States to give to the poor, and in the churches on our fields, to tithe and give offerings for the furtherance of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. |
| GRASSROOTS | We focus on small businesses and facilitate loans that even a child or a youth group in the USA can afford to underwrite. Entire congregations in the US can partner with a congregation in Uganda with only a few thousand dollars over 2-5 years to create sustainability for years to come. |
