Guiding Principles

Our Executive Leadership Team regularly spends purposeful time in listening prayer. After learning and growing from the experience, they shared their reflections in the next weekly virtual chapel with our worldwide organization.

One ELT member focused on Psalm 37:7: Be still before the Lord and wait patiently for him. By actively being in the Word, learning new spiritual disciplines, and seeking an active, growing relationship with the Lord, One Challenge workers minister in response to the Holy Spirit, with a posture trying to emulate Christ – in servanthood, humility, and authenticity.

Story after story reflects this principle. For example, the Latino Men’s Retreat and the Latina Women’s Retreat expand beyond OC workers, creating a faith community for those who originate from Spanish-speaking or Portuguese- speaking countries. Serving in difficult countries or situations, these mission workers often don’t have safe places to debrief, worship, or share with like-minded people.

Every year, the life-giving worship and affirmation sustain these men and women to press on and continue the work to which God has called them. Mission workers (including the OC workers who help facilitate it) leave renewed and connected. This retreat is not an “us” giving to “them” model. It’s a mutual beneficial time of building a genuine and transparent multiethnic mission community.

With this guiding principle in mind, what does a traditional disciple making movement do when a country shuts down due to a global pandemic? Go online, of course!

In the Philippines, Discovery Bible Studies shifted to a purely online format, allowing Filipinos with even the smallest amount of cell phone data to access online group chats. With barriers removed, more people groups have access to discipleship and Bible teaching. Also, with training, believers are being empowered to reach beyond their communities, share the gospel, and disciple one another. Leaders have even worked out a way to perform baptisms through a group chat! Even after the end of COVID, online Discovery Bible Studies via group chat are here to stay.

In April, just over 80 OC leaders and workers participated in the virtual 2021 OC Learning Conference. Using different methods of adult learning and dialogue education, participants journeyed through five modules – from understanding the current volatile, uncertain, complex, and ambiguous context to focusing on outcomes vs. outputs.

In addition to the “live” conference, in order for OC workers to continue to apply learning and grow in ministry, One Challenge worked with a Christian association of coaches to provide a coach and coaching sessions for all participants. Although learning happens in many contexts on ministry fields, the 2021 OC Learning Conference represents the guiding principle of lifelong learning in a structured format.

A nation in Southeast Asia where One Challenge works has been hit hard with COVID-19. Peaks of “official” numbers climbed to 2,000 COVID-related deaths per day. Amid tragedy, the Lord is at work.

Many disciple making movements are growing with new believers.  One group went from 100 women in the process of becoming followers of Christ in March 2020, to now 658 women coming to the Lord! Salvation is the Lord’s. What a blessing to be part of this exciting work!

In 2020, OC partnered with 770 organizations. One of those, the Global Church Planting Network (GCPN), connects leaders of church planting movements around the world. They share notes and ideas on how to encourage the multiplication of churches in areas where there is no existing church. Many OC workers engage with this network regularly, most often to support and train national church leaders. In January 2020, OC mission worker Dick G. took on leadership for the GCPN. You too can join in the work of the GCPN through a Global Day of Prayer.