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2018

Annual Impact Report

Equipping Leaders, Establishing Churches and Engaging in Holistic Ministry.

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The Change We Make

Equipping
Leaders

Our goal is bold. To make relevant theological education, practical training, and spiritual formation accessible to every ministry leader in every nation!

Establishing
Churches

We help local church planters start new churches that proclaim Christ as Lord and pour themselves out in loving service for their communities.

Engaging in
Holistic Ministry

We partner with the Church to share the love of Christ with children-at-risk, victims of human trafficking, and families stuck in cycles of poverty and injustice.

From the President

I love the book of Psalms. The Psalmists look back to praise God for the wondrous things He has done. And they look forward and dream of what He will do. We do the same in this Annual Impact Report.

Like the Psalmists, we give thanks to the Lord for what he has done in 2018. We praise Him for leaders trained, churches planted, and mercy shown to the poor in Jesus’ name!

Like the Psalmists, we also dream of what God will do in 2019 and beyond. God is helping us envision:

  • Making training accessible to some of the 2.2 million church leaders globally who have no formal theological education.
  • Mobilizing and training hundreds of non-North American missionaries.
  • Establishing missional communities that equip leaders while they serve the poor and those far from God.

Finally, like the Psalmists, we express our dependence upon God. “Some trust in chariots and some in horses, but we trust in the name of the Lord our God” (Psalm 20:7). We know that apart from Christ we can do nothing.

We also are dependent upon God’s people. We know He works through men and women that love Him and want his Kingdom to come. Thank you for your generous, cheerful giving that enables us to serve among the nations.

I invite you to rejoice and be glad with us as you read this Annual Impact Report of God’s working among the nations through United World Mission.

Read the Full Message
Dr. John Bernard
President,
United World Mission

2018 Year-in-Review

United World Mission took a huge step forward in 2018 through a merger with a ministry called Overseas Council. Through Overseas Council, we are now partnering with 130 seminaries and training centers in over 70 nations to equip leaders for Christ’s church and mission.

The growth of the Church worldwide has created a tremendous leadership gap. 90% of churches in the world are led by men and women who have little or no formal ministry training.

We envision a world where relevant theological education, spiritual formation, and practical training are accessible to the 90% of God’s servants as they plant and pastor churches in all nations!

The global Church needs few things more urgently than its own highly trained leaders. The Overseas Council merger enables us to address this great need—from the grassroots to the classroom.

We’re excited to present the following 2018 ministry results…

59,026

people served through holistic ministries by partners with our help

18,544

leaders equipped for ministry by our global partners with our help

8,525

people developed through spiritual formation

7,802

leaders directly equipped for ministry by
United World Mission

761

new churches planted

640

global partners

2019 Strategic Goals

1

Mobilize 75 new United World Mission missionaries from the U.S. for global ministry.

2

Mobilize and train 50 leaders from Latin America, Asia and the Middle East for global cross-cultural ministry.

3

Establish missional communities for equipping leaders in Bangkok, Thailand and Edinburgh, Scotland.

4

Build a coalition of U.S. churches and partners in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) to establish churches in strategic locations in MENA.

5

Engage a global consultation for United World Mission and Overseas Council trainers to identify and develop synergies in formal and non-formal training.

Stories

 
         

EQUIPPING LEADERS

Nepal: Breakthrough in High Places

The Good News of Jesus Christ permeates even the highest and furthest of places.
              
 
         

Equipping Leaders

Partnership for Kingdom Impact: From Charlotte to the Middle East

Read The Story
    

Equipping Leaders

From Tragedy to Triumph

Read The Story
    

Establishing Churches

Transformational Church Planting in the United Kingdom

Read The Story
    

Engaging in Holistic Ministry

Fleeing Persecution and Proclaiming Christ

Read The Story
                
 
         

EQUIPPING LEADERS

Cuba: Equipping a New Generation of Leaders

The small island nation, closed to most of the world, has been transformed through the multiplication of Kingdom leaders.
              
 
         

Engaging in Holistic Ministry

Bringing Physical and Spiritual Light in Central Asia

Read The Story
    

Equipping Leaders

Spiritual Formation through Missional Communities

Read The Story
                

Overseas Council

Your partnership with Overseas Council in 2018 has resulted in amazing fruit. God has given us the privilege to impact the growth and health of the Church in places where few others have influence.

In Vietnam, we’re partnering with the Hanoi Bible College, the only seminary in northern Vietnam with legal right to exist. In 2018, HBC graduated their first class of 40 graduates with bachelor’s degrees, ready to serve the growing congregations of the Evangelical Church of Vietnam (North).

In Algeria, we helped to give birth to the Christian Institute of Algeria, the only post-secondary training program for the Protestant Church of Algeria. We are helping this school to serve this growing (but pressured) Church in North Africa.

In Cuba, two dozen Cuban faculty members graduated this year from an innovative master’s program in the area of family therapy—done in a way that directly equips local churches and impacts their communities. This is the third cohort of faculty members from evangelical Cuban seminaries that have earned their masters in Cuba.

In China, despite new pressures on the Church, our Regional Director works closely with several dozen unregistered ministry training schools which are shaping leaders for one of the fastest growing Christian populations in the world.

In Ukraine, we continue to focus on training the next generation of faculty members for evangelical seminaries in the Ukraine. Last year our work resulted in the very first Doctorates in Theology awarded in the history of the country. We have the privilege of shaping a generation of “trainers of trainers” for the Ukrainian Church through this unique program.

Our Institutes for Excellence around the world equipped nearly 200 faculty and leaders from 64 schools for providing greater access to ministry training through online training. Seminaries look to Overseas Council to help them innovate to provide training for those outside the reach of traditional, residential programs.

By God’s grace and through your financial support, we served over 100 seminary partners in 70 countries in 2018, schools that shape leaders who are the foundation for the health and growth of the Church in their countries. Thank you for partnering with us!

Read the Full Message
Dr. Scott Cunningham
Executive Director,
Overseas Council

From the COO/CFO

I vividly remember growing up in a family of missionaries in Baroda, India. My parents moved from South India, where the Church is relatively strong, to go and serve an area in North India that had less than 0.5% Christians.

They left their family, church and everything they knew to go to a place with a different culture, climate, cuisine and customs. They raised 6 children and eventually pastored a church without any steady income. They were living by faith every day in every area of life.

I remember times when my parents struggled to pay the tuition for our schooling. On one occasion, my sister’s tuition had been overdue for 6 months and she was at risk of expulsion. My dad was called to the principal’s office, and he knew the reason. He took a few minutes to pray to the Lord and left for the school. To his surprise, the principal informed him that an anonymous donor had paid my sister’s tuition bill in full! But even more, they paid in advance for the following school year! To this day we have no idea who came through on our behalf. This was one among the many stories of God’s provision and care that we experienced as a missionary family. We saw Jehovah Jireh, our provider, in action over and over again.

I joined United World Mission 3 years ago after 22 years in corporate America, working primarily on Wall Street with marquee financial services organizations. Wall Street had its allures, but these last 3 years with United World Mission have been the best of my professional career because I am part of a great organization that lives out its mission on a consistent basis and is involved in ministry that leads to eternal returns.

Today I have the privilege of being part of a vast missionary family that is comprised of over 400 members spread across 50 countries. I still get to hear wonderful stories of God’s provision and care, now in the lives of our missionary families and partners. The same Jehovah Jireh that my parents serve is still working on behalf of His people. I am overwhelmed by the impact our missionaries and partners are having around the world.

At United World Mission, we highly value financial integrity and live it out on a daily basis. We have effective processes and policies in place to ensure that we are good stewards of all that the Lord provides. The financial highlights of the 2017-18 fiscal year are outlined below. Join us in celebrating all that God has accomplished through your support.

We sincerely thank you for your partnership and support, and are excited about what God has in store for us in the future. The best is yet to come!

Read the Full Message
Denny Mathews
COO/CFO,
United World Mission

Financial Summary

Dollars in Millions

Download Audit

Assets

Dollars in Millions
Cash
$4.2
Investments
$6.3
Prepaid Expenses
$0.5
Land, Building & Equipment
$1.6
$12.6

Liabilities

Dollars in Millions
Liabilities
$0.4
Net Assets - Unrestricted
$5.2
Net Assets - Restricted
$7.0
$12.6

Contributions/Revenue

Dollars in Millions
Individuals
$12.9
Churches
$5.6
Training
$0.5
Foundations
$0.3
Other
$0.2
$19.5

Expenses

Dollars in Millions
Evangelism/Church Planting
$6.5
Education Ministry
$2.9
Leadership Development
$2.3
Home Ministry
$1.0
Church Mobilization
$1.5
Holistic Ministry
$1.5
Management & Development
$1.9
Fundraising
$0.7
Missionary Support Raising
$1.5
$19.8

United World Mission Board of Directors

Norie Roeder,
Board Chair

Systems Test Engineer, Northrop Grumman

Eddie Scott,
Board Vice-Chair

Partner, Hancock Askew & Co, LLP

Dr. John Bernard

President & CEO,
United World Mission

William Blocker

President & CEO, College of Biblical Studies, Houston, TX
Annemarie Dye

Missionary Field Representative

Dr. Robert Ferris

Retired

Thomas Gabe

CEO, Heritage Petroleum LLC

Simone Keith

Videographer/Editor,
NC State University
Norm Miller

Chairman, Interstate Batteries

Todd Rankin

CEO & Managing Member, Provident Investment Company, LLC

Daniel Solito

Senior Vice President, Mitel Networks Corporation

Jack Voelkel

Retired

Tim Whitener

Retired

Thank you!

“Oh give thanks to the Lord, call upon His name; make known His deeds among the peoples. Sing to Him, sing praises to Him; speak of all His wonders. Glory in His holy name; let the heart of those who seek the Lord be glad. Seek the Lord and His strength. Seek His face continually. Remember His wonders which He has done, His marvels, and the judgements uttered by His mouth.”
— PSALM 105: 1-5

This Psalm is the heart and soul of United World Mission. This Psalm is our prayer and hope for our missionaries, leaders, board members, partners and financial supporters. This Psalm is our prayer and hope for those who have not yet heard the Gospel. Our vision is to see a flourishing church, led by well equipped leaders, in every city and neighborhood of the world, praying this Psalm in unison!

Going Deeper with United World Mission

This year, will you prayerfully consider the following ways to deepen your relationship with the mission of United World Mission:

Pray

Become a prayer partner! Partners in Prayer (PIP) is a monthly prayer guide for our missionaries and partners.

Go

Are you interested in becoming a missionary? Click below to speak to one of United World Mission’s coaches.

Talk to a coach

Give

Impact God’s kingdom by becoming a monthly financial giver to support the work God is doing through United World Mission. Would you prayerfully consider giving $25, $50, or $100 per month?

Give Today
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