Application for Candidacy – Part 1

“We are committed to pray, as Jesus commands his followers in Matthew 9:38 – ‘Ask the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest.’ Indeed, we are not primarily a missionary-sending organization. We are a praying ‘league’, a community of men and women who are committed to prayer as a key methodology for advancing the Gospel of Christ. Prayer is the working method of our mission.” ¶18

“We declare our passion for the evangelization of the world. We will share the gospel. And our sharing will involve more than our words. We propose sharing ‘ourselves’ – that is, our material goods, our money, our service, our very lives.” ¶20

“[T]he primary task of this mission [is] the conviction of sinners and their conversion to God….” ¶174e

“We undertake our mission as Lutherans. We proceed from a variety of Lutheran synodical backgrounds, in which we participate gladly.” ¶13a

“We undertake our mission as a community: lay and ordained, male and female, multi-generational and multi-ethnic. Our members are variously and wonderfully gifted for the task we share together. We appreciate their multi-textured gifts and work at encouraging one another in their exercise, for the cause of Jesus Christ.” ¶13b

“We believe that God has called all Christians everywhere to involvement in his mission in the world. Each one has a role to play. Through its Personnel and Regional Offices, the Prayer League seeks to help its members hear that call and to discover their place of maximum participation. ” ¶71

“We understand that [our] commitment exacts a cost – and we purpose to bear it, by the grace of God. We will ready ourselves for suffering. We will turn away from costly comforts, a larger income, material possessions, and places of personal privilege or honor. We will choose instead to embrace the way of poverty, loss, suffering, and humiliation – whatever it takes to bring the Gospel of Jesus to as many people as possible.” ¶17

“The Mission in each country with all its workers is committed to the principle of avoiding any kind of indebtedness.” ¶112

“Since God gives our resources in answer to prayer, we will not solicit human beings.” ¶19a

“The Mission firmly believes that the promises of God in the Scriptures and His faithfulness are sufficient grounds for obeying His call to missionary service, and for trusting Him to be with His own and supply all their needs.” ¶111

“The Mission’s financial policy believes and assumes that God is faithful, and may be counted upon to provide in every way… for the advancement of His Kingdom’s work around the world. The Mission, therefore, does not curtail or delimit its work on the basis of a formal budget, or pledged and calculated income. New workers are accepted, commissioned and sent without requiring that there first of all be money in sight to support them. No stated salary is pledged or promised to any workers wherever assigned. All workers in the Mission, whatever their location or position, share impartially in the distribution of living allowances made each month out of the general funds of the Mission.” ¶113

“We will remain prayerfully alert to the frontiers that surround us today, and the new frontiers that may beckon us tomorrow. We will apply our prayers and resources, in particular, along the frontier of the unreached – those peoples among whom an indigenous, missionizing, church-planting movement has yet to be established. We will apply ourselves further, as much as possible, along the frontier of limited access – unreached peoples among whom few missionaries are at work, or traditional missionaries cannot go.” ¶21a

“[W]hen obedient faith acts on the promises of God, there can be constant advance within the bounds of God’s will for worldwide missions.” ¶115

“[W]e understand our fellowship to be part of a much larger body – the Church of Jesus Christ around the world. Wherever possible, we will advocate interrelationship, interdependence, and creative partnership in the cause of the Gospel around the world.” ¶14

“As for ourselves and our work, we intend to be mobile. We pledge ourselves to expendability. We will not ensconce our persons or our organization permanently in any of our areas of work. We understand ourselves as scaffolding; but when a building is completed, the scaffolding must be removed. In all of our work, we will plan for our own dismantling, in order to help build up the church in another area.” ¶23