Faithful Witness

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Faithful Witness is a new strategic initiative designed to help take the gospel to communities where there is no Christian witness, or very little Christian witness.

WHAT ARE THE KEY DISTINCTIVES OF FAITHFUL WITNESS?

1. An intentional plan to reach communities where there is no church, few or no Christians and no active Christian witness. At present, most workers and most money goes to places where there is already Christian witness. 2. A funding model which allows workers to be supported through matched funding.

Any worker on a Faithful Witness team can receive matched funding for a limited time of up to five years. Each case will be treated individually, and no worker will receive more than two thirds of their budget. 3. The funding model addresses the problem of workers being unable to go because they cannot raise support, yet unable to raise support because they have not gone. Every

Faithful Witness worker will have a home assignment within five years, so they can share stories with their church and other potential supporters. After five years, and sooner if possible, the worker is expected to be fully self-funded. 4. The teams will be multi-cultural, multiethnic and multi-skilled. We want at least two workers on each team to come from the country in which they are serving. We want no more than two ‘units’ from any one country. 5. Apart from funding, all Faithful Witness workers will be treated as any other SIM worker. They will go through the same selection, orientation and training processes.

WHERE ARE THE FAITHFUL WITNESS LOCATIONS?

1. Chad: Small teams will be sent to Chad, in partnership with other organisations. They will focus on those who have no church in their own language. 2. Mali: The Hassaniya people are open to receiving workers who will live among them and learn language and culture. There are four known believers among them. 3. Ayutthaya, Thailand: The city is 40 miles north of Bangkok. The team will focus on sports, community health education, and

English language learning ministries. Future locations are being identified, and we welcome suggestions. Please email Michelle Krewson at global.faithfulwitness@sim.org with suggestions or to ask further questions.