The Missions of EBT
EBT's Missionary Policy
Empire Baptist Temple's missionary outreach is comprised of dedicated missionary families who are members of EBT and supported by a host of faithful churches of like faith and practice.
Our philosophy of missions is to train and send God-called men and women to spiritually needy areas to evangelize the lost, baptize and establish the converts into Baptist churches, and train nationals for the work of the ministry as pastors and faithful church folk. We believe that our missionaries hold the Biblical apostolic office without any of the first century gifts. We believe they are to be faithful tithing members of EBT under the supervision and direction of its pastor.
We believe that indigenous mission work is establishing Baptist churches in spiritually needy areas. We hold the position that God gave his churches the authority, ability, and responsibility of evangelism and church planting. We also hold that all true work of God must be of faith. EBT's world mission's outreach depends entirely upon God for leadership, finances, and Divine power.
Monies sent to EBT's missionaries go directly and fully to the missionary. EBT manages, by volunteer service, the missionary's finances, letters and any foreign and domestic business that may pertain to them.
EBT's Partnership Policy
Churches plant churches. Thus EBT partners with like-minded churches as they send forth laborers into that church's church-planting ministry. EBT holds that the great-commission was given to each church - not to individuals. Thus EBT supports churches as the overseer of their missionaries as ambassadors representing their sending church. EBT counts it a great honor to encourage these missionaries in their life's work done under the authority of their local church. We hold the missionary is responsible solely to his pastor and sending church. In the case where a missionary's status has changed (ie - moves membership; no longer representing their church's mission; under discipline; etc) mission support from EBT will, in most cases, cease.
EBT holds that the biblical manner of independent New Testament Church ministry which it pursues at home should be duplicated in churches established on the foreign soils. This includes: Spirit-filled Bible preaching; faithful laboring, and the establishing of autonomous, independent, New Testament Baptist churches. The missionaries supported by Empire Baptist Temple are to believe and practice the indigenous method of establishing self-supporting and self-extending churches.
EBT holds that the missionary should be duly called by his church, financed through his church, and fully responsible to and only to his church. We further hold that missionaries should have an ever-extending ministry of planting congregations and that their calling does not necessarily bind them to a specific city or territorial region. We believe that the missionary vision for a foreign field is to reach unbelievers, baptize the converts, disciple the believers, then in most cases commit to faithful men the responsibilities of the congregation and thereafter continue the training of the pastors.