Cross International

Our Core Values

We want to value what God values.  We want to conform our heart and mind to the heart and mind of God.  Consequently, we humbly seek to be guided by the following core values in our ministry and to constantly seek the wisdom of God to improve our understanding and implementation of these principles.

1.  We seek to provide food, clothing, shelter, medical care, education, economic opportunities and other such blessings to the poorest of the poor.

We do this because it is the command of Christ and the constant word of the prophets.  In Matthew 25 Jesus welcomes into the kingdom of God those who fed the hungry and sheltered the homeless and condemns to punishment those who failed to.  John says that the love of God does not abide in those who do not help the needy (1 John 3:16-18).  James says that caring for the widow and orphan is the essence of true religion (James 1:27).  Isaiah prophesies that the true fast desired by God is feeding the hungry and caring for the homeless (Isaiah 58:6-7).  As John summarizes, “Anyone who does not love his brother whom he has seen, cannot love God, whom he has not seen.” (1 John 4:20)  We recognize that this obligation to help the poor applies not only to fellow Christians, to whom we have a special responsibility, but to all who are poor, even our enemies. (Luke 6:35)

2.  We seek to help the poor in Jesus’ name and for the glory of God.

In all that we do we seek to acknowledge and honor Jesus Christ, calling attention, not to ourselves, but to Jesus.  We want to be explicit about our identity as a Christ-centered ministry whenever possible.  We seek to obey Jesus’ words, “Let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven.” (Matthew 5:16) 

3.  We seek to give priority to those efforts which empower the local church and Christian ministries which help the poor and which are also dedicated to the furtherance of the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

We seek to do this because it will produce the greatest long-term benefit to the poor.  We recognize that the local church is the church of the poor with the best understanding of the needs of the poor.  This approach will also strengthen the leadership of the local church and Christian ministries and so build up the body of Christ.  We also recognize our special duty to help those of the “household of the faith.” (Galatians 6:10)  Further, we recognize that strengthening the local church’s ability to serve the poor gives credibility to the preaching of the Gospel and so contributes to the mission of bringing all to the saving knowledge of Christ.

4.  We seek to give priority to those churches and ministries which employ a community-oriented strategy in helping the poor and which increase the self-sufficiency of the poor.

We employ this strategy out of a desire to provide the greatest good to those we help, recognizing that such an approach also shows respect for the dignity of the poor and promotes more effective solutions to the causes of poverty.  Further, such a strategy fosters greater cooperation among churches in helping the poor.

5.  We seek to foster an exchange between the churches of the Developing World and the churches of the First World and demonstrate respect for the vision of the churches and ministries with which we work.

We recognize our common bond with the church of the poor as children of God and members of the body of Christ.  We seek to educate Christians of the First World about the needs of the poor and the consistent teaching of Scripture that all are commanded to help the poor.  We recognize that God has made the poor rich in faith and heirs of the kingdom of God (James 2:5) and that the materially rich church of the U.S. should benefit from the faith and witness of the church of the poor.  We recognize that Christians of the First World can be changed and spiritually renewed by serving the poor and engaging the church of the poor.  We recognize that we should show no partiality in relating to the poor but in humility should count them as better than ourselves (Philippians 2:3). In all our dealings with the poor we should convey an attitude of respect and equality.

6.  We seek to maintain a high standard of excellence in our work, not sacrificing the quality of our work for the sake of quantity.  And we seek to operate with integrity and honesty in respect to our donors and co-laborers.

We are committed to keeping our administrative costs below 15% of our expenses and maintaining high standards of accountability and ethics.  We recognize that our witness to the Lord is undermined if we do not treat one another, our donors, our vendors, and other persons or organizations with honesty and respect.  We recognize that how we conduct our ministry is just as important as what we accomplish because in all that we do or say, whether among the poor or among ourselves, we should do all for the glory of God.