Tearfund:
Mission,
Beliefs,
Values
Purpose and Mission Statement
The purpose of Tearfund is to serve Jesus Christ by enabling those who share
evanglical Christian beliefs to bring good news to the poor..
Proclaiming and demonstrating the gospel for the whole person through support of Christian
relief and development..
Working through a worldwide network of evangelical Christian Partners.
Encouraging partnership in prayer and support from Christians in Britain and Ireland.
Seeking at all times to be obedient to biblical teaching.
Statement of Faith
Tearfund is an evangelical Christian organisation called to reflect the biblical unity of
faith and life, of history and eternity, and of the proclamation and demonstration of the
gospel.
1. As disciples of the Lord Jesus Christ we bear witness to the one living God, revealed
through the Bible as the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. God’s plan for the universe
is to bring about, through Jesus Christ, a transformed creation wholly governed by God,
from which all evil and suffering will be banished and in which God will live with
redeemed humanity for ever. The presence and hope of the kingdom of God shape and
motivate our mission through evangelism, compassionate service, active pursuit of
justice and peace, and care for creation.
2. We bear witness to the following truths of the historic Christian faith as the pillars of
our world-view, the motivation for our mission and the foundation for our commitment:
The Bible as the Word of God.
The Bible tells the universal story of creation, fall, redemption and new creation, and thereby
shapes our worldview. We receive it as the word of God spoken through human authors and
believe it to be true and trustworthy in all it affirms. We depend upon it as the revelation of
God’s identity, character, purposes and actions and submit to it as supremely and uniquely
authoritative for our belief and behaviour.
God as Creator.
The universe is the good creation of the one living God and reveals God’s existence, power and
glory. Human beings are created in the image of God, male and female, in order to love, worship
and obey God, to relate to one another in love, justice and compassion, and to care for creation.
Human sin.
Humans have sinned by rebelling against God, rejecting God’s authority and disobeying God’s
word and so are alienated from God, one another and the created order. Sin deserves God’s
judgment and leads to eternal separation from God. The effects of sin and the power of evil
have permeated the fabric of cultural, economic, social, political and religious life, causing
poverty and damaging the creation.
Human worth.
Though distorted by sin, the image of God remains the basis of the uniqueness, dignity, sanctity
and equality of all persons without distinction. God loves and cares for all people in their cultural
and ethnic diversity and has reached out in grace to save them through Jesus Christ.
Jesus Christ as Lord and Saviour.
Jesus of Nazareth is the Son of God, the Messiah uniquely appointed by God to bring the
blessing of salvation to the world. God took our human nature in Jesus Christ, who taught and
modelled the new life of the kingdom of God to which he calls his disciples. In his death on the
cross he took upon himself the sin of the world, bearing its full cost and penalty so that we are
put right with God through his grace by faith in Christ alone. On the cross Jesus also entered
into our suffering, defeated the powers of evil and accomplished the reconciliation of all creation.
In his bodily resurrection he defeated death and became the forerunner of redeemed humanity.
Through his ascension he is exalted as reigning Lord, and at his return he will execute God’s
judgment, destroy Satan, evil and death, and establish the universal reign of God.
God the Holy Spirit.
The Bible testifies to the Holy Spirit’s activity both in creation and history, empowering action for
liberation and justice. The Holy Spirit convicts of sin and judgment, leads to faith and
repentance and unites believers to Christ, making real in them what Jesus has accomplished.
Through Christ, God’s Spirit is poured out on all believers enabling them to live in unity and to
bear the fruit of holiness, Christ-likeness and practical obedience. The Spirit gives gifts and
power to proclaim and demonstrate the gospel, discern truth, pray effectively and prevail over
the forces of darkness.
The church and God’s mission.
The church stands in continuity with God’s people in the Old Testament, called through
Abraham to be a light to the nations, shaped and taught through the law and the prophets to be
a community of holiness, compassion and justice, and redeemed through the cross and
resurrection of Jesus Christ. The church exists to worship and glorify God for all eternity and is
commissioned by Christ and empowered by the Holy Spirit to participate in the transforming
mission of God within history.
3. God commands us to love him with all our heart and soul and strength and to love our
neighbours as ourselves. Therefore we commit ourselves through the transforming
power of the Holy Spirit and in joyful obedience:
•
to live as the community of reconciled sinners in unity, humility and sacrificial
Christian love;
•
to make known to all nations the gospel of God’s grace through his forgiveness in
Christ, calling people to faith, repentance and discipleship;
•
to demonstrate the values and the power of the kingdom of God, participating
through suffering in Christ’s triumph over evil;
•
to serve the needy with compassion, pursue justice and peace, and care for God’s
creation.
Values Statement
Christ-centred
We live to follow Christ. Our roots go down deep in him: his Spirit
energises us, his word steers us, his presence steadies us. We love him;
and will look to him, listen for him, depend on him in everything.
Compassionate We care passionately for those the world ignores. We follow Christ
into the company of those in poverty - wherever we find them. Who ever
they are we are irrevocably changed by the people we meet; we respond
to their suffering. In all we do and how we live we connect our choices to
them, pursuing whatever will have the most transforming effect in their
lives.
Truthful
We are uncompromising in seeking and speaking truth. We seek to
be transparent in every interaction, in every relationship, in our
stewardship. Where we see injustice, we name it. We will not shrink from
conflict, nor from resolving it. We live life in all fullness, even in adversity.
Courageous
We have the courage to act on our convictions. The need is urgent
and fast-changing; our bias is to action. What we have glimpsed of the
kingdom compels us to fight injustice and to live simply and sustainably.
We listen for the Spirit’s lead, and we respond: we trust others, we take
risks, we try things out, we learn as we go.
Servants
We lay down our lives in service to others. Jesus came not to be
served but to serve: we imitate him. We listen to those we seek to serve;
our instinct is to empower. We look for and celebrate God’s gifting and
calling of others. Our leaders aspire to be servants - restless to release
their staff to do all they can at the front-line.
Tearfund’s Operating Principles
Preamble
The Operating Principles complete a series of four documents that describe Tearfund’s
work:
The Purpose and Mission Statement describes Tearfund’s central task of bringing good
news to the poor.
The Basis of Faith defines our core evanglical beliefs such as our belief in the Trinity, the
inspiration of Scripture and justification by faith.
The Values Statment outlines those things that are important to us as we carry out our
work such as our commitments to the Bible, the whole person and justice.
The Operating Principles describe how we aspire to carry out our mission. They show
what our mission and theology look like when expressed as practical service with the poor.
We believe that these documents together descirbe what we exist to do – Integral Mission.
In writing these documents we have tried to be faithful to the Bible and to honour both
Christian tradition and development practice. We remain open to continuing discussion
and learning.
Integral Mission
The causes of poverty and marginalisation are complex, but we believe they stem from broken
relationships. The goal of Integral Mission is restored relationships with the Creator, with others
in community and with the environment.∗ The world God made was good, but human rebellion
has led to exclusion, mistrust, greed and injustice. Jesus Christ came in the fulfilment of the
promise of God to restore good relationships between God, his people and creation. Through
the incarnation, death and resurrection of Christ, people are saved from God’s condemnation.
They become part of God’s new community and experience the peace and justice of his coming
rule. God has a special concern for the poor and powerless. Because God’s intention is
reconciliation and community he has a special concern for those who are marginalised and
excluded.
The peace and justice of God’s kingdom are recognisable now through the power of the Holy
Spirit, but will only be fully realised when Christ returns in glory. In the power of the Holy Spirit
we are called to play our part in bringing reconciliation to our disordered world. Tearfund’s
focus is on the economically poor and powerless, but our concern is to see restored
relationships in all their fulness, not just economic well-being.
Integral Mission is distinctive because of our commitment to reconciling people to God.
However, in the Bible, reconciliation with God cannot be separated from reconciliation with
others. Our responsibility to God is expressed through our response to others. This is the wellspring of Integral Mission.
There are two priorities in Integral Mission:
• the priority of relationships
Reconciliation means that a desire for good relationships is woven into all our activities. We are
not isolated individuals, but persons in relationships designed to live interdependently in
communities and in the wider world. Therefore a constant question for us is, how does what we
are doing affect relationships? One expression of this priority of relationships is our
commitment to working in partnership and co-operation with others.
• the priority of the future
In the future God will establish a new heaven and a new earth. We serve God now in the light
of this hope. We want rich and poor to have the hope of a home in this new creation where
there is no more death, mourning, crying or pain and where God is present with his people.
Therefore reconciliation with God through submission to Jesus Christ is the greatest need of the
poor, as with all people. We are therefore committed to the proclamation of the gospel. And we
challenge people to prioritise the future through commitment in the present to the gospel and
the poor, so that they invest in ‘treasure in heaven’ rather than ‘treasure on earth’.
The Characteristics of Integral Mission
• compassion
Christian development must reflect the sacrificial love and compassion of Christ. Reconciliation
is born out of love - love for God and compassion for those in need. We should always treat
those with whom we work with love and respect without distinction as people made in God’s
image. Although we work through Christian partners, all our work is directed to those in need
regardless of their religious beliefs.
• justice
Reconciliation requires social justice because poverty often arises from an unjust exercise of
power. We are therefore committed to advocacy - speaking up on behalf of the powerless and
enabling the poor to speak up for themselves. Advocacy and empowerment may lead to
conflict. In these circumstances our ultimate aim remains restored relationships.
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The Bible’s word for restored relationships with God, others in community and creation is
‘shalom’. ‘Shalom’ is the goal of Christian development.
• character
We believe that the character and godliness of the person who undertakes Integral Mission is
crucially important. Our desire is to be like Christ, ‘God with us’, reflecting his commitment to
people, his inclusion of all and his willingness to proclaim the truth of God without compromise.
We need to be ready to change through our interaction with the poor. We want to be poor in
spirit, grieved by sin and its effects, and meek towards others. We want to commit ourselves to
righteousness and justice, to show mercy, to be pure in heart and to be peacemakers.
• cultural sensitivity
Cultural diversity is an expression of God’s goodness. The resources and knowledge of every
community are to be valued. We recognise the danger of imposing our cultural values on
others.
• cultural transformation
We also believe that no culture is without fault. The gospel challenges and transforms all
cultures, including our own.
• accountability
Good relationships require mutual accountability, trust and transparency. Corruption and selfindulgence have no place in Integral Mission. There needs to be monitoring and evaluation for
effective work and learning. We are accountable to God to steward the resources of creation for
the good of all people.
• leadership
Good leadership and management are important for effective work. Our model is Christ who
came not to be served, but to serve. Leaders need humility before God and a commitment to
the needs of others above their own.
• empowerment for service
Empowerment enables people to make choices, to have a voice and become agents of change.
The hopelessness and powerlessness of poverty demean the dignity which God has given
people and denies them the opportunity to work and serve others. Because our goal is restored
relationships, we believe empowerment must be driven by a commitment to serving others.
• participation
Participation involves people taking part in decisions and actions that affect their lives.
It recognises people’s dignity and is one of the key ways by which people become empowered.
God’s love extends to all people and Jesus offered friendship to the excluded. We want to
include the marginalised and excluded such as women, children, older people and people with
disabilities, valuing their contributions.
• sustainability
Sustainability is a continuing process of positive personal and community change, not simply
financial independence or the endurance of the physical products of development.
Reconciliation to God facilitates sustainable change, breaking the power of harmful traditions,
setting us free for service and creating an openness to further change. Sustainable Integral
Mission requires sustainable Christian communities.
• integration
Integral Mission addresses the different needs of a community. This requires co-operation
within the community and linkages with other groups, both those who are Christians and those
who are not.
The Context of Integral Mission
• prayer
In all that we do we are totally dependent on God. There is a spiritual reality to development
which a secular worldview often ignores. We are engaged in a spiritual conflict. Therefore
prayer is essential for Christian development. The only way to keep going and see significant
change is through the gracious power and presence of the Holy Spirit.
• church and partnership
God has called the church to be a reconciled community. We define the church as communities
of people who follow Jesus Christ linked together as part of the worldwide people of God. We
do not equate the church with denominations, structures, institutions or hierarchies.
Denominations and parachurch organisations have a role, but we believe they must serve local
Christian communities where these exist or have a vision for indigenous local churches where
they do not currently exist. The church is central to God’s saving purpose. It is the community
in which God lives by his Spirit.
We are, therefore, committed to working in partnership with evangelical churches, enabling
them to fulfil their ministry to the poor - whether through financial giving or practical service.
Partnership expresses the solidarity of Christians reconciled through Christ and builds up local
churches. Partnership involves commitment, risk, mutual learning, openness and respect.
The New Testament gives little explicit teaching on either evangelistic or developmental
methods. Instead it calls upon the church to be a caring, inclusive and distinctive community of
reconciliation reaching out in love to the world. When we see the church in this way there is no
opposition between evangelism and social action.