China Declaration

Occasionally over the next few weeks, I plan to share some of the developments from the YWAM Global Leadership Team meeting in Nanning, China, held in August.

We’ll talk about Project 4K (a global strategic framework to coordinate YWAM’s efforts in world evangelization), YWAM Affiliates (a potentially large category of enterprises linked to YWAM but not part of the core Family of Ministries) and our YWAM Values. However, I’m sure most of this will be of interest for our non-YWAM readers too.

This week, I’m simply posting the China Declaration affirmed and signed by GLT participants as a response to various emphases emerging during the gathering. Some of the following spells out the implications of Loren’s message on spiritual eldership, the subject of the Weekly Word of two weeks ago, and what it means to belong to the YWAM Family of Ministries.

Gathered under Almighty God in this great land of China we purpose to renew our commitment to the Lordship of Jesus to fulfil his call to YWAM to all nations and peoples of the world.

We call unto his Holy Spirit, through whom we can do all things for a renewed apostolic anointing.

We reaffirm our commitment to the words of the Lord that we call our Values, as well as his vision for YWAM of evangelism, training and mercy ministries.

We resolve with the Lord to follow him into the vision of Project 4K as our next challenge as a mission, and deeply desire his blessings for a new surge of apostolic pioneering.

We agree with his word to us to encourage the newest to the oldest YWAMers to seek to know and obey his voice in the freedom of the Spirit, and to release them into the fullness of the promises of God.

We joyfully submit our personal ministries and the corporate ministries we lead to the spiritual eldership of the GLT and the appropriate elderships at all levels under the GLT.

We choose afresh to be transparent and open in our relationships with each other, and to give fresh emphasis in our mission to God¬πs Word as our compass and plumbline for daily living.

We renew our commitment to our responsibilities as elders to serve and encourage those under our care with love, as loving servants, respecting their dignity and value as his children, and giving godly coaching for them to be released to fulfil the fresh new words from the Lord.

We commit to serve our leaders by submitting major leadership appointments, new visions or changes of directions, policies and practices in the ministries we lead, supporting and encouraging a spiritual environment of trust, unity, love and peace within YWAM, that we may enjoy the complete fellowship God intends for us within our YWAM relationships.

Therefore, we declare to God this day to be available at all times and in all places to His call and purpose in this 21st century, to be all that we can be and do all that we can do to fulfil His Great Commission here and everywhere.

“Let the words of our mouth and the meditation of our hearts be acceptable in thy sight, Oh Lord.”
Psalm 19:14

Signed this day 30 August 2002, Nanning, China

Till next week,

Jeff Fountain