Langham Vision & Mission

OUR VISION is to see churches equipped for mission and growing to maturity in Christ through the ministry of pastors and leaders who believe, teach and live by the Word of God.

OUR MISSION is to strengthen the ministry of the Word of God through:

1.  Nurturing national movements for training in biblical preaching;

2.  Multiplying the creation and distribution of evangelical literature; and

3.  Strengthening the theological training of pastors and leaders by qualified evangelical teachers.

Langham Convictions

The ministries of the Langham Partnership are all based on a set of core convictions, clearly articulated by John Stott and summarised below, which he calls the “Langham Logic.”

1.  God wants his church to grow up to maturity.

2.  The people of God grow through the Word of God.

3.  The Word of God comes to people mainly (not exclusively) through biblical preaching.

Langham Values

Langham Partnership is above all committed to exalt the name and glory of the Lord Jesus Christ, to promote the gospel of his grace and to foster the mission of his church. Specifically, we are committed to the following core values:

PRAYER: we believe that the ministries of Langham Partnership are biblically mandated in their goal of teaching, training and equipping God’s people through God’s Word. We are confident, therefore, that they will be intrinsically effective and fruitful when they are carried out in dependence on God and in the power of God’s Spirit. Accordingly, we affirm the vital place of prayer in all that we do, as we seek God’s guidance, wisdom, power, protection and blessing, in the name of Jesus Christ and for his glory.

THE BIBLE: we affirm the supreme authority of the Bible and are convinced of its centrality for church growth, health and maturity. We endorse the call of The Cape Town Commitment: ‘Theological educators must re-centre the study of the Bible as the core discipline in Christian theology, integrating and permeating all other fields of study and application. Above all, theological education must serve to equip pastor-teachers for their prime responsibility of preaching and teaching the Bible.’ (IIF.4.d)

PREACHING: we believe in the continuing importance of biblical preaching, on the grounds that God reforms and renews, sustains and nourishes his church through the life-giving Word of God, as it is preached with textual faithfulness and contextual relevance.

TEACHING: the Bible in both Testaments insists that the people of God need teaching and teachers. The seminary is a key institution in the church through its training of pastors. We also affirm the importance of non-formal means of teaching and learning. We strongly emphasize the need to train those who will in turn teach and train others. We also affirm the strategic value of Christian literature in nurturing such biblical preaching, teaching and learning.

THE CHURCH: although Langham Partnership is a para-church agency, our primary objective is to foster the growth and mission of the church, not to promote our own ministries.

PARTNERSHIP: we seek to relate and listen to churches and Christian organizations in any country where Langham operates and to work alongside them, seeking to understand and facilitate the vision and mission that God has given them. Programs and projects will be undertaken only at the invitation of local and national church leaders, in consultation with them, and wherever possible under local leadership.

SERVANTHOOD: we seek to be servants of God and of God’s people, and we reject actions, policies or communications that betray pride or paternalism. We pray that humility will shape all our relationships, and that modesty and gratitude will characterize our response to whatever success God grants to our efforts.

MUTUALITY: we recognize that God has given gifts to all his people throughout the world and we long to facilitate a greater mutual sharing of God’s blessings, spiritual and material, in all directions. While some parts of the worldwide church are at present entrusted with greater material resources than others, we strive to avoid the dangers of dependency or donor manipulation. We long to see a true biblical equality of resources and capacities throughout the worldwide body of Christ, such that Langham would no longer be needed except as a global fellowship.

 

INTEGRITY: we insist on honesty, accountability and transparency in all our dealings, and seek to foster all of these in our internal and external communication, and in all our operations and partnerships.

EXCELLENCE: while recognizing that we constantly fall short of God’s standards, we believe that God is worthy of the best we can offer. Accordingly we aim at the highest standards of excellence, spiritually, professionally, and academically.

HOLINESS: we are committed to personal and spiritual growth, among ourselves and in all those who are impacted by our ministries. Our aim is to model at all levels of our organization, and in all our ministry activities, biblical discipleship, godliness and Christ-likeness.