Summary Report: Crisis Relief Task Force

Dear AD2-Announce Reader:

As the AD2000 & Beyond Movement moves towards its final closure date of early 2001, all of the movement's Tracks / Resource Networks and Task Forces have been requested to provide an overview summary of their specific realm of experience over the 5 - 10 years of their operational existence. These reports have been prepared for compilation of a "lasting record" of this movement and for all to see, as they are interested!

Please see the attached revised report on the Crisis Relief Task Force. Please be encouraged by this good report! The Lord has greatly used this Task Force over the past five years and with the cooperation of many worldwide. Great appreciation and praises to God for the many involved!

These reports will all be included along with other historical reports and data of the AD2000 & Beyond Movement, including the AD2000 website, and much more on a CD-ROM being produced for distribution at Celebrate Messiah 2000. Further distribution of this CD-ROM will also be made after the conference. Please email [email protected] if you<> are interested in purchasing one of these CD-ROMs.

NOTE: Celebrate Messiah 2000 will be held in Jerusalem and Bethlehem 27 December 2000 - 2 January 2001. Registration invitation is still open to those so interested. Please contact Lauri Dennis, Registrar, at [email protected] for more information.<>

The AD2000 International Office will be closing early in 2001. Click here for more information.

Thank you for your interest in the AD2000 & Beyond Movement and its spiritual and catalytic outworkings into the 21st century. Please continue to pray for the movement until our closing day! Thank you!

That all may hear!

Luis Bush
International Director
AD2000 & Beyond Movement

JUNE 2000 - 5 YEAR REPORT
AD2000 CRISIS RELIEF TASK FORCE

I. OVERVIEW HISTORY OF INVOLVEMENT

The AD2000 Relief and Development Task Force was formed in fall of 1995. This occurred after World Vision, Tear Fund, etc. did not accept the invitation to functionally coordinate the Task Force whose purpose is evangelization, discipling and church planting in the 10/40 Window. After consensus with Luis Bush and the Task Force international leaders in attendance at the Launch, they chose to limit the Task Force to Crisis Relief and omit development.

Attending "The Launch" in November 1995 were representatives from S. Korea, Malaysia and India. Prior to the Launch, survey sheets on synergistic partnership for evangelism and church planting were distributed to approximately 60 Christian Response and Development organizations, with minimal response. The Task Force's first formal responsibility was a power-point presentation at "The Launch" in Colorado Springs November '95. After the Launch, survey sheets of future involvement to attendees and their respective constituencies were circulated and most were not returned. Seeking greater involvement in the Christian R & D community, the Task Force reached out to numerous Christian Relief and Development Organizations at their Annual 1996 meeting in Scottsdale, Arizona. There seemed to be minimal link-up with the goals of AD2000 and Beyond and that of the Joshua Project. Thus, after phone calls, numerous follow-up letters, asking for assistance and advice, any potential partnering was not readily apparent. Henceforth, the Task Force used its time, money and energy to focus on training personnel and deployment of teams from their bases in the Pacific Rim and the USA.

II. & III. GOALS ACCOMPLISHED & HOW GOD USED TASK FORCE

Eternally transformed lives during and after crises After and during the dispensing of food, clothing and aid through medical clinics, thousands of people were prayed for, hundreds accepted Jesus Christ as Savior, more than 30 new Muslim converts were discipled. Many people were added to existing churches, and 1 new, known church plant occurred.
Spiritual fruit from trauma counseling Thousands of emotionally traumatized and displaced victims from war and earthquake zones underwent trauma counseling and ministry.
Trained 700+ for mobilization
Seven significant ministry deployments
Media projects to increase awareness for Crisis Evangelism among "restricted access peoples":
1. Printed Media; Radio; TV; Audio/Video Tapes; Conference Presentations

IV. LESSONS LEARNED (OUR OBSERVATIONS)

"We were with child, we writhed in pain, but we gave birth to wind. We have not brought salvation to the earth; we have not given birth to people of the world."
Isa. 26:18 NIV

Many of the long-established Christian Relief and Development Organizations are well-meaning, but many lack the vision and spiritual training to be competent ministers of reconciliation. (II Cor. 5:18-20; Matt. 28:18, 2 Tim. 2:2)
Most major Christian Response and Development organizations do not seem to have overt evangelism (i.e. clear presentation of Gospel, much less discipleship) as their highest priority. Many acknowledge that an open witness and a proclamation jeopardize their presence in the country. Further many times their funding from secular or government sources preclude witnessing verbally or with literature. Many Christian Relief and Development organizations give or partner with others to provide medical care, physical relief, food, shelter, and good drinking water, but the majority neglect giving Living Water, the one and only gift that gives eternal life! The excuse is often that other organizations will evangelize. However, from our experience in over 47 nations this usually does not occur! The problem remains however, that the victims will experience the greatest disaster in the universe: going to hell; because we lack the courage to share the Gospel message.
There is no more opportune time to ".preach the gospel to the poor, heal the brokenhearted, proclaim liberty to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind, set at liberty those who are oppressed" than during crises in countries hostile or 'closed' to the gospel. Frequently we are too busy focusing on the physical needs thus neglecting spiritual needs and thereby withhold the hope, comfort, peace, divine healing and miracles of Jesus.
The Gospel means "Good News" to those who are perishing but the words of Jesus and demands for Lordship and discipleship cause offense to many. We acknowledge that there is a right and a wrong time to proclaim the Gospel. If people are starving you do not just preach or give out a gospel tract; you feed them and take care of them as Jesus admonishes in the story of the Good Samaritan. We feel that a majority of Relief and Development Organizations lack a solid conviction or commitment to the words of Jesus to Nicodemus that "you must be born again or you cannot enter the Kingdom of Heaven" as stated in John Chapter 3. Not sharing on the field occurs because of "fear of man" and fear of losing funding base. Many acknowledge the words of Jesus with mental assent but ignore in reality that there is absolutely NO other way to be saved, except calling on the name of Jesus. "How then shall they call upon Him in whom they have not believed? And how shall they believe in Him whom they have not heard? And how shall they hear without a preacher? And how shall they preach unless they are sent: Just as it is written: 'How timely are the feet of those who bring glad tidings of good things!'" as proclaimed in Romans 10:14-15.
Greater accountability and honesty is needed among leaders in Christian R & D's regarding the bottom line of mission dollars and manpower spent for the Great Commission 's mandate (Mark 16: 15-20 and Matthew 28: 18-20). The Apostle Paul wrote, "Therefor I declare to you today that I am innocent of the blood of all men. For I have not hesitated to proclaim to you the whole will of God." (Acts 20: 25, 26; Ezekiel 3: 18-21 NIV)
Christian Response and Development workers seem to have clung to Mt. 10:42 to justify their actions, "If anyone gives a cup of cold water to one of these little ones because he is my disciple; I tell you the truth, he (R & D workers) will not lose his reward,". This scripture has been taken out of context: Jesus had just chosen His twelve disciples (apostles) and He was sending them out to preach the Gospel. Thus the Gospel message goes hand in hand with serving "cups of water".

V. WHAT WOULD WE DO DIFFERENTLY?

We do not know what we would do differently for AD2000 Crisis Relief Task Force with the current money, manpower, and platform of credibility and exposure, other than the recommendation listed in section VI.
Regarding deployments and quickly discipling believers, we must start discipling much more expeditiously with a specialty team the first week we are at the scene, i.e. victims quickly migrated back home, plus police forced us to leave the camps after only 3 weeks!
In one country we did not have enough language-specific discipling materials brought with supplies. In the future we will correct this approach.
We would request that local national church leaders who have asked us to respond to crises in their own nations, suspend their routine programs for a season in order to give priority to assisting disaster response teams. This would allow for a more effectual response in these "Kairos" opportunities and would certainly strengthen the possibilities for evangelism and long-term church planting among those stricken by calamity.
We need to aggressively seek more finances for deployments.
We should develop greater networking with pastors who could embrace this vision, financially, with intercession and released manpower.

VI. RECOMMENDATIONS FOR FUTURE WORK BEYOND AD2000

The following first four points are practical; the remainder are principles to be implemented by those in leadership in the Christian Relief and Development Community.

INCREASE NUMBER OF RAPID RESPONSE CRISIS EVANGELISM TEAMS TO 10/40:
1. Reach restricted assess people in great need and vulnerability with God's love and salvation. Create integrated spiritual/natural training avenues, administrative logistic infrastructures and sufficient financial bases to accomplish successful outreach.
2. Send disaster church planting specialists who have Apostolic/Prophetic giftings (ref. Dr. C. Peter Wagner) on first & subsequent waves of man power. We strongly encourage pastors, the visionary head of church networks and para-church (servant) ministry heads to initially come with us, or people we have trained, to those victims of tragedies in the 10/40 Window. Once this occurs, they in turn will mobilize their own members to be trained and resources to be procured locally. Strategic level intercessors from their organizations will need to be trained for deployment as well so that a prayer cover will be adequate for their teams and the people they are aiding. This will allow the visionary head of the organization to have his(her) own 30-40 member Rapid Response Team for local, regional and international response moving quickly at the Holy Spirit's prompting.
3. Before deployment all responders should have completed integrated training (i.e. competency in evangelism, spiritual warfare concepts, discerning curses within a people group - the possible causes of the disaster, etc).
VITAL SPIRITUAL PRINCIPLES FOR NEW MOVEMENT LEADERS:
1. Stress the salvations of souls and discipleship not just quantities of food, blankets, medicines distributed as the primary focus of initiatives, outreaches, consultations, procedures/protocols and conferences
2. Lead with the "fear of God" more than the "fear of man" - (at times sacrificing man's acceptance, funding, popularity and soulish unity).
3. Do exhaustive study in scripture of Jesus and the Gospel message bringing offense, persecution, risk, and division; followed by signs and wonders, deliverances, healings, conversions and disciples!
4. Seek to maintain the sizzling presence of God's fire, then instill passion and perseverance for rescuing souls.
5. Massively mobilize compassionate, courageous pastors to go, see and touch the destitute millions of the Window: then God can break their hearts, reprioritize their values, etc.
6. Determine that Christian R & D work is not finished until "all have heard."
7. Assess the number of laborers in the field with incomplete "spiritual skills sets". Facilitate their retraining for more efficacious eternal yield.

Respectfully submitted,
Crisis Relief Task Force Leadership

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