Frequently Asked Questions

Because we believe God wants there to be local churches among unreached peoples. A local church is God's community in which people find ultimate fulfilment and spiritual destiny. It's the community through which he reveals himself to the world.

A unreached people group is an ethno-linguistic group of which less than two percent are evangelical. It has understanding and/or acceptance barriers (What is a people group?)

There are 3 key processes:

1. Share the stories of Jesus
2. Walk alongside those who are seeking him
3. Gather these seekers into communities of faith.

WEC believes that cross cultural ministry should be catalytic: our presence starts a reaction that leads to local movements of people into faith communities.

WEC has a ministry presence in more than 90 people groups in Africa, Europe, the Middle East, Asia, Central Asia, the South Pacific and Latin America. Some WEC Centres primarily facilitate the sending of cross-cultural workers from local churches, while others catalyse new churches among unreached people groups.

God has called WEC to plant churches among unreached people groups. WEC engages in some forms of aid and development, but only that which facilitates church planting.

WEC Australia's vision is "to see churches multiplying among people who have little or no opportunity to hear about Jesus".

We actively assist local churches to plant churches through the training and preparation of their cross-cultural workers, member care, logistical support structures and a media ministry, as needed. We also model church planting processes in Australia through a church planting project in Sydney.

Yes, there is a growing emphasis on teams throughout ministry in WEC. WEC Australia is structured into seven teams.

There are 2 sets of critera that you will need to meet to join WEC. Firstly you become an (EJ - Explorer on the journey) and then to do candidates orientation. For a detailed explanation of the process see be a church planter.

Criteria for you to become an EJer

• Home church leadership agrees to you embarking on the journey
• EJ interested in long-term (planning to be overseas longer than 18 months)
• At least 18 years of age
• Person & church leadership need to accept WEC's objectives and statement of faith
• Interested in being involved in cross-cultural church-planting (even if planning to be in a support role)

Criteria for beginning Candidate application process

• Have read whole Bible
• Fulfils Timothy & Titus re leadership, ie would church have them on their leadership team
• Vital spiritual walk
• Evangelism & discipleship experience
• Call tested by church in relevant ministry area

See our statement of faith.

WEC stands for 'Worldwide Evangelisation for Christ' and relects our desire to give the remaining unreached peoples an opportunity to respond to the gospel.

Testdrive is a hands on church planting experience in Australia. You will still be working with unreached peoples helping with evangelism, discipleship and gathering them into communities. You can do a testdrive as short as a weekend. It's a great way to get the feeling for WEC and church planting among the unreached.

Trek is the short term program where you can visit a field overseas that you're interested in. The orientation process is longer and the debrief process more involved to help you get the most out of your cross cultural experience. You can do an individual trek or get a group together.

Testdrive is held in Sydney with a team of church planters working primarily among muslims.

Overseas trek programs can be arranged  in Asia, Middle East, Africa and Europe.

There are five essentials:

1. You need to have a living relationship with God that is confirmed by your church leadership.
2. You need to be interested in exploring cross cultural church planting ministries with an openness to have God lead you back into such a minitry for a longer period.
3. You need to have a church that is willing to send you.
4. You need to be over 17.
5. If you are going for longer than six weeks, you will need to have medical and police checks.

1. First you need to get in touch with us by expressing your interest, making an application online or by speaking to a mobiliser (1300 788 566)
2. Discuss where you'd like to go and for how long
3. You'll then introduce your mobiliser to your sending church leadership
4. Fill in some forms possibly including a medical one
5. Participate in a short term orientation (if doing a trek)
6. Go on your short term church planting experience
7. Spend some time debriefing when you return (if doing a trek)
8. Within six months of returning join in a post-trek experience and another short debriefing

It means the local church is at the centre of training and sending people into cross-cultural church planting among unreached people groups. The local or sending church is the context in which cross-cultural church planters are nurtured and discipled, identified by church leadership, and thrust out by the Holy Spirit (Acts 13:1-4).

When a person or church approaches WEC about moving into a cross-cultural church planting ministry, WEC takes the lead from the church in the following three areas:

• confirmation of that the person's walk with God is vital and growing, and that the person's character (not necessarily gifting) is suitable for leadership in their church
• sensing that God is moving both the person and the church towards that particular missional vision
• consequent willingness to send the people through WEC and support them prayerfully, financially, emotionally and practically

If the church can affirm these three areas then the church, together with WEC, proceeds towards facilitating the person's ministry. If the church cannot affirm these three areas then WEC will not proceed with facilitating the person's ministry.

As stated above, the local church is the context in which God identifies people who are being sent by the Holy Spirit into cross-cultural church planting ministry. WEC's equipping and support for local churches has several elements:

• tools to help sending churches decide whether individuals are suited to cross-cultural church planting ministry.
• specialist training in cross-cultural church planting.
• partnership with sending churches in providing practical and pastoral support for church planters once they go overseas.

Each WEC area of ministry around the world operates autonomously, with decisions made by the people involved on the ground together with their field leadership. The sending church does not have a direct say but does have a level of influence corresponding to their level of engagement with the particular ministry. However final decisions are made by field.

As a movement of church planters, we identify with scriptures such as Ephesians 3:1-11 that speak about how the gospel has reconciled Jew and Gentile, bringing them together in a gathering. This gathering is testimony to the purposes of God accomplished in Christ and is central in God's mission. It is both the vision of the Great Commission and the means of fulfilling it. We are sent by our sending churches to plant new churches among unreached people groups through WEC.

At WEC Australia's national conference in 2004 Evelyn Hibbert, an international trainer for WEC, challenged delegates with the concept. The conference agreed to pursue the approach across all our training and sending ministries. Since then WEC Australia's teams have been working at implementing the concept.

WEC identifies six key ministry areas needed for the sending of cross-cultural church planters: training, member care, mobilisation, media, logistical support and leadership. Each of these areas are fulfilled through a combination of sending church and WEC resources. A church may include particular skills, for example, financial planners who can help their cross-cultural church planters. If not WEC can help meet that need through its network. Many sending churches are now choosing to draw up an agreement between themselves and WEC so as to ensure each understands their roles and all areas are covered.

Historically WEC Australia has had a significant ministry to the local church. However, WEC tended to follow certain patterns common among many para-church organisations. Instead of the local church being the context in which God trains, identifies and thrusts out workers, people would engage with a para-church organisation, such as a missions agency. The agency would then formulate a training, orientation and support raising program for the recruit. Many times the church would just be told of what is happening and asked to support the project.

Around 30 other Australian mission groups, along with WEC, identified with what has become known as the Croydon Declaration. It was a joint statement apologising to the church for certain patterns of behaviour that tended to leave the local church with less opportunity to fulfill its role in God's global purposes.

There are four main ways to give to a person.

1. Send a cheque payable to 'WEC International' (see address below) with a note designating who and what the money is for. Our Support Services Team will forward the money taking no charges deducted.
2. Via your credit card - either regularly or just a once-off gift. For further details please contact Support Services.
3. Via direct deposit into WEC International's account. For further details please contact Support Services.
4. Money can be given directly to the person either by cash, cheque or deposit into their personal account. However, each person's situation may be different depending on factors such as location and local banking facilitates. You will need to check with the recipient.

There is also the opportunity to give in kind, especially when people are on home assignment. They may need housing, a car, or holiday accommodation.
 

WEC does not make financial appeals. Our priority in serving is always to give. Therefore finance is not a dominant feature of any singular communication or ministry unless there is a relational context that allows the WECer to take the initiative in talking about finance.

No one in WEC receives a salary or wage from WEC. All people serving with WEC are volunteers, some full and others part time.

If you would like to arrange to leave WEC a gift as a part of your estate then please contact Support Services.

Gifts to WEC are not tax deductible. However, there are some avenues for particular situations that allow for tax deductibility. Please contact Support Services for more information.

No. All money given to our Australian personnel or projects goes to them.

No. But as a guide, before people go to a ministry area for the first time they need to have their plane tickets in hand, set up costs, several month's living expenses, and a good indication of continued support.

Each field determines a guide as to basic living and ministry costs within the country. On top of that each person decides if they would like to add components such as superannuation, home assignment travel, or insurances. The final level of support, then, is different for each person.

People serving in WEC who have low support are encouraged to seek the Lord in fellowship with their field leadership. If required the field will consult the wider leadership, including WEC Australia and their sending church/s to find solutions.

WEC the organisation does not have a large source of income and each person serving in WEC needs to see God, through his people or other means, provide both their personal and ministry needs. It does have some income through ministry activities, gifts, and bequests. Like all areas of WEC ministry, WEC Australia sees God provide for its role of facilitating Australians and their churches to plant churches among unreached people groups.

God directs our ministry, often challenging us to bold faith. Therefore, we do not let finance determine our ministry, rather God's hand on us as individuals and as a fellowship determines our ministry. Finances can be a part of the circumstances through which God guides us but they are never the only one.

For all procedural matters such as how to give, contact;
WEC International
Support Services
PO Box 201
Clayfield QLD 4011
07 3262 1577
support.services [at] wec [dot] com [dot] au

For policy matters, contact:
WEC International
Australian Leadership Team
48 Woodside Ave
Strathfield NSW 2135
02 9747 5577
alt [at] wec [dot] com [dot] au