The History of WorldVenture
borrowed from the WorldVenture webite
World War II was raging, but there in Chicago, on Monday, May 24, 1943 at 1:43 in the afternoon, about 50 Baptist pastors and other concerned people gathered at the Central YMCA auditorium, 19 South LaSalle Street in Chicago. And they prayed. On through the afternoon they discussed their concerns and they prayed.
At that time, just as the world was engulfed in war, churches were in conflict over the historic beliefs of the Christian faith. As some churches turned toward theological "liberalism," questioning the essential beliefs of Christianity, others sought to "conserve" the truth of the Bible.
These "conservatives" were not comfortable in churches that questioned the authority of Scripture or the deity of Christ. They questioned the propriety of sending missionaries through agencies that did not share such basic Christian beliefs. These conservatives established churches, schools, publishing companies, and missionary organizations, which are still thriving today. They are still proclaiming the truth of the Scriptures and the self-sacrificing love of God.
It was in this historical context, wrestling with these questions of faith, that those 50 concerned Christian leaders met that May afternoon in 1943 to discuss their options, and to pray.
There, on their knees in prayer, they took a step of faith. The Conservative Baptist Foreign Mission Society was born, incorporated seven months later, to assist churches in sending, funding, and caring for missionaries. In time, the organization came to be known as CBInternational, and now, WorldVenture.
The first 10 years, ending in 1953, became known as the Ten Miracle Years. Beginning with no personnel, no fields and no funds, the organization grew to 300 missionaries on four continents.
After six decades of ministry, hundreds of thousands of people all over the world have come into the family of God - a result of the faith of those early 50 who prayed. Thousands of churches have been planted and church leaders equipped. Many around the world have been touched by our acts of compassion.
Today, with more than 500 missionaries in more than 60 areas of the world, WorldVenture is still expanding the harvest, taking the love of God to the nations. It is our vision to see people of all nations transformed by Jesus Christ through partnership with his church.
The WorldVenture Doctrinal Statement borrowed from the WorldVenture webite:
We believe that the Bible is God's Word, that it was written by men divinely and uniquely inspired, that it is absolutely trustworthy and has supreme authority in all matters of faith and conduct.
We believe in God the Father, Creator of heaven and earth, perfect in holiness, infinite in wisdom, measureless in power. We rejoice that he concerns himself mercifully in the affairs of men, that he hears and answers prayer, and that he saves from sin and death all who come to him through Jesus Christ.
We believe in Jesus Christ, God's only begotten Son, conceived of the Holy Spirit, born of the Virgin Mary, sinless in his life, making atonement for the sin of the world by his death on the cross. We believe in his bodily resurrection, ascension into heaven, his high priestly intercession for his people, and his personal, visible return to the world according to his promise.
We believe that all men by nature and by choice are sinners, but that "For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life" (John 3:16, NIV). We believe, therefore, that those who accept Christ as their Lord and Savior will rejoice forever in God's presence and those who refuse to accept Christ as Lord and Savior will be forever separated from God.
We believe in the Holy Spirit, who came forth from God to convince the world of sin, of righteousness, and judgment, and to regenerate, sanctify, and comfort those who believe in Jesus Christ.
We believe in the Church - a living spiritual body of which Christ is the Head and of which all regenerated people are members. We believe that a visible church is a company of believers in Jesus Christ, buried with him in baptism and associated for worship, work and fellowship. We believe that to these visible churches were committed for observance "till he comes" the ordinances of baptism and the Lord's Supper, and that God has laid upon these churches the task of persuading a lost world to accept Jesus Christ as Savior and to enthrone him as Lord and Master. We believe that human betterment and social improvement are essential products of the gospel.
We believe that every human being is responsible to God alone in all matters of faith.
We believe that each church is independent and autonomous, and must be free from interference by any ecclesiastical or political authority; that, therefore, Church and State must be kept separate as having different functions, each fulfilling its duties free from the dictation or patronage of the other.
