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As ACOP sends Global Workers to evangelize and make disiciples around the world, we strive to establish indigenous churches and church movements. The growing global ACOP family of churches and ministries are interconnected through relationship and history and seek to have an ongoing ministerial relationship without imposing on each indigenous church movement within each country. In turn, these indigenous church movements multiply among themselves and into other people groups. Indigenous churches are defined as:
- Self-governing
Locally led & governed local churches / national organizations, independent from outside direction and control regarding leadership, policy, and guidelines (Titus 1:5). - Self-propagating
The spread of the gospel and church work/church planting and church multiplication is independent from any outside direction, initiative, effort or leadership (Acts 9:31, Acts 13:1-4). - Self-supporting
Economic or financial independence from outside finances & resources for regular church leadership, buildings, projects, pastors, missionaries, church ministries & outreaches and overall church overseers/directors (Galatians 6:6, 1 Timothy 5:3). - Self-missionizing
Missions strategies, sending missionaries and taking of the gospel to other cultures and language groups independent of organizational structures, finances and direction from the outside (Acts 13:1-4). - Self-theologizing
Theology, doctrine & interpretation of scripture is developed from thorough study of God’s word and sound biblical exegeses by the local church and its leaders, independent of imposed theology from the outside (Acts 17:10-12, 2 Timothy 2:15).
