Our strategic mandate is to

• promote and resource the Bible translation movement

• care for those involved

• bless the Body of Christ

Our whole focus and all our activities have their origin in any or all of these three primary strategies.

• We believe the Bible, the inspired Word of God, is completely trustworthy, speaking with supreme authority in all matters of belief and practice.

• We believe in one God, who exists eternally in three persons, the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit

• We believe all people, being created in the image of God, have intrinsic value, but as a result of sin are alienated from God and each other, and therefore in need of reconciliation.

• We believe that Jesus Christ, the Son of God, born of the virgin Mary, is fully God and fully human; He demonstrated God’s love for sinners by suffering the penalty of death in their place, rose bodily from the dead and ascended to heaven where He intercedes for His people.

• We believe all who repent and trust in Jesus Christ alone as Lord and Saviour are, by the grace of God, declared to be right with Him, receiving forgiveness and eternal life.

• We believe the Lord Jesus Christ will return personally in glory, raise the dead, and judge the world.

• We believe all people will rise from the dead, those who are in Christ to enjoy eternal life with God, and those who are lost to suffer eternal separation from Him.

• We believe in the Holy Spirit who imparts new life to those who believe in Christ; through His indwelling presence and transforming power He gives assurance and equips believers for holy living and effective service.

• We believe the Church is the body of Christ, the fellowship of all believers, and is commissioned to make disciples of all nations.

Our core values are absolutely crucial to us because they talk about the way we behave. The following statements are the behavioural characteristics that distinguish us as Wycliffe Bible Translators New Zealand.

We shall

• promote the fundamental right to have the Bible in one’s mother tongue. We see this as foundational for the growth of disciples. We believe that the Bible is full of living power and by hearing it in their own language, people can understand it better. We also believe in the importance of literacy and other media to unlock the Word of God.

• live as disciples of the Lord Jesus Christ, learning and growing in Him and encouraging others to do the same. We are people committed to living our lives as disciples of Jesus Christ, and following His command to love the Lord our God with all our heart, soul, mind and strength and to love our neighbours as ourselves. We take seriously Christ’s command to make disciples.

• through prayer and in faith, look to God. We are dependent on God in all our endeavours. We recognise that it is not by our own strength but by God’s Spirit that His will is done.

• seek to be agents of change through God’s enabling. We see the Bible as the primary instrument for effecting change in people and the world.

• prioritise the urgency of God’s mission. There are 2,078 language groups which are expected to need a Bible translation where no project has yet been started. We want to see that need met now (see Vision 2025).

• partner with and serve the Body of Christ and others in a spirit of humility and interdependence.