Why we exist

Hope in View began in response to the AIDS epidemic in Africa and elsewhere. We mainly focused on working through the Church because Jesus gave it the mandate to care for "the least of these," and in fact it is one of the strongest institutions in many countries.

What we have found was that not many churches were involved in this effort. They often did not see AIDS--or other social issues--as part of their mission. More significantly, by their own admission many churches were not effectively discipling their members in terms of their own lifestyles, let alone in terms of reaching out to neighbors in need. Unless churches were more thoroughly envisioned, equipped, and supported, they would continue to fall short--both in making disciples and in impacting AIDS and other social problems.

We have therefore come to focus on church strengthening. We are helping churches implement small interactive discipleship groups, bridge-building evangelism, community development, income generation, and financial stewardship. We are working to change worldviews and break dependency on Western subsidies. We are trying to show how all of these efforts flow from an understanding of the kingdom of God.

We believe that once churches begin to grasp and live out this kind of wholistic Gospel, their people will be motivated and empowered to affect their whole country in many ways, including HIV/AIDS.

For more on our perspectives and approaches, see Regarding Ethiopia's Economic and Social Problems and Regarding Ethiopia's Church Development. See also an excellent article by Tim Cantrell, "Launching Church Strengthening Movements in Africa," Evangelical Missions Quarterly, Oct. 2006.