CRM envisions movements of fresh, authentic churches, pioneered by godly leaders, fired by a passion for their world, compelled to multiply their lives and ministry — so that the name of God is renowned among the nations.


I will not venture to speak of anything except what Christ has accomplished through me in leading the Gentiles to obey God by what I have said and done—by the power of signs and miracles, through the power of the Spirit. So from Jerusalem all the way around to Illyricum, I have fully proclaimed the gospel of Christ. It has always been my ambition to preach the gospel where Christ was not known. . .

Rom 15:17-20


Of all the followers of Jesus, Paul is the greatest missionary. He was chosen by Christ on the Damascus road to take the gospel to the Gentiles. His life and letters dominate the second half of the New Testament.

What did mission look like for Paul? Here is an outline of the goals of Paul’s missionary work (See Eckhard Schnabel, Paul the Missionary).

1. Paul was called to preach the message of Jesus Christ.
As a pioneer missionary he focuses his preaching on Jesus Christ and him crucified (I Cor 2:2). Paul was called to preach especially to the Gentiles. Yet he also preached to Jews (Rom 1:14).

2. Paul’s goal to reach as many people as possible.
His geographical travels describe an upper half circle from Jerusalem via Syria, Asia Minor, Europe and Rome to Spain (Rom 15:19-24).

3. Paul seeks to lead individual people to believe in the one true God and in Jesus Christ, the Messiah, Savior and Lord.
For Jews this meant they needed to acknowledge Jesus, the crucified preacher from Nazareth as Messiah and that his death is God’s answer to the problem of human sin—problem that neither the covenant with Abraham or the Mosaic law could solve—and that God vindicated Jesus by raising him from the dead.

For Gentiles this meant they must turn from their pagan gods to the God of Israel—the one true living God. They must believe in Jesus who rescues sinners from the wrath of God and accept the atoning significance of Jesus’ death on the cross. They must have their lives shaped by the Jewish scriptures and by Jesus’ and the apostles’ teaching as they wait for Jesus’ return (1 Thess 1:9-10; 1 Cor 1:18-2:5).

4. Paul established new churches.
He founded communities of followers of Jesus Christ—both Jews and Gentiles, men and women, free and slaves—and teaches the new believers the Word of God, the teachings of Jesus, the significance of the gospel for everyday living (Col 1:25-29).

Paul insisted on the evaluation of the teaching in local churches based on the truth of the gospel (Gal 1:6-9) and based on apostolic teaching (1 Cor 15:1-5), an evaluation that on occasion means the rejection of false teaching.

5. Paul fueled a missionary movement
Paul was the leader of a mobile missionary band supported by a wide circle of individuals and churches (Rom 16). He sought to quickly bring the churches he planted into sufficient maturity that they could partner with him as he moved on to new fields (Rom 15:24; Phil 4:10-19).

Eight years earlier, a small group of men and women highly committed to world evangelization had founded CRM US. They were convinced of the central role of the local church in God’s plan to reach the world for Christ.

All had broad experience in personal discipleship – primarily gained through involvement with the Navigators – and all had a deep love for the local church.

All of CRM’s early staff believed that the local church was the “sleeping giant of world evangelization.”

CRM’s leadership realized at the organization’s inception that the Spirit of God is moving in unprecedented fashion in numerous areas around the world. Deeply committed to the “ta ethne” of which the Great Commission speaks, CRM believes that the task to which God has called this ministry will not be fulfilled until there is a viable evangelical church, serious about and committed to the biblical mandate of world evangelization, in every people group in the world.

Today, staff serve in major metropolitan areas throughout North and South America, Europe, Africa, Asia, and Australia.

Embedded in CRM is a deep-seated spirituality and biblical passion for the supernatural hand of God to sovereignly work to bless and multiply His Church around the globe. No expertise or training for ministry replaces the Lordship of Christ exercised by the power of the Holy Spirit.