Founder’s Corner: A Word from Doug Combs

In my local church presentations of Advance, I will often say “If I don’t say church 50 times, I have failed!” I believe that the CHURCH is God’s plan for this age and the CHURCH is responsible for identifying, supporting, and sending of missionaries. (One little girl came up to me after a service and told me I said ‘church’ 51 times.)

The distinctives of Advance: there must be a national Sending Church, and the national churches must invest first in what is their ministry, their mission field, their missionary, and it starts with their money (Advance helps with what they lack).

The very first Advance partnership began with my contact with a man who I had known for several years but was unable to work with him because he had his own personal ministry separate from the local church. When I met him again in 2012, the first thing he said to me was “I have brought my ministry under the local church.” I think I shouted, “Paul, I can now work with you!” That partnership continues to this day, along with other partnerships within the same country (and six other countries).