Our Values

When ministering in the Ethiopian context students should embody the missionary spirit of flexibility and humility to meet the needs of any given situation. These are the core values that A&DE embraces and strives to live out. We ask that you embrace them during your time here, and we hope that by the end of your time with us, they will be your values as well.

1. The Word of God. We value Scripture because that is where we learn who God is, who we are, and how to worship him and serve others rightly. Our beliefs, thoughts, attitudes, and actions must all be informed and corrected by the Word.

2. Right Worship. Everything a believer does ought to be an act of worship to our great God. We die to ourselves as a living sacrifice to God. Our bodies, our minds, and our hearts must be aligned and oriented toward God—that is true worship.

3. Prayer Works. Prayer must not become simply what we do before we go out and minister. Prayer is Kingdom work and it is effective. As Christians we must make prayer the highest priority.

4. Evangelism. The lost are all around us and, 2,000 years later, the laborers are still few. The Great Commission begins with evangelism and moves onto discipleship. Christians must always be looking for gospel opportunities and be ready to give a reason for the hope within us.

5. Discipleship. The main command Christ gave was not to win the lost, but to disciple the entire world. That means teaching them to obey Christ in all things. Christians must dig in for the long-haul because that’s a life-long process.

6. Local Church. The Church—that’s us—is God’s primary means to evangelize and disciple the nations. Saints are called to submit to the elders because they are caring for our souls. This is the place Christians are fed, cared for, and equipped for the work of ministry. Then we serve the church with the various gifts Christ distributed. The local Church is responsible to carry out Christ’s mission on earth, so we must hold it in high esteem.

7. Unity. One of the central messages of Christ was unity. A unified force is stronger and more effective than scattered individuals. So, functioning as a loving, committed team is an eloquent testimony of who we are following.

8. Godly Relationships. The entire Christian life is about relationships—missions is no exception. Believers are in eternal covenant with our Lord and his Bride. But we also interact with our family, teammates, leaders, coworkers, other missionaries, local believers, and people in the community. In humility, Christians are commanded to consider others better than ourselves, so that all our relationships reflect our love for God.

9. Language & Cultural Acquisition. It is critical to our witness and the proclamation of the gospel that we learn the language and culture of the host people group. Not only for ease of communication and living, but also in order to speak God’s truth in such a way that it lands in the way we intend and doesn’t bring unnecessary offense.

10. Life-Long Learning. To be a Christ follower is to be a student of the Word since that’s where we learn about him. Learning is built in. Yes, all of us have something to teach and share, otherwise our work would be in vain, but we also have much to learn. None of us are experts and we will never fully master the language and culture, so we should always be learning. Approaching as a learner earns respect to be heard and sets us up as better to share what we know.

11. Simpler Lifestyle. Living like an Ethiopian, while noble, is truly impossible. You are not Ethiopian and you never can be. But as ministers of the gospel, we must not live like the wealthy Westerners we are. Striving to live on a minimal amount of possessions to do our work successfully, yet acknowledging that God blesses and gives comforts to his children, frees us from the bondage of material things and removes unnecessary hindrances to the gospel and barriers between us and Ethiopians.

12. Foundations for Life. A&DE cannot provide all the training one needs for their lifetime. Rather, we attempt to model a lifestyle of learning for a lifetime. So, our students are set to continue their journey of spiritual, emotional, mental, and relational growth long after classes let out.