Since its beginning in the early 1900s, the church’s work has been based on a vision of bringing individual people in connection with Jesus. In this way, a personal faith can be born in each person.

Based on Jesus’ Great Commission

Jesus’ Great Commission has formed the basis for our work in bringing the teaching of the Gospel to all nations. Large membership numbers have not been an end in themselves. From the beginning, Johan Oscar Smith spoke to people he met in his duties as naval officer, and in the course of time he found fellow believers all along the Norwegian coast. The same word continued to spread from Norway to other countries, starting with Northern Europe. After Smith’s death, others continued to travel and spread the Word, and the message reached several continents. Today there are churches throughout the whole of Europe, North and South America, Africa, Asia, Australia and New Zealand.

Meeting people where they are

The church’s profile has always been to spread the gospel from person to person, through natural encounters with people in their own lives and environments. To facilitate this, BCC has in recent decades provided financial and practical support for the construction of around a dozen conference centers on several continents. Donations for missionary work have been a regular and important part of the church’s fundraising efforts for many years. Among other things, fellow believers in many countries have contributed funds to build facilities and create opportunities to come together around the gospel, even in countries with low purchasing power. The missionary buildings BCC has contributed to have had different ownership and operating models over the years. For the most part they have been owned by separate non-profit organizations that have wholly or partly overlapping objectives with BCC but have since the establishment of the BCC Federation come under the ownership and oversight of BMS International.

Missionary work creates new possibilities in poorer parts of the world

Through projects in many different countries, people with a heart for mission have contributed to giving people in regions with low purchasing power a place to come together, and many jobs have been created. This form of indirect humanitarian work is in many ways “help for self-help.” We have also experienced that this is the best help both in the short and long term. Through Christian social entrepreneurship, active vocational training and new jobs have given motivated young people an opportunity to support themselves. The mission projects have therefore had many positive ripple effects, enabling resourceful, skilful and willing people to contribute positively to their own environment in otherwise poor regions.

All the work is based on Jesus’ Great Commission to make people disciples and to teach them to keep His Word.