Founding principles

Here’s a hard truth: Great Christian institutions rarely last. That’s not an absolute rule, but the exceptions are few enough to prove the point.

That’s not to say God doesn’t use Christian institutions—big or small—for His kingdom. In fact, He often works through the vision He gives to an individual to build a ministry or business.

But how many Christian institutions remain true to that founding vision beyond the lifetime of their founders? Not many.

Some fall apart even under the direction of the founder, when pride begins to drive the work instead of God’s call. In a very few instances, an institution may suffer through years of decline, then be restored to its founding vision. That never happens by accident, and it almost never happens at all.

Even when an institution does outlive its founder, few remain vibrant beyond the second or third generation. Those that endure are rare blessings, and valuable indeed.

Theologically, this pattern should surprise no one. Every person, including those mightily used by God, is still affected by human depravity. It even seems plausible that success in ministry can feed it, as nothing contributes to pride like a little acclaim. Another reason is the way our fallen world resists mankind’s dominion—simply put, building, growing, and sustaining an effective organization is hard.

Christian institutions tend to decline in one of two ways: They either drift so far from their founding principles that they become unrecognizable, or they cling so rigidly to a narrow interpretation of those principles that they become mere caricatures of themselves.

Joel writes letters in his office in 2019.

At WORLD, this isn’t just theory—it’s a conversation we have often. The institution that grew out of the vision God gave to Joel Belz has never been big, but God has used WORLD to do important things in a small part of His kingdom. And here we are, officially beyond the lifetime of our founder, desiring with all our hearts to continue the mission effectively into the second and third generations, and beyond.

How are we seeking to do that? The work started long ago, decades ago, when Joel recognized this pattern and took deliberate steps to make WORLD an exception. The plan had several key elements, but it began with a board of directors who fully embraced WORLD’s mission and were committed to carrying it forward. Then, Joel brought in staff who were similarly motivated. Internally, Joel preached the mission frequently and fervently, even after leaving his day-to-day leadership role. And when he did retire, he stuck around the organization for the next nearly 20 years, helping in every way he could. As I’ve said before, Joel had every opportunity to make WORLD about himself—but he never did.

But those are all things Joel did. Those plans helped us avoid many of the pitfalls that knock other institutions off course, but this still is only the second generation for WORLD, and we hope to remain true to our founding vision for many more generations.

So we plan, and we return, again and again, to the principles Joel instilled at WORLD: God will be glorified. God is sovereign. God is good. He works all things according to His will. His glory shines in creation and in the works of human hands and minds. It all belongs to Him. Our task? To tell that story.