Our Statement of Faith
Community
Missions' Statement of Faith as a Christian Organization
In 1925, when CMI was founded, the sole mission of the agency was to win souls for Christ and attend to the needs of the homeless. When CMI chose to expand its ministry into areas that went beyond its original mandate to serve the poor and preach the Gospel through deeds and words, it evolved from an evangelistic organization that solely and deliberately sought the religious conversion of those whom used its services.
While we remain an organization whose worldview and moral vision is specifically Christian, we choose to focus on a ministry of actions that emulate the compassion of Christ and the blending of that compassion with other faiths. Christ's concern was the touching, healing, and blessing of people where they were in their lives; it was not dependent upon who they were or what their religious affiliation or faith/doctrine was about.
Our chosen role in terms of religion and faith is to express our belief that everyone benefits from spiritual growth. We will provide resources, programs, and community linkages that will enhance spiritual growth and wholeness in the faith/spiritual tradition of an individual's choice and support them as they seek to grow in that tradition.
- As an agency, we maintain our own conviction of the truth of the Christian message for ourselves.
- As an agency called to provide holistic compassionate services to all who seek them, we do not proselytize.
- As an agency, we do not force those who have no spiritual or religious convictions or affiliations to develop them.
CMI believes and engages in ecumenical dialogue and cooperation. We acknowledge that there will sometimes be specific areas where our biblical interpretations and theological positions may differ or even be at odds with other Christian organizations. In all such instances CMI will listen and attempt to understand such differences and acknowledge the right of others to have different beliefs. The premise for interaction with those of different understandings will always be to seek the common ground of cooperation, and provide compassionate tangible support for the poor, marginalized and oppressed. CMI takes the same approach with interfaith dialogue and cooperation.
CMI acknowledges there may be instances where some differences can not be reconciled and some gaps can not be bridged. In such instances, CMI will, with sorrow, respectfully disengage from those cooperative efforts and respect the right of others to do the same. However, our door will remain open to the possibility of future efforts of cooperation.
Therefore, CMI is a Christian organization that believes in an approach to individual wellness and health that is holistic and includes physical, spiritual, emotional, psychological, economic, and social dimensions. We offer our services to all who seek them without regard to religion, age, physical disability, race, gender, sexual orientation, or economic status.
Adopted on September 25, 2007
CMI Board of Directors
By The Numbers...
In 2023, Community Missions provided:
• 12,108 nights of shelter
• 153,023 meals
• 2,780 individuals with clothing
• 3,562 care days in Youth Services
• 43,388 care days in Recovery Services
• 72,302 care days in Housing Services
• 467 reflections & resources for Faith Development