- CMS is an evangelical society in that it was established by evangelicals, and continues to seek members among evangelicals. They, in turn, seek to pursue a gospel-centred obedience to our Lord Jesus Christ and to express that obedience by doing all in their power to bring that gospel to those who do not know Christ and have not heard his name.
- As a voluntary society, CMS is made up of enthusiasts for the gospel. Through its constitution, CMS is accountable to its members who elect a Board to oversee its affairs.
- As a lay society, CMS is not a church within a church. It is a facilitator, enabling the Church to send missionaries to serve God in other places.
- CMS is a church society in the sense that it was set up and continues to function in order to facilitate the Church to obey the Great Commission.
There are currently 192 missionaries serving in 35 countries with CMS-Australia around the world. The financial support of CMS comes entirely from individuals and churches who choose to give - the Society commits to distribute these funds to missionaries to cover all basic expenses, such as a living allowance, medical and educational expenses and travel; as well as other support related expenses such as pastoral care, housing, language learning and administration.
Since its beginning, over 200 years ago, CMS has followed five principles. They are:
- Follow God's leading.
- Put money in second place, not first.
- Begin in a small way.
- Under God, all will depend on the type of people sent out.
- Look for success only from the Spirit of God.
These principles are also very applicable to the life of a local church like Christ the King.
It is my hope that we will continue to grow as a missionary church, involved in our mission here in Perth and involved in the missionary work of the church in other places as well.
Dale