Joni and Friends/ Joni Eareckson Tada

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Prior MinistryWatch.com Shining Light ‘Top 30’ Exemplary Ministry. Previously listed from 2005 - 2007.

MinistryWatch.com desires to see overall giving to Biblical Christian values increase and as such we developed this format to highlight those ministries which are exemplary. The list is a sampling of the “best ministries” and outstanding examples when we consider Philippians 4:8 and weigh and take account of those ministries that are excellent and worthy of praise.

These ministries are called ‘Shining Lights’ because they are indeed models of letting their Christian light shine before men so that the Gospel may be proclaimed and God be glorified. Consequently, we are shining a figurative light on them so that donors may be aware of their good works and other ministries may learn from their examples.

While identifying the best ministries is challenging given the selfless work that so many do for the cause of Christ, MinistryWatch.com believes that the list of 30 excellent ministries will be helpful to many. Each of the ministries has the following important features in common:

• Legitimate nonprofit ministry and purpose.
• Have shown a willingness to treat donors fairly via a Transparency Grade of “A”.
• Are unashamed of being identified as an evangelical Christian ministry.
• MinistryWatch.com researchers knows of no significant issues that would be of concern to donors.

A high MinistryWatch.com Financial Efficiency Rating was not a requirement for inclusion on this list although most do have good ratings. Many factors were reviewed and strengths in other areas can offset weakness in financial efficiency when determining whether a ministry should be of interest to donors seeking to be good stewards of their giving. Only you can decide for yourself with confidence if a ministry shares your values and with your giving plan.

This is just another step in our mission of encouraging Christians to give more of their talents and resources to Kingdom-building efforts. In short, we wish to help spread the Gospel of Christ by helping Christians give more and more effectively to the works of the Lord. If the Lord uses our list as part of that process, we will have been a blessing to both those ministries who have been ‘good and faithful servants’ with the Lord’s resources and to Christian donors who are seeking to be good stewards of their giving.
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MinistryWatch.com’s Take
February 2005
By J. Andrew Preslar

A Special Ability

The life story of Joni Eareckson Tada is, for many Christians, a familiar one. At the age of 17, she suffered a diving accident which rendered her a quadriplegic. During a two-year period of rehabilitation, Joni learned to paint with a brush between her teeth. Since that time, Mrs. Tada has become a best-selling author, a highly sought after conference speaker, a leading advocate for persons with disabilities, and, above all, a shining witness to the goodness of God and the Gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ. Mrs. Tada’s life is the subject of a full-length feature film released by World Wide Pictures, simply titled JONI, and her autobiography, Joni, has been a best-seller. Mrs. Tada’s personal testimony is a constant source of inspiration, fully justifying multiple retellings, for her story is not so much a tale of human disability as much as a testimony to God’s all-ability.

Joni and Friends (JAF) was founded by Mrs. Tada as an outreach ministry to the disabled community. Given Mrs. Tada’s own experience, one should not be surprised to find that JAF, while ministering to disabled persons, does not view persons with disabilities as simply objects of ministry, but as potential ministers of the Gospel. Persons with disabilities have special needs which the Christian community should understand and address. JAF works across the country and around the world to bring the Gospel message, practical help, and heartfelt encouragement to the disabled. Because disabled persons have their own gifts and abilities which they need to discover and use, JAF’s mission includes equipping persons with disabilities to engage in Christian ministry. JAF maintains that “there is great potential for leadership and service in the disabled community.” As Mrs. Tada herself so plainly illustrates, people with disabilities often possess a special ability to reach out to others in need with love and understanding.

Field Ministry in the U. S.

JAF’s U.S. field ministry is comprised of a network of related organizations, groups, and individuals. The purpose of JAF’s field ministry program is to establish community and church-based outreaches to people with disabilities. These outreaches include evangelism, special delivery (distributing care packages primarily in residential care facilities), ministry training, and family retreats. The latter are week-long vacations designed to minister to families affected by disability. JAF staff and volunteers work to make each retreat a refreshing, encouraging, and entertaining experience for the entire family.

The various levels of field ministry are: Area Ministries, Satellite Offices, Chapters, and Associates. These field ministries form the primary basis of JAF’s outreach to disabled persons in the U. S. Each of these entities is related to JAF headquarters by common consent to JAF’s mission and statement of faith, and each is accountable to JAF’s Director of Field Operations. An Area Ministry is a locally funded organization which is staffed by two or more people and directed by a local board and a paid Area Director, under the auspices of the national office and Director of Field Operations. The primary work of an Area Ministry includes: (1) helping local churches to become aware of the needs of the disability community, (2) mobilizing churches and volunteers to participate in JAF ministry programs, (3) providing resource referrals and other forms of assistance to families affected by disability, and (4) engaging in evangelism and discipleship among people with disabilities. Satellite Offices are “essentially mini-Area Ministries.” JAF Satellite Offices exist in cities within the region of an Area Ministry, and serve to extend the outreach efforts of JAF within that region. Satellite Offices have one part-time or full-time paid staff member who oversees and supports volunteer workers. A JAF Chapter can be either a church-sponsored chapter or a multi-church, non-denominational chapter. In either case, Chapters are designed to give local ministries maximum flexibility and autonomy in meeting the specific needs of disabled persons in the community. At the same time, a Chapter maintains spiritual and fiscal accountability to JAF. Each JAF Chapter is administered by a team of three persons serving as the Chapter Executive Committee. An Associate of JAF is self-employed or employed at a non-profit Christian ministry independent of JAF. A JAF Associate is someone who seeks to begin or enhance a local ministry to the disabled community through being linked with JAF. Each prospective Associate must complete an application process and training period, which includes reading several books by Mrs. Tada. All applicants must be in good standing with a local church, and must have appropriate “covering” in their ministry through being associated with either a local church or a parachurch group. In turn, JAF provides the Associate with: accountability, encouragement, ministry opportunities, regular communications and training opportunities, and JAF print, video, and electronic resources at a reduced rate.

JAF emphasizes three things in particular regarding its field ministries and ministry associates: (1) The local church. JAF is committed to working in and through local churches whenever possible. A large part of its field ministry in the U. S. consists of training local church leaders and members to minister to and with people with disabilities. The church plays an important role in JAF and Associates’ work in the disability community through supplying volunteers for outreach efforts and by providing a warm and caring environment where people with disabilities who have come to Christ through JAF can be discipled. Many of JAF’s training resources are designed to equip local churches to develop disability awareness and ministry. (2) Doctrinal harmony. Each JAF ministry, ministry associate, and affiliated church must express its essential agreement with JAF’s statement of faith. JAF’s mission is such that significant doctrinal differences could compromise the basis of the ministry, which is the biblical Gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ. (3) JAF programs. Each ministry or individual associated with JAF is expected to participate in one or more of JAF’s primary programs, these being: Wheels For the World (see below), Family Retreat, Church Outreach, or Special Delivery.

Field Ministry Overseas

“Wheels For the World” (WFW) is JAF’s primary overseas ministry program. WFW is an international outreach program by which wheelchairs donated to JAF are shipped overseas and distributed to people in need. The purposes of the WFW program are: (1) to provide wheelchairs to disabled persons in some of the world’s poorest countries, (2) to share the Gospel, and (3) to train local churches and church groups to become disability-aware and to conduct disability ministries. JAF sends a short-term missions team to work in this wheelchair distribution and evangelism outreach project. Teams are comprised of JAF staff, experienced volunteers, and new volunteers. WFW Outreaches are conducted in churches, schools, health care facilities, and house-to-house. All Outreach sites are arranged by appointment. The wheelchair distribution side of a WFW team consists of volunteer physical therapists, occupational therapists, wheelchair mechanics, and volunteer assistants. Their work includes custom-fitting each wheelchair for the recipient and training the recipient in wheelchair use and maintenance. The evangelism and training of a WFW team is carried out by trained and experienced speakers/ teachers who share a “dual message of the Gospel and Disability Ministry to a variety of groups.” An Outreach also consists of volunteers serving as translators, mechanics, construction workers, administrative support, general support, photographers, and sports coaches. Volunteers must raise their own financial support. JAF looks for volunteers who are “Christians who seek to be a reflection of Christ in their servitude, maturity, flexibility and intercultural sensitivity.” Volunteers must also be willing to “meet the rigors of long workdays.” JAF has conducted WFW Outreaches in more than 40 countries.

Communications and Correspondence

The flagship program of JAF is undoubtedly its five-minute, daily radio broadcast program, Joni and Friends. This program features the personal, practical, and theological insights of Joni Eareckson Tada. Mrs. Tada speaks with warmth and enthusiasm. She is open and honest about the frustrations and struggles of life, but constantly exhibits a keen sense of humor and always communicates a message of hope and reliance upon the sufficiency of Christ. Joni and Friends can be heard on radio stations around the world as well as on the Internet. JAF receives hundreds of communications each month from listeners, many of whom are disabled persons in need of encouragement or help. JAF responds to these requests by providing up-to-date resources such as JAF’s newsletter (available in Braille) and prayer letter, and by helping to link people with a JAF Area Ministry.

JAF has developed a number of ministry resources, many of which are used in conjunction with the ministry programs described above. These resources include books authored or co-authored by Mrs. Tada, such as: Joni (autobiography), The God I Love: A Lifetime of Walking with Jesus, When God Weeps: Why Our Sufferings Matter to the Almighty, All God’s Children (a manual for developing disability ministries in churches), and Barrier-Free Friendships (explaining how to develop personal relationships with disabled persons). JAF’s website features archives of Joni and Friends (MP3), daily devotionals, inspirational stories, and links to other disability ministries.