A common call.
A common rule.
Almighty and everlasting God, who gave to your apostles grace truly to believe and to preach your Word; grant to us with your Church to love that Word which they believed, and to preach, teach, and live what they taught, to the honor and glory of your holy name, through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
We — NAMS Companions — believe that we have been called by Jesus Christ to band together as an extended global missionary community, under this common rule, in support of pioneer church planting, while being always accountable to one another under God, and His most Holy Word.
Our charge
We are to preach and teach “Jesus Christ and Him crucified”; to plant new churches wherever God opens the door; always to obey the Holy Spirit; and never to break the Word of God.
Our continuing objectives as a society
- aWe will remain faithful to the Gospel and values of the Kingdom of God in all things, making disciples as we go;
- bWe will build the global society of Companions sharing our common calling and living our common rule;
- cWe will help plant new Great Commission Congregations wherever the Lord Jesus sends us.
Our corporate rule of life
All Companions
- iLead (or serve in) a worshiping Great Commission Congregation;
- iiLead (or be part of) a Great Commission Cell;
- iiiAbide daily in the word of Jesus;
- ivPray daily for global mission, remembering NAMS;
- vGive generously as faithful stewards where we serve, and for the global work of the Society;
- viMake (at least) three personal NAMS Retreats each year;
- viiRemain accountable to those over us in the Lord, ecclesiastically and within the Discipling Structures of our common Rule and Order.
Married Companions
- iCommit to the path of Spousal Discipleship;
- iiEnsure spousal understanding and consent to our call as Companions, inviting our spouse to become (as God leads) a Spousal Companion of NAMS.
Global Society
- iMake one Annual Retreat with the Society in our Mission Region;
- iiAttend the NAMS Global Novena, once every four to five years.
Our doctrine
The “faith that was once for all delivered to the saints” is the doctrine we “contend for” (Jude 3), and the Holy Scriptures of the Old and New Testament are our “rule and ultimate standard of faith.”
Our ecclesiastical connection
We are a global religious society (order) relating to the Anglican Family of “the one, holy, Catholic, and apostolic church.” Our ordained Anglican leaders are all canonically resident in an Anglican jurisdiction. We desire to work with, and be in unity with, the faithful church throughout the world. At all times and in all places, we seek to serve the church “that submits to Christ.”
The words we live by.
- Society of Apostolic Action
- A religious order called to a specific missionary work in the world, working with and for the church of Jesus Christ.
- Disciple
- Someone learning to follow Jesus and learning to become a disciple-making disciple.
- Made Disciple
- Someone who has become a disciple who is making other disciples.
- Missionary Disciple
- A Made Disciple willing to “go” wherever the Lord has need of them, whenever the Lord needs them, whatever the Lord wants them to do.
- NAMS Companion
- A Missionary Disciple serving with NAMS — sharing a common call, living a common rule.
- Spousal Companion
- A spouse married to a Companion who desires to share in the rule, as far as possible for them, under God.
- Spousal Discipleship
- The path of discipling our spouse if we are married.
- Great Commission Cell
- Two or more Companions preparing to help plant a new community of faith in obedience to the Lord's Final Command (Matthew 28:19–20).
- Great Commission Congregation
- A community of disciple-making followers of Jesus seeking to:
- Make disciples who make disciples
- Raise up disciple-making leaders
- Plant disciple-making congregations
- NAMS Base Community
- A community of NAMS Companions, on mission, building a base from which to help launch new Great Commission Congregations by:
- Modeling disciple-making community
- Incubating disciple-making leaders
- Training those called to church planting
- Sending them out as God commands
- NAMS Church Planting Pyramid
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- A connected & accountable leader
- A disciple-making cell system
- A corporate worship gathering
- A leadership development system
- NAMS Retreat
- A 48-hour time period, normally spread over three days, to withdraw from ordinary work to seek the Lord's face and to hear His voice.
- Discipling Structures
- All Companions are committed to being in a discipling relationship within the Society, and to disciple others “as we are going.”
- Judicatory
- Any ecclesiastical body, denomination, or organized mission network exercising gospel authority and jurisdiction over ordained leaders and/or local churches.
This page reflects the opening pages of the 2017 NAMS Rule and Order, including definitions. The Customary that accompanies the Rule is not yet included and will be added when supplied.