A CIC Vision Statement

A CIC Vision Statement

The Vision For Using Community Internet Cafes As A Means Of Sending Filipino Missionaries Into Unreached People Groups In Asia

The CIC vision is held by three organizations: the Asian Internet Bible Institute, World In Need – Philippines and the Philippines Missions Association. Most decisions are made during AIBI board meetings, which the other organizations also attend.

What Is A “CIC”?
A CIC is a Community Internet Café – and consists of 21 computers (20 for users and one as a server/firewall).  The CIC is located  in a Muslim community and is manned by three or four Filipino missionaries which must include:
1. An IT person to look after the computers.
2. A small business entrepreneur to look after the commercial side of the operation.

3. A Muslim ministry person to co-ordinate outreach to the Muslim community.
The CIC is run as a franchise. The partner agencies which set up the CIC and which receive the computers will sign a franchise agreement with the CIC Partnership members.

The CIC Partnership -  AIBI + WIN-Philippines + PMA
The Asian Internet Bible Institute is a  “Cyber-Mission” – that is a missionary society formed around the concept of using the Internet and computing for missionary purposes. In our case those purposes include evangelism, discipleship, leadership training and church planting especially among unreached people groups in ASEAN nations. The AIBI has been accepted as a member of PMA (Philippines Missions Association).

WIN stands for World In Need, a foundation that does holistic Christian ministry and has a special outreach to Muslims. WIN-Philippines is the Filipino arm of this organization and is based in Baguio, has a network of churches, schools and an icafe and is gifted with high level administrative and IT skills.

PMA is the Philippines Missions Association and is the peak body for evangelical missions in the Philippines. PMA is an agency within PCEC – the Philippine Council of Evangelical churches.

 The AIBI supplies computers, funds and visionary level co-ordination while WIN supplies administrative skills, a large network of churches and consultants and some help with IT. PMA helps with selection of the CIC franchisees.

The Internet Café Vision
The AIBI has a vision for establishing semi-autonomous, self-managing teams of Filipino missionaries that operate medium-sized Internet cafes (of around 20 computers each) in Asian UPG’s, beginning in Mindanao. The Internet cafes act as a community contact point for the missionaries, a distance learning center, and a source of funds for the team, greatly reducing the need for support-raising.

How Community Internet Cafes Can Help With Missionary Mobilization

Hundreds of highly motivated Filipino Christians have made commitments to reach Muslims for Jesus but few are making it through the mission selection processes and arriving on the field. There are many reasons for this but inadequate funding and unfamiliar processes and structures are two problems that the CIC Partnership is attempting to address. 

Missionary Support
By providing each missionary with a basic level of support of around P10,000 a month through the operation of the Internet cafes the burden of financial concern and need for deputation will be greatly eased.

Invitation Rather Than Application

The AIBI will also use selection processes that focus on “invitation” via relationship rather than “application” with the possibility of rejection and delays. It will be based on  the NT model of Jesus calling and inviting Peter to the work.  AIBI board members, familiar with Muslim ministry will invite people on board who they know personally and have observed at length.

Orientation

Orientation and technical training will take place for three weeks at a model icafe in Baguio.  During this time the icafe teams will develop both a business plan and a ministry plan and learn how to run and maintain and internet café.

Teams
 As mentioned above a  team of 3 or 4 Filipino missionaries will staff each icafe. All team members will share equally in the income from the icafe. The entire team must attend the Orientation course where they will develop relationships and a strategic plan. Team members do not have to be staff of the AIBI or WIN, they can be from a wide variety of mission agencies. Team members are expected to be mature, biblically literate Christians with a heart for Muslim ministry.

The Need For Partnership
The AIBI wishes to work in synergy with all other agencies sharing a burden for Muslims and to establish an “Internet partnership” among those agencies wishing to send missionaries into Muslim UPG’s via an AIBI icafe.

The Learning Organization
The CIC partnership (AIBI, WIN-Phils, PMA) will be mainly a learning organization that serves a ministry network. As icafes are planted and teams developed the knowledge about the process, sources of computers, funds and IT knowledge will be centralized at the CIC partnership so new icafes can draw on the lessons learned by earlier icafes. The CIC partnership will act to resource a network of largely independent, semi-autonomous Internet cafes. By semi-autonomous we mean that icafes shall make field-level decisions and each will develop their own business plan and ministry plan. However each icafe will be expected to remit 10% of the net profits to fund further icafes and major strategic level decisions shall be made by the CIC partnership.

Consensus Decision-Making Process.

Everyone has a right to influence a decision to the extent that it affects their lives, assuming competence.  This does not mean unanimity, but a strong attempt to ensure that everyone is deeply heard, and felt by themselves to be understood.  As far as possible we want to make decisions that everyone can go along with even if they don't fully agree with them.

Team Leaders are responsible to create a climate where everyone on the team can contribute ideas and influence decisions. 

Field-Governed With Accountability.

The icafe teams are closest to the action and most day to day decisions should be made by the team. Each team will have a Team Leader. The teams are also accountable along other lines e.g. to their mission agencies and to the partnership co-ordinator. The AIBI wishes to honor, not over-ride these existing lines of accountability.

Icafe team leaders and teams must be open to "coaching" and this level of accountability.

We want to encourage teams to be more loving, people-sensitive, incarnational, grace-oriented, and cutting-edge in church-planting and transformation ministry etc. We will also provide coaching to help teams stick to and achieve both their business plan and their ministry plan.

While strongly affirming field government of teams it is vital that the mission always maintain a cutting-edge vision for all unreached peoples and not just the existing teams and their ministries.  There is always a danger of focusing on serving the existing missionaries rather than the unreached peoples.  Hence the CIC partnership is to give priority to the job yet to be done.

Servicing
The AIBI/Win Joint Board will have some IT staff in Baguio available to help icafes get set-up and to help with maintenance problems. They may be available to travel to icafes during the set-up phase if needed.

Conference Fee
Each icafe will be expected to contribute ten percent (10%) of net profit as a “conference fee”. This will fund an annual conference, contribute to the wages of central IT staff and help with the establishment of further icafes in unreached people groups. (Net profit is defined as the monthly turnover, minus overheads and taxes and reasonable wages.  It is what you have “clear” at the end of the month. We are asking for 10% of this amount, not ten percent of the total turnover.)

Franchise Agreement
Each CIC will operate as a franchise. Franchise agreements will be drawn up with the partner agencies that receive the computers. The franchise agreement will hold the organization to the business plan and ministry plan that they develop. This is designed to ensure healthy accountability from those organizations that receive computers.  The computers will always technically remain the property of the CIC partnership (AIBI/Win-Phils/PMA ) and the receiving organization will receive the right to use them for ministry and to derive income from them. This enables the computers to be withdrawn if there is any gross breach of the franchise agreement or departure from the historical Christian faith.

Reporting

A financial report (summary form) and ministry report (one page, can be a prayer letter)  is expected. Reports will be sent monthly  for the first six months (the establishment period) and quarterly thereafter.

Expectations

1. That the group receiving the computers will provide a secure clean environment, preferably on the second-floor of a building with a security guard outside and provide the telephone lines, electricity, Internet access and other basic logistics.

2. That the computers will not be sold or given away.

3. That the computers will be properly maintained, virus-checked and looked after.

4. That the computers will be used to support a team of Filipino missionaries to Muslims.

5. That the computers will be mainly used in a ministry to Muslims context. That is they will not be mainly used for local church ministry or ministry that is not directed towards Muslims.

6. The icafe teams will attend the orientation course.

7. That icafe teams will develop both a business plan and a ministry strategic plan.

8. That icafe teams strive to responsibly adhere to their ministry plan and business plan where practicable.

9. That icafe teams will be accountable, through the team leader to AIBI-WIN for how they use the icafe / adherence to the business and ministry plans they develop.

10. That regular reports will be sent to AIBI-WIN. Monthly reports will be sent for the first six months (the establishment period) and quarterly reports thereafter.

11. That ten percent of net profits will be set aside as a Conference Fee to assist with coordinating the ministry, holding an annual icafe conference in Baguio and the establishment of new icafes.

12.  That those operating the Internet café will maintain the evangelical Christian faith as outlined in the Lausanne Covenant.