Mission Statement and Oversight
WEI promotes the worldwide spread of the gospel using Innovative materials and techniques through a combination of Bible and English Courses in correspondence teaching and personal teaching.
“The Oregon office of WEI is overseen by the Gresham, OR Metro Church of Christ elders and the Tennessee office of WEI is overseen by the Maryville, TN Maryville Church of Christ elders.”
Takes Advantage Of This Worldwide Interest In The English Language.
As God used Koine Greek to spread the Gospel in New Testament times, he is using English in the modern world.
Hundreds of thousands of people in 208 nations are now studying the Word through WEI. Thousands of WEI students have been baptized into Christ, and dozens of congregations have been established in Albania, Bulgaria, Cambodia, China, Czech Republic, Estonia, India, Indonesia, Latvia, Lithuania, Mongolia, Nigeria, Romania, Russia, Sierra Leone, Slovak Republic, and other nations as WEI materials have been used to lead people to Christ.
We mention these things, not to boast, but to stress the unlimited possibilities of using WEI to reach the lost all over the world. God is using WEI to teach people about Christ in 208 nations—every major nation on earth except North Korea.
These 208 nations represent all of the world’s population. But more teachers are needed, and we need funds for printing materials, improving our teaching website, and running ads.
Methodology
WEI Is Designed To Attract Students who are studying English as a second language and to teach them by using the Bible as an English textbook. While the students are learning English, they are also learning the Scriptures. Some seed falls in good and honest hearts and brings forth fruit (Luke 8:15). God gives the increase (1 Corinthians 3:7).
Many students enroll in WEI in order to learn English, but as they study the Word, their interest gradually shifts from English to the Bible. Just before he was baptized in the Adriatic Sea in 1992, Daut Bezati said, “When you first came to Albania, we thought English was more important than the Bible. But little by little, the Bible caught up. Now we know that the Bible is more important than English.”
The name “World English Institute” is a blessing and a curse.It is a curse in that American church leaders are inclined to say, “Teaching English is not the work of the church.” It is a blessing in that it opens doors to countries where the Bible has been outlawed.
The name WEI
The name “World English Institute” was chosen in order to get the gospel into China and into Muslim countries where we cannot go as missionaries. Any attempt to advertise Bible correspondence courses in these countries would be rebuffed. But the political leaders in most of these nations are eager for their people to study English. Consequently, we are teaching thousands of WEI students in communist China and in every Muslim country in the world.
Activating Christians and Churches
God Is Using WEI to get individuals and churches throughout America involved in missions. Mission-minded people are urged to go abroad on WEI follow up campaigns. Christians are urged to be correspondence missionaries, teaching WEI students through the internet and putting their students in touch with missionaries when they request baptism.
WEI also makes it possible for missionaries and their supporting churches to work together in reaping a spiritual harvest. The missionary runs an ad in a local newspaper offering a Free English Course, which draws upon the Bible for illustrations. Students are asked to send a letter in English to the address of the supporting church. Students who respond are taught by members of the congregation.
When students complete their studies and request baptism, they are referred to the missionary for follow-up. In this way, missionaries and their supporting churches work together as a team to bear fruit for God.
Rationale
English Has Become The Language Of The Twenty-First Century. Three-fourths of the world’s high school students are studying English today. Prior to World War II, only 200 million people spoke English. Now, billions of people speak English and the number is growing rapidly. More people are studying English in China today than in the United States.
English is the language of commerce. Business people who engage in international trade study English in order to compete on the world market. English is the language of communication. Airline pilots communicate with control towers in English throughout the free world. Ship to shore messages are sent in English. English is the language of politics. It has replaced French as the preferred language at international political meetings.
English is the language of science and technology. Brain surgeons, computer programmers, microbiologists, and rocket engineers must read English in order to keep up with developments in their fields. Approximately 95% of the world’s technical papers are written in English. Many third-world countries are pushing their people to learn English, believing that English is a key to economic growth and development.
