About IM
We believe that the spiritual revival of the Church is a primary key to effectively reaching this world with the love of Christ. We are partners with the local church to equip and send people into the world with the truth of The Gospel.
Worldwide Staff
62% National Missionaries, reaching more than 20 countries.
HISTORY
The concept of International Messengers (IM) actually took place in the mind and heart of Robert Rasmusson in 1980. IM became an independent, nonprofit mission organization in 1989. The offices were moved to Clear Lake, Iowa, in 1992.
IM set out to provide effective cross-cultural, short-term missions experiences for college-age students and adults. This pursuit led to a new and innovative ministry concept called Evangelistic English Language Camps (EELC), born in 1985 with a camp in Austria. The camps were expanded to Communist Poland the following year and then began in Hong Kong and other Eastern European countries from 1987 – 1992.
In 1990 IM started offering 2-1/2 week opportunities aimed at involving adult lay people and impacting the local church. Winter camps began in 1991 for the same purpose. At about the same time, IM started to focus on recruiting church teams, where all the team members were from one church. The number of people involved in these English camp teams has grown annually from 15 in the beginning to over 200 at present. In the late 90’s the concept continued to expand into medical, nursing, educational and professional English camps which have had an effect on the adult population of Central & Eastern Europe.
The ministries of our cross-cultural staff include Bible study and discipleship, children-at-risk ministry, cooking class outreach, evangelism through English teaching, jail ministry, marriage and parenting outreach, medical ministry, men’s accountability ministry, ministry to people with HIV, ministry to the elderly, ministry to the homeless/addicts, ministry through business, motorcycle ministry, Native American and First Nations ministry, outreach to businessmen, outreach to sex-trafficked girls and women, planting and pastoring churches, refugee ministry, Roma ministry through adult education, therapy using dogs and horses, translation of discipleship material, university student outreach, women and children-at-risk ministry, and youth ministry.
We anxiously wait to see God’s plans unfold for IM in the coming years.
STATEMENT OF FAITH
- WE BELIEVE the Scriptures, both Old and New Testaments, to be the inspired Word of God, without error in the original writing, the complete revelation of His will for the salvation of men and the Divine and final authority for Christian faith and life.
- WE BELIEVE in One God, Creator of all things, infinitely perfect and eternally existing in three persons. Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, having precisely the same nature and worthy of equal worship and obedience.
- WE BELIEVE that Jesus Christ is true God and true man. Having been conceived of the Holy Spirit, and born of the virgin Mary, he lived a sinless life and died on the cross as a substitutional sacrifice for our sins. He arose bodily from the dead, and ascended into heaven, where He continues His High Priestly ministry at the right hand of the throne of God.
- WE BELIEVE the ministry of the Holy Spirit is to glorify the Lord Jesus Christ, convict men, regenerate the sinner upon believing in Christ, indwell, guide, instruct and empower the believer for godly living and service.
- WE BELIEVE that man was created in the image of God but fell into sin through Adam and is therefore totally depraved, and only through regeneration by the Holy Spirit can salvation and spiritual life be obtained.
- WE BELIEVE that the shed blood of Jesus Christ and His resurrection provide the only ground for justification and salvation for all who believe, and only those who receive Jesus Christ are born of the Holy Spirit, and thus become children of God.
- WE BELIEVE that water baptism and the Lord’s Supper are ordinances to be observed by the Church during the present age. They are, however, not to be regarded as means of salvation.
- WE BELIEVE that the true Church is composed of all who through personal faith in Jesus Christ have been regenerated by the Holy Spirit and are united together as the body of Christ of which He is the Head.
- WE BELIEVE in the personal and imminent coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and that this “Blessed Hope” has a vital bearing on the personal life and service of the believer.
- WE BELIEVE the destiny for the believer is to be present with the Lord and for the unbeliever is to be separated from the presence of the Lord in everlasting punishment.
- WE BELIEVE the great evangelistic and missionary commission given by Jesus Christ to the disciples and to the continuing church is that of making Christ known throughout the world by word and example and bringing to maturity those who believe in Him through instruction from the Word.
“And how are they to preach unless they are sent? As it is written, “How beautiful are the feet of those who preach the Good News!” Romans 10:15
FINANCIAL ACCOUNTABILITY
International Messengers likes to maintain transparent in terms of financial matters.
We are a member of the ECFA.
EXEMPTION STATUS
501(c)(3) letter: PDF
IM LEADERS
The common goal is to raise up leaders that are Biblically motivated, outreach minded, Kingdom driven, relationally sensitive, prayer based… yet faith stretched.
Brent Howland
President
Mark Bakker
Chief Financial Officer
IM Board of Directors
Darwin Anderson, Rapid City, SD
Mark Bakker, Urbandale, IA
Linda Berntson*, Minneapolis, MN
Gene Fox*, Abbotsford, BC, Canada
Doug Gould*, Boone, IA
Nancy Holty*, Rochester, MN
Brent Howland, Mason City, IA
Bernie and Lynn Jacobsen, Mason City, IA
Ed Kleiman, St. Louis, MO
Craig Lieberg*, Clear Lake, MN
Greg Nicholas*, Vice-Chairman of the Board, Clear Lake, IA
Jeff O’Connell, Libby, MT
Dave Olson*, Laurens, IA
Scott* Peasley, Boone, IA
Laura Rust*, Aredale, IA
Tim*, Chairman of the Board, and Kim* Sizer,
Arthur, NE
Dave Wilke*, Elkader, IA
* Independent, voting members
The above list of board members is current for 2024
