About
Who We Are
One Church.
One Family.
One Mission.
CEO Ministries is One organization helping many.
Mark 16:15 says GO into all the world… Sometimes doing so will take you into dark and scary places. Jesus is already there. Would you go with Him if He asked you to?
Our Mission
CEO Ministries is a nonprofit organization. More specifically, we’re a ministry of hundreds of people around the world who believe in the Lord Jesus Christ. And because we believe in Him, we’re committed to obeying Him. Our team consists not only of our ministry staff but also of every contributor and beneficiary.
Our mission is simple. We are called to advance the kingdom of our Lord Jesus Christ on earth. We accomplish this by strategically linking kingdom needs and opportunities to resources provided by those who love Jesus. Through these strategic connections, CEOM invests in (1) reaching the unreached with the gospel, (2) discipling Christ’s followers, and (3) serving the suffering—particularly those whom Jesus refers to as the “least of these” (see Matt 25:31-46, 28:19-20).
Working together, we meet many specific needs. Through our partner with Sight.Org, we are helping the poorest of farmers in Togo Africa, who were once liabilities in their community to receive free cataract surgery and agricultural training. With vision restored, we share with them the hope of Jesus Christ. Now when they go back, they can see and serve – no longer a burden and now an asset.
We’re also helping GlobalVision 2020 not only provide prescription glasses to those who cannot afford them but also train locals to fit people with prescription glasses in under 15 minutes, enabling them to start their own clinics and provide for their communities.
…Through our Women’s and Single Mothers Ministry, we offer training and resources to start self-sustaining small businesses to feed their children…
…Through our Disaster Relief Ministry, we help devastated families get back on their feet…
…Through our Chaplain’s Ministry, we reach thousands of men incarcerated with the food, education, and the gospel of Jesus…
…Through our Microloan Ministry, we’re creating opportunities for small-scale farmers, retailers, and entrepreneurs to lift themselves from poverty and provide for their families…
…Through our Addictions Recovery Programs, we team up with organizations such as Teen Challenge and Victory Home to help struggling individuals get free from drugs and back into the community with their families…
…And through our Feeding Ministry, we’re feeding over 1,000 people every single day…
We’re also rescuing and preventing children from getting into gangs by providing meals and Bible-based education to ensure they have options in the future for employment.
Each ministry, regardless of its name, shares a common objective of following Jesus’ Great Commission (Matt. 28:19-20) by training believers to disciple others. The gospel of Jesus Christ is the foundation of everything we do, and our love for one another serves as a powerful testimony to the world of our faith.
As Jesus stated in John 13:34-35 and 17:21, our unity and love for each other display our identity as His disciples and encourage others to believe. We welcome you to join us in this mission.
History
CHRISTIAN SCHOOL CONSULTING
In the late 1970’s the Rev. Ken Campbell appointed Terry Lewis to serve as the Western Regional Director of Renaissance Canada. This organization focused on confronting the negative influences of secular humanism in public schools.
In the course of carrying out this mandate Terry felt led to look at alternatives to the public school with the idea of not cursing the darkness but lighting a candle. After a fruitful ministry, Terry left Renaissance Canada and founded Christian School Consultants (CSC), in October of 1980, a federally incorporated non-profit charity.
This organization would not only confront secular humanism in the Public Education System across Canada but would also advocate for the establishment of Christian Schools. Over the next two decades dozens of Christian Schools across western Canada were started through the influence of this ministry. During this time the ministry networked with other organizations and developed a Manitoba Association of Christian Schools.
The ministry was a catalyst that brought in the Association of Christian Schools into Western Canada. CSC developed a Christian education newspaper called the Christian Family Advocate which was distributed to over 10,000 homes and churches across Canada and served as an educational voice that actively promoted the need for children to receive an education that was Christian based.
It also served as an advocate for Christian principles in the Public System. It was a resource for many Christian educators and addressed theological, philosophical, educational, and ethical issues. Early in the 80’s the ministry discovered that it was very difficult to start Christian Schools in small communities and that most families could not afford the cost of a Christian School.
Out of this reality came the additional focus of establishing home schools and provincial home school associations. The Christian Family Advocate publication began providing resources and information to help families. Regional and provincial home school seminars were conducted in central, western, and northern Canada.
CHRISTIANS INFLUENCING EDUCATION
There was a public backlash to this development and the ministry helped birth the Christian Legal Association and the Christian Legal Defense Fund to respond to the challenges. The ministry held the first National Christian Legal Association Conference and the first National HomeSchool Conference.
By this time the ministry was functioning under the name Christians Influencing Education, which was incorporated in the 90’s to better reflect the expanded ministry that God had called us into. The ministry also expanded its borders to include the British Isles, Haiti, and the United States in some of its activities. During this entire time the Director was also expanding his credentials which include three Master Degrees and a Doctorate.
CHRISTIANS EMPOWERING ORGANIZATIONS (CEO) MINISTRIES
The ministry began helping churches and international ministries restructure their organizations to increase their effectiveness. We became actively involved in providing training seminars on leadership for churches and schools both nationally and internationally.
In addition, throughout the entire development of the ministry and while conducting seminars in different parts of the country Terry would find himself counseling pastors, principals, teachers, and parents who were struggling with personal or family problems.
The fact that he was traveling through and seemed gifted in the area of counseling he had the joy and opportunity to come alongside many leaders and help them through some difficult times. Terry also had his own difficulties to deal with and through a series of events and God’s refining fire God is expanding the boundaries of the ministry again to add a focus on the personal lives of Christian Leaders in the Churches, Schools, Businesses and Professionals. With this new call has come increased resources of seasoned personnel.
To reflect this new dynamic the name Christians Empowering Organizations Ministries Incorporated has been officially adopted as we move forward into a new decade of ministry.
Team
CEO is made up of a small staff, a board of directors, and a worldwide group of “Agencies” that carry out the ministry. Together advancing the kingdom of heaven.
Terry Lewis
Director of CEO
Viktor Matveyev
Director of Europe
Robert Schumann
Chariman of the board
Brian James
Assistant Director
Bob Mondor
Chief Financial Officer
Bill Klassen
Board Member
Mike Dyck
Board Member
Statement of Faith
We Believe… the Bible to be the inspired, the only infallible authoritative Word of God; inerrant on all issues it relates to…
We Believe… there is one God, eternally existent in three persons: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit…
We Believe… in the deity of Christ, in His virgin birth, in His sinless life, in His miracles, in His vicarious and atoning death, in His resurrection from the dead, in His ascension to the right hand of the Father, and in His personal return in power and glory…
We Believe… in the absolute necessity of regeneration by the Holy Spirit for salvation because of the exceeding sinfulness of human nature; and that men are justified on the single ground of faith in the shed blood of Christ and that only by God’s grace and through faith alone are we saved…
We Believe… in the resurrection of both the saved and the lost; they that are saved unto the resurrection of life, and they that are lost unto the resurrection of damnation…
We Believe… in the spiritual unity of believers in Christ.
Values
The Gospel: We value the gospel as declared by Jesus Christ. It is sufficient in its sanctifying power for both the unrestored and restored sinner. 1 Corinthians 1:30
Reconciliation: We value the dynamics of reconciliation. It is essential for sinners, restored or not, so they can live lives pleasing to our Creator and maintain healthy relations in their families, chosen church, friends, and unrestored sinners. 2 Corinthian 5:18-21
Suffering: We value suffering. It is a means that God can utilize to teach and purify His people. 2 Corinthians 1:4, 8-11; 1 Peter 4; Hebrews 5:8
Hope: We value hope. No person, sinner, or saint is beyond the hope of redemption if they desire and pursue it. Romans 5:3-5
Calling: We value God’s calling and anointing imperfect individuals to be leaders. While such leaders can still make wrong choices and sin badly, if they truly repent God can restore them to leadership. We believe that all Christian leaders are restored sinners – wounded healers. 1 Corinthians 1:26-30
Dependence: We value a humble dependence on God and others. We believe that, while human effort is required, it is not sufficient to accomplish the continuous work of sanctifying and reconciling. We believe all sinners whether restored or not, need to remain dependent upon the Spirit of God, the People of God, and the Word of God for help. 2 Corinthians 12:9,10
Prayer: We value prayer, both personal and corporate. It is a powerful means of connecting with God. We can face the things in life that challenge our walk with Him. James 1:5; 1 Timothy 1:2:8; 2 Chronicles 7:14 Ephesians 6:18,20
Gifts: We value the different gifts God gives individuals for the purpose of ‘empowering and equipping’ them to be effective in their ‘calling’. We believe God has made each restored human being unique and of potential value to the church and the world. Ephesians 4:7-16
Accountable: We value the principle of accountability. The scriptures clearly teach that the standard of accountability for leaders is greater than for those who are not. We believe that leaders can become more vulnerable and potentially do more damage than those who are not. Therefore, we believe leaders should be held routinely accountable so they are protected and equipped to avoid the snares within leadership, their families, and their own personal lives. 1 Peter 4:8; James 5:16
Grace & Truth: We value truth. It is a significant component that liberates people from the things that enslave them. We value Grace. It aids the process of dealing with truth in the lives of individuals seeking to be transformed according to God’s will. Galatians 5:1; John 8:32
Safe Community: We understand and value the need for a safe community. Safe communities allow sinners to share the truths of their struggles and explore both reconciliation and direction for their lives. Galatians 6:1-5
Love: We value agape love. It is the love of God. It should be our compelling and constraining motivation. All other motivation is secondary and love is an expression of our obedience to His command for us to love our fellow man. John 17:26, Romans 5:5
Mercy & Forgiveness: We believe in mercy. We are thankful for the mercy and forgiveness God has extended to us and commands us to extend to others. Matthew 18:21-35