Frontier Ventures and William Carey International University say move would help further founding vision in changing world

Contact: Palmer Holt,
704-662-2569

PASADENA, Calif., Feb. 1, 2018 /Christian Newswire/ -- The frontier mission center that has championed the cause of taking the gospel to the unreached for more than 40 years is being considered for sale, in a move its owners say will further their global work.

Photo: Frontier Ventures (www.frontierventures.org) and William Carey International University (www.wciu.edu) are considering the sale of their 15-acre campus in Pasadena, Calif., in a move that will further their global work.  Established in 1976 by the late Dr. Ralph Winter as the U.S. Center for World Missions, the ministry has been credited with playing a major role in inspiring and equipping the church to focus more efforts on taking the gospel to unreached parts of the world, where there are few if any Christians.

Leaders of Frontier Ventures (www.frontierventures.org) and William Carey International University (WCIU, www.wciu.edu) are in discussions with potential buyers for their 15-acre campus in Pasadena, Calif.

Founded in 1976 as the U.S. Center for World Missions, the ministry has been credited with playing a major role in inspiring and equipping the church to focus more efforts on taking the gospel to parts of the world where there are few if any Christians. At one time, more than 30 missions and nongovernmental organizations were based there.

If sold, Frontier Ventures and WCIU intend to retain portions of the properties in Pasadena, while using proceeds from the sale to develop smaller hubs in other parts of the U.S. and overseas. Globalization and advances in technology make it possible for them to provide their resources closer to unreached parts, while rising business and living costs in Southern California restrict ongoing operations there.

"Our focus has always been on other parts of the world, and globalization and changes in global missions models and in technology over the years have made it possible and advantageous for us to work nearer to some of those places," said Dr. Kevin Higgins, president of WCIU.

"Operationally, we are looking to make a significant change through this process," said Francis Patt, general director of Frontier Ventures. "However, our founding mission and values remain unchanged. The world in which we work has changed, bringing new opportunities. We are simply trying to be the best stewards of the resources we have been given."
 
Renamed Frontier Ventures in 2015, the former U.S. Center was established by the late Dr. Ralph Winter, a leading advocate of frontier mission. The organization has supported those efforts through research, collaboration, training and education. Programs and projects include the acclaimed Perspectives on the World Christian Movement course and publication of Missions Frontiers and the Global Prayer Digest.

Formed in 1997, WCIU offers distance learning to equip cross-cultural workers. Students from 20 countries around the world have completed studies.

The transition from a centralized, Pasadena-based operation to a decentralized model with small hubs around the world has been under consideration for several years. More recently, Frontier Ventures and WCIU appointed a real estate broker to further the process, with talks currently involving several interested parties.

Those discussions include an emphasis on finding an appropriate buyer. "We want to honor the legacy of our birth in Pasadena both by retaining something of a presence there and in ensuring that we choose the right people to whom to entrust the rest to," said Patt.
  
Frontier Ventures
Based in Pasadena, Calif., Frontier Ventures (www.frontierventures.org) promotes the cause of mission among the world's unreached people groups through research, education, and mobilization. Founded in 1976 as the U.S. Center for World Mission by the late missionary statesman, Dr. Ralph D. Winter, its subsidiary ministries include the acclaimed Perspectives on the World Christian Movement course.

William Carey International University
Named after William Carey, a pioneer British missionary to India in the late 1700s and early 1800s, WCIU (www.wciu.edu) was established in 1977 at the former U.S. Center for World Mission to equip international cross-cultural workers for overseas service. The distance-learning school has equipped students in 20 countries.