February 01, 1980 by

In the February issue of Eternity and of Campus Crusades' Worldwide Challenge,Dr. Winter was interviewed at length about the world's Hidden Peoples and the challenge of the unreached frontiers. In those articles little was said about the severe crisis which faces him and the staff at the U.S. Center for World Mission right now. Mission Frontiers:' editorial staff felt it appropriate, therefore, to ask him pointed questions regarding that crisis.

MISSION FRONTIERS: Dr. Winter, if the March 8th deadline could kill you after three years of struggling to own this campus  how do you feel right about now?

DR. WINTER: Well, we've run a good race. I am tremendously impressed by the management ability of our young staff. Oh, we have a lot of older people more my age here too, contributed by over 40 different mission organizations. We have over 120 full time people here, but most are working in our many departments, not as part of our central staff. We do not draw on them to help us in our financial crisis.

MISSION FRONTIERS: What specifically have your younger leaders done?

DR. WINTER: For one thing, they have kept us in the black. We took over an empty campus a little over a year ago. Our 26 32 year old central staff has operated a complex program without a penny of donations. People said we could not do it. We're building one of the great younger management teams in missions today.

MISSION FRONTIERS: But how does this relate to your March 8th deadline?

DR. WINTER: People are not going to invest in us if we are a sinking ship. All our 15 operational cost centers here are running in the black! That frees us to appeal for one time small (15. 95) gifts to go exclusively to our Founding Budget   and, proving we are able to run in the black means we'll not have to raise further gifts at all once we meet our Founding Budget.

MISSION FRONTIERS: "Founding Budget"  so that's what you call your payment schedule?

DR. WINTER: Yes, but our Founding Budget includes more than the campus. Also included are 85 residences within two blocks and a small endowment fund.

MISSION FRONTIERS: But I want to get to the matter of the March 8th crisis. Where precisely do you stand?

DR. WINTER: We have two problems: I) We have not yet completed our December payment, and 2) our increasing stream of small gifts has not grown quite fast enough yet. If we do not complete our $175,000 December payment before March 8th (when our next $175,000 payment is due), we are going to be in serious trouble.

MISSION FRONTIERS: How far short may you fall?

DR. WINTER: At our present rate of income, about $25,000.

MISSION FRONTIERS: Well, that's not much. Why is that so serious?

DR. WINTER: It's bad enough to be one quarter behind in our payments, but we may be considered hopeless if we do not get in funds at the rate of at least $175, 000 every three months, so as to be able gradually to catch up. If our case is considered hopeless the Christian college which originally owned this campus will have no recourse but to foreclose. In that event we may lose the campus and everything we've paid thus far.

MISSION FRONTIERS: Are you hopeless?

DR. WINTER: Fundamentally, we are not hopeless. But we cannot demand that our creditors simply believe us. It would not be fair to them merely to state our case and not at least close the December gap by March 8th.

MISSION FRONTIERS: What makes you fundamentally hopeful?

DR. WINTER: First, we now have large, powerful programs going here. The 40 agencies that give us their people are giving in effect $1,000,000 a year to the program.

Second we have attracted the prayer and at least $15. 95 from about 15,000 people, and this number is increasing by about 30% every six months primarily because these people are sharing the vision with others.

Third we have 1,000 pastors who have shown interest. They have whole congregations with which they can share the vision.
Fourth we also have a lot of other Christian workers who have caught on and are sharing the challenge with their own supporters.

Fifth and finally, major Christian organizations are getting behind us. We are very nearly to the place of becoming known  well, I don't know how to put it  as a center serving all mission agencies, all churches, and all students seeking to know more about the last frontiers. Here's the point: precisely because we do not ask anyone for a second gift and are thus not seeking to corral supporters from other organizations, and because we are serving everyone, it makes it possible for us to be recommended.

MISSION FRONTIERS: Wait a minute What do you mean by other organizations "recommending" the U.S. Center?

DR. WINTER: George Cowan, the president of Wycliffe Bible Translators, has just written in his monthly letter to all their 3,000 staff world wide suggesting that they send in their $15.95. Once they write in,Dr. Cowan has encouraged us to see if those missionary donors would like to share this same challenge through their prayer letter people to still other people.

MISSION FRONTIERS: Wow, but that's a little unique, isn't it?

DR. WINTER: No. Bill Bright has already done this with his U.S. staff. About 500 have already responded. Earlier, Young Life did this with their entire staff. I can give many other examples.

MISSION FRONTIERS: But isn't this just drawing 5 the same old sources of money?

DR. WINTER: You may have missed a point. We have ourselves suggested that these missionaries and Christian workers not ask their own supporters to give to us, but just ask that they accept 3 brochures to pass on to friends or relatives who are not sufficiently exposed to frontier mission challenge.

MISSION FRONTIERS: Well, if this project is gaining widespread official backing like that, I guess you are fundamentally hopeful.

DR. WINTER: Funny, though, it will always depend on the moving of the Holy Spirit in individual hearts to do something unusual, to take a new deep breath, to believe that we can finish off the mission task by the year 2000. Without that moving, we are nothing.