Verse

Luke 12:15 - 21 And he said unto them, Take heed, and beware of covetousness: for a man's life consisteth not in the abundance of the things which he possesseth.

Friday, 10 October 2025

ITEAMs Philippines

 





Vision

While ITP does not always present a single-line “vision statement” in all its materials, the vision is clearly expressed in its overall aim:

Mission

ITP’s mission encapsulates what it does to help fulfill that vision:

  • To mobilize, equip, and deploy missionaries both within the Philippines and to other countries. ITEAMS 2025 WEBSITE+1

  • To share God’s love and God’s plan of salvation through faith in Jesus Christ. ITEAMS 2025 WEBSITE+1

  • To do so even among underprivileged communities, working among the unreached, the poor, and those with fewer resources, trusting that God can use “ordinary men and women” for the Great Commission. ITEAMS 2025 WEBSITE+1

Objectives / Key Aims

From the materials I found, here are some of the specific objectives, or aims, that ITP pursues to carry out its mission:

  1. Missionary Recruitment & Qualification

    • Identify those who feel a missionary calling, show evidence of it, and meet some basic qualifications (legal age; share the Statement of Faith; willingness to undergo training). ITEAMS 2025 WEBSITE

  2. Training

    • Provide mission-training programs: ACCESS 1 Mission Training (foundational), ACCESS 2 / Southeast Asia Mission Workshops (field / exposure), Revitalized Mission (for non-Filipinos). ITEAMS 2025 WEBSITE 

    • Equip pastors, leaders, mobilizers via seminars (like Cutting Edge Leadership) to more effectively lead in the modern missions environment. ITEAMS 2025 WEBSITE

  3. Mobilization

  4. Deployment

    • Deploy missionaries: either send them into existing mission teams or establish new teams in areas where there is none. ITEAMS 2025 WEBSITE

    • Serve in many countries (Asia and beyond), among different cultural, ethnic, social groups including underprivileged and unreached people. ITEAMS 2025 WEBSITE

  5. Faith-based Sustainability

    • Operate on faith: trusting in God for provision rather than relying on external funding. ITEAMS 2025 WEBSITE

    • Enable people with limited resources/education to serve if they have faith and calling. ITEAMS 2025 WEBSITE

  6. Community & Social Transformation

    • Through their ministries, help transform lives and communities especially for the poor: addressing spiritual, educational, economic, and health needs. ITEAMS 2025 WEBSITE



Full List of Focus Ministries & Programs

Ministry / ProgramWhat It Does / Key Activities
Mission Mobilization MinistryWorks through Global Mission Centers (GMCs) located in key cities across the Philippines. Mobilizers help stir up churches for global missions, prepare people locally to respond to mission calls and assist in sending them out. ITEAMS 2025 WEBSITE+2ITEAMS 2025 WEBSITE

Global Intercessors / Prayer MinistryPrayer-arm of ITP. Mobilizes intercessors nationwide, prays for ITP missionaries, partners, and other needs. Organizes prayer & worship events, international and local prayer journeys, online prayer/worship fellowship. ITEAMS 2025 WEBSITE

Joshua Rising (Youth Mobilization Ministry)Engages youth in global missions. Coordinates youth mission programs, fellowship, strategy planning for youth involvement. Meets (online, monthly) to plan and coordinate. ITEAMS 2025 WEBSITE
There Is Hope

A community transformation ministry for the poor/underprivileged. Covers health, economy (livelihood), spiritual, and education services. The goal is lives & communities transformed through hope in Jesus. ITEAMS 2025 WEBSITE+1
Dignity Ministry
A business-as-mission outreach. Through Dignity Products & Services Inc. (coconut processing/export) in Albay. Provides jobs & works in impoverished communities, demonstrating the Gospel via work, community projects. Operates under the There Is Hope umbrella. ITEAMS 2025 WEBSITE
IT Tender MinistriesHelps children in extreme poverty. Child sponsorship program: support schooling (supplies, uniforms, etc.), basic needs like health, nutrition, disaster response, access to clean water, etc. Also runs day care, alternative learning, and other staff / intern scholarships. ITEAMS 2025 WEBSITE
International Disaster Response Network (IDRN)Prepares for, trains, and responds to disaster events internationally. ITEAMS 2025 WEBSITE
The Worship Project
A ministry involving worship—presumably using music/worship as part of outreach and spiritual formation. ITEAMS 2025 WEBSITE

Gising Kabataan (Awaken Youth)A movement to awaken / rouse the youth for service, for God’s glory, making a difference in the world. Youth-focused renewal / calling ministry. ITEAMS 2025 WEBSITE

Rise Up Phils.Another youth or national movement (the website doesn’t give very detailed description) under ITP ministries. ITEAMS 2025 WEBSITE
Jacobs Ministry
A localized ministry (Cavite area etc.), likely outreach / community work; specific programs are not fully detailed on the site. ITEAMS 2025 WEBSITE
Jabez Band
A band ministry / worship music arm. Probably does performances, worship sessions, events. ITEAMS 2025 WEBSITE
Fishnets Ministry
Works among the urban poor in Metro Manila. Focus on health, education, livelihood services in poor urban communities. ITEAMS 2025 WEBSITE
House of David Ministry
Feeding & mercy missions: helps needy children, out-of-school youth, widows, needy families. Includes spiritual teaching. ITEAMS 2025 WEBSITE
Youth Mob Ministry
Engaging youth and children: helps uplift their lives via education, caring, mobilizing for missions. ITEAMS 2025 WEBSITE



🕊️ WHAT ITEAMS PHILIPPINES IS

  1. A Faith-Based Missions Organization

    • ITP is a non-stock, non-profit Christian mission-sending organization dedicated to fulfilling the Great Commission (Matthew 28:19–20).

    • It mobilizes, equips, and deploys Filipino believers to local and international mission fields.

    • It is rooted in Evangelical and Pentecostal convictions about evangelism, discipleship, and holistic transformation.

    “Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost.” – Matthew 28:19, KJV

  1. A Training and Mobilization Movement

    • It provides systematic mission training (ACCESS 1, ACCESS 2, Revitalized Mission, and specialized courses).

    • It seeks to awaken the Philippine Church to its global missionary calling, turning ordinary members into trained ambassadors for Christ.

  1. A Fellowship of Ordinary People with an Extraordinary Calling

    • ITP emphasizes that missions are not just for pastors or full-time ministers, but for all believers who respond to God’s call.

    • Members come from all walks of life—professionals, students, OFWs, and church volunteers—who desire to serve God in various contexts.

    “Here am I; send me.” – Isaiah 6:8, KJV

  1. A Holistic Mission Ministry

    • It integrates spiritual, social, and economic transformation: evangelism, education, livelihood, health, and disaster response.

    • Programs like There Is Hope, Dignity Ministry, and IT Tender Ministries serve as examples of “faith in action.”

    “Even so faith, if it hath not works, is dead, being alone.” – James 2:17, KJV

  1. A Movement under God’s Sovereignty, not Human Sponsorship

    • ITP operates by faith. Missionaries are encouraged to trust God for provision rather than depend solely on foreign financial aid or denominational subsidies.

    • It embodies the belief that God’s work done God’s way will never lack God’s supply.

  1. A Catalyst for the “Global Filipino Dream”

    • The organization envisions the Philippines as a missionary-sending nation—where Filipino believers are among the most active cross-cultural workers globally.

🚫 WHAT ITEAMS PHILIPPINES IS NOT

  1. Not a Denomination or a Local Church

    • ITP does not function as a church; it partners with churches.

    • It does not administer ordinances (like baptism or communion) or claim ecclesiastical authority.

    • Its role is to serve and mobilize churches for mission—not replace them.

  1. Not a Funding or Employment Agency

    • Missionaries are not salaried employees of ITP.

    • It is not a recruitment or job-placement organization.

    • Each missionary is responsible for faith-based or partner-supported funding.

  1. Not a Mere Humanitarian NGO

    • While ITP engages in social upliftment, its primary goal is spiritual transformation through the Gospel.

    • Projects in education, livelihood, or disaster response are platforms for evangelism, not ends in themselves.

  1. Not a Political or Social Movement

    • It does not engage in partisan politics or ideology-driven activism.

    • Its mission is Kingdom-centered, not political reform or social protest.

  1. Not a Personality-Centered Organization

    • ITP’s work is team-based, not centered on a founder or charismatic leader.

    • Emphasis is on servant leadership and collective obedience to Christ’s Great Commission.

  1. Not Exclusively for Full-Time Missionaries

    • Anyone—teacher, student, nurse, engineer—can join as long as they commit to serving Christ’s mission.

    • Marketplace professionals are viewed as missionaries in disguise in their places of work.

🕊️ Summary Comparison Table

AspectWhat It IsWhat It Is Not
NatureA faith-based mission-sending movementA denomination or church
FundingOperates by faith and partnershipNot an employment or funding agency
ScopeEvangelism + Discipleship + Social TransformationNot purely humanitarian or political
LeadershipTeam and servant-basedNot personality-driven
MembershipOpen to all believers sensing God’s callNot limited to clergy or seminary graduates
GoalTo make disciples of all nationsNot to build an organization or empire




How ITP Funds the Missions

From public documents and ITP’s website:

  1. From Filipino Givers & Local Support

  2. Global Partners / International Support

    • For donors outside the Philippines, ITP also has ways to give through IT-USA or other channels. This allows supporters from the U.S., Canada, and elsewhere to send funds. expydoc.com

    • They accept non-monetary gifts (“gifts in kind”) as well. ITEAMS 2025 WEBSITE+1

  3. There is a Formal Donation System

  4. Partners Circle

    • ITP has a group called the Partners Circle composed of supporters / donors, especially those with business or financial expertise whose role is to help sustain and grow the organization financially. ITEAMS 2025 WEBSITE+1

    • As the ministry grew, financial challenges increased; the Partners Circle helps with fundraising strategy, oversight, and ensuring financial health. ITEAMS 2025 WEBSITE

  5. Faith-Based / Self-Reliant Model

    • ITP sees its funding as coming “mostly by Filipinos” and operates on the principle that God will supply through willing givers rather than institutional or government grants. ITEAMS 2025 WEBSITE

    • Also, they believe persons with “meager financial resources” who have faith can be called and supported. ITEAMS 2025 WEBSITE

What Funding Does Not Look Like (What It’s Not)

From what I found, these are things ITP does not do (or at least does not emphasize) in their funding model:

  • They do not appear to depend heavily (or at all) on government grants or major foreign institutional funding (e.g. large NGOs or foreign governments). Their emphasis is on local support / faith giving. ITEAMS 2025 WEBSITE

  • Missionaries are not salaried by ITP in the sense of having a large guaranteed institutional stipend; they need support from donors / partners. (This is implied by the faith-based model and the “support your missionary” instructions.) expydoc.com+1

  • It’s not a purely transactional or fee-for-service model. The giving is voluntary, faith-based, with accountability built in (receipts, oversight). ITEAMS 2025 WEBSITE

Implications / Things to Be Aware

If you want, this is useful especially if you’re considering being supported as a missionary, or donating:

  • Missionaries must likely raise their own support: building donor networks, communicating regularly with supporters.

  • Because much of the funding is faith-giving, income may fluctuate; there may be periods of less support.

  • Donors / partners are often expected to be consistent and intentional, not one-time only. Having a stable base of supporters is important.



🔍 What External Information I Found

Most detailed historical data about ITP comes directly from ITP’s own site. External confirmations are sparse, but I found a few supporting points and some unresolved areas.

  1. Affirmation of ITP’s Growth & Recognition by International Teams

    • ITP’s website quotes a newsletter by Kevin Dyer, founder of International Teams (the broader global mission organization) stating that by ~2008, “nearly half of all ITeams missionaries worldwide are Filipinos.” This is presented as an external affirmation from the global parent organization. ITEAMS 2025 WEBSITE

    • While this is presented on ITP’s site, it functions as outside validation (i.e. from the parent/global body) of their growth. ITEAMS 2025 WEBSITE

  2. Name Changes and Corporate Identity

    • ITP’s own site says the organization at some point went by ITEA (IT East Asia) and then later reverted back to IT Philippines (ITP) as the corporate name. This is more of an internal record, but given consistency over time, it is likely accurate. ITEAMS 2025 WEBSITE

  3. Stories / Testimonies of Missionaries

    • Several testimonies / “God sightings” on ITP’s site provide first-hand narratives: for example, missionaries starting with no fixed support or going to fields like Thailand or Cambodia in response to calls. While these are primary sources from within ITP, they help flesh out the lived history. ITEAMS 2025 WEBSITE+2ITEAMS 2025 WEBSITE+2

    • For example, Sister Cristee “Pat” Marcelino’s nine years in Indonesia, followed by call to Cambodia. ITEAMS 2025 WEBSITE

⚠️ Gaps / Limitations / What Was Not Found

In my search, several historical claims made by ITP could not be fully verified from independent sources (journalistic, academic, or denominational archives). Some of these include:

  • Exact dates: e.g. the specific year the foreign missionaries left completely; the year ITP began (beyond “1980s”) isn’t pinpointed independently.

  • Quantitative data: number of missionaries sent each year (outside ITP’s data), exact count of countries served, financial figures, etc.

  • External publications: I found no major independent articles (in well-known Philippine or global Christian press) detailing the transition in leadership to Pastor Gani Sison, or the faith-based strategy, with comparable level of detail.

  • Third-party evaluations: There seems to be no evaluation by external mission boards, NGOs, or academic institutions (at least accessible via basic web search) that analyze ITP’s history or impact quantitatively.

✅ Tentative Reconstructed Timeline (with External Support Where Available)

Based on ITP’s own materials, cross-checked as much as possible:

PeriodKey EventsDegree of External Corroboration
1980sForeign missionaries from USA, Australia, Canada begin long-term work among urban poor in Manila.Mostly internal; no external sources found to confirm names or dates.
1990s, pre-1999Decline / crisis: conflicts, foreign staff leaving; ITP nearly closing.Internal only; external confirmation lacking.
1999Pastor Gani Sison becomes National Director; new vision of mobilizing the nation for global missions.Internal; no independent press found confirming the date or appointment.
2000Reforms; adoption of “new wine skin” approach; name ITEA used; faith-based funding model; sending over 100 missionaries in ~2 years after renewal.Internal; external affirmation via Kevin Dyer’s newsletter (cited by ITP) about Filipino mission-workers becoming large percentage of ITeams overall. ITEAMS 2025 WEBSITE
2008Kevin Dyer’s report about ITP being “fastest growing entity” in ITeams, with nearly half of global ITeams missionaries being Filipino. ITEAMS 2025 WEBSITE
After 2008Continued growth: more missionaries, wider geographic fields, name revert to IT Philippines. Ongoing testimonies of missionary voyages, faith stories, etc. ITEAMS 2025 WEBSITE+3ITEAMS 2025 WEBSITE+3ITEAMS 2025 WEBSITE









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