Mastermedia International

Summary

Mastermedia International ("MI") strives to network an affiliation of relationships at the executive level of more than four hundred New York and Hollywood media corporations. Over two hundred men and women at the vice presidential level or higher from four TV networks and seven major film studios are involved in Mastermedia's intensive one-on-one and small group strategies. These individuals have produced more than 70 television movies, scores of feature films, thousands of hours of prime time programs, and six series currently on network TV. Group meetings at Warner Bros., Universal Studios, CBS, and NBC provide encouragement, Christian instruction, and fellowship. Having identified the 1000 most powerful people in film and TV by name, the leadership of Mastermedia mobilizes national prayer for them and is pursuing a plan to share the message of Jesus Christ with them in a personal, confidential manner within the next five years. This organization is a nonprofit. Contributions to it are fully tax deductible to the extent allowed by law.

Contact Information: [ Back to top ]

Organization Details [ Back to top ]

Purpose [ Back to top ]

Mastermedia International ("MI") strives to network an affiliation of relationships at the executive level of more than four hundred New York and Hollywood media corporations. Over two hundred men and women at the vice presidential level or higher from four TV networks and seven major film studios are involved in Mastermedia's intensive one-on-one and small group strategies. These individuals have produced more than 70 television movies, scores of feature films, thousands of hours of prime time programs, and six series currently on network TV. Group meetings at Warner Bros., Universal Studios, CBS, and NBC provide encouragement, Christian instruction, and fellowship.

Having identified the 1000 most powerful people in film and TV by name, the leadership of Mastermedia mobilizes national prayer for them and is pursuing a plan to share the message of Jesus Christ with them in a personal, confidential manner within the next five years. This organization is a nonprofit. Contributions to it are fully tax deductible to the extent allowed by law. It is a member of the Evangelical Council for Financial Accountability (ECFA).

Mission Statement [ Back to top ]

Mastermedia International uses the following to communicate its objectives:

The first objective is to create a positive, moral and spiritual impact on the leaders of American film and television through personal communication, individual counsel, and small group support. At the present time, approximately 2,700 professionals in film and TV are served by Mastermedia.

Mastermedia's second objective is to inform responsible people across America about the spiritual and moral issues in media and to alert them to the potentially erosive influence of film and television on Judeo-Christian values.

Program Accomplishments [ Back to top ]

Mastermedia International's quarterly newsletter has a circulation of approximately 18,500, and other MI publications help families manage the potentially negative influence of media. A short radio feature is aired daily on more than 250 Christian radio stations nationwide. Also, over 900 stations receive the MI’s program through "Family News in Focus."

Statement of Faith [ Back to top ]

Mastermedia International uses the following to communicate its faith:

THE SCRIPTURES:
We believe in the plenary, verbal inspiration of the original writings of the sixty-six books of the Bible, the Word of God, and that it is the full and complete revelation of God's will for man, wholly infallible in all its parts, including scientific and historical accuracy, as well as the supreme and final authority in all matters of faith and practice. (II Tim. 3:16; II Peter 1:20, 21; Jude 3)

THE GODHEAD:
We believe in one God, eternally existing in three persons "Father, Son and Holy Spirit" co-eternal in being, co-identical in nature, co-equal in power and glory, and having the same attributes and perfections. (Deut. 6:4; II Cor. 13:14; Matt. 28:18, 19)

ORIGINS:
We believe that God is the direct and active Creator of the universe and of all life in it (Gen. 1:1-2:9), and that, as God, Jesus Christ played a creator's role in all that exists (John 1:3). We believe that God created life with distinct boundaries between life forms. (Gen. 1:11-12, 20-21, 24-25)

THE PERSON AND WORK OF CHRIST:
A. We believe that the Lord Jesus Christ, the eternal Son of God, became man, without ceasing to be God, having been conceived by the Holy Spirit and born of the virgin Mary, that He might reveal God and redeem sinful men. (John 1:1, 2, 14, 18; Luke 1:35)

B. We believe that the Lord Jesus Christ accomplished our complete redemption through His death on the cross as a representative, propitiatory and substitutionary sacrifice, a redemption made sure to us by His literal, physical resurrection from the dead. (Rom. 3:24, 25; 5:8-10; I Peter 2:24; Eph. 1:7).

C. We believe that the Lord Jesus Christ ascended into heaven and is now exalted at the right hand of God the Father where, as our High Priest, He fulfills the ministry of Representative, Intercessor, and Advocate. (Acts 1:9-11; Rom. 8:34; I Tim. 2:5; Heb. 1:3; 6:9, 20; 7:24; 9:24; I John 2:1-2)

THE PERSON AND WORK OF THE HOLY SPIRIT:
A. We believe that the Holy Spirit is a divine person, possessing all the attributes of deity, and that in essence, He is equally God. (Acts 5:3, 4; II Cor. 13:14)

B. We believe that the Holy Spirit is the Supernatural Agent in regeneration and sanctification, baptizing all believers into the body of Christ, indwelling equally and permanently all believers, and sealing them unto the day of redemption. (Rom. 8:9; I Cor. 6:11; 12:12-14; Eph. 1:13-14)

C. We believe that every unregenerated person, the moment he exercises faith in Christ as Savior, immediately possesses the Holy Spirit. (Rom. 8:9; I Cor. 3:16; 6:19; Gal. 4:6; I Thess. 4:8)

D. We believe that the Holy Spirit is the Divine Teacher who guides believers into all truth; that He sovereignly bestows one or more spiritual gifts upon each believer; and that it is the privilege and duty of all the saved to be filled (controlled) with the Spirit. (John 16:13; I Cor. 12:4-7; Eph. 5:18)

THE SINFULNESS OF MAN:
We believe that man was created in the image and likeness of God but through Adam's sin the whole race fell, became alienated from God, inherited a sin nature, possesses no spark of divine life and of itself, is utterly helpless to remedy its lost condition apart from the grace of God. (Gen. 1:25-27; Rom. 3:22, 23; 5:12; Eph. 2:1-3, 12)

SALVATION:
We believe that salvation is the gift of God brought to sinful man by grace and received solely by personal faith in the Lord Jesus Christ who accomplished complete redemption by His substitutionary death and shedding of His precious blood. (John 3:18; Gal. 2:16; Eph. 1:7; 2:8-9; Titus 3:5, I Peter 1:18-19)

SANCTIFICATION:
We believe that sanctification is a setting-apart unto God (John 17:17, 19) and that it involves three dimensions in the believer's life:
A. Positional:Every believer, by his being "in Christ" and partaking of all He is, has a complete standing before God. (I Cor. 1:2, 30; 6:11; Heb. 10:10, 14)

B. Progressive:Yet every believer, because he retains a sin nature which cannot be changed nor eradicated in this life, lives in a present state that is imperfect to the extent that he fails to appropriate the power of the Holy Spirit by which to live the Christian life, and therefore, he is in need of a progressive sanctification by growing in grace unto spiritual maturity. (II Cor. 3:18; 7:1; Eph. 4:24; Heb. 12:10)

C. Ultimate:Every believer will be fully and completely sanctified when he shall see the Lord and shall be like Him. (Rom. 8:39; Eph. 5:25-27; II Cor. 3:18; I John 3:2)

ASSURANCE OF SALVATION:
A. We believe that all the redeemed, once saved, are kept by the power of God, indwelt by the Holy Spirit, and interceded for by Christ and are therefore secure in Christ forever. (John 6:37-40; 10:27-30; 17:11; Rom. 8:1, 9, 30, 38, 39; I Cor. 1:4-8; II Tim. 1:12; I Peter 1:5; Jude 24)

B. We believe that God, as a holy and righteous Father of all the redeemed, cannot overlook the sin of His children, and, when they persistently sin, will chasten and correct them in infinite love. (I Cor. 11:17-32; Heb. 12:5-11)

C. We believe that it is the universal privilege of believers to rejoice in the assurance of their salvation, which assurance excites within God's children love, gratitude and obedience. (I John 5:10-13; 3:14; II Cor. 5:6-8; Rom. 13:13, 14; Gal. 5:13; Titus 2:11-15)

THE CHURCH:
A. We believe that all born again persons make up the universal Church, which is a spiritual organism. (Eph. 1:22-23; I Cor. 12:12-14; Rom. 12:5; 16:16-18; Acts 2:42-47)

B. We believe that the establishment and continuance of local churches is clearly taught and defined in the New Testament. (Acts 14:27; 20:17, 28-32; I Tim. 3:1-13; Titus 1:5-11)

THE MINISTRY AND SPIRITUAL GIFTS:
We believe that God through His Holy Spirit sovereignly bestows spiritual gifts upon all believers for the primary purpose of building up the Body of Christ (Eph. 4:11-12; I Cor. 12:20-27), that no particular gift is more of an evidence of the baptism of the Holy Spirit than another (I Cor. 12:13-31), that all gifts are given to glorify the Giver of the gift rather than the receiver (I Cor. 14), that manifesting the character of Christ is of greater importance to God than exercising a spiritual gift (I Cor. 13), and that all exercise of gifts is restricted by Biblical guidelines. (I Cor. 14:23-40)

THE CHRISTIAN WALK:
A. We believe that the Christian life consists in a positive abiding in union with the living Christ and by living in the power of the indwelling Holy Spirit so that the fruit of the Spirit is produced in the life in contrast to the lusts of the flesh. (John 15:1-16; Gal. 5:16-23; Eph. 4:22-24)
B. We believe that believers should live in such a manner as not to bring reproach upon their Savior and Lord, and should separate themselves from practices and associations which detract from the Christian life and walk. (Rom. 12:1-2; 14:13, 21; II Cor. 6:14-7:1; II Tim. 3:1-5; I John 2:15-17; II John 9-11)

C. We believe that every believer should be a faithful steward accountable to God for his time and resources. (I Cor. 16:2; II Cor. 9:6-8)

THE GREAT COMMISSION:
We believe that it is the obligation of all believers to do their part to obey the command of Christ to proclaim the good news of salvation to the whole world in the power of the Spirit, to disciple believers, and to baptize and instruct them in the things of Christ. (Matt. 28:18-20; Mark 16:15; Luke 24:46-49; II Cor. 5:19-20; Rom. 10:11-17)

THE PERSONALITY OF SATAN:
We believe that Satan is a personal being, the author of sin and the cause of the fall of man; that he is the open and declared enemy of God and man; that he is active in our world today and that he is destined for total defeat and punishment. (Gen. 3:1-19; Isaiah 14:12-17; Matt. 4:2-11; 25:41; Rev. 20:10)

THE CHRISTIAN'S HOPE:
We believe in the imminent, personal coming of our Lord in the air to receive to Himself into heaven both His own who are alive and remain unto His coming, and also all who have fallen asleep in Jesus, and that for this we should be constantly looking. (John 14:1-3; I Cor. 15:41-42; Phil. 3:30; I Thess. 4:13-18; Titus 2:11-14; I Thess. 1:10; Rev. 3:10)

THE ETERNAL STATE:
A. We believe in the bodily resurrection of all men, the saved to eternal life, and the unsaved to judgment and everlasting punishment. (Matt. 25:46; John 5:28-29; 11:25-26; Rev. 20:5-6, 12-13.

B. We believe that the souls of the redeemed are, at death, absent from the body and present with the Lord. (Luke 23:43; II Cor. 5:8; Phil. 1:23; 3:21; I Thess. 4:16-17; Rev. 20:4-6)

C. We believe that the souls of unbelievers will, after death, suffer everlasting conscious punishment. (Matt. 25:41-46; Mark 9:43-48; Luke 16:19-26; II Thess. 1:7-9; Jude 6-7; Rev. 20:11-15)

History [ Back to top ]

Beginning in 1980, Dr. Larry Poland, Mastermedia International Chairman and CEO, began research on the spiritual dynamics of film and television - the extent to which personal faith affects the lives and decisions of the "movers and shakers" in media. Using the research as a door opener, he probed the minds and hearts of some of media's most powerful people. What he found motivated him to reach deeper into the world of performers, writers, producers, directors, networks, studios, broadcasting, and theaters in Hollywood and New York. He found that a segment of top media leadership was open to a deeper relationship with God, open to the fresh wind of the Holy Spirit, and open to a challenge to be men and women of God in an industry often hostile to personal faith in Christ.

Some of the industry's top people began to trust Dr. Poland. Then, more significantly, they began to trust Jesus Christ. Now they are beginning to trust other believers in a quiet network of common faith. MI staff members live by a code that prohibits the disclosure of the names of people to whom they minister, restricts them from seeking commercial favors such as employment leads and script readings, forbids the direct solicitation of funds from the people to whom they minister, and protects those ministered to from anyone who would exploit their influence or position. Furthermore, MI seek to do everything they do with professional excellence and open integrity.

Ministry Needs [ Back to top ]

Mastermedia International's staff members raise the majority of their own personal, financial support, and each staff person is paid on the basis of need rather than position.

Research Analysis

Transparency Grade [ Back to top ]

MinistryWatch.com 5 Star Financial Efficiency Ratings [ Back to top ]

Ranking Category	Rating	Overall Rank	Evangelism Sector
Overall Efficiency Rating		337 of 348	28 of 28
Fund Acquisition Decision		337 of 348	28 of 28
Resource Allocation Decision		of 348	11 of 28
Asset Utilization Decision		of 348	11 of 28