Officers' Christian Fellowship / OCF

Summary

Officers' Christian Fellowship ("OCF") was established in 1943 to provide encouragement and spiritual guidance to the United States military community, with an emphasis on the officer corps. Its services include publications, retreats and conferences, and networking for its constituency. While local fellowships composed primarily of Bible studies are the heart of OCF, there are a number of other ministries and services. Other services and ministries include a world-wide network of Christian contacts for members at new stations, a prayer reminder to inform members and to provide for mutual prayer support, a broad selection of publications (COMMAND magazine and topical booklets that address life, leadership and ministry in the military), and much more. OCF currently has a membership of 16,000, with about 9,000 active duty officers. More than 600 small group Bible Studies are conducted alongside military chaplains worldwide. OCF has 19 field staff and about 33 support staff. Brig Gen David B. Warner, USAF (Ret) became the OCF Executive Director in August 2010.

OCF is a nonprofit organizations and contributions to it are fully tax deductible to the extent allowed by law. In addition, it is a member of the Evangelical Council for Financial Accountability (ECFA)

Contact Information: [ Back to top ]

Organization Details [ Back to top ]

Purpose [ Back to top ]

Service in today's military places many stresses on personnel and their marriages, families, and other relationships. Repeated deployments, multiple moves from one duty station to another, and other family separations present special problems. OCF focuses on these issues by helping members and others connect with other personnel in similar circumstances for mutual encouragement and edification through community Bible studies, fellowships, and retreats at two OCF retreat centers.

Other services and ministries include:

1. A world-wide network of Christian fellowship contacts for members at new duty stations
2. A prayer reminder to inform members and to provide for mutual prayer support
3. A broad selection of publications (COMMAND magazine, periodicals for OCF leaders, and topical booklets that address life, leadership and ministry in the military)
4. Books and booklets for members of all services that are deployed or given remote assignments
5. Conference center facilities and programs in the Colorado Rockies at Spring Canyon and in the Pennsylvania Alleghenies at White Sulphur Springs, staff ministries at the service academies and other military centers (Fort Leavenworth, Kansas and Maxwell Air Force Base, Alabama)
6. Regional staff who travel to teach and encourage and counsel local leaders and members
7. Regional training conferences to equip and encourage leaders for more effective OCF outreach and service
8. A coordinated outreach to ROTC units, and
9. A book service that gives members access to most Christian books at a reduced price.

Mission Statement [ Back to top ]

Officer’s Christian Fellowship communicates its purpose as follows:

Our purpose is to glorify God by uniting Christian officers for biblical fellowship and outreach, equipping and encouraging them to minister effectively in the military society

Tag Line:
Building Christian Leaders... Families... Fellowships

Program Accomplishments [ Back to top ]

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Statement of Faith [ Back to top ]

Inasmuch as I am a sinner and deserve the wrath of God, and since Jesus Christ died for my sins, was buried, and has been bodily resurrected, according to the Scriptures, I have accepted Him as my personal Lord and Savior and am saved by His Grace alone.
...And Participation
I am committed to the purpose of OCF: To glorify God by uniting Christian officers for biblical fellowship and outreach, equipping and encouraging them to minister effectively in the military.

As an expression of my commitment to the Lord Jesus Christ and to His work in the military society, I will, by God's grace, participate actively and prayerfully in the ministry of OCF with my time, talents, spiritual gifts, and financial resources.

Statement of Doctrine:

• We believe in one God, eternally existing in three persons: Father, Son and Holy Spirit.
• We believe that the Old and New Testaments as originally written are the verbally inspired Word of God, and accept them as the supreme and all-sufficient authority in faith and life.
• We believe that man was created in the image of God, but that he sinned and thereby incurred not only physical death, but also spiritual death which is eternal separation from God; and that each human being is born with a sinful nature and cannot by his own efforts please God.
• We believe that Jesus Christ was begotten by the Holy Spirit, was born of the Virgin Mary and is true God and true man.
• We believe that the Lord Jesus Christ died for our sins as our vicarious sacrifice in accordance with the Scripture, and that all who believe in Him are cleansed of their sins by His shed blood and are justified before God.
• We believe that all who by faith receive the Lord Jesus Christ are born again of the Holy Spirit and so become the children of God, to live with Him through all eternity.
• We believe in the resurrection of the crucified body of our Lord, in His ascension into heaven, and in His present life there as our High Priest and Advocate.
• We believe in the bodily resurrection of the just and unjust; the eternal blessedness of the saved; and the everlasting, conscious punishment of the lost.
• We believe in the personal, visible and glorious return of the Lord Jesus Christ to this earth.

History [ Back to top ]

Officers' Christian Fellowship began in 1943 as a home Bible study for military officers in Washington DC. Originally called, Officers' Christian Union, it changed its name to Fellowship in 1972. The first staff member was hired in 1952. OCF is part of an international association of military ministries and sponsored the World Conference in Virginia Beach in 1994, with 1,100 participants from 92 countries.

Ministry Needs [ Back to top ]

1. Ministry expansion at the Spring Canyon conference center. 3.5M goal
2. People who are willing to lead Bible studies
3. Mentors for up and coming officers
4. Prayer for military families who have experienced multiple deployments
5. People willing to partner prayerfully and financially with OCF to extend Biblical truth to the next generation of military leaders

Research Analysis

Transparency Grade [ Back to top ]

Transparency Grade of : A
Criteria category	Grade	Other Comments
Timeliness:	100
Financial Information:	100
Foundational Clarity:	100	11/17/2011 9:49:17 AM: Descriptive information was abundant and thorough.
Level of Cooperation:	100	11/17/2011 9:49:21 AM: Answers to questions were thorough.

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

Ranking Category	Rating	Overall Rank	Fellowship Evangelism Sector
Overall Efficiency Rating		142 of 348	6 of 19
Fund Acquisition Decision		142 of 348	6 of 19
Resource Allocation Decision		of 348	15 of 19
Asset Utilization Decision		of 348	15 of 19

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