Summary
Overseas Council International ("OCI") seeks to facilitate Christian leadership through evangelical theological education with non-western seminaries and Bible Colleges. OCI has six primary programs: (1) Student Scholarships, (2) Construction Projects, (3) Faculty Salary Assistance, (4) Operating Assistance, (5) Program and Management Consultancy, and (6) Education Materials.
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).
Contact Information: [ Back to top ]
| Mailing Address: | PO Box 17368 (6239 S. East Street, Suite B 46227)
Indianapolis, IN
46217-0368 |
| Website: | www.overseas.org |
| Phone: | (317) 788-7250, (877) 788-7250 |
| Email: | You need to enable javascript to see the email |
Organization Details [ Back to top ]
EIN: 351333030
| CEO/President: |
Dr. David A. Baer |
Tax Deductible: |
Yes |
| Chairman: |
Mr. Norman Miller |
Fiscal Year End: |
September 30 |
| Board Size: |
16 |
Financial info from: |
990 |
| Founder: |
Dr. Charles Spicer |
Member of ECFA: |
Yes |
| Year Founded: |
1974 |
Member of ECFA since: |
1985 |
Overseas Council International ("OCI") seeks to facilitate Christian leadership through evangelical theological education with non-western seminaries and Bible Colleges. OCI has six primary programs: (1) Student Scholarships, (2) Construction Projects, (3) Faculty Salary Assistance, (4) Operating Assistance, (5) Program and Management Consultancy, and (6) Education Materials.
The Student Scholarship program provides student scholarships for tuition, room & board of overseas missionary applicants. The Construction Projects program provides funds for the construction, renovation, purchase, or rental of buildings for the operations of approved seminary building projects. Faculty Salary Assistance provides funds for teaching staff in approved schools. Program & Management Consultancy Projects is a ministry to the constituents of OCI projects - intended to educate about the need, encourage prayer involvement and increase awareness of the training needs. Education Materials and Text Development provides materials or funds for the development of libraries or specific translation projects. Operating Assistance to Schools and Programs provides training funds for "entrepreneurial" or non-traditional theological training initiatives. OCI is the largest ministry of its kind in the world, providing various kinds of assistance to nearly 90 training programs in over 50 countries.
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).
Overseas Council International expresses its mission statement as follows:
Overseas Council International (OCI) exists to fulfill the Great Commission by assisting non-Western centers for evangelical leadership development to equip pastors, teachers, evangelists, missionaries, and lay Christian leaders.
OCI accomplishes this purpose by making available resources for student scholarships, faculty scholarships, campus development, educational resources, and consultation.
Program Accomplishments [ Back to top ]
- In 2005, OCI is attempting to raise $2.2 million for student scholarships to be awarded to over 1,500 highly qualified Christian leaders.
- In 2005, OCI will attempt to sponsor master’s and doctoral theological training for 89 candidates from 46 partner schools in 36 nations; 25 are women.
- OCI has funded 80 major capital investment projects over its 30-year ministry.
- OCI’s Institute for Excellence has had more than 700 key leaders from 152 schools representing 75 countries participate since the first Institute was held in Nairobi, Kenya. The goal is to hold at least one Institute for Excellence annually in each OCI region.
- OCI is working with eight partner schools (including schools in Brazil, Guatemala, India, and the Philippines) to establish a Master of Business Administration in Biblical Stewardship and Christian Management as an official degree.
Statement of Faith [ Back to top ]
Overseas Council International expresses its Statement of Faith as follows:
We Believe...
The Bible to be the sinspired, the only infallible authoritative Word of God.
We Believe...
that there is one God, eternally existent in three persons: Father, Son and Holy Spirit
We Believe...
in the deity of our Lord Jesus Christ, in His virgin birth, in His sinless life, in His miracles, in His vicarious and atoning death through His Shed blood, in His bodily resurrection, in His ascension to the right hand of the Father, and in His personal return in power and glory.
We believe...
that for the salvation of lost and sinful man regeneration by the Holy Spirit is absolutely essential.
We believe...
in the prsent ministry of the Holy Spirit by whose indwelling the Christian is enabled to live a godly life.
We believe...
in the resurrection of both the saved and the lost: they that are saved unto the resurrection of llife and they that are lost unto the resurrection of damnation.
We believe...
in the spiritual unity of believers in our Lord Jesus Christ.
Overseas Council was formed in September 1974, by a group of laymen and a few missionaries who had participated in the dedication of a large expansion project at Seoul Theological Seminary, now known as Seoul Theological University [STU]. The original vision for the organization belongs to the former President of STU, Dr. John Chongnham Cho, who prayed for a group of western investors who could help STU keep up with unprecedented growth in student enrollment. Those who organized Overseas Council helped STU grow from a Bible seminary of 400 students to a university with more than 2000 students, including nearly 500 men and women in graduate theological studies. Today STU has trained missionaries for more than 36 countries. By 1980 Overseas Council, an all-volunteer organization at that time, was receiving increasing requests for assistance at other non-western seminaries. That year marks the beginning of an expansion of the ministry beyond the borders of Korea. Today Overseas Council is the largest ministry of its kind in the world, providing various kinds of assistance to nearly 90 training programs in over 50 countries.
Overseas Council celebrated its 25th Anniversary in 1999. Overseas Council functions as Overseas Council International, to recognize the increasingly international character of our constituency and partnerships.
Overseas Council has communicated the following needs:
One of the greatest needs of every OCI partner school is improved and expanded library resources. Graduate-level theological seminaries outside North America have only a fraction of the resources available to major Western seminaries. Resources in English are critical, but OCI partner schools also need expanded collections in their primary educational languages. Therefore, OCI seeks to assist partners in strengthening their library collections. They accomplish this through funding for additional books, reference texts, journals, as well as translation and development of works in non-English languages. OCI also provides funding for computer technology enhancement that facilitates distribution of key information. OCI is increasingly interested in bridging the gap between Western and non-Western theological libraries through new technology.
There are several special projects one can fund. For more information on these projects visit their website.
Research Analysis
Transparency Grade [ Back to top ]
| Transparency Grade of : A |
| Criteria category | Grade | Other Comments |
| Timeliness: | 100 | |
| Financial Information: | 100 | |
| Foundational Clarity: | | |
| Level of Cooperation: | | |
Click here to compare ministries on transparency and other stats
Click here to learn more about how ministries are graded
MinistryWatch.com 5 Star Financial Efficiency Ratings [ Back to top ]
| Ranking Category | Rating | Overall Rank | Leadership Training Sector |
|---|
| Overall Efficiency Rating |  | 235 of 348 | 14 of 16 |
| Fund Acquisition Decision |  | 235 of 348 | 14 of 16 |
| Resource Allocation Decision | | of 348 | 4 of 16 |
| Asset Utilization Decision | | of 348 | 4 of 16 |
Learn how the ratings are calculated for this ministry
Learn how ratings are calculated in general -- or here for a longer explanation
Click here to compare ministries
This organization has not offered MinistryWatch.com with an official statement or response for their profile. This area is meant as a mechanism for the profiled ministry to communicate anything they may choose. It is open ended as to the topic, issues, facts or news to address. It is not negative if there is no official statement as many don’t have anything to add than what is already on the profile. This section is not tied to transparency or to communication in general. Many very open and talkative ministries with us choose not to post an official statement. This section is just an open ended offering to the profiled ministry for anything extra to say as they may choose.