Wall Watchers Profile: New Directions International

New Directions International’s commitment to cross-cultural evangelism has expanded from a single neighborhood to nations.

New Directions International (NDI), a foreign missions ministry based in Graham, N.C. has been selected as the fourth ministry profiled by Wall Watchers as a “Shining Light” of the Gospel on its "watchdog" website, www.MinistryWatch.com.

Begun as a cross-cultural musical ministry in a U.S. town torn by racial tension in the 60s, NDI now plants churches and mentors indigenous church leaders in other nations.

"We don't 'plant our flag' anywhere," said Joseph Williams, President and CEO of New Directions. "Everything we do is designed to come along indigenous church leaders and strengthen their outreach."

The "Shining Light" directive comes from Wall Watchers' desire to showcase models of Gospel proclaiming. According to Wall Watchers, "NDI is an outstanding example of how to do that, and that is why it is the subject of a MinistryWatch.com Shining Lights profile."

CEO Rusty Leonard explains, “We shine a figurative light on them so that donors may be aware of them and other ministries may learn from their examples" because Wall Watchers desires to see overall giving to Kingdom efforts increase. He added, “In short, we wish to help spread the Gospel of Christ."

However, he states, "While MinistryWatch.com believes the information provided by its research is vital and valuable," he advises each giving decision to be made "prayerfully and individually."

"Joseph Williams, the same man that roamed through neighborhoods and teenagers' hangouts to share the Gospel and then mentor others to join him in doing the same, is now globetrotting with the same objective - to identify and cultivate local Christians to reach out to their friends and neighbors with a message many have never heard," states the report.

Wiliams led a youthful group of singing blacks and whites to promote the Gospel with music and develop interracial ties at a time when the Ku Klux Klan and Communist Workers Party instigated shootouts in the greater Greensboro area.

In 1969, the group accepted an invitation to Haiti when a visiting minister, Dr. Claude Noel, heard them and asked them to share the Gospel in his nation, and thousands of requests have been accepted since then.

When Williams was asked by Wall Watchers what he would say to a person considering donating to NDI for the first time, he replied: "We're biblical. We are unapologetically evangelical. If I can't give a clear biblical message…" he shook his head emphatically and said "…I am first and foremost a preacher and teacher of the Word of God."

The entire NDI Shining Light report can be read here.