Christian Institute (CI) is a non-profit, Christian organization based in California.  CI's target population is persons who are not affiliated with or may even be apprehensive about going to church.  Knowing that the Gospel must reach all, even those who don't go to church, CI reaches this population through its services and programs. CI’s  mission is to inspire others to know or become closer to Jesus Christ. To accomplish its mission, CI wants to use whatever resources, both human and physical, that the Lord makes available to reach people for Christ.

The best way to describe CI is by stating what CI does to accomplish its mission.   CI has two premises on which its approaches to draw people to Christ are based upon. 

• The first, foundational premise of CI is II Timothy 2:2  and what you heard from me … entrust to faithful men who will be able to teach others.  CI wants, first of all, to develop persons in Christ who will be able to disciple others in the Way of Christ so that they will in turn disciple others.  This relationship becomes a Paul/Timothy relationship.  Likewise, their discipling also deals with passing on knowledge of their life experiences, which can include work and education.  More importantly, disciples, using their life experiences, disciple others who are having similar experiences as they had.  For example, a former drug addict whom the Lord has delivered (now a Paul) will find someone to disciple in the Lord (a Timothy).  As the Timothy advances in the Lord, he will find someone to disciple.  He then becomes a Paul and the new disciple becomes a Timothy.  And, this cycle continues.

• The second premise on which CI is based deals with people becoming closer to the Lord.  CI believes, and the Scripture attests to it, that to become closer to the Lord, one must serve (love) others.  Mark 12:30,31 And thou shall love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind, and with all thy strength: this is the first commandment.  And the second is like, namely this, Thou shall love thy neighbor as thyself.   Although there are countless instances in which people feed and clothe the poor, CI wants to focus on the motive.  The motive for serving others must be to get closer to the Lord, not to perform an act of righteousness because our righteousness is as filthy rags.  In addition, the Lord can feed someone if He chooses; He does not need one of us to do it.  When someone serves others, the introspection must be that he/she is doing it to get closer to the Lord.  CI, therefore, is creating opportunities for people desiring to become closer to the Lord through service to others.  Service can include but is not limited to feeding and clothing the poor; witnessing; street evangelizism; and mission trips.  To reiterate, the focus is on the individual doing the act instead of the act itself.

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