OUR HISTORY

“For the earth will be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the Lord as the waters cover the sea.” – Habakkuk 2:14

Habakkuk 2:14, that’s what we’ve been working towards since e3 Partners began in 1987; filling the earth with the knowledge of the glory of the Lord. It started with a vision God placed on the heart of Mike Downey to help nationals plant churches, and over the last few decades, God has used this ministry to do just that. He’s guided us through challenges and growth, and through it all, the vision has stayed the same. e3 Partners remains focused on helping nationals plant healthy, multiplying, transformative churches all across the world, and we will continue to do so until there is a local church accessible to every person, everywhere.

The Early Years

In 1985, Mike Downey led a group from his church in Oklahoma to Mexico for a mission trip. While there, they saw over 100 people accept Christ into their lives, and when they returned the next year, a church had been planted! Mike called it, “accidental church planting.” He was moved by the passion of these Mexican believers, and as he returned from that second trip, God gave him a vision. He founded Global Missions Fellowship (GMF) with the intent to serve nationals and plant churches in Mexico (on purpose), and it wasn’t long before God expanded that vision further.

In 1990, the collapse of the Soviet Union opened doors that allowed GMF to expand into Eastern Europe, and four years after that, we expanded to Africa as well.

In 1996, God expanded our vision to the entire world, and GMF began taking trips to areas within the 10/40 window.

Over the next two years, God revealed to us the concept of church planting movements (CPMs), which we began incorporating into our short-term trips strategy. There then became a clear need for some scalable evangelism and discipleship tools, which led to the development of the EvangeCube.

The EvangeCube provided our trip participants and national partners with a simple, easily comprehendible way of sharing the gospel. We began using it on all of our trips, and we’d train those who came to accept Christ on how to use it as well, encouraging them to go share the Good News with others.

The 2000s

In 2002, God revealed to us another idea that we refer to as “initiatives”. Essentially, the idea was to combine the evangelistic aspects of our short-term trips with an aid/relief aspect as well.

Medical church planting was our first initiative.

We began taking these types of trips to areas that were severely lacking in accessible medical care, and God used our medical service to open doors to countless families and individuals who had not yet heard the gospel. It was amazing to see how God could use the medical expertise and service of our teams to ultimately lead people to Him.

In 2006, we became e3 Partners Ministry.

Equip God’s people, evangelize His world, establish His church. Those are the three “e’s”, perfectly aligned with the original vision God gave Mike Downey in 1987.

Two years later, the I Am Second brand launched in Dallas, TX, focused on reaching people with powerful Gospel-centered stories through the ever-growing presence of digital media. It quickly became a national brand, and has now grown internationally as well, allowing us to spread the gospel to many people and places we may not be able to get to physically.

That same year, e3 Partners started its “Orality” initiative in Ethiopia. Many communities across Ethiopia speak languages that the Bible has not been translated into yet. The orality initiative focuses on developing strategies and scripts to share the gospel and other Biblical stories with these people through oral storytelling.

By the end of 2008, e3 was taking trips to dozens of countries around the world, and we’d organized the ministry into regional and country teams.

Recent Years

In 2014, we added a more focused training element to the ministry. Training new believers and Christian leaders had always been a part of what we did on our trips, but now there was an added emphasis on training outside of our church planting trips as well. Both domestically and internationally, through one on one meetings, discipleship groups, church gatherings, and other opportunities, we began training new believers how to share their testimonies and the gospel, and training more mature believers on how to disciple others and plant churches.

Then, in 2017, through God’s guidance we employed an integrated Four Fields strategy locally and globally to create something we call the “Great Commission Pipeline”.

The Great Commission Pipeline connects our trips, trainings, international workers, national partners and church partnerships all together to increase the effectiveness and speed at which we reach people far from God.

Looking back on the last 30+ years, it’s amazing to see how God has been at work the whole time. The expansion of our vision from Mexico to the whole world, the addition of initiatives and scalable evangelism tools like the EvangeCube, and now 3-Circles, the added training element, the 4 Fields strategy, the Great Commission Pipeline, it’s all been from God. He’s led this ministry the whole time and has allowed us to do some amazing work for His Kingdom.

In recent years, through our 4 Fields strategy and the implementation of the Great Commission Pipeline, we’ve seen the Gospel reach further and spread faster than ever before. We truly live in an unprecedented time in history. God is moving all across the world.

Come join us as we work to make Habakkuk 2:14 a reality!

Steve Sims' Support Fundraiser

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Organized by Steve Sims

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Recurring donations:
Amount Raised: $100
  • $5,000
    Recurring Goal
  • $4,900
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  • 27635
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Partner with me at e3 Partners Ministry.  I will  celebrate my 27th year at e3 Partners in October.  I have served in many roles over the years and I am currently the Director of Oral Strategies. 

My passion is sharing God's Word through Bible storytelling with unreached people who either cannot or will not read the Bible for themselves.  To learn more about oral strategies go to http://e3partners.org/oralstrategies


If you would like to financially support me click the "Donate to this Fundraiser" button above.

Increase Your Giving Impact on

e3 Giving Day, September 7, 2023!


e3 Giving Day is an online fundraising event on


THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 7TH
FROM 6AM to MIDNIGHT

When you make an online donation or an additional online gift to your recurring monthly support on this special day, your generosity will be enhanced by bonus funds.
 
If you would like to donate to my support account on e3 Giving Day, click on the "Donate to this Fundraiser" button above or below.
 
Every gift made on September 7th will go further making a greater impact!
 
Thank you in advance for your prayers and support!









  • e3 Giving Day September 9, 2021

    Posted a week ago

    e3 Giving Day is in just 2 weeks from yesterday, September 9, 2021.

    On September 9 you contribution to my support account will be enhanced by a bonus pool of $100,000.  When you give on e3 Giving Day your dollar will be worth more than a dollar.

    On September 9th go to www.purecharity.com/stevesims and click on the "Donate to this Fundraiser" button to make your contribution increase.

    I really appreciate you and your support of me at e3 Partners.

    Posted by:
    Steve Sims

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  • e3 Giving Day September 9, 2021

    Posted a week ago

    Friends and Family, in just a month from today, September 9, 2021 e3 Partners Ministry is have another e3 Giving Day.

    What is e3 Giving Day?
    e3 Giving Day is a special event from 6:00 am to midnight CDT on Thursday, September 9 to
    help raise support for e3 staff! Every donation made to an e3 staff account will be enhanced by
    $100,000 of bonus funds, meaning on September 9, your dollar goes further—which means
    more people hearing the Gospel, more churches planted, and more lives transformed by Christ.

    How can you get involved?
    1. Mark September 9, 2021 on your calendar.
    2. Help us spread the word! Forward this email to others, share e3's social media posts,
    and tell your friends and family.
    3. Pray for e3 and our partners around the world who are laboring to spread the hope and
    love of Christ to the unreached.
    4. On September 9, go online and make a donation by visiting https://www.purecharity.com/stevesims/

    Your donation on September 9 will be credited to my support account, along with a portion of
    the $100,000 pool of bonus funds.
    Every gift helps spread the love of Christ further!

    Thank you so much for you faithful support of me in my work at e3 Partners Ministry.  May God bless you richly.

    Steve Sims

    e3 Partners Ministry
    Director of Oral Strategies


    Posted by:
    Steve Sims

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  • e3 Giving Day September 12, 2019

    Posted a week ago

    e3 Giving Day is an online fundraising event on


    THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 12TH
    FROM 6AM to MIDNIGHT

    When you make an online donation or an additional online gift to your recurring monthly support on this special day, your generosity will be enhanced by bonus funds.
     
    If you would like to donate to my support account click on the "Donate to this Fundraiser" button above or below.
     
    Every gift made on September 12th will go further making a greater impact!
     
    Thank you in advance for your prayers and support of me!

    Posted by:
    Steve Sims

     Read More

  • e3 Giving Day

    Posted a week ago

    Multiply your Gift



    Increase the impact of your gift to Steve by making a donation on e3 Partners GIVING DAY, September 20, 2016. A bonus pool given by generous supporters will enhance your gift and further enable Steve to change lives by telling God's stories among the nations.

    Please share this fundraiser with your friends and family by clicking on the Facebook, Twitter, or email icons below.

    Thanks you for partnering with me at e3 Partners Ministry

    Posted by:
    Steve Sims

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  • e3 Partners Giving Day

    Posted a week ago



    Increase the impact of
    your gift to Steve by
    making an extra online
    donation on this special day.
    A bonus pool given by
    generous supporters will
    enhance your gift and
    further enable Steve
    to change lives and
    transform communities.
    www.e3partners.org/givingday

    Posted by:
    Steve Sims

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