In Romans 12 Paul urges the believer “not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.”
Nearly three years ago the leadership at American Family Association sat around a table and discussed the need for a new building to serve as our national headquarters. Our existing building was aging and beginning to have serious structural issues. I viewed this project as an opportunity to accomplish much more than simply construct a new building but rather honor my grandfather, Don Wildmon.
As the plan developed, a lingering question remained: what to call the building? Several names were considered, and one struck a chord. Don Wildmon Center for Cultural Transformation. My grandfather founded the National Federation for Decency in 1977 and later changed the name to American Family Association. Founded some 45 years ago to combat the rise of godlessness in entertainment and promote biblical values in society, today we remain as strong as ever before.
Our mission, vision, and core values drive our work.
Mission
The mission of the American Family Association is to inform, equip, and activate individuals and families to transform American culture and to give aid to the church, here and abroad, in its calling to fulfill the Great Commission.
Vision
The vision of the American Family Association is to be a leading organization in biblical worldview training for cultural transformation.
Core values
The following presents the core values of the American Family Association. AFA desires that these values define and drive this ministry to transform culture by fulfilling the Great Commission.
- Evangelism and discipleship – AFA aims to evangelize the lost and disciple the believer.
- Marriage and family – AFA aims to strengthen biblical marriages and equip parents to raise godly children.
- Morality – AFA believes true morality flows from biblical principles and directs people to the manner in which God intends them to live.
- Sanctity of human life – AFA upholds the truth that all human beings, including the unborn, are created in the image of God and are worthy of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.
- Stewardship – AFA believes that its ministry, as well as everything in the heavens and on earth, belongs to God, and AFA’s role in it all is that of a trusted manager.
- Religious liberty – AFA believes that all men and women, whether in private or public, should be free to exercise their faith without hindrance from the government.
While the world displays its fallenness in many ways and the believer is often drawn toward discouragement and defeatism, we must obey God’s Word and the Apostle Paul by not being ”conformed to this world, but [being] transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.”
The author of Psalm 100 urges Christians to
Shout for joy to the Lord, all the earth. Worship the Lord with gladness; come before him with joyful songs. Know that the Lord is God. It is he who made us, and we are his[a]; we are his people, the sheep of his pasture. Enter his gates with thanksgiving and his courts with praise; give thanks to him and praise his name. For the Lord is good and his love endures forever; his faithfulness continues through all generations.
I want you to be encouraged by the fact that our team at American Family Association is striving to obey Paul by transforming culture one person at a time and we are doing so with the same joy that is displayed in Psalm 100 and with the same fervency that my grandfather began with some 45 years ago.
“America desperately needs a moral rebirth. We need to implore God's blessings on our country and ask Him to forgive our sinfulness and restore our moral perspective” Don Wildmon (2006 National Day of Prayer).
