Healthy Kingdom Partnerships
A fleet of boats resting off the coast of Santa Catarina - Brasil.
Erin and I were commissioned as global workers by our home church in 2003. Since then, we have partnered with hundreds of churches and individuals for the advancement of the gospel among the nations.
Through these partnerships, millions of dollars have been invested in God’s kingdom. Scores of short-term mission teams have been mobilized, and dozens of people have committed their lives to full-time Christian service. As a result, a multitude of people have come to faith in Jesus Christ. Disciples have been multiplied, and many churches have been planted in at least 10 countries.
None of this could have happened without Healthy Kingdom Partnerships.
Healthy Kingdom Partnerships can thrive when “the people of God commit to collectively know and do the will of God, to advance the Kingdom of God, through the gospel of the Son of God, in the power of the Holy Spirit of God, for the glory of God among the nations.”
Much could be said about the shared Kingdom Values that are uncompromisingly necessary for partnerships to thrive. For a global worker, these values are lived out in two partnership Streams.
Upstream from the global worker are the partnerships needed to fuel gospel advancement. This includes individuals and churches who partner with the global worker through prayer, financial giving and service. Downstream from the global worker are the partnerships needed on the field of service to catalyze gospel advancement. This includes the person of peace, national partners, local churches and organizations catalyzing gospel efforts in least-reached communities.
Over the years, we have experienced healthy and unhealthy partnerships in both streams. Here are four marks of Healthy Kingdom Partnerships we have been able to identify:
It starts with the gospel.
Healthy Kingdom Partnerships start with an honest conversation about the gospel. Don’t make it about what you need (upstream) or what you can offer (downstream); make it about the gospel. If you don’t start with the gospel, the partnership will take you places you do not want to go. If you begin with the gospel, you will be led to a place of vulnerability and mutual trust rooted in God-dependence throughout your partnership.
What to do: Develop a well-articulated vision of the gospel in your life and ministry, and make it the starting point for all of your partnership conversations in the United States and on the field.
It develops through the pastor.
Healthy Kingdom Partnerships develop primarily through pastors willing to take ownership of their church’s partnerships. This is true for both upstream and downstream partnerships. The pastor is the primary culture creator in the local church. Through him, generations of kingdom-minded disciples will be trained and mobilized in praying, giving and serving.
What to do: Cultivate partnerships with local church pastors to fuel gospel advancement (upstream) and catalyze gospel advancement (downstream).
It matures in the local church.
Healthy Kingdom Partnerships mature as the relationship between the global worker and the partner church matures. When the local church connects relationally with a global worker, it can be a powerful source of edification, encouragement, and accountability. The global worker, in turn, can speak back into the local church and help increase the church’s sending capacity.
What to do: Craft a “Healthy Kingdom Partnership” proposal and present it to as many partnering churches as you need until you receive a “yes” from a church.
It produces over time.
Partnerships start, develop, mature and produce fruit. The maturation point varies from partner to partner, but the healthiest partnerships that we've had produced fruit over time. In every single case, the partnership started with the gospel, developed through a pastor, and matured in a local church — over time.
What to do: Abandon the utilitarian view of partnerships driven by the immediacy of your current need and adopt a long-term view of partnerships that start in the gospel and produce fruit over time.
