The Global Conversation

I have apperciated what you have written about partenership in mission. We often use these words, partnership, networking but when it comes to actual doing we somehow hesitate to partner with others. It may be due to our selfish ambitions or worldy motives, but it remains there and nothing concrete takes place. The actual partnership takes place when we allow our selfish ambitions to be under the control of the Holy Spirit and give him room to work in our hearts.Partnership will help us to come together, understand each other and work together for His glory. But this not will not happen overnight.

It remains a mystery to me that we have had a Gospel for 2010 years, and an uniterrupted gospel in South Africa for 358 years, and yet society and the world in general do not reflect a Godly character. The face of Africa rflects the character of its people and its leaders ... also mostly ungodly in its fruit. Yet, there are church services all over the world every Sunday. My mission call is to the Congo River. How can central Africa be so unreached and undiscipled through all these years. Then I do not want to mention the division between Christ-confessing denominations, and the enimosity between Pastors and Mission workers.

Hi Cody, I did go to your blog site and read your thoughts on the Biblical reason for partnering. I am so glad you took us to Eph. 4, as there is no stronger statement of our oneness, all of us globally, in Christ, and the very important and practical application of the gifts given to each for the benefit of the whole.

I would like to join the conversation.Pl add me your conversation. I am apastor from bangladesh. Proshanta

Dr. Valdir , parabens! goste de mais de sua visiao. I will like to take this long term relationship suggestion to a deeper dialogue. Could we dream about being more intentional about partnering with those in a position that together we could reach more effectively the people in the 10/40 window. For example, Western church partnering with a Guatemalan church to unite gifts and resources to "plant" a church in a Muslim city where we could send 2-3 families there to evangelize. It would be much easier to send 2-3 Guatemalan families instead of 1 family from the western church, smaller cultural bridges to cross, smaller complexities (political etc.) I can go on forever & w/ examples.. this concept has been mildly touched in 2004 conclusion of partnering together and the evaluation on the "two thirds church" and most recently by Samuel Escobar in a response in the "whole gospel, whole church and whole world" Hope to stir more dialogue in this direction.

I appreciate your last statement that we should have partners who critique us, I believe that as our partners visit our fields on short-Term missions and understand what we are are doing, they will know how to really partner with us.

We are still in the developing stage - about what it means being in " partnership in mission." That is why it is good discussion topic. -my perspective. *Few things I learned in "partnership in mission" over the years. -You do not impose your programs to others. -Primary focus should not be on money.

This is a powerful statement, "It's not me who needs money. It's us together." It seems to me that unless your relationship can transcend the sense that one party is giving money (or whatever) to another so that the recipient can do "his" work/ministry, no genuine partnership can be developed. Partnership, it seems, implies that there is an "ours" to the work. Of course, as Niringiye has written, it is ultimately God's mission. But in our relationships we also have to arrive at a sense that the work is ours together. If it is as much yours as it is mine, then we move beyond donations and charity to genuine partnership.

Thank you for this contribution. I especially appreciate the dismissal of merely pragmatic motivations for partnership as essentially inadequate and instead the emphasis on a theological impetus rooted in the doctrine of the Trinity. A more thorough theological/biblical rationale must be provided however. I've provided fuller reflection here http://ow.ly/17BbB

I have been curious about the South African congress this year. I have just done a search on the term 'Somali' and found only one entry made by Zac Niringiye. Somalia is in international news a lot for the wrong reasons. What plans does the Lausanne congress have for this peopel group? I am one of a growing number of Christians in this area and would be excited to hear more about initiatives heading in the direction of the Somalis.

This is a great opportunity for me and perhaps with the rest of the team. Having a wonderful God ordained time and day to share experiences, listen to the Father communicating to our spirits and souls, This requires a deeper understanding, and that God will desire a great level of contriteness and humility right from the bottleneck of the vision bearer then to the rest of the team. From the little experience i have, it is quite clear that He the Heavenly Father desired right from predestination to communicate great strategies us on thow He can use us to reachout men of different diverties in different nation settings. A shout to all brothren is to commit ourselves to His will and to have a vibrant ear committed to listening even to the minute, humble voice, and great divine direction will spring from there and will be visible and clear. Blessings

Thanks, Becky. Yes, Zach Niringiye is one of the clearest thinkers on these issues that I have seen.

Alex, you asked me to elaborate. I've been pondering how to do that in a way that communicates in a few words on e-paper. Today I stumbled upon this interview. http://www.christianitytoday.com/ct/2006/july/31.32.html?start=1 I should have known Bishop Zac has already said what I think needs to be said about the table - though he calls it by a different name. Becky

Es impresionante el impàcto que tienen los creyentes cuando trabajan en unidad, en armonìa, en interdependencia, pues es parte del diseño que Dios creò, y cuando actuamos en base al proyecto de Dios, actuamos en verdad y somos libres. Pues la escritura nos dice que la verdad nos harà libres. Dios ha puesto personas en todo el mundo que tienen capacidad, que tienen amor genuino, que estàn dispuestos a dar la vida por otros y agregarle valor cada ves màs a otros, que han sido regenerados, que han tenido un encuentro genuino con Dios y espero que èste congreso històrico traiga mucho fruto para la salvaciòn de los que no conocen a Jesucristo. EStamos en el tiempo, Dios nos ha dado el momento de actuar y las naciones unidas para trabajar juntas y dar cumplimiento a la Gran Comisiòn, es una potencia que nadie puede frenar. Dios bendiga al moviumiento Lausana y la Asociación para la MIsiòn.

Character is at the core, isn't it?! The greatest problems in partnerships seem to be caused by character compromises. Likewise, the best solutions have Christlike character at their core. Among the good news is that character can be cultivated. Furthermore, as followers of Jesus Christ we have not only higher standards and higher motivation but higher enablement: the Holy Spirit. Character needs to be deliberately and saliently included in ministry partnership formation.

Hi Ruth, thank you so much for your good thoughts. For me it is very important to communicate a high appreciation to every person involved in the partnership. Every poor fellow, too! That leads to build up trust. I am fully aware that this needs God's love and attention through all our being. Called to be servants, that is an important key, yes! The problems are in the heart, yes! Thanks a lot!

Hi Ruth, thank you so much for your good thoughts. For me it is very important to communicate a high appreciation to every person involved in the partnership. Every poor fellow, too! That leads to build up trust. I am fully aware that this needs God's love and attention through all our being. Called to be servants, that is an important key, yes! The problems are in the heart, yes! Thanks a lot!

THE CHURCH 0F JESUS CHRIST HAS, FOR 2000YEARS, OPERATED/CONDUCTED BUSINESS W-I-T-H-O-U-T THE CURRICULUM FOR M-A-K-I-N-G D-I-S-C-I-P-L-E-S according to the Great Commission [which is STATED in Mat 28:19,20 and AMPLIFIED in Mark 16:15; Luke 24:47; John 20:21; Acts1:8 ; Eph.4:11-16 and particularly Luke 6:40] The indisputable evidence is the +90%biblical illiteracy/infancy in every local church of every denomination in the Global Village. NOW THE LORD COMMANDS " LET MY PEOPLE G-R-O-W!"

Table fellowship is indeed relational and what do you do at a meal? Among other things, you share, you listen, you converse and hopefully you learn. Is the operative question necessarily "who is calling the shots"? I have learned in my work and interactions with brothers and sisters from other cultures is that because of cultural and worldview differences, we bring different sets of questions to a problem or issue-- and we are the richer and (and hopefuly wiser) as my Congolese brother will ask a question or bring a perspective that would not occure to me or my German colleauge because of either our cultural, personal and worldview orientations. Thus listening and learning are key to coming to the table... and then we trust that God's Spirit will show us the path ahead.

I am happy to meet you all. Get help me to keep contact you all and share me your mission .

Andy, thank you for your personal and real example of a different way to understand "the table". I like the imagery provoked by your comment. It usggests a contrast between a board room table and a dining room table. Besiness can be conducted at a meal table, but it is not the reason for that table to exist. Out of relationship will flow more appropriate parnership.

1 Cor 8:1-2 talks about the fact that "Knowledge puffs up, but Love builds up"...Interesting how we choose our associations, based on the perception of "being more effective" and so bent on wanting to see results "for God". We need more space to "embrace" one another without "pay offs" or ministry rewards, not to say that those are not important. If the premise is different, we may still arrive at results, if not better...we need to stop suspecting our motives, fight to restore trust and stop "give and take" in our relationships.

Dear friends, I like the article and several responses. Yes, money is still important and necessary but it should not give the power to decide, we should look more to wisdom and listen to those who "only" have wisdom, faith and experience, and no tecnological or economical power. I very much like Becky Stephen's comment. May the Lord give us hearts willing to learn and to share... Tonica

I think we need to consider the nature of the "table" we are using in this conversation. We began a relationship/partnership with a Chinese congregation in our community a few years back. I clearly remember the Chinese pastor telling me one day, that before we can be partners we must be friends, and before we can become friends we must eat together. We began having lunch together regularly (which is good because I love Chinese food) and over several months we became close friends. Our partnership has grown to planting a church in China, and currently we are opening a Chinese school here in our community. His wisdom invited me to the relational table, money is just a tool, very far down the priority list, and decisions are worked out together based on a common bond in Christ, and mutual love and respect. The table is very important, but it is relational in nature.

Becky, you raise important points. 1) who sits at the head of the table and has to power to invite others? 2) ow much does the table really matter? I would love to hear you expand on those two items. You and other readers might appreciate an on-going dialogue concerning the prevailing mission paradigm and the need for it to be replaced with another that is easier to link with Scriptures. I invite you to check our the blog site www.sailingfriends.wordpress.com for a full discussion of this topic. Thank you for your comments. Alex

"…where wisdom is the ticket to the table…" Alex, I couldn’t have said it better myself. But I wonder if this can ever truly happen. The problems inherent in and at the “table” – can they be overcome before Christ comes to set all things right? After all, who defines “wisdom”? No one seated at the table thinks they’re a fool. And few are foolish enough to tell the truth to those who sit at the head of the table – to those who, whether they’re aware of it or not, have the power to invite, to promote, to fund, to ignore, to sanction, and even to destroy the reputation and work of others. Perhaps the problems lie deeper – not just with who gets to the table and how, but with the very constructs and beliefs that push us to think that the table matters. Maybe it’s the sisters and brothers who, unaware that the table exists, are the wise ones, doing the works of Jesus and speaking the words of Jesus in the world in ways that will matter the most in the end.

GRAÇA E PAZ Primeiramente desejo a todos um 2010 de Vitórias e Salvação! Gostaria de obter mais informações sobre o CONGRESSO DE EVANGELISMO de 10/2010. Saiba que existe um povo aqui em Penedo/AL/Brasil orando por vocês. Em Cristo.

I like Nigel's restatement of the money issue: it needs to be brought back way down the list of proprities. Currently money has too much say in how mission strategies and activites are shaped and implemented. This inevitably shifts weight to the opinions of those of us who have more of it, even in those situations when others with less money may have a better idea or insight from the Lord. We actually can, if we want to, restore the proper balance. Shall we do it?

I particularly valued the comments regarding Community vs Cooperation, the basis of true partnership being family, or personal relationship which builds and maintains trust. I don't agree that the last thing the world needs is money, but I do agree that money should come way down the list of priorities as we consider the future of our partnerships. At present, I am confronting the issue in relation to a cross-cultural partnership with friends in Moldova and Azerbaijan. It's only too easy to say money shouldn't be important when a partner is facing dire struggles in supporting a family and ministry at the same time. But the money given can poison the partnership rather than feed it.

Irish Mission Agencies Partnership www.imap.ie is made up of 25 mission agencies in Ireland working together to promote missions in Churches in Ireland.