Partnering With Churches

Partnering for Community Transformation

Seeing the poor quality of health services available in their country, all the churches in one denomination in Benin gave 50 cents to help. With that money, they built one room where they provided high-quality hospital services. Soon they had gained a reputation for excellent medical care, so they started to make a profit—enough to add a few more rooms. Others saw what they were doing and contributed. More profit was made and reinvested. And now the church has a series of hospitals throughout the nation that are considered by far the best in Benin.

All around the world, there are organizations and denominations like the one in Benin that are doing incredible things. They have a solid track record of seeing transformation and years of experience working with both foreigners and local churches, and they are highly recommended by others. They make great partners if you are looking for somewhere to invest financial resources for the kingdom. They can help educate and inspire you, and always have wonderful God stories to tell. If you are looking to give money to a good cause, you don’t need to read any further. Simply seek out one of these well-established organizations.

However, there are many Majority-World-based denominations, organizations, and church networks who haven’t had the experience of that denomination in Benin. They have yet to see transformation in their communities. If your ministry is seeking to have an active role working at the community level, perhaps in partnership with one of these local groups, these articles are for you. Here, we’ll explore how to develop transformational partnerships that change us even as they bring change to the churches and communities we are seeking to help.

Why should we partner with local churches?

We—the Church—are all called the body of Christ. Every church in every country from every denomination—all of us together—are the body. The Bible is very clear that we are to function together as one body with different parts. Paul writes in I Corinthians 12:

But in fact God has placed the parts in the body, every one of them, just as he wanted them to be. If they were all one part, where would the body be? As it is, there are many parts, but one body. The eye cannot say to the hand, “I don’t need you!” And the head cannot say to the feet, “I don’t need you!”…If one part suffers, every part suffers with it; if one part is honored, every part rejoices with it.

Since we are a body, we must work together. We need each other. We have different gifts and roles that compliment each other. And by interacting with people whose experiences and perspectives are very different than our own, our worldviews are stretched and challenged, our understanding of the Bible deepens, and our view of God gets bigger.

Partnering with local churches is vital if we hope to see communities transformed. When local churches are at the center of work in communities:

It points people to God. When people see their local church serving them sacrificially, they recognize the love of God. When outsiders come and do the work, it simply doesn’t have the same impact.
It strengthens the local church. Serving and loving our neighbors will challenge us. But when we turn to God to help us meet those challenges, we experience His power and love in new ways.
It heals relationships with community leaders. In many nations, the church isn’t valued or respected. As churches reach out to show love to people who are vulnerable, it’s a powerful witness that changes others’ perspectives. The leaders come to see the local church as a valuable, positive part of community life.
It recognizes that God is working in and through the local church. He has given us each gifts, talents, and skills for the good works He has planned for us to do. Local churches know their communities best, hold valuable relationships, have appropriate skills for their context, and have been placed by God in the community to have a long-term impact.

How do we choose the right partner?

The first step to a healthy partnership is, of course, to choose the right partner. First and foremost, pray. This is a decision and a commitment where we desperately need God’s guidance. Pray continually through the process. As you pray, here are a few things to consider.

Consider partnering with a denomination or organization with an established church network, rather than a single church or pastor. They will have more capacity to manage a project. And, if you are bringing training, you can reach many churches more effectively by training trainers who can help contextualize and multiply the ideas. Secondly, look for recommendations from someone who lives in the country where you want to be involved—not someone who has only visited. Those who have lived in the country for years typically have insights about who is respected and trust-worthy. And what they don’t know, they can usually find out. For instance, they can visit the orphanage you want to partner with, dropping in at random times to see if it is significantly different than when a team is there (a sure sign that something is up).

After identifying some prospective partners, the outsider should take time to fully explain clearly who they are, what their program entails, and what they do and don’t provide. They should also lay out what the local partner will be expected to contribute (it ought to be significant). The local church, organization, or denomination then needs time to pray and consider the partnership—and they need to feel the freedom to say, “No.”

Will we be a good partner?

Remember that the beliefs we carry with us have consequences for those we seek to serve. If we hope to see transformational impact in our work, we must examine our own beliefs as we enter into partnership. Two common beliefs that can hinder us are:

The local church is too poor to contribute. The truth is, God has not forgotten some of His children and left them with nothing. Each of the people in a local church has been given resources, skills, and talents appropriate to their situation. As we’ve looked at in-depth in Focusing on the Vulnerable and Mobilizing Local Resources, the contributions of the local church are crucial if we are to see transformation. We must examine our hearts, learn all we can from Scripture, and pray for God to help us grasp this truth as we seek to partner cross-culturally.
Projects are the best way for outsiders to help. We often see a need—like lack of clean water—and jump in to fix it. But time and again we’ve seen that projects done by outsiders don’t bring about the transformation we long for. Sooner or later, a well or other project brought by outsiders breaks down, is used up, and no longer serves the community. They are left in the same situation they were before. But when the local church takes the lead and does a similar project with their own resources, God uses it to change the attitudes and understanding of the church and community. They see how God provides and that they are capable of doing things they never before thought possible. The project becomes one part of a journey of transformation.

So, we’ve examined our own beliefs and are seeking to align them with scripture, we’re determined to involve local churches, and we’ve sought out the right local partner. What’s next? What does a healthy partnership actually entail? We’ll take a look at this question in the next article.

Summary