Connect
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November 03,2014|
WHY CONNECT?
One of the main reasons is that Christians simply do not work together. Over the centuries, one of the most significant barriers to the advance of the Gospel has been the division and lack of unity in the Church. Clearly, a task that is so great cannot be accomplished by one mission organization or congregation alone. Only a collaborative, unified commitment will enable the Church to work together to reach those yet unreached with the love of Christ.
The Solution: Collaboration
Communities INC has seen over and over that when God’s people work together in partnership, God’s Spirit is unleashed in remarkable ways that catalyze spiritual movements resulting in collective impacts. We are convinced that Christians are called to work together, and after 30 years’ experience with hundreds of ministry partnerships, we can confidently say that collaboration is the single best strategy for addressing the most pressing needs in the world today. Collaboration is the key that reduces the duplication of our efforts, maximizes the impact of our ministries, and strengthens the credibility of our witness for Christ.
The Challenge: Effectivness
The real challenge, of course, is not that people are opposed to partnership in principle. Few people we have ever met would say that Christians should NOT work together. The message of the Scriptures in support of practical collaboration is clear (1 Corinthians 3:4-9; John 4:35-38; 1 Corinthians 12:12-26; Romans 12:3-21; Ephesians 4:1-16; 1 Corinthians 1:10-17; John 17:20-23;John 13:34-35). The real challenge is that there is a gap between the stated values and the actual practice of Christian organizations. The main reasons we have seen for this gap between stated values and actual practice is that most Christian leaders simply do not have the hands-on skills or experience to collaborate.
Collaboration is not rocket science, but none of us is born knowing how to tie our own shoes, much less how to build high-impact teams and partnerships. Just as sailors or scouts learn how to tie particular knots for different purposes, there are certain steps to follow and certain configurations that work best when it comes to launching something as complex as a multi-lateral, multi-national, high-impact network for Christian mission.
Want to Leverage the Power of Partnership?
We believe that God is always at work around the world, moving His people toward community and collaboration. That’s why we so often find that the dreams stirring in one person’s heart are the same dreams stirring in another person’s heart. If you want to learn more about how to leverage the power of partnership in your own ministry context, or how to get involved in the work of bringing others together to advance the Gospel, contact us!
Contact
George Ordway | Executive Director , Communities Inc.
go@communitiesinc.org
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