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 A Vision for World OutreachFind the right ministry partner.
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A Nicaraguan hammock sways between two trees in my backyard. It's from a recent trip I took with two missions team members and my husband, Ron Barnes, who is the Community and Missions Pastor for Flatirons Community Church in Lafayette, Colo. We were looking for partnership opportunities for our church to be more involved in making disciples all over the world. Nicaragua is a tropical beauty that ranks second only to Haiti for poverty in the Western hemisphere. But while the physical needs of the people there are numerous, so are the needs of people elsewhere. So what would compel a North American church to get involved there, or anywhere in particular? A Global VisionPerhaps because more Christians today are interested in short-term mission trips, direct missions involvement, and missional ministry, an increasing number of congregations are discovering a need for a global outreach philosophy. A vision for reaching out to the world is imperative to guide good decision-making processes for churches. Churches must understand both their own ministry and how they can make disciples elsewhere in the world. David Mays of The Mission Exchange consults with churches specifically about mission commitment and effectiveness. He offers guidelines for churches interested in pursuing the Great Commission. "It's important to make decisions wisely," Mays writes in his article "A Global Vision for Your Church" in Mission Maker Magazine '09. He writes that churches should first thoroughly examine their own identity, resources, processes, values, and connections to answer the question: What unique role could your church fill in reaching the world with the good news of Jesus Christ? Next, Mays says churches should consider how and where God is clearly at work in the world, and what opportunities are being neglected by others. He encourages churches to write a vision statement to serve as a guide to forming strategies. Shared Vision and ValuesThe Nicaraguan hammock makes a nice metaphor for global outreach partnerships. One church is the tree on one side of a geographic, cultural and spiritual gap; another church, or possibly a missions organization or development group, is the tree on the other side. The trees that hold up our hammock are similar in size and age. A sapling on one side and an aged oak on the other would obviously not be a great partnership. Likewise, churches interested in working with other churches or organizations around the world should consider only those that can agree with the vision and values of the church. Statements of faith that are similar at the core area good starting point. In addition to theology, values such as service, community, and evangelism are important points on which solid partnerships are built or broken. The missions partnership statement from Flatirons reads: "Our desire is to partner with like-minded organizations to be used by God in his work of transforming lives." Agreement with potential partners on values such as biblical authority, authentic community, and relational evangelism are also important. |             |
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