Action Steps for Ministry Agencies, Churches & Donors
Partnerships
- Field-Based Partnerships
ACTION STEPS FOR MINISTRY AGENCIES, CHURCHES & DONORS
A. Action
Steps for A Ministry Agency
1. Evaluate
the ways in which you already coordinate with other ministry agencies and
look for
ways to increase effectiveness. Be prepared to give up what someone else
may be doing more
effectively. Focus on what you do best.
2. If you are already
working in a region, find out about other mission efforts in the area.
Participate
in any information networks. Participation can range from joint projects
to merely sharing
information and extending hospitality to people from other groups.
3. If you are considering
work among a new people group, find out what others are doing or
not
doing.
Check with a national or regional organization that knows the big picture.
Know the Christian
history for the region. It will speed your progress and help you avoid
repeating the costly blunders
of others.
Depending on the role of your organization, you may want to support existing
networks and
develop work complementary to efforts already under way. Or you may move
into new areas with
few or no other workers or agencies.
Prioritize your resources to reach those who have not had an opportunity
to hear the Gospel, but
work with others to make sure your contribution will have maximum effect.
B. Action Steps
for Churches or Donors
1. Evaluate
your current commitments in light of unreached people and what kind of
coordination
goes into the outreach.
2. In light of current
commitments, begin a long range plan to make unreached people a
priority
for your resources. Remember the disparity of resource allocation – only
five percent is dedicated to
unreached peoples.
3. Consider a "vision
trip" to the field to see partnership in action. Numerous regional
meetings
and partnership events take place throughout the year in a variety of places.
Contact Interdev
for more information.
4. To encourage coordinated
field efforts, simply ask mission leaders, "How does your work fit
into the overall effort by all churches and missionaries to reach the people?
In what ways are you
cooperating with others who have the same goal?"
5. Check on ways you
can use your resources to encourage mission leadership to reduce
duplication and cooperate to maximize "leverage" of your giving.
6. If there is no
existing partnership for a people group in which you are working or plan
to work,
consider starting one.
Be open to dedicating personnel to the sole task of facilitating inter-agency
cooperation. This may
be the most beneficial use, in the long run, of a new person with the right
gifts, both for your
organization and for the Kingdom.
Interdev can assist in getting such a partnership started, and in helping
a coordinator. Training,
both formal and informal, and support are available.
7. Develop a five year plan to increase your effectiveness through partnering.
Churches: If you would like assistance in evaluating your current church missions program, or assistance in adopting an unreached people group and linking up with an effective field partnership, contact Interdev.
US Office:
P.O. Box 3883
Seattle, WA 98124-3883
USA
Phone: +425-775-8330 +800-775-8330
Fax: +425-775-8326
E-mail: interdev-us@xc.org
From The Power of Partnership: Working Together to Reach the Unreached, 1998, Interdev.UK Office:
P.O. Box 47
Ashford, Middlesex TW15 2LX,
England
Phone: +44 1784 420695
Fax: +44 1784 420696
E-mail: interdev-uk@xc.org
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WebMaster
1/21/99
