Promoting Church/Parachurch Partnerships
Our churches need to hear from us! Here's how you can get involved...
Ask your church to consider a natural, strategic partnership with one or more Parachurch organizations involved in serving those who suffer in extreme poverty.
These Christian humanitarian organizations (e.g., World Vision) welcome
such partnerships... Truly, our churches are in the ideal position to champion
the work of these servant organizations!
What would this partnership, this championing, look like? Our churches can step up and play an effective, crucial role by:
- Actively promoting, within their congregations, these organizations' efforts to reach out in Christ's love to the least and the last
- Providing their congregations regular opportunities to make designated, sacrificial gifts to support their work
- Intentionally and directly supporting their work with a portion of the church's missions budget.
The result of such a "championing" -- for the world's desperately poor, and for our collective witness both at home and abroad -- would be simply staggering!
The resources on this page have been prepared to help give voice to those
who wish to urge their churches towards this end...
Sample Justice Ministries Proposal... (pdf) provides an example of how one might urge church leadership to consider including justice ministries -- help for the poor -- within the scope of their work as a body of Christ. If you have just one chance to make your case.....
A Call to our Churches... (pdf) Urges our churches to take a bolder and more faithful action in tangibly demonstrating God's love for the desperately poor by actively championing and supporting the work of the parachurch.
The Scriptural Imperative... (pdf) Answers the question, "Why should our churches concern themselves with extreme poverty?" This question is of first importance, being foundational to properly grounded Advocacy and Proposal efforts.
Inviting the Parachurch into Our Churches... (pdf) Makes the case for the local church to actively partner with Christian humanitarian organizations to create and promote opportunities for sacrificial giving aimed at serving the least and the last.
Experts in "Helping Well"... (pdf) Explains why the parachurch is ideally positioned and equipped to assist churches in their efforts to serve, with maximum effectiveness, those living in extreme poverty.
An Open Letter to Church Leadership... (pdf) Advocates for the inclusion of parachurch organizations within our churches' donor-directed giving frameworks as a potent way for the Church to more deeply engage with the problem of extreme poverty while strengthening discipleship, local congregations, and our collective witness.
A Scene We'd Like to See... (pdf) based upon the observation that the Church is in the ideal position to champion the work of the Parachurch, this piece imagines how the local church might follow up on the sermon Answering the Call, below.
Simplified Small Church Missions... (pdf) Illustrates how small, under-resourced churches can create an effective and meaningful missions program, simply and without burdensome budget commitments.
(Consider using A Scene We'd Like to See, above, to introduce the topic...)
Short Term Missions and Helping Well... (pdf) Illuminates oft-ignored considerations surrounding the question of sending church missions teams. (online version, here)
Sign the Call... (online) Can be adapted for circulation via email, or as a missions initiative (or even petition) within your church or Christian community. (for pdf version, click here)
What Moves Us... (pdf) Notes some of the problems, solutions, and opportunities in connecting the broader Church (meaning ourselves and our churches) with the world's least and last; useful for those who wish to create interest among their friends and in their churches. (read or share as webpage here)
...to Share with your Friends:
Let my Heart be Broken... (via youtube) This video from LifeCenter WPA presents a beautiful and stirring call to make a difference in a hurting world.
Why am I So Blessed... (as webpage) Personal reflections on the question: "Why are we so blessed while others suffer so?" Share this with your friends! (Audio version here.)
Blessed to be a Blessing...(as webpage) The title of this sermon says it all; a simple and compelling message. (Listen via youtube)
Answering the Call... (pdf) Sermon highlighting the biblical mandate for helping the least and the last, the Church in America's response, together with realistic tips for personal application. (as webpage here)
Top Parachurch Organizations... (online) Our list of exemplary Christian humanitarian organizations noted for their commitment to best practices for transformational community development among the world's poorest peoples -- give to these organizations with confidence, knowing that your gifts will indeed make a lasting difference.
Trends in Effective Giving... (read online) For those concerned with the problem of extreme poverty, this article examines some of the current thinking on giving with effectiveness in mind.~
...In-Depth, Essay-Length Articles:
Donor Directed Giving... (pdf) Describes in-depth a win-win solution to the frustrating problem of the dilution inherent in giving to church general budgets when the aim is to give sacrificially to help the least and last.
Helping Well... (pdf) Provides an in-depth look at research-based alternatives to common and well-intended but ultimately wasteful and ineffective approaches to poverty alleviation. (read online here.)
Book Summary: The Hole in Our Gospel... (pdf) Provides a condensed version of this award-winning book's powerful message; share with church leaders to create interest in reading the book and using it with their congregations, as a template for discussion in leadership teams or small groups, or simply share among your friends.
We hope that you'll find the tools on this page to be useful in urging the Christian Community
toward a bolder and more faithful response to the problem of extreme poverty.