Today we love to be connected, networked, and involved. And the pursuit of Christian missions is certainly no exception. This is largely a good thing, as local churches seem increasingly inclined to stay connected to missionaries they send and to partner more relationally with others they support. But as with all things in a fallen world, there is a potential for most any trend to work for good or for ill.
So we should make sure we think about missions partnerships carefully, wisely, and biblically. So with that in mind I want to offer six principles for partnering with overseas workers in global evangelism.
Before we get there, let me clarify what these principles are and what they are not. These aren’t things directly commanded by Scripture. But neither are they mere observations or best practices about what seems to make partnerships work. Instead, these ideas flow from biblical priorities for churches and church planting.
Those general priorities include the importance of humility (Phil. 2:1–11; 1 Pet. 5:5), the creating and shaping of God’s people by his Word (Ezek. 37:1–14; Matt. 4:4; 2 Tim. 4:1–3), the beauty of cooperation among churches in gospel work (3 John), and the gospel “rightness” of committed love for specific missionaries (Phil. 4:10–20). It’s my hope that reflecting on these broad priorities will help churches more carefully consider how they can engage humbly with global gospel work. Read More
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