I was in a meeting of mission leaders from my church the other day when the question was asked, “What is God doing in missions today?” There was unanimous consensus that God is bringing his church together to work collaboratively to advance His kingdom cause. We discussed that collaboration finds expression in multiple ways: denominations working together to transform communities and nations by the power of the Gospel, local churches working together to transform their cities, kingdom partnerships between East and West, North and South. Answers to the first question, “What is God doing?”, led to a second– “How do we join Him in it?” We found it much easier to answer the first question, “What do we need to do?”, then it was to answer the second question, “How do we do it?” The truth is that collaboration requires significant change in our structures and processes, and there are many barriers to overcome. In the coming years, those ministries that will thrive are those that overcome the barriers to collaboration and find a way to work together. They are the ministries of the future.
Do you want to be one of those ministries? Take a look at this short, animated, video that outlines some basic principles and processes for effective collaboration. As you watch, imagine how you might make it happen.
Here are a few questions you might ask as you watch:
What pitfalls need to be avoided?
What strengths need to be developed?
What characterizes effective collaborative work?
How shall we choose our partners?
