Pursuing a Healthy Sister-Church Partnership
When looking at Jesus’s words in Acts 1:8 (“You will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria and to the ends of the earth”), one can see throughout this progression that churches were founded, developed, and continued in relationship to each other, even as ‘the ends of the earth’ approached. Long-term relationships between the churches of the first century became the key to an emerging network of congregations across the known world.
We seek to continue that networking/expansion on the basis of those same types of long-term relationships. The context for a global missional lifestyle is to be found not in independent single church efforts (short-term mission and otherwise) here and there in the world but in partnering in each other’s communities and networks globally for the long-term.
Defined in this way, sister-church partnerships, with their intended focus on long-term relationships first and foremost, present churches with a consistent way to apply missional living on a global scale. If you are a pastor or a church leader who is passionate about giving your church opportunities to live missionally in your own community, think about how a relationship-based approach would look lived out in your community.
At Gateway, the pursuit of a healthy sister-church partnership is essential in both of the trainings that we offer:
- Sister-Church Partnership Orientation
- ‘Best Practices’ Workshop for Short-Term Mission Leaders Training