For the past three years, I was seconded from my denomination to another, with a view to church planting together in the Cape Town City Bowl. There’s much to be said in favour of this kind of interdenominational collaboration. God has given us a multiplicity of denominations and church traditions, and particularly in our African context where we have a range of ministry contexts close at hand, we should leverage our diversity across denominational and traditional boundaries for the sake of the gospel. This is particularly true for church planting efforts. But partnerships can be fruitful even at a more basic level. Imagine the gospel impact more of these partnerships might have in our cities, countries, and continent.
Imagine the gospel impact more partnerships might have in our cities, countries, and continent.
Sounds great. But in practice, it’s difficult to know how to begin. It can seem overwhelming to know which projects to prioritise; to evaluate who we can partner with; and to know how to manage these interdenominational partnerships. This article provides four key components to help you form strong gospel partnerships. They are doctrinal unity, deliberate fellowship, distinct purpose, and decision points. By keeping these four concepts in mind, you’ll be better equipped to begin partnering with others for the sake of the gospel.
Doctrinal Unity
At the simplest and most fundamental level, partnership for the sake of the gospel requires gospel unity. Of course, this means that we and those we partner with must be able to clearly state the gospel. But more than this is needed. Neither a nice statement of faith nor a well-produced video on our website demonstrates gospel-centredness. The proof of a renewed life is nothing less than a living, personal relationship with Christ himself. We and our partners need to be clear on what the gospel is, and we need to be participants in it ourselves.
We need to be clear on what the gospel is and participate in it ourselves.
Jesus himself warns that “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven” (Matthew 7:21). Practically this means that we need to know the people, organisations, or churches that we are partnering with. Can they define the gospel clearly? Does their life and practice demonstrate a living relationship with Christ? We must ask this not only of our partners, but of ourselves.
The extent of further doctrinal unity needed should be determined by the level of the partnership. If you are planting a church together, you will need a relatively high level of doctrinal unity. If you are organising an Easter picnic followed by an evangelistic talk, clarity on the essentials would be sufficient. Still, no matter what level of interdenominational partnership you are at, you must be united on the essentials of the gospel — and you both need to be clear about what those essentials are.
Deliberate Fellowship
The greatest gospel partnerships are based on unity in Christ. The Holy Spirit says, “Everyone who loves the Father loves whoever has been born of him” (1 John 5:1).
The story is told of an older minister with a good deal of influence who attended an important event. While many wanted to speak to him, and he gave time to each, one of the first people he greeted with genuine care and love was an old lady who sat in the back row. Afterward, a younger minister came to him, asking why she meant so much to him and why he had prioritised greeting her along with the others at the event. The older minister replied, “Young man, she means so much to me because I cannot begin to fathom how much she means to Christ.”
Gospel partnerships are about mutual self-giving for the good of others.
We need to see our gospel partners in this light. This knowledge of their value to Christ should directly lead us to relationship. Yet it is all too common to see us divided one from another—more often by apathy than hostility. It is far more natural to our sinful natures to separate and divide than to enjoy our unity in Christ. Leave aside your sinful nature for a moment and consider your calendar. Who among us truly has the time to enjoy Christian fellowship amongst those with whom we are partnering? Still, I cannot emphasise this enough: gospel partnerships require deliberate fellowship.
Unlike secular partnerships governed only by contracts, gospel partnerships are about mutual self-giving for the good of others. This fundamental difference means that without intentionally, generously, and sacrificially giving time and attention to your partners in the gospel, your interdenominational partnership will suffer. Gospel partnership is not about what you can each gain, but about what you can both give for the sake of Christ’s church and the lost.
Take practical steps, then, to enjoy and express your Christian unity. Take the time to meet regularly, whether at your homes, offices, or churches. Stay in regular contact with your gospel partners. Genuinely care for them, as Christ cares for you.
Distinct Purpose
Partnerships need a distinct purpose. Initially, you may not know what you aim to accomplish together. However, it’s important to work this out as soon as possible. Why?
First, you need to be able to communicate your partnership. “We’re working together” is good; “we’re working together to plant a church in the city centre of Cape Town” is better. A natural follow-up question you might expect could be, “what kind of church will it be?” You need to be able to answer these kinds of questions so that people can understand and commit to your partnership.
A distinct purpose helps you allocate resources in proportion to what you hope to accomplish.
Second, a distinct purpose helps you to pray for and allocate resources in proportion to what you hope to accomplish. If you’re planting a church, you may need to begin praying for the Lord to provide someone you can set aside as a church planter. If you’re planning a combined service, you’ll need to find a preacher. Maybe you’re starting a soup kitchen, you’ll need someone to coordinate the roster, volunteers to help fill it. It’s as we clarify our hopes that we can be specific in prayer, asking God to provide what we need to serve him, and the more distinct our goal, the more concrete we can be in allocating specific resources to it.
Third, a distinct purpose allows you to clarify and evaluate your motivations. Consider Paul, who facilitated partnership between Gentile (non-Jewish) churches and churches in Jerusalem and Judea undergoing persecution (Romans 15:25-29; 1 Corinthians 16:2; 2 Corinthians 9). Paul’s goal was to raise funds among the Gentiles for the suffering saints in Jerusalem and Judea as a visible and tangible way to demonstrate their unity in Christ. This clarity meant that Paul could clearly communicate the substance of the partnership, ask for the required resources, and reveal his motive: to express unity in Christ.
Decision Points
Once you have established doctrinal unity, fostered deliberate fellowship, and clarified a distinct purpose, you need to create decision points. These are meetings where you can stop and evaluate your progress, determine your next steps, and commit your decisions to the Lord. You don’t have to put every one of these meetings on the calendar from the beginning of your partnership, but at any given time in the project, you should have the next one in your diary.
These are moments of accountability, and they should help you determine your next steps.
It’s important that these meetings are clear and deliberate. It’s easy to put your head down, focus on ministry, and forget to ask if you have sufficient doctrinal unity, are spending enough time in deliberate fellowship, and if you are accomplishing the distinct purpose you aimed to achieve. It may be that your partnership accomplishes something entirely different. Consider Columbus, seeking India and finding America. Decision points allow you to stop and evaluate your progress. Is this new outcome God at work—should you shift to pursue this new goal—or are you just a bad navigator, needing to get back on track? These meetings are moments of mutual accountability, and they should help you determine your next steps.
Finally, and most importantly, at each point you should take the chance to recommit your gospel partnership to the Lord in prayer. Ask God to guide you, to provide the resources you need to move forward, and to bless your work. Remember that your partnership is because of him, and for his glory, not your own.
