1. An Idea Whose Time Has Come
Mutually Transforming Mission Partnerships
Protecting Short-Term Mission from degenerating into the next onslaught of Western Mission Imperialism

2. “What will it take for India to become Christian?”
“It will only take for Christians to be Christian.”
Mahatma Gandhi

3. Why do people want our short-term mission teams?
Hope for $?
Resources?
Technical Assistance?
Teaching?
Evangelism?

4. They Hope They are Receiving:
The First Time We Come,
They Hope They are Receiving:
Our best
Our leaders
People of spiritual maturity
Well-trained cross-cultural workers
Skilled professionals

5. After we leave, we don’t want them to feel:
Relieved
Exhausted
Behind in their work
Used
Diminished
Embarrassed

6. Are we sending people...
We wouldn’t employ to lead our own churches, businesses or organizations?
To whom we wouldn’t entrust our own children?
To give experiences they wouldn’t seek at home because of less glamour and adventure?

7. I was just wondering…did you come because of:
Your desire for adventure?
Your search for significance?
Your affluence?
God’s call?
The desire to serve?
Your giftedness & training?

8. The Most Desired Qualities for Short-Term Guests
Three Attitudes
Humility—Showing up late to a meeting
Affirmation—Refusing to play the part of a critic
Vulnerability—Not being afraid of weakness
Three Roles
Student—Coming as a learner
Servant—Working hard at whatever needs to be done
Storyteller—Witnessing to the hope that we’ve received
One Result: Long Term Friendship

9. From adventures, projects, $ & missionaries
to partnering with entire communities
Long-term Partner-ship for
Long-term impact
Multi-faceted commitment

10. “Partnership is an idea whose time has not yet fully come
“Partnership is an idea whose time has not yet fully come. But…the birth-pains have begun.”
“‘Partner’ is derived from parcener, denoting coheirship.” Max Warren, 1954

12. The Trans-national Trans-ethnic Body of Christ:
God’s glue for holding together a fractured world

13. The Global Church
Led from the 3rd world with passionate devotion

14. Mutually Transforming Mission Partnerships
Local and Global Communities
US Churches
Agencies
Agency
Provides:
Mission education
Involvement & Partnership
Program Facilitation
Channel for resources
Mediation
Evaluation
Churches Experience:
Spiritual Growth & transformation
Long-term partnerships
Tangible focus & involvement
Faithful stewardship of Resources
Communities
Experience:
Community Development
Enhanced spiritual growth and quality of life
Global partnerships
Dignity through being teachers

15. Community Partnerships
Engagement of churches from both regions and expertise of agencies united
Shared responsibility and control
Transformation of both communities

16. 10 Keys to effective partnerships
Shared expectations: dreams for future
Accept advantages of cooperation
Seek immediately achievable successes

17. 4. Mutual accountability
Clear standards of training, financial management
Agreed upon decision-making process
Clear evaluation criteria

18. 8. Clear time frame, exit strategy
9. Clear understanding of the nature of the commitment
10. Mutually acceptable coordinator

19. for cross-cultural partnerships
Skills Americans need
for cross-cultural partnerships
Value community over individual
Value cooperation over competition
Value relationships over measurable results
Value differences over similarity

20. Equiping churches
for global teamwork
Congregational education: employing non-western mission educators
Multi-cultural/national teams
Focus on relational development
Long-term community partnerships

21. Toward genuine interdependence
“The mission of the church means a real interdependence between
churches in differing contexts
Such an authentic partnership is actually between two crippled partners
—the blind and the lame—who cannot go on a journey unless the blind person provides legs for the lame, and the lame person eyes for the blind The end of partnership is not the mutual sharing of gifts alone. It is that the world may see the one new person created out of two (Ephesians 2), and so believe that God sent Jesus (John 17).” Vinay Samuel