Global Outreach Website

Oct 26

GO Value: Reciprocal Partnerships
This week is the seventh of ten blog entries on the values of Global Outreach.
By Matthew Vestal (with Tom Mullis)

A partnership is a two-way street where independent entities work together to accomplish more than either could alone. A practical understanding of this is foundational for how we connect and operate with other ministries around the world. For the appropriate expansion of the Kingdom of God, international relationships must be formed with local national churches in a way that is peer to peer, not benefactor to beneficiary.

The interdependence of the global body of Christ is God's sovereign design for expanding His Kingdom. The expertise needed to increase the capacity of local churches has been sovereignly scattered among the nations.
God rarely gifts one person, church or nation with the complete skill set to do all that He wants accomplished in a particular location, and that is the beauty and brilliance of the body of Christ working together.

As we have been able to identify our gifting as a church, we are able to serve the church globally with the resources that God has given in order to be a blessing to other churches around the world in culturally relevant ways and at the invitation of partnering churches internationally.

Through partnerships, our church has been directly influenced through the years, especially concerning how we view personal levels of commitment, prayer, and sacrifice. We believe this has greatly impacted the way in which Perimeter Church ministers here in Atlanta. Also through this process, God has stirred the hearts of our people to enjoy a deeper understanding of His creativity (through diversity) and His omnipresence.

This type of collaboration and mutual service continues to display the power and glory of God as see God supernaturally work across linguistic, political, and cultural boundaries. Therefore, in all of our partnerships, we seek a mutually beneficial Kingdom relationship.