The Monday Morning Debrief: Partnerships

On October 3rd, ABC News and Yahoo! announced a major partnership.  Together they will share stories and also produce a web video series that they are calling a “game changer”.  This partnership is very similar to the Microsoft/NBC venture (i.e. MSNBC) and the AOL/Huffington Post alliance where more and more news agencies are looking for a stronger web presences.  That is why they are connecting with dominate web sites so that they can reach more people with their information.

So how does this apply to ministry?

In the past, I have talked about ministry partnerships and the benefit of them especially over the summer months.  Growing up as a young youth minister, I had plenty of opportunities to work with and partner with other ministries.  When I worked in a church environment, I was reaching out to organizations like FCA and Young Life. Then, when I spent time with Young Life, I was reaching out to churches to partner with them.  I had and still have many great relationships with other ministries outside of my own and because I wasn’t afraid to reach across the aisle and form some partnership with other groups the Lord’s kingdom has benefited with more young people coming to know the Him.

With that being said, the question is, what kind of partnerships can you form in your ministry?

1. Partner with other churches.  A lot of times there can be a “me first” and territorial mentality with ministry.  “These are my kids” are phrases I have heard many times before and honestly, sometimes I have felt that way.  But that mentality is definitely the wrong mindset to have.  After all, you all are work for the same boss.  You all are both trying to reach students for Christ.  So working with other churches can be very beneficial and create a “Lord’s students” mentality.  One idea you can do is to do a big group lock-in and make an All-Night Extravaganza out of it with a gospel presentation.
2. Partner with other ministry groups (form of outreach).  Groups like Young Life specialize in outreach and camping.  By joining forces with these groups, you can learn a lot about reaching those who don’t know Christ and there are possibilities of doing group leadership training activities together.  As with partnering with other churches, when you partner with other ministries you stop being territorial and start combining forces to reach students for the Lord.  Outside of para-church ministries such as Young Life or FCA, there are plenty of other ministry groups out there such as ministries that reach the homeless or special needs students.
3. Partner with the community (i.e. school and community groups).  From community events to school activities, there are plenty of ways to form partnerships with your ministry.  Sure there is separation between Church and State but I have seen while at New Life Christian Church, there are plenty of opportunities for your ministry to sponsor events and be apart of planning and helping what the community is doing.  New Life and the nZone we are building have been an active part of the community with sponsorships and helpers at community events that have brought about new relationships and given New Life a very positive name within the local communities.  So, by helping our community in events they are doing and providing money through sponsorships you are winning the right with the community and in the schools as a notable and social conscience group that they can trust and rely on.

So right now, TAKE A MINUTE and think through the different partnerships you currently have and could have.  What are you doing that is working and what could you be doing better at?  What are some connections and/or relationships you have within your local community, schools, and local ministry/church organizations that you can start or foster so that more people can hear about Christ.  Because, as I said above, forming partnerships is all about thinking outside the box and being creative in how you draw people into a relationship with Christ.

Thoughts? Comments? Questions? Experiences?  Post a comment so that we can all benefit.