Wednesday, July 9, 2014

Great Commission Partnership versus Ministry Partnership

 
Great Commission Partnership And Ministry Partnership
One and the Same, Just Different Terminology
 
 
 
    Ministry Partnership is a key component to the ministry of International Commission.  International Commission (IC) is a faith-based ministry that's mission is "Equipping and enabling believers world-wide to conduct church-based partnership evangelism projects to reach unbelievers and make disciples."  The way that this is done is that people, just like me have heard God's Call in our lives and have chosen to follow the Lord in working with IC to conduct church-based partnership evangelism projects. 
    The method by which we follow His Call is through faith-based ministry.  Simply put we live totally by faith, prayer and financial support.  We seek out, after much prayer; a partnership team that comes alongside of us to pray for us and also sacrificially supports us through monetary giving.  The method by which we achieve our team was called Ministry Partnership Development or MPD.  The process is made up of a few steps: 
 
1.  We pray and seek God's Guidance in who to contact about becoming a Ministry Partner.
2.  We then contact them and explain IC and what being on our Partnership Team means.
3.  We ask them to pray about joining us as prayer and financial partners.
4.  Then we pray more that God would speak to them.
 
This is fantastic because it brings people to come alongside of us and hold us up when we are tired and walk with us so that we don't feel alone in the Call of our Lord.  It also allows us to follow the Call of the Lord in our lives.
    Now what is Great Commission Partnership, it is basically the same thing but a terminology change.  The major difference or refocusing is that we are reemphasizing the importance "mutual partnership for the task of the Great Commission."  This way it "becomes the task of developing relationships, developing disciples, and developing a two sided ministry—one that reaches out to the world with one hand and with the other reaches back to our 'fellow workers'."  In Matthew 28:16-20, it says:
 "Then the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain where Jesus had told them to go.  When they saw him, they worshiped him; but some doubted. Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”  
This is the Great Commission, the direction to go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit.  International Commission's new President has said it this way:  "We want to find people who are already being persuaded to join the Commission of the Lord and for whom we can be the means to facilitate their calling. The emphasis is upon the synergy of partnership, each serving the other--each serving God in his/her giftedness." How do we serve each other:
 
1.  We develop our relationship together.
2.  We serve each other in developing our disciples and each other's discipleship.
3.  We continue to make this ministry, our ministry.  No longer will this be the ministry that God's Called Jeannine and I to do, but the ministry that God has called us to do.  You and us, together.
 
    Jeannine and I have been really blessed over our ten plus years in working with IC, that our team; our Great Commission Partners who have joined us in  serving each other and serving God.  Many will read this blog and ask why did I write this, it is because over the last couple of months I have asked for prayers as we work on Ministry Partnership.  We have started to make the transition to Great Commission Partners and we don't want to cause any confusion as we continue to seek your prayers.     
    This week we have had to concentrate on Great Commission Partnerships and seeking to ask God to grow our Great Commission Partnership Team.   Over the last year, many of partners have had to reduce their Great Commission Partnership giving due to economic situations and this has created financial uncertainty for us.  The Great News is that God has been gracious and blessed us over and over again through this time and we Praise Him all the time.  The reason that we believe God has been gracious is that although our financial support has drastically decreased, prayers of many has been lifting us and God has been hearing. 
    Again THANK YOU for taking the time to read this and THANK YOU for being part of our Great Commission Team, each of you are such a blessing.  If you feel God calling you to become more involved in our, yours and ours; Great Commission Team, please contact us.  We would love to hear from you and feel so blessed to have you become more involved.


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