PARTNERING WITH CHURCHES
“Now you are the body of Christ, and each one of you is a part of it.”
– 1 Corinthians 12:27
In one of our programs, we’ve seen more than 1000 communities transformed out of poverty. In every case, the local church was central to transformation. Within every community, God responded with miracles as the church prayed, learned truth, and sought to be obedient. This is no coincidence, but a testimony to His love and plan for His church. Our programs have seen churches engage in issues from domestic abuse to disabilities to art—fulfilling their role as God’s agents for transformation.
The Church is Christ’s bride
God describes the Church as Christ’s body and His bride. There couldn’t be more intimate metaphors. God loves the Church unconditionally—no matter what brokenness or lack we perceive. He longs to see her made whole. Our love for God must be reflected in our love for His bride and our commitment to seeing churches reach their full potential.
The Church displays God
In much of the world the Church is marginalized—seen as insignificant, or worse, as a dangerous part of society. To those outside the Church, the Christian God is seen as a myth, as weak, or uninterested in the affairs of Earth. God is not glorified, lifted up, or praised.
The Church plays a unique role in reflecting God to society. As the Church reaches out—serving their communities, speaking out on behalf of women—society sees a glimpse of God’s heart.
The Church has much to offer
Churches bring three essentials to any effort to reduce poverty: prayer, people, and resources. Unlike most community partners, the church understands the power of prayer. In most cases they have already learned to pray with an expectation that God will answer and to walk in obedience to Him. They confront challenges and problems with prayer. Time and time again we have seen God move and do the miraculous in response to these prayers. The people in the church are often extraordinary. They have compassion and willingness to sacrifice that isn’t seen in other organizations. They’ve been given gifts and talents to bring change to their communities.
The Church will stay in the community
Rather than having a community forever dependent on us, our goal—like many organizations—is to create self-sustaining change so the community no longer needs us. For us, the local church is the perfect partner—she’s staying in the community and remains committed to its transformation. Indeed, when we’ve visited graduated communities years later, we’ve found that development has continued and that communities with no more needs have gone on to serve and teach neighboring villages. When asked why they did these things, the (rather puzzled) church members explained that serving others is simply part of the Christian life.
Examples From Our Work
Several years ago, a TCT partner church decided to serve its community by building a footbridge. A few months later, a typhoon destroyed the bridge. Rather than giving up, the church saw an extra opportunity to show love to their community. They rebuilt the bridge. A few weeks later another typhoon washed away the second bridge. Again, the church responded by building a stronger bridge in a safer location. God used their perseverance. The story of this tiny church in the middle of nowhere appeared on the national news, and God received glory.
In a culture where daughters are considered a burden and abuse of wives is the norm, churches in New Delhi have begun to learn about God’s value of women. Through the Worldview Training Initiative’s marriage and family trainings, they are beginning to understand their calling to seek justice and healing in this area of their society. Women from other faith backgrounds are beginning to see the church as a refuge and advocate, so they come to the church for help when they are mistreated. Christian husbands and wives are learning the Ephesians 5 model of marriage—abuse is decreasing and families are strengthened. And, as these marriages are transforming to reflect God’s intentions, their neighbors and extended family are asking why their marriages are different.
*Worldview Training Initiative stopped operations in 2024
‘PARTNERING WITH CHURCHES’ BOOKLET
If you want to go deeper in understanding what this principle is and how you can apply it – this booklet gives more information.
GO DEEPER
If you want to learn more about this principle and how to apply it, you can find articles and a free downloadable booklet at the Framework for Transformation website.
FROM THE BLOG
Below are two recent articles related to the core principle Partnering With Churches. You can read more related blogs here.
Partnering with Churches: From Principle to Practice
True partnership with local churches means making ourselves smaller so that they can flourish in every area. So that they can have ever deepening experiences of the love and power of their Savior.
Churches are Transforming DRC
Churches in DRC are rising up to love their communities in so many ways! We’ve put together a short video (3:52) celebrating how God is at work in this beautiful country.