Many global ministry initiatives are wondering why there is often not any more result with all the effort put into our work. There are many issues involved, but I am addressing only one key issue that is often overlooked. IRead more…
Ducking Missionary Conflict – in Africa and beyond
This article first appeared in the July 2009 issue of Evangelical Missions Quarterly (EMQ). Inter-personal conflicts frequently trouble missionary endeavours. Solutions advocated often emphasise the importance of missionary relationships. Without discrediting those ‘solutions’, I want to ask whether Western missionRead more…
Partnership: Local and Expatriate Partners
It seems that we are seeing a significant shift in how we view partnerships because of the greater involvement of local partners. I wonder if you share the same or similar thoughts as the ones I express below. The currentRead more…
5 Ways Towards Genuine Unity
It was a hot day and I was running late and I was lost. Not a great combination. In a sweaty, stressed and rather disjointed way I managed to ask a security guard for directions. His reply was less thanRead more…
A Proposed Foundation for Partnership
Cody is right (https://lmconversation.wpengine.com/resources/detail/10174) to advocate ‘global partnerships’, when partnerships can be truly partnerships. That I understand, from the basis of the word, where two (or more) people or groups agree to cooperate in some venture in which both contributeRead more…
South to North; language, power, gospel.
That many African people (and those from the global ‘south’ in general) love to use European languages should not surprise us in the slightest. Many do not see the problems with (say) using English in their countries, but rather manyRead more…
So, what have you learned?
What do we learn in cross-cultural relationships? How does our understanding of God’s kingdom expand by spending time with people who see the world differently than we do? I was part of a church-to-church conversation where this question came up.Read more…
Institutionalizing Hospitality?
I do not plan on making arguments here, rather I want to tell a story. My source is thinker Ivan Illich.’ Near the beginning of the 20th century a man from China converted to Christianity and in his joy decidedRead more…
“Partnership” in Major Global Mission Declarations
The global Church through various gatherings and declarations has spoken a clear word about the essential factor of Christian partnership and collaboration. To witness this consensus, read the following excerpts found in selected major global mission declarations that address collaboration: Lausanne Covenant (1974)Read more…
Sure-fire ways to kill a partnership
With our work team’s global partnership experience of over forty years, we have come up with three sure-fire ways to kill a partnership. Call a meeting too early. Try to write a constitution. And Try to write a theological statement!Read more…