Partnership is one of those words that has become so overused that we have to go back and check we all mean the same thing. A friend recently reminded me that as a linguist I love to dissect words and play with their meaning. I don’t mean to do that here. I want to share some of my perspectives, based on 10 years of experience developing all different kinds of partnerships. I should clarify that I’m focusing on what many call “Kingdom Partnerships.”

First of all, I find that partnership has to do with who we are, not only with what we do. In other words, when we engage each other in partnering efforts for the Lord, we do so because it is our DNA as Christians. Thought traditionally we may have been individualistic, or institution-centered, when we work together, we are going back to our Christ-centered roots. Jesus clearly stated in John 17:20-22. He prayed that we may be one as God is one. When we work as one we experience the power of God to transform. 
Second: there’s always Another partner when we work together for the Kingdom. Jesus not only prayed that we might be one, He prayed ” May they also be in us so that the world may believe that you have sent me.” It is the Holy Spirit that works within and between us to redeem the world.
So, thirdly partnership begins with relationship. If our common goals are the North Star, healthy relationships are the wind in our sails.
Kingdom partnership go beyond using each other to accomplish goals that we can accomplish on our own. They should transform our organizations, and our ministry. As we work together we learn from each other and from those we serves. God uses the process to touch the world, and to make us more like him.

These are some of my initial thoughts, so you know where I’m coming from when I talk about Developing Partnerships. These are values I hold highly and inform my ministry. My plan is to share some of my experiences, tell my story and hopefully generate some dialog that will enrich our lives and bless our ministry. Until then, may you be inspired to live for Christ.