One of the best ways a Life Team can serve its church is by acting as the interface for life-affirming agencies (e.g. a local adoption agency). In so doing, the Team facilitates the give-and-take of a vibrant ministry partnership. On the “give” side, the Team might inform/invite congregants to serve in an agency, or give financial support or materials (e.g. diapers) to the agency. On the “take” side, the Team might bring an agency specialist to the congregation teach a seminar or Sunday School on bioethics or post-abortion recovery. The ebb and flow of these elements over time make for a mutually-beneficial ministry partnership.
It is very important, since your Life Team is part of Jesus’ church, to carefully select your agency partners. This article provides guidance for that process and suggests what a vibrant agency-Life Team partnership can become.
What to Look for in Agency Partners
More than anything else, you need to agree with your partners in at least four essential areas, below. To help you figure out if you agree, use the Roadmap in the next section.
- Core theological agreement. Be sure the agency confirms with your church’s core theological convictions. By this we mean the core essentials of the gospel and Scripture (see FAQ, below). This guards you from entering a partnership which will dilute Christ’s purposes for your church and pressure you into compromising your dearest core convictions.
- Mission agreement. Be sure the agency’s programs and resources support your Life Team’s particular mission and strategies. For example, if God’s given you a focus on adoption, then look to partner with a Christ-centered adoption agency. Partnering with good agencies that can not contribute to your mission and strategies dilutes your effectiveness and moves you from God’s intended mission.
- Values agreement. Be sure the agency’s conduct matches your Team and church’s values. For example, if you are striving for a gospel-driven balance grace and truth in your demeanor, then do not partner with a ministry that tends to be abrasively confrontational and harsh.
- Partnership agreement. Be sure the agency understands and values the give-and-take dynamics of a true partnership. Beware of agencies that always lead with, “Here’s what you can do for us.” The best partners want to serve and be served in a dynamic, relational interchange with your Team.
Roadmap to Finding Excellent Ministry Partners
Here is a basic chronological roadmap to guide you in selecting agency partners with whom you will agree according to the four traits above.
- Discover God’s mission and strategies for your Life Team. These act as a sieve, helping you screen which agencies you should and should not partner with. Click HERE for help with this.
- Invite agencies you think might support your mission and strategies to apply for partnership. Give them the Ministry Partner Application, asking them to return it for review.
- Review the Ministry Partner Application responses as a Team and vote on whether or not to invite the agency to a Team meeting for a partnership discussion.
- Meet with agency representative(s) at a Team meeting where you can review the Application for Partnership and ask clarifying questions. This should be a discussion – both parties should seek clarity and understanding of the four facets of agreement, above, and begin to consider concrete ways you could partner together.
- Dismiss the agency from the meeting, then discuss the fitness of a partnership. If your Team manages a budget, this is when you will decide if/how to allocate funds to the agency. At this point, you should easily envision ways you can partner with an agency. The Team should vote on allocating funds and/or whether to partner with an agency.
- Notify the agency of your decision within a few days of your decision. If you choose to partner, begin planning concrete ways that this will take shape. If you decided not to partner, tell the agency why.
- Partner! It is good to assign a member of the Team as a liaison to the new partner agency. For help promoting agency events, click HERE.
- Review. It is healthy to reevaluate your agency partners, adding or deleting them, on a periodic basis or when you experience major shifts in your Team’s priorities.
Click HERE to see our Ministry Partner Application to help you in the roadmap outlined above.
FAQ
Q: What are the “core issues of the gospel and Scripture?”
A: Your particular denomination may have a doctrinal statement that answers this question. Many do, so ask your pastor and/or check our your church’s website. If you want to explore this concept further, we offer the “5 Solas” penned during the Protestant Reformation as a starting point. A decent explanation of the 5 Solas can be found on Wickipedia HERE.
Q: How many agencies should our Life Team partner with?
A: Most Teams can faithfully manage between 1 and 3 partnerships. CFL recommends fewer partners so you can develop healthy relationships with each one. Be sure to select partners that support your Team’s mission and strategies.
Q: What if our Team doesn’t have a budget to share with agency partners? Can we still have partners?
A: Yes. You can still be a functional partner with the agency.
Q: What if one of our Team’s partners receives our church’s financial support through a different Team or Committee in our church?
A: Before you seek partnership, you’ll need to meet with the Team in your church responsible for the financial aspects of your church’s connection with the agency. Make sure you are not stepping on anyone’s toes! Most likely, the Team responsible for financial support will appreciate your desire to be a functional support. Just be sure to work out how those dynamics play out.
Q: Should our church’s financial and functional partnership with agencies be handled by one and the same Team?
A: Ideally, yes. It just makes better sense. But money can be touchy in churches. As your Life Team builds trust in with church leadership, propose the goodness of bringing the financial stewardship of the agency under your Team. Cite the efficiency and effectiveness benefits from doing this.
Q: What if the agency with whom we partner keeps going to the Team that funds them for relationship and not to the Life Team?
A: This is common. It only changes over time and as your Life Team gains credibility and changes rapidly if your Life Team stewards the funds that are given to the agency. One thing you can do, though, is to ask the other Team in the church that keeps getting approached to refer the agency back to the Life Team for functional relationship. Explain how much sense this makes, and reinforce your Life Team’s desire and ability to develop a multi-faceted relationship with the agency.