• Directories
    • Business Directory
    • Church Directory
    • Organization Directory
  • Advertise
  • Donate
  • Help
  • Log In

MENUMENU
  • Learning
        • Leader’s Edge
          • Author Interviews
          • Book Summaries
        • Book Reviews
          • Book Look
          • EMQ Book Reviews
        • Publications
          • Anthology
          • Evangelical Missions Quarterly (EMQ)
          • Missiographics
        • Podcasts
          • The Mission Matters
          • Members Only Feed
          • Missions Podcast DirectoryNew
        • Topics
          • COVID-19 Resources
          • Diaspora Missions
          • Global Issues Updates
          • Member Highlights
          • Mobilization
          • Muslim Missions
          • Support Raising
          • UkraineNew
        • Media Library
          • Conferences
          • Global Issue Updates
          • On Mission
          • Thought Leader Briefings
          • Webinars
          • Workshop
          • View All
  • Programs
    • Accreditation
    • Bible Certificate
    • Church Missions Coaching
    • Cohorts
    • Cybersecurity
    • ImproveNew
    • Mission Jobs
    • Missions DataNew
    • Publish
    • RightNow Media
    • The Mission App
    • Women’s Development
  • Events
          • Calendar
          • In-Person Events
          • Virtual Events
          • Event Recordings
          • Awards
        • Premier Events
          • Mission Leaders Conference
          • On Mission
        • Upcoming Events

          • Evangelical Views on Women in Ministry & Marriage: Differences in Interpretation, Not Inspiration
            Fri May 20, 2022, 04:00 PM PDT
          • Webinar: An Introduction to the Theology and Practice of Cross-Cultural Risk
            Thu May 26 2022, 12:00pm EDT
          • Pocket Guide to Being a Missions Pastor: 5 Things Every Missions Pastor Needs to Know
            Wed Jun 1 2022, 01:00pm EDT
        • View All Events
  • Research
          • Missions DataNew
          • Missiographics
          • Research Reports
        • Popular Research
          • Compensation Reports
          • COVID-19 Resources
          • Field Attrition Report
          • View All Reports
        • Contribute
          • Current Research Projects
          • Volunteer
  • About Us
        • Who We Are
          • Our Contribution
          • Meet the Team
          • Board Members
          • History (1917–present)
        • Our Beliefs
          • Statement of Faith
          • Community Standards
        • Awards
        • Partner with Us
          • Advertise
          • Donate
          • Sponsorships
          • Volunteer
        • Help
          • Contact Us
          • Advertising Specs
          • Branding Guidelines
  • Join
        • Learn
        • Learn what you cannot learn anywhere else.

        • Meet
        • Meet people you otherwise won’t meet.

        • Engage
        • Engage in a community like none other.

          • Benefits
          • Benefits for Churches
          • Pricing

Sponsored Content

Upcoming Events

  • Evangelical Views on Women in Ministry & Marriage: Differences in Interpretation, Not Inspiration
    Fri May 20, 2022, 04:00 PM PDT
  • Webinar: An Introduction to the Theology and Practice of Cross-Cultural Risk
    Thu May 26 2022, 12:00pm EDT
  • Pocket Guide to Being a Missions Pastor: 5 Things Every Missions Pastor Needs to Know
    Wed Jun 1 2022, 01:00pm EDT
  • From Harlem to the World - the Local Church Mobilized for Global Missions
    Wed Aug 3 2022, 01:00pm EDT
  • Women's Development Weeks
    Thu Sep 8 2022

View all events »

Topics

author interview CEO Church Church Missions Church Mission Team Church Planting COVID-19 Cross Cultural Skills Diaspora Disciple Making Discipleship Focus Future Innovation Islam Justin Long Leadership Management Member Care Missiology Missionaries Mission Finance and Administration MLC2019 MLC2020 MLC2021 Mobilization muslim Muslim Diaspora Networks Partnership Podcast Presenter Pursuing Partnerships Series Research Risk Short-Term Missions Spirituality support raising Training Trends Unengaged Unreached Weekly Roundup Women Women in Leadership

Meta

  • Log in
  • Entries feed
  • Comments feed
  • WordPress.org

Of Partnerships and Power Trips

Posted on April 1, 2008 by Ted EslerApril 1, 2008

by Gary Corwin

The differences between true partnerships and power trips disguised as partnerships are significant.

One of the great and encouraging truths of our time is the rapid expansion of energetic mission from the Global South following fast on the heels of massive church extension in so many parts of Africa, Latin America and several regions of Asia. The growth is visible and the energy is palpable. Hallelujah! What is less encouraging is that too much of the celebratory rhetoric that has been engendered in the Global North (West) as a result still seems to be less than meets the eye.

Partnership continues to be one of the most touted concepts—but unevenly practiced paradigms—in the modern mission enterprise. Whether one is talking North to South, church to agency, agency to church, church to church or agency to agency, the practice often fails to reach the level of the promise. Overall, regional or more narrowly-focused partnerships seem to do better than global ones; however, even they reflect many of the same problematic characteristics. I recently became aware of rumblings in some mission and academic circles concerning the desirability of having college and seminary curriculum tracks devoted specifically to the subject of partnerships. May it soon be so!

The differences between true partnerships and power trips disguised as partnerships are significant. Those differences look something like this:

1. True partnerships don’t start with an agenda, but with a relationship and a goal. The agenda then develops over time as the partners together seek the best ways to achieve the goal. Power trips tend to confuse pre-conceived agendas with pre-ordained paths to achieving their goal.

2. True partnerships seek to operate within the bounds of shared first principles, while those on power trips seek to push out the boundaries of shared activity to bring partners under the sway of principles that they alone may hold.

3. True partnerships seek to make sure that all points of view are represented in decisions that affect all, while power trips employ the levers of structural power to ensure that a particular point of view dominates.

4. True partnerships are essentially organic and largely other-oriented; power trips are political and self-centered.

5. Trust and unity are the essential currency of true partnerships. While power trips honor these words, they tend to use them as euphemisms for everyone doing things in a particular way. Manipulation is a rare aberration in partnerships. It is the modus operandi of power trips.

So how do we ensure that we are moving beyond power trip patterns to true partnership? Several things are necessary:

1. “Loving our neighbors as ourselves,” and repeatedly asking the question, “Is this really what I would want if I were wearing my partner’s shoes?” We have to be honest with ourselves before we can be honest with others.

2. Leaving our preferred methods and agendas at home until there has been a thorough discussion with potential partners of needs, goals and purposes. Joint agreement on the mission, and on first principles, must begin the discussion of methods. You cannot assume that they are synonymous with the mission.

3. Learning to accommodate decision-making processes that are different from what we are used to. Speed and efficiency may have to take a backseat to ownership and effectiveness.

4. Paying the price to ensure representation of groups and views that may be radically different than our own. To do less is not partnership, but tokenism.

Can it be done? Are there any good examples where it is being done? Yes, there does seem to be an increasing number of places where this appears to be happening effectively. You can recognize them in several ways:

1. The make-up of their leadership team. Are the same folks always represented at the top, or do those from other groups also have the opportunity to become chairpersons or top officers? It is one thing to be a name on the masthead as a team member. It is quite another to take the lead in the group process and the agenda.

2. The slowness of their decision-making processes. Sharing agenda-shaping tasks takes time, and is often a difficult and painful process. What else would one expect when cultural values, methods and means can be so different?

3. A valuing of breadth of participation, relationships and effectiveness over quantifiable product and efficiency. It is not that these things aren’t all important in their own way, or that they don’t overlap. It is just that certain priorities shine through when a multitude of values are truly in play.

Clearly, true partnership and biblical “oneness” is not as easy to achieve as pseudo-partnership and tokenism, especially for Western participants. We have been “in charge” a long time, and it is not easy to let go. But it is well worth the extra effort to secure and nurture true partnership. The world sees the difference, and as a result is often more inclined to respond to our overtures. It also makes it possible for us to seek God’s blessing without embarrassment.

—–

Gary Corwin is associate editor of EMQ and a missiological advisor to the leadership of SIM and Arab World Ministries.

Copyright © 2008 Evangelism and Missions Information Service (EMIS). All rights reserved. Not to be reproduced or copied in any form without written permission from EMIS.

GoToOlder PostNewer PostAll PostsA Second Look: Editorial by EMQ Editor Gary CorwinEMQSectionVolume 44 - Issue 2

Comments are closed.

Subscribe to Our Mailing List

Keep up to date with our community.

Menu

  • Home
  • Directories
  • Advertise
  • Donate
  • Contact Us

Join

  • Join
  • Benefits
  • Learn
  • Meet
  • Engage

Help

  • Contact Us
  • Terms
  • Cookies Policy

About Us

  • Who We Are
  • Statement of Faith
  • Awards
  • Resources
Missio Nexus Logo

© Missio Nexus. All rights reserved.
As an Amazon Associate Missio Nexus earns from qualifying purchases.


PO Box 398
Wheaton, IL 60187-0398

Phone: 770.457.6677
678.392.4577

Annual Sponsors

ECFA Logo Brotherhood Mutual Logo

Subscribe to our Mailing List

Membership website powered by MembershipWorks