A Renewed Shape to Missional Partnerships ~ Matt Way
On Sunday, Jamie and I took some time to share a little of the conversation the PCC and Missional Partnership Group have been holding over the past year. We’ve been reflecting on how we support our external missional partners, and whether that support might be able to grow into something deeper, something more relational, more attentive, and more alive.
If you weren’t there, this post will catch you up. And if you were, we hope it will give a little more detail, and a clear sense of where we’re heading.
At the heart of it all is a simple desire: we want our relationships with our missional partners to be informed and alive. It is a good and right thing to give financially, and we’re grateful for the generosity of our church in doing just that. And in many cases, these partnerships have been much more than financial- we’ve known people, heard stories, prayed, and shared something of the journey together. However, that sense of connection hasn’t been consistent across all of our partnerships and across all seasons, and we sense an opportunity to deepen this powerful and beautiful part of our church life. We long to know more fully the people and projects we support, to understand their hopes and challenges, to pray with greater intention, and, where possible, to share more directly in what they are doing. In other words, we want to become more fully partners: invested, attentive, and connected.
As we’ve reflected on this, it has become clear that relationships like this don’t happen by accident. They take time, and they are sustained by connection. Depth grows slowly, through steady attention rather than brief moments of focus. And it is often carried by people with passion in our midst- those within our congregation who already have a link with a particular charity and can help keep that relationship visible and alive among us.
With that in mind, we’re introducing a new rhythm to the way we structure our partnerships. In recent years, we’ve supported a group of nine charities, with three receiving more in depth attention in the weeks leading up to our October giving day. That pattern has served us well enough, but at this juncture we’re wondering if this pattern hasn’t made space for the kind of depth we’re now hoping for.
So, from next year, we plan to name two of our partners as “Focus Partners” at the beginning of the year, in January, and then walk with them more intentionally throughout the months that follow. Rather than concentrating attention into a short window, we’ll allow the relationship to unfold over time, through regular updates, prayer, and through opportunities to hear directly from those we support when they come to visit us on a Sunday. We hope that by giving more time, we might grow in understanding, in connection, and come to share in the true life of the missions.
As part of this review, we’ve also taken the opportunity to reflect carefully on the partnerships we hold. Over time, some relationships have naturally become more distant, and we no longer have the kind of active connection that helps sustain a living partnership. So, with gratitude for all that has been, we have decided to conclude our partnerships with the Leakes in Argentina, Jon Bailey at Operation Mobilisation, and Open the Book (though we continue to engage with open to book to deliver their excellent programme to Moorlands School). We remain thankful for these connections and for the part they have played in our life together.
Looking ahead, our long-term partnerships will centre around six charities: Lux Youth Project, Five Talents, A Rocha UK, Red Earth Village Schools, Genesis Bath, and Ripple Effect. In each case, we’re encouraged that there are people within our church community who have some connection with the work, helping to keep that relationship grounded and alive.
Although we are partway through this year and won’t fully step into the new rhythm until next January, we’re pleased to begin moving in that direction now. Our Focus Partners for this year will be Lux Youth Project and Five Talents, and we’re looking forward to welcoming them in the coming weeks, beginning with Lux this Sunday.
This reduction in partnerships will allow us to give the gift of our time and attention more generously, especially to our focus charities each year. And at the same time, we believe it will create some capacity to respond to new opportunities as they arise. And so, alongside our long-term and focus partnerships, we’re introducing a new, shorter-term pathway: a one-year partnership. This will give us space to come alongside a new organisation for a season- to hear their story, to support them financially at our October giving day, and to begin discerning whether a deeper relationship might grow over time.
As we announced on Sunday, this is an invitation for you to get involved. We know that many of you carry connections, passions, and insights into places where God is already at work. There may be charities close to your heart that could be a good fit for us to support in this way. We would love to hear from you.
There is a simple form on our website, and paper copies are available in the church office. If something comes to mind, do take a moment to share it. This is something we want to discern together, as a whole church, as we continue to grow into a deeper life of partnership and participation in God’s work in the world.