GLOBAL PARTNERSHIP IN MISSIONS:THE POWER OF PARTNERSHIP

INTRODUCTION
The latest Maslow’s hierarchy of needs shows that the most basic need nowadays is WIFI because people want to be connected with family, friends and the world.
My prayer is that we will really be connected to the heart of God in this AMA Triennial Convention and really feel his heartbeat to the lost & dying world.
In the secular world – airline companies (Star Alliance / Sky Team), banking institutions, shipping companies are forming alliances & partnerships to be more competitive in the marketplace. However, the church seems to be very slow to adopt or shall we say talk about it or want to do it, but we are not really very intentional to make sure it will happen.

STATE OF THE WORLD
Let’s begin with the State of the World.
It had been reported that between 150,000 to 180,000 people are coming to Christ everyday. Today’s world population is about 7.29 billion people and growing at a rate of 1.5 million babies weekly. On the other hand about 1.4 million die every month without contact with any kind of Christian, that’s 47,000 everyday!
The world has 17 very large People ‘Affinity Blocs’ which include the entire population of the world.

• It contains 253 large families of Peoples.
• Made up of more than 16,000 People Groups
• With 7,102 languages
• In 238 countries
• Currently 3 billion are unreached peoples
• In 6,900 distinct people groups

Looking at the State of the World Evangelization today: 10% are Dedicated Christians, 20% are Nominal Christians, 28% are Non-Christians within reach & 42% Non-Christians in need of cross-cultural ministry. The Task remaining is great.
Revelations 7:9-10 “After this I looked and there before me was a great multitude that no one could count, from every nation, tribe, people and language, standing before the throne and in front of the Lamb”. How can we see Matthew 24:14 become a reality?

PARTNERSHIP & COLLABORATION
Welcome to Partnership & Collaboration – “God’s heart for Unity”
The basic reality is that there are many levels of networking and partnering. There is no clear line when you actually move from networking to partnering. And that is ok. Every attempt at collaboration must find its own way forward.
What is clear is that the definitions of networking and partnering cannot be very sharply defined, but the definitions will help us clarify our expectations of each other in a collaborative venture.
Network: a group of people who are linked informally and who communicate with one another to share ideas and information to meet their individual needs. The primary focus is to share information.
Partnership: where there is a close working relationship between individuals and/or organizations, who agree to work together for a specific purpose because they can achieve more together than by themselves. The primary focus is to take joint action.
Consensus-based Partnership: where there is a close working relationship between individuals and/or organizations, who agree to work together for a specific purpose because they can achieve more together than by themselves. Members make an informal covenant to pray, plan and work together, on specific purposes identified and agreed on by Consensus.
Constitutional Partnership: where members enter into a formal relationship with each other and form a new organization in order to work together. All partners are required to sign a contract or agree a constitution. All the work is done under the authority of the new organization.
Strategic Evangelism & Church Planting Partnership: A consensus-based group of agencies, missions, churches and individuals who are committed to PRAY, PLAN and WORK TOGETHER for the planting of a culturally relevant, reproducing church within a specific un-evangelized group.

PRESENT SCENARIO
Various Partnerships in the Philippines & Globally
The growing Philippine Missions Movement & the scattering of the 12-million Overseas Filipino Workers (OFWs) including Filipino Migrants now in at least 210 countries in the world is a unique phenomenon.
The mobilization & training of the Christian OFWs to become tentmakers is a combined effort & collaboration of the various mission agencies & Christian organizations, NGOs and other like-minded institutions in partnership with the various denominations & churches in the country.
In South Asia there are more UPGs than in the rest of the world combined. What does this say about how we make plans in the missions movement in Asia? How do we strategize with our brothers and sisters across Asia to penetrate the darkness with the Light of the Gospel? What role will Asia Missions Association (AMA) play in this scenario?

PROGRESS IN PARTNERING
Let me share some of the significant & current state of collaboration, networking, and partnering happening nowadays.
The good news is that in recent years many churches and missions agencies are working hard to overcome the tendencies to divide and splinter. Instead they find the synergies of partnering that bring exponential results in reaching people for Christ and impacting their societies for good and positive change.
In October of 2015, “Ethne to Ethne” held its Global Gathering of UPG focused people in Hyderabad, India. New collaborative initiatives were initiated. One is the first ever gathering of Indian Mission Network leaders in Nagpur, India in October of this year. This is an effort to intentionally focus on India’s thousands of UPGs, and how to strategize with the Holy Spirit’s power.
Also last year, a global meeting was held in Spain that brought together a large number of partnering facilitators to learn and deepen their understanding of effective collaboration.
Later this year the WEA-Missions Commission will meet in Panama to consider how to collaborate effectively. A strong emphasis will be for the younger leaders of missions movements, who already have the partnering DNA, will join with older leaders to begin a new collaboration between younger and older missions leaders. This will surely bring new thinking and creative ventures in the missions movement to reach the unreached peoples!
Just last month, mission leaders of MANI (Movement for African National Initiatives) from all across the African continent met in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, for the third time in 15 years to assess and accelerate their collaborative national missions initiatives.
This month, some mission leaders of Indian mission agencies are meeting for training on how to lead effective mission partnerships.
So there is great hope that the global church is realizing and finding that it must do better, much better, much, much better at working together, rather than working alone in its mission outreach in order to fulfill our Lord’s Great Commission!
May this movement, in its many varieties, greatly increase so that Jesus’ return will be hastened!

CONCLUSION
The US Center for World Missions said, that the church has 20 times the resources needed to complete the Task Remaining. We have more than enough money to reach the 3 billion Unreached Peoples. We have more than enough technology to reach the 3 billion. We have more than enough churches to reach the 3 billion. We have more than enough smart missions strategists to expand God’s Kingdom here on earth and fulfill the Great Commission.
On the other hand, what we do not have enough is the body of Christ willing to collaborate as true equals. Humble enough for our own churches & organizations to decrease so that Christ will be proclaimed to the lost & dying world.
With all our statements about the unity of the body, we find it very difficult to cooperate effectively to surmount the challenges facing the missions movement specially to reach the unreached. Our missions strategy should include networking, partnership & collaboration in order to synergize our effort for the fulfillment of the Great Commission.
May we be encouraged and inspired to take to heart this challenge to seriously be more focused in partnering, collaborating and synergizing to see Matthew 24:14 become a reality.
Jesus Christ will be proclaimed & exalted!

* This paper was presented at the 12th AMA Triennial Convention in Manila, Philippines from April 18-22, 2016.
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Rev. Lalano Badoy Jr. has been serving the Philippine Missions Association(PMA) as the 6th National Director since January 9, 2015.