Advantages to Engagement
A formal connection with an under-resourced or international community can fundamentally change your congregation's perspective on faith and the challenges of the worldwide Church, and can focus their serving and generosity with direct, tangible results. For example:
- Connect
A "sister church" or "sister city" provides a direct practical and emotional connection for your congregation to think and pray about the needs of the global Church, and the role they may play in expanding the Kingdom. An under-resourced church becomes an extension of your own congregation.
- Learn
A relationship with an under-resourced church, whether domestic or international, challenges your congregation to understand the social and economic factors at play, to learn about the specific needs and opportunities, and to leverage their own gifts and passions to build up that under-resourced community.
- Serve
A connection with an under-resourced church may open doors to serving opportunities—as you send teams to serve and volunteer, bring their teams over to share about life and faith in challenging circumstances, and/or rally around the needs of their community and country.
See the long-term impact of your partnership and service in their lives and yours.
Global partnership at work—Hear the stories of GLS Partnerships
Community Covenant Church / Haiti
Community Covenant Church is one of our smaller of Willow Creek Association's Summit Host Sites. In 2007, their leaders were challenged to make a difference in Haiti. Pastor Dennis Baril and three other church leaders flew to Chicago and presented their case to open up Haiti to TGLS. All of WCA's resources had already been committed to other locations, but Community Covenant was told if they could raise the funds and produce the event, they had permission to go forward.
They developed the "Town Square Model"—taking the GLS to government and business leaders and bringing legitimacy to the event. At the end of the first Haitian GLS, Dennis connected with the country's top Christian leaders. They all agreed to support the next Summit. In 2008 they had 250 leaders attend the conference, including prominent NGO leaders, pastors, business, and government leaders. Dennis says, "Haiti is now a part of our church life. People are thinking of ways to get involved and coming up with ideas to help all the time." Also, Community Covenant is fundraising outside their congregation, spreading the vision of what they are doing to change a country.
Frederick Christian Fellowship / Dominican Republic
Frederick Christian Fellowship has been involved in being the sole sponsor to bring world-class leadership development through the GLS to the Dominican Republic. They have even sent teams from their church to various mission projects in the DR. They now have very deep connections/relations with ten different churches in that country.
Eagle Brook Church / Norway
Eagle Brook Church in Minnesota, has adopted Norway as a sister country and has been supporting the GLS there the last several years. Though Norway has a Christian heritage, over time it has become a secular society. There are pockets in Norway that have growing churches—about 30 percent on the west coast. But on the east side, church attendance is closer to two percent.
Eagle Brook Church is working in conjunction with the WCA to reverse that trend. In 2006, a partnership with the WCA and Norway was identified as part of the GAC (God's Amazing Church) campaign initiative. In October 2007, 18 "Eagle Brookers" traveled to Norway to serve at the Global Leadership Summit in Oslo, Sandnes, and Kristiansand. Pastor Bob Merritt visited all three locations and developed a relationship with the pastor at Salem Church in Kristiansand, Norway.
GracePoint Methodist Church / South Africa
Says Pastor Gary Rivas, "The Methodist Church sent my wife and me to plant a church north of Johannesburg. We didn't have much but a desire to see lost people found, brokenness healed, and make an impact on our community. The Global Leadership Summit has played an integral part in developing our leaders. The bar of leadership has been raised in every aspect of our church life—from ushers, to small groups, to our ministry to those infected with HIV and AIDS.
We understand that God desires us to live beyond ourselves and that we must take the light and love of Jesus beyond our own community. We pass on to others the resources that have been entrusted to us. We take books and training DVDs to the poorest of the poor: to the pastor whose congregation members walk 15 miles to attend church and to communities where children faint during children's classes due to lack of food. We take the resources of TGLS to parts of Africa and South Africa that aren't even printed on any map."
RiverLife Church / Singapore
Vincent Lun is the Senior Pastor of RiverLife Church in Singapore, planted in 1991 in what was once an unchurched community. In a mostly Buddhist country with only 10-15% of the population identifying as Christian, the need for a thriving church in every community is great.
Vincent was one of many pastors asked to be part of the first Global Leadership Summit planning team in Singapore. Since 2006, more than 2,100 people from more than 100 churches have been able to attend the Summit in Singapore. God is using the Summit to transform churches throughout their country.
