We strive to be godly partners, being humble to learn and faithful to serve others. Below you will find our understanding of what it means to be a partner as we serve God. Although we fall short it implementing all the convictions at all times, we still strive to adhere to it as our feeble heart allows that we may worship and glorify the God.
In giving us the Great Commission, God calls us to partner with him in global mission. Our God is a missionary God and we are to be a missionary people (Matthew 28:18-20). Jesus prayed that those who believed in Him would “be brought to complete unity” (John 17:23). Jesus knew that when Christians unite in the Name of God as one people speaking the same language, the language of love, then nothing they undertake is impossible for them to accomplish (Genesis 11:6). In addition, God the Father works in divine partnership with Jesus Christ, and the Holy Spirit. Each performing a different task as they reconcile wicked man back into the arms of an all loving, all powerful and an all merciful God. Therefore, we do not engage in partnership simply because it is cost-effective or sensible. We do so because a godly partnership reflects God's nature, it demonstrates Christian unity, and draws people towards God. This is how we at FCC undertake any missionary endeavor in the world.
We at FCC recognize the fact that no ministry can do everything; when we try, we become hopelessly mediocre and dishonor God’s vision of a body with its many parts functioning as a cohesive unit. God did not create all men with equal amount of talent, gifts, or resources but, He has blessed each man according to the will of the Holy Spirit. God did this so there would be no division among us, but that each of us would have to rely on one another, each providing what the other lacks (1 Corinthians 12) so that we’ll advance the Kingdom of God thru unity and loving sacrifice. We believe that our God mandated diversity is one of our greatest strengths and is the secret behind some of our greatest accomplishments. It is time for all of us to see the kingdom beyond the small portion that we are building ourselves and look to the whole.
There is no other way to accomplish all that God desires, no other way to establish His church throughout the earth, no other way to bring into the barn the great harvest that lies before us unless, we strive for unity at all times. That is why we at FCC give ourselves to Christ-honoring relationships and realize that divine achievement comes through divine association. To us and our partners, unity must become more than the latest ecumenical buzz word, it must become a practical reality in our daily associations.
A godly partnership understands and embraces the reality that every partner has something to give and something to receive as we work together to make God’s name great among the nations. We recognize that no partner is greater than another by what it is able to contribute or lesser by what it needs from another. Therefore, when we give, we’ll do so sacrificially and with great joy. When we receive, we will do so with humility knowing that all we and all we give come from God alone. He is our source for everything good and Godly in life.
No partnership is static or exactly the same as another. Partnership can range from a single focus, such as funding, or it can be more full-bodied. We believe partnership should be long-term, yet we understand and acknowledge that relationships do change over time and do depend on the vision, maturity, size, and capacity of the partners. Partnerships are also affected and guided by the diversity found within God’s people and the diverse needs of each mission.
No two partners, no matter how hard they try, can bring about all the resources and skills needed to meet all the challenges before us. Knowing this limitation, we believe that the best way of meeting all the needs of this aching world is to humbly rely on God’s unlimited power and grace as we weave together a collation of like-minded partners. Partners who choose to lay down their lives so others may live. Partners, who desire to serve as ambassadors of Jesus Christ. Partners who pant after the opportunity to preach the gospel not only in words alone, but in loving action as we strive to be the hands and feet of Jesus Christ, emulating His endless love and His countless mercies.
Any partnership that expects to succeed must not be afraid of setting expectation for each partner and must not shy away from setting goals and measuring the results of each coalition. We believe that all healthy partnerships are mutually embrace transparency and accountability to one another. They must reject excessive evaluation while holding to the idea that measuring the qualitative and quantitative results of each partnership is important to ensure that were are being faithful stewards of God’s resources.
A partnership is more than coming together to obtain strategic goals. Each partnership is like a family, with each member having its own personality, its own skill, and its own flaws. Inevitably, there will be times that expectations are not met, misunderstandings arise, and disappointments are expressed and shown. Therefore, all partners must be slow to anger and quick to forgive one another. We should strive to have the same attitude that the Apostle Paul has regarding his partners in the gospel.
In his letter to the Church in Philippi, Paul described his partners by using such language as, "I have you in my heart”, and “how I long for you with the affection of Christ Jesus (Philippians 1:7; 8).” After all, if we claim to be disciples of Jesus Christ, we must walk as Jesus did (1 John 2:6) and we must forgive one another, pray for each other, suffer with one another, and to rejoice with each other. As Jesus once said, “By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another (John 13:34; 35). We believe that the most successful and fulfilling partnerships are those that have shared experiences, passions, and goals, and those that have personally invested themselves in each other. The end result is a partnership mirrored after God character.
