Partnerships should be happy, right? I’m talking about partnerships between indigenous mission groups and U.S. mission agencies or churches. Most partnerships start out that way, or they wouldn’t start at all.

Unfortunately for some, part way down the partnership trail a log falls across the path. It may be a question of how the finances were handled, whether the results were as expected, or who controls the project. Such unanticipated obstacles raise havoc with a missionary partnership.

Wouldn’t it be nice to be able to turn to a group of people who could help you avoid these conundrums? Thankfully, there is such a group, and they have been cooperating together for over 11 years. The group is called “Coalition on the Support of Indigenous Ministries,” or COSIM for short. "Indigenous" means those ministries founded and serving in their own countries overseas, native to the land.

It first met at the Billy Graham Center in 1996 and has met every year since. COSIM then counted over 50 mission agencies partnering with indigenous ministries. Since then more agencies and a number of churches have begun partnering with native mission groups. 

Since 2004 COSIM has conducted full-scale conferences with key speakers and workshops addressing problems that commonly crop up in partnerships and what can be done to avoid—or at least minimize—them. COSIM’s most recent meeting took place at Calvin College in Grand Rapids, Michigan, June 15-17.

Powerboat-sailboat metaphor

Alex Araujo was the keynote speaker. He said the main problem between East and West (or North and South) is that Western missions often act like powerboats. We in the West enjoy a highly developed culture and economic prosperity and missions is primarily a management process. We appraise the project, make a list of what we need, and go out and buy it. We put it all in the “boat.” The motor is ready and the fuel is on board. All we have to do is start the engine and power our way to our destination. For Western agencies and churches, that’s how you get the job done.

Ministries in the majority world, Araujo says, are more like sailboats. They have no onboard power system and must wait for the wind. They operate in a totally different environment. Often their countries’ economies are uncertain, and their infrastructures are way less developed and often unreliable. They don’t know when the water will run or the electricity will come. Communication is difficult, especially in countries hostile to the gospel. Reports from the field may have to wait until the native missionary from the “outback” treks to the headquarters, perhaps annually, to meet with the leaders. And money given for one purpose may suddenly have to be used for an emergency.

For example, one church gave money to assist an indigenous ministry with a certain project. The money arrived, but before it could be used for its intended purpose, a local missionary developed a serious health issue that required immediate surgery. The leaders thanked God they had money in hand to provide for the surgery. (There is no such thing as health insurance in most majority-world countries, and all medical procedures must be paid for in advance.) The surgery was successful and the missionary’s life was spared. He recovered and returned to the field for fruitful labor.                 Photo shows roundtable discussions at the COSIM conference.

However, the whole thing happened so swiftly, and the emergency took so much effort and attention of the indigenous leadership, that they were unable to notify the church that had sent the money.

When the sending agency learned that the money was not used for its intended purpose, they were at first incensed. This confirmed their apprehension that native groups could not be trusted with money. Eventually, a series of communications and phone calls eased their discontent, and harmony was again reestablished, but it took a physical, emotional and spiritual toll on everyone concerned.

Dealing with external factors

As Alex Araujo explained, getting somewhere by sailboat is a lot different from going by powerboat. In a sailboat you can go only when the wind blows. Maintaining a schedule is next to impossible. Not everything is on board; you have to depend on—or deal with—external circumstances. Arriving at the destination is still the desired goal, but just getting there is a major team effort, and requires a totally different set of skills.

So when an American “powerboat” group attempts to enter into a partnership with an indigenous “sailboat” ministry, there automatically is a clash of ideologies, procedures, and expectations. And “just sending money” before a relationship is established can be disastrous.

COSIM recommends that an extended effort first be made to establish relationship. Representatives of the American groups should visit the indigenous ministry onsite and spend time with the leaders. Americans should observe (but not criticize) the way the local ministry does business, handles its finances, has access to electricity, telephone, Internet, and relates to its own workers. The visitors may find that Christians in the majority world may march to a different drum beat (or perhaps to no discernable beat at all), thus preparing their hearts when everything does not go according to clockwork.

At the same time indigenous leaders should take time to recognize their visitors as human beings, not just money suppliers. There is a tendency for money to intimidate, so steps should be laid out to make sure initiative is not held captive by the bringers of funds. And this relationship usually will not happen on just one or two visits.

Imagine if Bill Gates came to your church with the expectation he wanted to give your church a gift. You would no doubt bend over backwards to make sure he was not offended or discouraged in any way. You might even devise a project to take advantage of his largess. Likewise Americans, though modest in their own perspective, cannot help but carry the aura of wealth to communities where the laborer (if he has a job) earns $1 a day. Both parties should be aware of the pressure this puts on the receiving ministry.

Partnership takes time

One may wonder how this can be a true partnership, when one partner comes from a culture so much more developed than the other? How can one avoid the Santa Claus complex?

Time must be taken to help the local ministry to understand that they, also, are contributing important elements to this partnership. They might already have the land. They have the manpower (and woman power). They have linguistic and cultural expertise unmatched by the Westerners. Helping them to understand these factors will help them see themselves as an equal partner in the equation.

So who controls the finances? How must they be spent? What kind of accountability is expected? What are the goals? Who or what determines when a project is a “success”? And don’t forget to allow for the “sailboat” phenomenon.

And whose idea was it in the first place? That is, was the project announced by the indigenous ministry, and the Western agency came alongside to help them achieve their goal? Or did the Western ministry come with the money bag and say, “This is what we want to do here”?

Mary Lederleitner, a member of the COSIM leadership team engaged in Ph.D. studies at Trinity Evangelical Divinity School, says that Cross Cultural Conflict by Duane Elmer (InterVarsity Press 1994) is an exceptional resource. Elmer’s other books, Cross-Cultural Connections (IVP 2003) and Cross-Cultural Servanthood (IVP 2006) are helpful as well. Lederleitner’s recently authored book, Cross-Cultural Partnerships: Navigating the Complexities of Money and Mission, is expected to be released by InterVarsity Press next March.

These and many other issues are addressed by the COSIM members. Their website www.COSIM.info contains notes of various conference workshops and other resources, including a summary of Alex Araujo's message. And the COSIM leadership team, as well as member agencies, are glad to answer questions concerning the practice of partnership.

If you have any involvement in cross-cultural missionary partnership, have intent to get involved, or know anyone who does, you should be aware of COSIM. I invite your church or agency to consider joining COSIM’s ranks as a member, if it is not one already.