EMQ » January–March 2020 » Volume 56 Issue 1
By Marvin J. Newell
In a recent visit to Hong Kong to attend mission meetings, the value of collaboration was evident even before I left the airport. The directions supplied by the host organization said that I could grab a taxi to the hotel, located in downtown Kowloon, at a cost of $40. Alternatively, I could board a shuttle bus the hotel shared with four other hotels, at a cost of $14. The advantage of this collaborative bus arrangement to both the hotels and the guests was plainly evident. I paid my $14, took a seat on the “China Kong” and was at my hotel within an hour.
The value of collaborating, networking, and partnering in missions is evident as well. Michael Oh, director of the Lausanne Movement, recently stated that, “The greatest need in the Great Commission community is globally coordinated collaboration.” Oh is right, and most everyone in Great Commission ministries would agree. The world we live in is too complex, the opportunities to vast, and the spiritual needs too great for any one organization to try to tackle them alone.
We have just entered into a new decade. Missions in the 2020s will need to be done differently than in the just completed decade. At the core will be the need for mission cooperation. Thus, EMQ is declaring the 2020s as the “Decade of Collaboration.” To facilitate this reality, this edition is devoted entirely to the topic of collaboration and networking.
The first article introduces networks, explains their significance, and why and how you or your ministry might engage with networks. This is followed by several articles from different networks that are representative of the more than six hundred mission-related networks active around the world. These include evangelical alliances, mission movement and mission focus networks, and a variety of networks focused on specific issues.
The final article is written by staff from visionSynergy and focuses on the practical implications of engaging in networks and partnerships. Understanding how best to facilitate a partnership and participate in others is key to being effective in ministry in the network society. They also share some of the services they and others provide.
This edition took collaborative effort to pull off. We enlisted the help of Heather Pubols as the Guest Editor. Heather is a global communications consultant advising organizations on how to tell their collective story more effectively. Learn more about her ministry at www.LeMotif.org.
Eldon Porter gave his assistance as the content manager. Eldon is considered a network specialist; researching the strategic role of networks. He manages Linking Global Voices, a database of over six hundred networks globally. The two of them have co-written the first article that presents an introduction to the world of networks.
Networks are not organizations but a coming together of autonomous entities because of something in common. They are becoming the nodes that connect the Global Church, not as a top-down organized plan, but rather individuals and ministries seeking to work together to follow Christ’s directive to “Go into the whole world and make disciples.”
Marvin J. Newell, D.Miss
Editorial
Director
