Forming Strategic Relationships

When forming a strategy to win a target population to Christ, it is imperative to acknowledge that you can’t do it alone. That’s why it is important to form healthy relationships with other entities such as businesses, government agencies, and other churches to complete your church planing impact team.

One may question a stategy that includes partnering with a government agency, for instance, or a church of another denomination. Under the right circumstances, however, such a partnership is not only “OK”, but could be essential to your overall success. The question then becomes ”when” and “to what extent” are these kinds of partnerships appropriate?

The IMB has developed guidelines for forming strategic relationships in accordance with five levels of engagement of the target population. These intentional relationships carry different guidelines depending on the purpose being pursued mat each level. The deeper the level, the greater its significance and openness to partnering outside Baptist circles.

LEVEL ONE

• Goal: Entry into the target population
• Guiding Principle: Suitable to the target population and recognized by them as acceptable
• Partner examples: Tourism, business, government, schools, any organization that helps you to get entry into the target population

LEVEL TWO

• Goal: Prayer for the population, ministry to felt needs for the purpose of pre-evangelism
• Guiding Principle: Legitamate response to spiritual and physical needs
• Partner examples: Government agency, relief organization, local government, professionals in the area of need

LEVEL THREE

• Goals: Evangelism and Scripture Distribution
• Guiding Principle: Commitment to New Testament evangelism
• Partner examples: Para-church organizations such as Campus Crusade, Gideons, Ministries that provide evangelism tools and tracts, other like-minded evangelicals

LEVEL FOUR

• Goal: Plant New Testament churches (in accord with Baptist Faith and Message)
• Guiding Principle: Commitment to planting Baptist New Testament churches
• Partner examples: Sister Baptist organizations such as colleges and seminaries, state conventions, associations, and churches

LEVEL FIVE:

• Goals: Ministerial training and development, theological education, ordination, deployment of missionaries
• Guiding Principles: Doctrinal Purity
• Partner examples: IMB, NAMB, and other Baptist entities (seldom, if ever, relating with outside groups)