As we’ve talked about in a previous post, in Transformational Giving  ‘champion’ refers to an individual whereas ‘partner’ refers to a corporate entity like a church.

And as we talked about in another previous post, coaching partners, especially churches, is a core TG function.

And as we talked about in another another previous post, World Gospel Mission is hard at work transforming their champion and partner coaching into full-on Transformational mode–a process they call their Champion Migration Strategy, or CMS.

I love WGM something fierce. They are setting a brisk pace for mission agencies around the world. What’s more, they’re humbly serving as public learners for the rest of the missions community, sharing everything they’re learning and experiencing along the way.

Like the following email from the Rev. Todd Eckhardt, selected to lead the new Partner Development division. Todd’s writing the book on Partner Development each day on the job, because that book hasn’t been written yet. Todd’s email is mandatory reading if you’re interested in coaching partners. The speed with which he’s picking up on TG and imparting it to his team of three Partner Development Officers (PDOs) is absolutely pulse-quickening. I love the guy.

Check it out:

Today is another ‘installment’ of your PDO training.  Ok, training may not be the best word, but this email is more info as we shape and build this new department we call Partner Development.

Let’s do a quick review to keep clear some misconceptions about CMS and the PDO role.  I want to keep these before us so that as we build this thing our foundation is solid.

•         We are not chaplains to churches. Our ministry is to stay focused on the role we have and that is equipping churches to fulfill their Spirit-given role in the Great Commission.

•         We are not hand-holders.  Keep the biblical principle of not casting pearls before the swine in mind.  At risk of this being taken out of context I mean that if they do not want what we have to offer, move on.  Let’s spend our energy on the churches that are on board and wanting to grow rather than spinning our wheels to convince others they need us.  In short…help those who want help.

•         We are not a fee for service department.  This means we do not migrate and help them grow in missions with the hopes that our effort will produce income.  What we want to produce are mission active congregations.  When this is done right the resources will be a result of the movement of God.  This helps keep our motives directed toward migrating and not offerings.

•         While not a fee for service we also do not shy away from monetary issues.  A church’s giving strategy is just as important as their going and praying strategies.

Remember what we are, is a gift to the church.  We have come to deposit ministry into them, not to take ministry from them.

In our last email forum we concluded with helping a church by asking two questions:

1.       Why

2.       What is your next step in missions

Now we keep moving things forward by helping the church see they have responsibility beyond what might just interest them.  An example would be a church that loves Honduras and the Farm.  All they want to do is help the Farm.  Your role as an equipper is to celebrate this burden while then asking them how are they doing in other parts of the Great Commission. Perhaps speak to the under privileged in Africa or around the corner. Take the Rich Young Ruler…He expressed to Jesus his faithfulness in following the commands.  Jesus did not condemn this but drew him into seeing there is more to his spiritual journey than checking of the 10 commandments every night before bed.  We want to help churches think of what they may be lacking in their part of the Great Commission.  In other words we can equip them in becoming more mature in their mission undertaking.

The coaching of church then can be done in the following 4 ways to help them move into more mature approaches toward global outreach:

1.       Use Biblical language to describe the cause and our role in it.

2.       Ask them what they are to do about the cause.

3.       Discuss the barriers they may face as a congregation to their response to #2.

4.       How can we assist them in moving toward #2 and overcoming #3.

Do not feel we have to be the answer to all their barriers. But I am confident God has equipped us to assist in overcoming some of them.  Also do not be afraid to network.  What I mean is, if you have had a church overcome a barrier that another pastor has mentioned, get these pastors talking.  Network churches together in achieving the cause.

Well I think that is enough to chew on for this email.  Feel free to fire back questions and/or comments.

Next time we need to being to help churches define for themselves if they are a P,E or O

God bless!!!

I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven. Go Todd go!