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MINISTRY SPOTLIGHT Learn how a parachurch partnership extends one church’s ministry
MINISTRY SPOTLIGHT
Extend Your Church’s Ministry Th rough a Parachurch Partnership
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Sully Curtin, Malissa Mackey, and Joel Miles
Churches and parachurches can do more together than they can apart. That’s the experience of Joel Miles and Malissa Mackey, who participate in a ministry partnership in Chicago. Joel is an associate pastor of Holy Trinity Church, which has four congregations across the city. Malissa is the director of Faith and Work Chicago, a joint ministry of Holy Trinity and a parachurch organization called Cru City. The mission of Faith and Work Chicago is to help people connect the Great Commission to their career.
Ministry Team contributing editor Matthew Boffey recently sat down with Joel and Malissa to discuss the successes and challenges of a ministry partnership, and why the fruit is worth the labor.
MATTHEW: Tell me about this partnership and how it came about. MALISSA: After serving with Cru Campus for 18 years, I moved to Cru City in 2015 and began attending Holy Trinity Church. Upon discovering our shared vision for faith-and-work discipleship, a natural partnership and genuine friendship emerged because we were pointed in the same direction. We didn’t begin by thinking, “We should partner—what can we partner on?” but rather, “Wow, we desire the same thing. How can we do this better together?” I think that is signifi cant. Joel, our colleague Sully, and I worked closely redesigning a program that we had launched previously under the Cru banner. Doing it together made it better. JOEL: The partnership defi nitely stemmed from our mutual desire to launch a faith-and-work ministry in Chicago. The next step was to learn how to pair Holy Trinity’s gifts and structure with Cru’s reach and already somewhat established work in this area.
MATTHEW: What was key to that process of merging gifts and resources? JOEL: A lot of communication, plus a willingness to consider Cru City staff as fully part of Holy Trinity’s team, rather than something on the side. Faith and Work Chicago is actually equally owned and run by both Cru City and Holy Trinity. MALISSA: Openhandedness with resources has been huge. When I fi rst discussed taking a formal ministry director role at Holy Trinity with my Cru leaders, I was amazed and thrilled by their generosity, enthusiasm, and encouragement to pursue this formal partnership. It also helped knowing that our mission, vision, and ultimate aim were fully compatible. Because of that, my leadership was comfortable with us working out the details on the local level.
MATTHEW: What are some complexities involved in partnership? MALISSA: Every partnership is unique, but our challenge has been working out those details. I have two distinct roles that overlap, so it’s a matter of fulfi lling my responsibilities in both roles as they sort of bleed into each other. JOEL: On a practical level, this has included some hard conversations, such as having to say, “I need to take a step back and balance my priorities.” At times we have not addressed the complexities of our structure well enough. To avoid this takes a lot of conversations and intentional management—something that we have improved on, but in which we are not yet perfect.
There’s also the additional complexity of partnering with more than one ministry. Every ministry and partnership has its unique model and structure. That has to be honored, especially when fi nances are involved, or you can easily end up ostracizing or hurting others. To avoid this takes a lot of thought, awareness, and open conversation with the various people involved. MATTHEW: What advice would you give a church or ministry on partnering? MALISSA: The value and priority of communication and relationship can’t be overstated. There aren’t easy answers, and no one can anticipate all the things that need to be fi gured out when you begin to partner. I am incredibly grateful for the trust I have been granted from both my Cru and Holy Trinity leadership. None of this would be possible if it wasn’t for the open and honest communication and spiritual maturity of those I work with on both sides. JOEL: I agree. Lots of good communication and relational investment is essential. And this needs to go both ways. It is not simply the pastor or church leader trying to hear out the parachurch ministry leader, but the other way around as well. I’d also suggest not entering a partnership lightly, as it can be hard. But churches should seek out partnerships, realizing the great opportunities.
These are branches of Cru, the name of Campus Crusade for Christ International in the United States. Cru has ministries on 5,300 campuses worldwide and in 35 U.S. cities. cru.org
Holy Trinity Church is a multiethnic, nondenominational church in the Reformed tradition. Founded in 1998, Holy Trinity now has about 700 people attending four campuses around Chicago. htcchicago.org
Faith and Work Chicago is a parachurch ministry that equips Christians to live their faith in the context of their everyday work—“for the good of the city, to the glory of God.” It hosts lunches, lectures, workshops, and other events on a broad range of topics, from theology to specifi c industries and vocations. faithandworkchicago.org
MALISSA: It’s amazing what you can accomplish by merging strengths. Each of us has been able to work out of areas of giftedness, and I am humbled by God’s blessing and the growth we’ve seen this past year.
MATTHEW: How would you encourage someone struggling to make a partnership work? JOEL: We see a lot of partnerships that are event-based and informal. We would encourage ministries and churches to partner in more long-term, formalized ways. The opportunities here are quite remarkable. For example, when you think about the reach Cru has with students or graduates moving into cities who need to find good churches, and the pastoral gifts of church leadership, it’s a challenging need that both ministries can work together to meet handily. But this takes time, and both ministries need to be willing to come together to create a shared vision and ministry—not a “partner with me while I build my ministry” kind of deal. MALISSA: Focus on the benefits and your unity in Christ. Despite the complexities of our partnership, the benefits both personally and missionally far exceed the challenges. I feel a sense of being able to boast in the Lord for what he’s done in bringing about this partnership. Without his powerful work among us, we wouldn’t be able to lay aside organizational credit or enter into difficult and vulnerable conversations. I see a beautiful picture of unity in the body of Christ through our partnership and a lifting up of what we both most highly prize—Jesus Christ.
2020 ECPA Christian Book Award Winner for Ministry Resources 2020 Christianity Today Book Award Winner for Church/Pastoral Leadership 2019 TGC Ministry Book of the Year Winner
Learn more at lexhampress.com/care-bsm
Reaching the Community Through Holiday Celebrations
KERI WYATT KENT
Although church attendance is declining in America, even unchurched folks are likely to show up for Christmas and Easter. What’s the best way to reach people who otherwise don’t attend church?
We talked to ministry leaders about how their churches celebrate Christmas. Several have moved away from big splashy productions toward simpler worship services and practical help for the community. Some churches focus on favorite traditions—carols, candlelight, and even live animals— while others incorporate elements from popular culture.
Christmas Eve services can draw twice as many people as regular services, and church leaders recognize the important opportunity to share Jesus with visitors. They want to communicate the gospel clearly but also to create a memorable experience, in hopes that Christmas-only attenders will become faithful disciples.
Missions Minded
CREEKSIDE CHURCH (ASSEMBLIES OF GOD), LYNNWOOD, WASHINGTON thecreeksidechurch.org
Lead pastor Jason Deuman says his church keeps Christmas Eve services short and simple. It hosts two family-oriented services at 5 and 7 p.m., then an acoustic service with no children’s participation at 11 p.m.
“Every year, we do an Advent series tied to missions,” Deuman says. Visiting missionaries speak at services during the weeks leading up to Christmas. Creekside also takes a special missions o ering on Christmas Eve. The church begins talking about that o ering in September, on a “vision day” that invites people to pray about their role in supporting missions.
Focusing on missions is a natural fi t for Advent, Deuman says, “because really, Jesus came as a missionary, to bring hope to the world.”
Attendance at Creekside averages 400 on a typical weekend but jumps to 600 for Christmas Eve. Creekside recruits extra volunteers to greet, usher, and help in the parking lot. For those who can’t volunteer at the services, the church has a “Super Serve” event several days before Christmas. Volunteers clean and decorate, set out extra chairs, and prepare the church for Christmas Eve.
The Christmas Eve services are deliberately simple: traditional carols and hymns, a storytime for children, a short sermon. The goal is to let families enjoy the service without having more things to keep them busy, like a choir or a play. The service ends with the congregation singing “Silent Night” and lighting candles, often with just a violin and soloist to lead.
While weekend services throughout the year include a presentation of the gospel, Deuman recognizes the special opportunity that surrounds Christian holidays. At Christmas and Easter, “people are going to come to church because they think they should,” he says. “They might only come those days, so I try to make it as clear as possible that they need Jesus.”
Deuman invites people to receive the gift of Jesus at the Christmas Eve service, trying to keep his sermon focused. “People come because they want to have a Christmas experience. They want to come and sing the traditional songs. They don’t want to hear the pastor talk for 45 minutes about the magi,” he says. “The biggest challenge is telling the familiar story in a fresh way. And managing expectations—my own expectations. Not everyone is going to be as passionate about Christmas.”
“I fi nd the most meaning in our tradition of candle-lighting,” Deuman says. “That’s the part of the service where we invite people to slow way down. We do not rush through the singing of “Silent Night.” I invite people to think of Mary, holding baby Jesus, who has been crying and fi nally has fallen asleep in her arms. If you’ve ever rocked a crying baby and had them fall asleep, you know you don’t even want to move. I encourage them to think of holding on to Jesus, being still.”
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Camels and Caring
SOUTHSIDE UNITED METHODIST CHURCH, JACKSONVILLE, FLORIDA sumcjax.org
“Our Christmas Eve service is always geared toward celebrating the birth of Jesus,” says Jeanette Danson Yates, director of communication for Southside. “But we know we have people in the audience who would not normally attend, and we want to make them feel as comfortable as possible. We try to put it in language they can relate to. But we want to make sure they understand it’s more than a story of a baby.”
Because Southside runs a preschool, the congregation is mostly young families. The church is involved all year with a nearby grade school, and many of its Christmas season activities revolve around that partnership. At Christmas Eve services, the church shows a video highlighting community outreach activities.
“We include the kids in the service,” Yates says. “Nothing gets parents there like allowing kids to participate.” The church has discovered over time that the children’s participation need not be complicated. For parents, just seeing their child on stage singing is fi ne—and less stressful than an elaborate pageant.
A popular feature at Southside is a live-animal nativity scene on the church grounds between the two Christmas Eve services. An outside company brings in the animals and manages the display.
“Read this book.” —Tony Evans
Fun for Families
HIGHLANDS FELLOWSHIP (SOUTHERN BAPTIST CONVENTION), ABINGDON, VIRGINIA hf.church
Some churches make Christmas into a family-friendly event in hopes of drawing unchurched folks. James Eaton is the online campus pastor at Highlands, which has six locations along the Virginia-Tennessee state line. On a typical weekend, attendance across all six sites is about 4,000. The church’s online service is viewed by another 1,500 to 2,000 people.
For Christmas, Highlands holds multiple services at all locations. Rather than doing a service on Christmas Eve or Christmas Day, they always celebrate on the Friday, Saturday and Sunday prior to Christmas. Combined attendance totals 8,000 to 10,000.
Highlands is known for doing large-scale Christmas services. “We’ve done a lot of things,” Eaton says. “There may have been some live animals in the past—that’s defi nitely been a thing.”
In 2015, when the Disney movie “Frozen” was at peak popularity, the church themed its Christmas services around the characters, music, and story. “Maybe you can’t take your kids to Disneyworld, but you could come to our church and get your picture taken with Anna and Elsa,” Eaton explains. The church tries to create “a free Christmas event that is uplifting and fun—kind of a production.”
Last year, the church tried to use snow-making machines to deliver a white Christmas. “The weather didn’t cooperate,” Eaton says. “But every kid who came got a free sled. We gave away thousands of plastic sleds.”
Eaton says people enjoy the big events, but the church has been rethinking the best way to serve. “We’re trying to fi nd a good balance between creating an experience that people can enjoy and giving back
to our community,” he says. Highlands’ Christmas service is “not as big a production” as it once was, because they’ve decided to take a di erent approach.
Two years ago they created a “Just One” campaign, encouraging church members to think of one person to invite to Christmas Eve services. But to invite them, they had to put together a gift box for the person. It could have food, candy, a small toy or clothing, a gift card—whatever they wanted. “We were basically fl ooding the area with kindness,” Eaton says, and the congregation embraced the mission.
Last year, the team at Highlands began to question whether the cost of the big event showed good stewardship. After some discussions, they cut the advertising budget and redirected money toward things like grocery store gift cards for people in need in the community. One year, someone donated a car, and the church gave it to a woman who had just found a job but had no way to get to work.
“We’re trying to care about our community in tangible ways,” Eaton says. “We’re trying to fi nd a good balance between creating an experience that people can enjoy and giving back to our community.”
“Maybe we don’t need camels,” he says. “We’re trying to get away from novelty and have something meaningful. We want people to have a great experience but also know that Christmas is about Jesus coming into the world. At the end of the day, if we don’t point them to Jesus, that’s not a win.”
Joyful Traditions
CHRIST EPISCOPAL CHURCH, SAN ANTONIO, TEXAS cecsa.org
Christ Episcopal is an urban congregation, with about 500 people attending four services on a typical Sunday. Christmas Eve draws about 1,200 people (also four services), but the church celebrates all throughout Advent season.
The second Sunday of Advent features a pageant by the children’s choir, involving kids from preschool to junior high. On the third Sunday of Advent, the church hosts a much-loved Lessons and Carols service. “We have strings, brass, timpani—it’s a big production,” says Josh Benninger, the music director.
Like many congregations, people at Christ Episcopal highly value their traditions. The Lessons and Carols service, for example, ends with the same song every year, as does the Christmas Eve service.
“The fi nal choir piece (for the Lessons and Carols service) is ‘This Christmastide’ by Donald Fraser. It features the children’s choir, which is probably one reason why it is extra special,” Benninger notes. “For Christmas Eve the fi nal hymn is always ‘Joy to the World.’ ”
“There are certain hymns and carols that everyone wants to sing,” he says. “Christmas is not the time to pull out something new or di erent.”
The previous music director learned that lesson the hard way when he switched to an unfamiliar hymn to close the Lessons and Carols service. “He got bombarded” with complaints, Benninger recalls. “I don’t want to say it was hate mail, but a lot of it was, ‘How dare you?’ ”
“For Christmas Eve, we keep it as traditional as possible,” Benninger says. “My fi lter—not just for Christmas, but for all music—is, fi rst, is it
liturgically correct, and second, do I even like it? We can try new things but still not take away the tradition.” still not take away the tradition.”
Putting on special services three weekends in a row can be a lot of work, Putting on special services three weekends in a row can be a lot of work, and Benninger says his church is fortunate to have teams of volunteers. and Benninger says his church is fortunate to have teams of volunteers. They recruit extra helpers to greet people, serve as ushers, and assist with They recruit extra helpers to greet people, serve as ushers, and assist with the childcare at services. “Volunteer-wise, it’s an all-hands-on-deck time,” the childcare at services. “Volunteer-wise, it’s an all-hands-on-deck time,” he says. he says.
Christ Episcopal also hires outside security for its parking lot, which Christ Episcopal also hires outside security for its parking lot, which is extra-full during the Christmas season. Located near downtown San is extra-full during the Christmas season. Located near downtown San Antonio, the church has had cars broken into in the past. Antonio, the church has had cars broken into in the past.
Benninger has served as music pastor, organist, and choir director Benninger has served as music pastor, organist, and choir director since 2007. While Christmas services require a lot of work, he says he since 2007. While Christmas services require a lot of work, he says he really enjoys them. “My goal is to communicate the word of God to the really enjoys them. “My goal is to communicate the word of God to the congregation. It’s not just about the music; it’s about an emotional and congregation. It’s not just about the music; it’s about an emotional and spiritual connection. How do I do that e ectively and not take it for spiritual connection. How do I do that e ectively and not take it for granted, even if the music is the same?” granted, even if the music is the same?”
On Christmas Eve, he directs the choir while seated at the organ in the On Christmas Eve, he directs the choir while seated at the organ in the choir loft. “I just love being up in the loft, looking down at the congregation, choir loft. “I just love being up in the loft, looking down at the congregation, seeing all their smiling faces. It’s really the culmination of the entire year, seeing all their smiling faces. It’s really the culmination of the entire year, and it gives me great joy.” and it gives me great joy.”
KERI WYATT KENT is the author of GodSpace: Embracing the Inconvenient Adventure of Intimacy with God and 10 other books. She has written for numerous magazines and websites including Christianity Today, ChurchLeaders.com, and SmallGroups.com. She is a member of Willow Creek Community Church, where she serves as a lay pastor and part-time staff member. She blogs at keriwyattkent.com. GodSpace: Embracing the Inconvenient Adventure of Intimacy with God and 10 other books. She has written for numerous magazines and websites including Christianity Today, ChurchLeaders.com, and SmallGroups.com. She is a member of Willow Creek Community Church, where she serves as a lay pastor and part-time staff member. She blogs at keriwyattkent.com.
