Partnership in the body of Christ is a concept that aims to bring Christians, churches, and denominations to work together with a shared objective, understanding that everyone or institutional body has diverse gifts and callings which God has programmed for the advancement of His kingdom. Differences in nomenclatures, nationalities, tribes, and tongues should not be the basis of division among Christians. We may be divided in doctrines and pattern of worship, but we can strive to achieve unity in diversity by breaking the denominational, national, ecclesiastical walls to come together and promote God's kingdom.
Partnership unites the body of Christ. "But to each one is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good" (I Corinthians 12:7). Gifts to Christians are made manifest so that the purpose of God for all of us will be jointly fulfilled by coming together in partnership. Unity in the body pleases the Lord. "Behold, how good and how pleasant it is for brothers to live together in unity! (Psalm 133:1) God is happy when He sees the body of Christ working as a unified Christian community. Jesus left a message to all Christians to be one (John 7:21). Partnership in the body of Christ should be rooted in Christ, and this should be the basis for unity and one accord.
There is no doubt that there are many differences among the body of Christ. The unfortunate thing is that the gap of division among Christians is growing so wide that we are now seeing ourselves as enemies, the greatest crime to fellow Christians is not to hate them but to be indifferent to them.
In my country, churches fight against each other routinely. Christians in northern Nigeria are going through hell. They are persecuted and killed on a daily basis, but the southern Christians go about their daily and weekly programs unperturbed. Injury to northern Christians should have been injury to the southern Christians. There was a time Afri-Mission and Evangelism Network's mission fields were attacked in some parts of Northern Nigeria, and the management team which I am the head, tried to mobilize support from pastors from the southern part of Nigeria. A pastor boldly told us to leave the northern part of Nigeria alone because the gospel of Christ is not for them and that we should be careful because the northerners whom we are feeding and ministering to will one day rise up and attack us.
If a pastor who is supposed to be a custodian of the gospel should count out some people from salvation knowledge of Christ, what is the essence of Christ dying for all? If our unity in Christ really matters, there should not be any difference between Jews and Gentiles, but in today's Christianity, tribe, denomination, tongue, and race have divided us into countless factions. There are many Christian organizations in the United States of America with the mandate to reach the unreached, but they only partner with organizations in their country. Even when a call for proposals is made by these organizations, they only allow applicants from their countries. How will they reach the unreached when those who are mainly working among the unreached are not allowed to partner with them?
The division in Christianity calls for sober reflection, some may argue that denominationalism is not a true division. But we should understand that dedicated unity is not achieved merely by words, but through active commitment to love and serve one another within the Body. The kind of unity that Jesus prayed for us is not passive but active: "That they may be one" (John 17:21). This prayer was made by Jesus the night before He died. His prayer was not just for the unity of His disciples while He was on earth, but also for the unity of those who have followed in their footsteps, generation after generation. The significance of the repeated phrase "That they may be one" should give every Christian pause.
It is obvious that the devil does not want Christians to partner and come together, right from biblical time, he has been fanning the ember of disunity. In 1 Corinthians 3:4-7, Apostle Paul cautioned members of the Corinthian church who were divided based on leadership. He emphasized that the focus should be on God, not on human leaders, as it is God who gives the growth, not the one who plants or waters. There is no reason why churches and denominations should not come together. Is Christ divided? The answer is NO!
Churches all over the world should speak one language because a house that is divided against itself shall not stand. If Christians must enjoy the unlimited power of dedicated unity, there must be oneness. "Again, truly I tell you that if two of you on earth agree about anything they ask for, it will be done for them by my Father in heaven" (Mathew 18:19). Lack of agreement among Christians is responsible for numerous defeats encountered in the body of Christ. If Christians are united to face persecution and attacks, the enemies must lose every battle against the body of Christ.
If only the southern churches in my country were sensitive to the plight of the northern Christians who are killed on a daily basis, there would be a mitigating effect on what is happening to Christians in Nigeria. If the denominational barriers are broken among American churches, there shall be one nation under one God in America, and if the Chinese churches congregate in the nearest proximity irrespective of being institutional or house in inclination, revival is likely to break out again in China. The same applies to all nations of the world.
It is important to note that there are still success stories of partnerships between organizations that are worthy of emulation. According to an article by China Christian Daily, "For over a decade, YMCA Bavaria in Germany has been fostering connections with its counterparts in China, strengthening ties through youth exchanges, cultural programs, and faith-based dialogues. Michael Götz, general secretary of YMCA Bavaria (CVJM Bayern), recently shared insights on this enduring partnership and the organization's recent visit to China".
This partnership between the German organization and its counterparts in China is building strong ties among the Christians who are members of the two organizations, irrespective of their countries of origin. National boundaries have been broken through this partnership, and youth exchange and cultural programs have been enhanced. According to Michael Götz, the General secretary of YMCA Bavaria, "We felt a strong connection based on our shared Christian values and the desire to serve young people."
The motive behind the partnership is the promotion of common Christian values and vision to help the youths. The partnership and unity of purpose existing in the China Christian Council (CCC) and the Three-Self Patriotic Movement (TSPM) is commendable. The supportive roles played by these bodies to their members are top-notch. It is also important that these two umbrella organizations do not create Iron walls against those Christians who are not their members. Injury to one Christian should be injury to all, harm inflicted on any member of the Christian community is harm to the entire body of Christ.
Kingdom Missions Fund (KMF), a Christian organization based in Arkansas, United States of America, is one organization that has proven that there is no difference between the Jews and the Gentiles in Christ. Their non-discriminatory policy in partnership is highly commendable. They work with indigenous mission organizations around the globe, irrespective of geographical location, nation, or race. They are presently working in 28 countries. According to KMF president Jack Ciak, "Our changing world requires new approaches to missions. We maximize our impact by providing resources to innovative mission projects that are smart, sustainable, and scalable." Organizations whose projects meet these requirements qualify for their partnership program. Thousands of souls have come to Christ through KMF's partnership with indigenous mission organizations around the world.
The church is likened to a body with many parts, each with a unique function, yet all working together as one. "So in Christ we, though many, form one body, and each member belongs to all the others" (Romans 12:5). The biblical concept of unity and mutual responsibility views Christianity as a family where love covers a multitude of sins. There should be interconnectedness among brothers and sisters in Christ. We may not agree on everything, but we should not forget that there is no difference between the Jews and gentiles in Christ.
Circumstances, backgrounds, culture, geographical boundaries, denominations, and human laws may divide the Christians, but a sober reflection of who we are will inevitably create a sense of oneness and the need to embrace and partner with those who have common Christian values and are called by the name of Christ. What Christ has put together, let no power and laws of men divide. United we stand, but divided we fall.
Oscar Amaechina is the president of Afri-Mission and Evangelism Network, Abuja, Nigeria. His calling is to take the gospel to where no one has neither preached nor heard about Jesus. He is the author of the book Mystery of the Cross Revealed.
