Mission Drift: The Unspoken Crisis Facing Leaders, Charities, and Churches

by Peter Greer

Invest relationally: Relationships are essential, but they take time. Investing in the local church leadership and building true friendships creates a foundation for collaboration. Over-communicate: It’s insufficient to have preliminary conversations and a memorandum of understanding. Regularly communicate progress and key metrics, and listen to the church’s feedback. One pastor in a rural part of Rwanda told me about my lackluster communication and stated, “We want to support you, but we need to know what you’re doing!” Are generous: They use their platforms and ministries to invite participants to attend local church events. If we’re truly all on the same team, we must actively promote others. Communicate with clarity: There is always the possibility of “he said/she said” with partnerships of any sort. Especially cross-culturally, spending additional time clarifying roles, responsibilities, and commitments in writing grounds the partnership. Worship and pray communally: Fellowship through worshiping and praying together strengthens connection and reminds us of our common position as men and women united in Christ. Are learners: They seek unfiltered perspectives from global church partners and realize how much each group has to learn from the other.