|
|
| |
Defining the LanguageClick on the term to read the definition.
Common in the language of the early 21st Century is the intermixing of the terms network and partnership. Most often, however, there is a substantial difference between the functions/outcomes of a network and those of a partnership. Both networks and partnerships are valuable, helpful and needed.
Network: A network is designed primarily for the purpose of sharing information to enhance one's own ministry. A network usually is asking the questions: Can we discover common information that will be helpful to each of us? How can we learn lessons from each other in order to make our individual organizations more effective?
Partnership: A partnership is designed to take joint collaborative action and to achieve things together that one cannot achieve separately. Simply put, a partnership is an agreement to do something together that will benefit all involved. A partnership asks the questions: Are there things we can do together that we cannot do separately? If so, what are they?
Often, the terms joint venture and strategic alliance are used to define relationships between two different organizations. Partnership usually refers to a relationship of more than two entities (though at times it is used for just two as well). Read more about the lessons learned through experience developing partnerships .
In addition to the confusion between network and partnership, there is additional misunderstanding of the words cooperation, coordination and collaboration. Many times they are used synonymously with partnership (especially collaboration -- sometimes helpfully so), but we have some specific ways of using them.
We like the idea of a collaboration or partnership continuum. This concept is that as one moves from cooperation to coordination to collaboration, there is an increase in the intensity of the work involved (risk, time needed, etc.), as well as in the depth of the relationships. Thus definitions could look something along the lines of this:
Cooperation: Shorter-term informal relations that exist without any clearly defined mission, structure or planning effort characterize cooperation. Usually, cooperative partners share information only about the subject at hand. Each organization retains authority and keeps resources separate so virtually no risk exists. Power is rarely an issue.
Coordination: More formal relationships and understanding of missions distinguish coordination. People involved in a coordinated effort focus their longer-term interaction around a specific effort or program. Coordination requires some planning and division of roles, as well as opening up communication channels between and among organizations. Authority still rests with individual organizations, but risk increases. Power can be an issue. Resources are made available to participants and rewards are shared.
Collaboration: A more durable and pervasive relationship marks collaboration. Participants bring separate organizations into a new structure with full commitment to a common mission. Such relationships require comprehensive planning and well-defined communication channels operating on all levels. Though somewhat "open architecture" in orientation, the collaborative structure determines authority, and risk is greater because each partner contributes its resources and reputation. Power is an issue and can be unequal. Partnerships pool or jointly secure the resources, and share the results and rewards. Are you ready to get involved in partnership? Find out how you can begin...
Here are some other terms that are often used in speaking of partnership and missions, and the definitions we've found to be most helpful:
Advocate: People group advocates, also known as people specific advocates (PSAs) are individuals who have committed themselves to one specific people group (ethnic group)? to learn about them, their environment, culture, demographics, status. They pray about how churches can be established among them. They may network and partner with others to encourage their involvement.
Ethnic Group: People of the same racial origin. This also can be broad eg: Caucasian, Slavic, or more precise eg: Aryan, Burman. Ethnicity in this context is based on blood-relationship. There is frequently a whole family of languages and cultures within the same ethnic group.Ethno-Linguistic People Groups: People of the same race, language and culture. This definition seems to be the closest to the real meaning of the Greek eqnoz (ethnos) used in the New Testament and translated as Peoples or Nations. This is most significant if we are seeking a truly Biblical missiology. While the Bible refers to Tongues (Language Groups) and Tribes (the smallest definable Ethnic Group), the Great Commission clearly defines our task: "make disciples of all nations" (ethnos). Therefore, the "unfinished task" must be defined in terms of the number of nations (or ethnos) that have no disciples.
Facilitator: A partnership facilitator provides leadership to a partnership: 1) by being a champion for the cause, 2) by calling, organizing and presiding over the meetings, 3) recognizing and encouraging member's resources, gifts and concerns, 4) with the end result of making it as easy as possible for a diverse group to work together harmoniously. If you are interested in becoming a facilitator, contact us, or check out our training schedule for upcoming facilitator training courses.
Frontier: Pertaining to unreached areas or peoples.
Gateway Peoples: A people group or people cluster that has particular influence socially, economically or politically by virtue of being able to relate and communicate well with its neighbors.
A Gateway People may be a single ethno-linguistic people-group or, more often, a people cluster. The term is used mainly at a micro level within a particular country or society to indicate the ethnic group that is most strategically significant for spreading the Gospel in that society.
The Gateway People Clusters identified by Patrick Johnstone and the Joshua Project are very much on the macro scale in terms of potential influence for evangelism on a regional level. Note: less than 2/3rds of the 160 Mega Peoples feature in the Joshua Project GPC list -- 27 of the GPCs are clusters of much smaller people groups and 55 of the Mega Peoples are not considered to be "Gateway" in the sense that they do not communicate easily outside of their own ethno-linguistic context.
Great Commission: Matthew 28:18-20. Jesus' final instructions to his followers to go everywhere to make disciples among every people.
Language Group: People who speak the same language. This might be a Trade Language Group in the broadest sense, or a Heart-Language Group where we are talking strictly about those for whom this language is their mother tongue. People of different ethnic origin may speak the same language (e.g. Afro-Americans and Anglo-Americans both have English as their mother tongue) Best source of information on Language Groups: SIL's Ethnologue
People Cluster: A collection of different ethno-linguistic people groups who have cause to interact with each other and thus develop communication between them.
The definition of these clusters is often fuzzy at the edges where specific ELPGs may have affinity with more than one cluster. Because their homogeneity is ill-defined, people clusters are not referred to as Mega-peoples though they are usually well in excess of 1 million members.
People Groups: People who are sufficiently alike to allow easy communication . This can be a series of broad categories or very precise sub-divisions, depending on the degree of homogeneity believed to be necessary for the integrity of the group defined. The term Mega-People refers to a people-group with more than 1 million members. According to David Barratt, there are 160 Mega-Peoples.
There are many criteria for defining the homogeneity of the group and this leads to a number of other titles.
10/40 Window: The area of the world between latitudes 10 degrees and 40 degrees north of the equator in the Eastern hemisphere, covering North Africa, Middle East and Asia. The window has in view most of the world's areas of greatest physical and spiritual need, most of the world's least-reached peoples and most of the governments that oppose Christianity. Read more about the regions of focus for Interdev's partnership development work.
|
|
|
|
|
