CHURCH-TO-CHURCH INTERNATIONAL PARTNERSHIP: A CASE STUDY OF HOW A HAITIAN CHURCH IMPACTED A U.S. CHURCH’S UNDERSTANDING OF MISSIONS

Abstract

Church partnerships in missions are nothing new. For example, U.S. churches and organizations have continued to work with the Haitian church (and other organizations) for many years, most recently following the devastating earthquake in 2010. Many churches actively support missions, particularly through short-term teams. After all, sending people on short-term trips to support churches in such areas is a good thing, right?  However, is sending short-term teams the primary function of U.S. based churches in support of the work of the Church in other locations? What about the relationship of local churches with both international churches and supported missionaries? How do these fit into an overall philosophy of missions for a church and does the current context and emphasis within U.S. based churches mean that a shift is necessary?