Interdependent Church Planting Among the Urban Poor: A Case Study with Living Bread Ministries in Southern Brazil

Abstract

In his recent article Partnerships in the Pauline Perspective, Dr. Christopher Little analyzed the International Partnership Movement (IPM). Based on his view of the ministry of the Apostle Paul, Dr. Little believes the IPM, while sincere, is misguided. While he concedes that there has been some success among those involved in the IPM, in demonstrating his position Dr. Little cites multiple extreme cases of abuse by indigenous leaders. He speaks of an indigenous leader who embezzled funds and a case where missionaries were literally handing out money to people who attended worship services.1 These incidents are obviously wrong and it would be unfair to equate them with the standard practice of those involved in the IPM.Rather than setting out to directly defend the IPM, this paper will present a case study based on first hand field missionary experience that will illustrate a different perspective on interdependent ministry partnerships. I will highlight the work of Living Bread Ministries (LBM); a ministry that my wife Barbara and I founded and continue to lead. I will detail our seven year journey of beginning LBM, building interdependent partnerships with indigenous leaders, and planting six churches in the favelas2, mostly in the metropolitan area of Porto Alegre, Brazil. In addition, I will discuss how these partnerships have not only led to planting churches, but to the establishment of a Brazilian led church planting ministry that shares the same vision and focus as LBM. In closing, I will share some theological principles that are guiding the work of LBM.