The Significance of Church Mission Partnerships
By Eric Steckel | January 4, 2024
Aligned Values Foster Sense of Community and Social Change
Mission partnerships allow caring church members to utilize their skills and passions to create a meaningful impact in their community, embodying the essence of service deeply ingrained in the church’s teaching.
For more than 20 years, Children Rising has aligned and partnered with church congregations to address the social justice issue of educational equity in our community. Church mission partnerships are a prime example of how organizations with aligned values can come together to create a significant impact.
Mission partnerships not only benefit faith-inspired nonprofits like Children Rising. They also offer immense benefits to the churches and community groups that engage with them. Perhaps most importantly, they provide care and support to marginalized members of our community.
Children Rising started with a simple challenge to Oakland clergy from Dennis Chaconas, then-Superintendent of the Oakland Unified School District: “We need you and your congregations to adopt a neighborhood school!”
Will you complete HER Circle of Care?
Through one-on-one reading and math tutoring, and family support, you will nurture an eager child in a circle of care so they may succeed in school.
Will you complete HER Circle of Care?
Through one-on-one reading and math tutoring, and family support, you will nurture an eager child in a circle of care so they may succeed in school.
Randy Roth, senior pastor of First Covenant Church of Oakland, heard that message in 2000 and took the challenge to heart. With a leap of faith, Randy left pastoral ministry and founded Children Rising. Since then, Children Rising has partnered with dozens of churches and community groups to seek the shalom of this city of Oakland—the health, welfare, and prosperity of the entire community.
For the Partnering Organization: What’s in it for Us?
For organizations like Children Rising, which have grown from the nurturing roots of a church community, the significance of church mission partnerships cannot be overstated. Churches provide fertile grounds for recruiting new tutors, individuals who, acting on their faith, contribute their personal skills, care, and love to help a young child struggling in school.
“… it’s about forging a sense of unity and shared purpose, reinforcing the bonds of community and empathy that make our mission and vision resonate even more deeply.”
Mission partnerships are a prime example of how organizations with aligned values can come together to create a significant impact.
Churches and congregation members can also be instrumental in driving our mission forward. Their support in amplifying the message of social justice and educational equity is a catalyst for spreading awareness far and wide, touching lives and making a tangible difference in the lives of children and families in our community.
The financial support extended by churches is a critical component. Mission partners provide a financial lifeline that enables us to expand our assistance to children within the community. However, it’s not just about monetary aid; it’s about forging a sense of unity and shared purpose, reinforcing the bonds of community and empathy that make our mission and vision resonate even more deeply.
For the Church: Why Establish a Partnership with Us?
A church’s decision to engage in a mission partnership offers many advantages that ripple throughout its congregation. By aligning with groups that share their values, churches reinforce their commitment to those values. As Todd Gumbrecht, former pastor at Peninsula Covenant Church, highlighted, it’s about how the partnership “best blesses our community.”
Churches don’t need to be education experts. Partnering with groups like Childen Rising offers opportunities to uplift children in the community so they have a fairer chance to succeed in school … and in life.
Partnerships provide tangible avenues for congregants to translate their faith into action. Through these partnerships, members can utilize their skills and passions to create a meaningful impact in their community, embodying the essence of service deeply ingrained in the church’s teaching. This hands-on involvement resonates deeply, bridging the gap between belief and action and developing caring, one-on-one relationships.
Crucially, the collaboration relieves churches of the burden of reinventing the wheel. Instead of creating programs from scratch, they can leverage the existing resources and expertise of the community organizations. This streamlined approach ensures that efforts are maximized for the most significant impact.
“A new generation of churchgoers seeks to contribute to causes beyond the local church, signaling a shift in priorities and interests.”
Additionally, church partnerships provide an opportunity to connect with a younger generation increasingly drawn to just causes rather than institutions. As Marco Ambriz, lead pastor at First Covenant Church Oakland, shared, a new generation of churchgoers seeks to contribute to causes beyond the local church, signaling a shift in priorities and interests.
In essence, church mission partnerships transcend the boundaries of mere collaboration; they embody a shared journey toward transformation. These alliances catalyze change, fostering a sense of unity, purpose, empowerment, and inclusion that reverberates through the community, the partnering organization, and the church. These partnerships continue to exemplify the boundless potential of collective action for a more just and equitable world.
To learn more about our mission and the impact of church partnerships, please contact Eric Steckel at eric@children-rising.org. Together, we’re providing children a fairer chance to succeed in school … and in life.
