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Churches Partnering Together: Biblical Strategies for Fellowship, Evangelism, and Compassion
How to Work Together for the Sake of the Gospel Most churches in the United States have less than 75 members. Many of these congregations barely have enough money to pay their pastor’s salary, let alone launch a movement or host a conference. How can they hope to make an impact beyond their own walls? In Churches Partnering Together , Chris Bruno and Matt Dirks show how all churches―big and small―can do more together than they can do apart. Looking to the New Testament for guidance, this practical book will help pastors, church leaders, and laypeople alike think creatively about gospel-driven church partnerships in their own communities and around the world.
- GenresChurch
176 pages, Paperback
First published August 31, 2014
8 people are currently reading
63 people want to read
About the author
Chris Bruno
6 books11 followersLibrarian Note: There is more than one author by this name in the Goodreads database.
Chris Bruno (PhD, Wheaton College) is the assistant professor of New Testament and Greek at Bethlehem College & Seminary.
He has served at Northland International University, Cedarville University, and Trinity Christian School in Kailua, HI. Before that, he was pastor of discipleship and training at Harbor Church in Honolulu, HI.
Chris and his wife Katie have been married since 2001 and have four sons who love to be outdoors playing ball or pretending to be super heroes, all while wrestling their dad.
Chris Bruno (PhD, Wheaton College) is the assistant professor of New Testament and Greek at Bethlehem College & Seminary.
He has served at Northland International University, Cedarville University, and Trinity Christian School in Kailua, HI. Before that, he was pastor of discipleship and training at Harbor Church in Honolulu, HI.
Chris and his wife Katie have been married since 2001 and have four sons who love to be outdoors playing ball or pretending to be super heroes, all while wrestling their dad.
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Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
July 22, 2024
2.5 stars
As a new, first-time pastor at a small church revitalization, I have tried to reach out to other local church pastors in my city to establish and build pastoral friendships that would eventually—Lord willing—lead to local church partnerships. So you can imagine my excitement when I came across this short book. I really enjoyed the introduction and the first two chapters. However, as the book went on, I felt like it was becoming less of a biblical blueprint and more of a practical how-to manual. There are an exhausting number of lists featured throughout the book ("eight steps to do this," "four C's for that," etc.); some of the writing can be unbearably cheesy ("Even if you're a young-earth creationist, don't be afraid to evolve a little bit."); and several of the positive ministry examples whom the authors highlight have not aged well (i.e. James MacDonald and Mark Driscoll).
Overall, a disappointing read.
As a new, first-time pastor at a small church revitalization, I have tried to reach out to other local church pastors in my city to establish and build pastoral friendships that would eventually—Lord willing—lead to local church partnerships. So you can imagine my excitement when I came across this short book. I really enjoyed the introduction and the first two chapters. However, as the book went on, I felt like it was becoming less of a biblical blueprint and more of a practical how-to manual. There are an exhausting number of lists featured throughout the book ("eight steps to do this," "four C's for that," etc.); some of the writing can be unbearably cheesy ("Even if you're a young-earth creationist, don't be afraid to evolve a little bit."); and several of the positive ministry examples whom the authors highlight have not aged well (i.e. James MacDonald and Mark Driscoll).
Overall, a disappointing read.
March 21, 2018
I really liked the overall premise about churches being more invested in the kingdom than in building their own castles. The book offered many practical tips and points of application in how churches, including and especially smaller churches, can partner together to plant churches and engage in other ministries. I appreciated the readability as well as the fact that points were substantiated with Scripture (primarily by Paul's mindset of partnering with other for the spread of the gospel in his letters).
I'll be recommending this to some fellow pastors and I think it will help us with some practical guidance in how we can partner together.
I'll be recommending this to some fellow pastors and I think it will help us with some practical guidance in how we can partner together.
January 2, 2020
“A kingdom partnership is a gospel-driven relationship between interdependent local churches that pray, work, and share resources together strategically to glorify God through kingdom-advancing goals they could not accomplish alone.”
As someone who works with an organization that is based on churches partnering together, I opened this book hoping to go deeper in the biblical theology of partnership. My goal was definitely accomplished! I also highlighted over 30 ways churches could practically partner together beyond a short term mission trip. I’m excited to share these ideas with my coworker, teams and host churches.
As someone who works with an organization that is based on churches partnering together, I opened this book hoping to go deeper in the biblical theology of partnership. My goal was definitely accomplished! I also highlighted over 30 ways churches could practically partner together beyond a short term mission trip. I’m excited to share these ideas with my coworker, teams and host churches.
May 1, 2019
This book gets a higher rating from me because of its brevity. The author has mostly small churches in mind although many things are applicable to larger ministry contexts as well.
September 3, 2014
I come from a small church, but often we think with a big church, ‘we-are-independent’ mentality, so much so we hardly work with other churches. This book is a good start to how my church can start to solve this issue.
It’s a wonder why no such books has been published thus far on this topic! For the christian faith that has always centered around koinonia and the unity of the church, it is indeed bewildering why churches far too often chooses to work alone rather than in partnership with others and I think that is one of the reason why the churches often has too little effect on the society it’s in (of course, there are many more factors to this).
Bruno and Dirks first defines the terms of what the partnership is and is not. Bruno and Dirks centres partnership around the kingdom mindset. This is a valid point, too many churches are too centred around their own local church and therefore most of the time sees partnership, at worst, as pointless, or problematic, and mutually beneficial, at best. There has been a deep lack of kingdom mindedness in our culture today.
Bruno and Dirks then covers in a step by step format what churches will need in order to form good, well grounded partnership. Although I’m not entirely convinced on some the biblical text they used as foundations on their principles, overall I find them practical and sensible. It covers everything from starting, whilst in the midst of partnership and also how to move on after the partnership has reached it’s goal.
All these finally cumulates into the last chapter when it is all “put together”. This is a book that many church leaders and pastor should first read and then to seriously consider how they can partner with other churches, so that by our working together, we can attempt to do more and bigger stuff and that finally God will be glorified more and more.
Rating: 4/5
Disclaimer: I was given this book free from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.
It’s a wonder why no such books has been published thus far on this topic! For the christian faith that has always centered around koinonia and the unity of the church, it is indeed bewildering why churches far too often chooses to work alone rather than in partnership with others and I think that is one of the reason why the churches often has too little effect on the society it’s in (of course, there are many more factors to this).
Bruno and Dirks first defines the terms of what the partnership is and is not. Bruno and Dirks centres partnership around the kingdom mindset. This is a valid point, too many churches are too centred around their own local church and therefore most of the time sees partnership, at worst, as pointless, or problematic, and mutually beneficial, at best. There has been a deep lack of kingdom mindedness in our culture today.
Bruno and Dirks then covers in a step by step format what churches will need in order to form good, well grounded partnership. Although I’m not entirely convinced on some the biblical text they used as foundations on their principles, overall I find them practical and sensible. It covers everything from starting, whilst in the midst of partnership and also how to move on after the partnership has reached it’s goal.
All these finally cumulates into the last chapter when it is all “put together”. This is a book that many church leaders and pastor should first read and then to seriously consider how they can partner with other churches, so that by our working together, we can attempt to do more and bigger stuff and that finally God will be glorified more and more.
Rating: 4/5
Disclaimer: I was given this book free from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.
November 12, 2014
This is a good book. It attempts to build upon a biblical model of church partnership and develop practical advice for churches who are ready to take on the challenge. Given the fact that many churches are already in denominational relationships, it would have been helpful to devote some significant writing to applying the principles of this book to denominations. Though the basic principles they present can be applied by denominationally involved churches, the denominational dynamic would certainly have some impact. Overall, though, this is a helpful book that I hope to reference in the near future.
January 13, 2017
thought provoking, lots of good information, kingdom focused. targeted more at pastors than accountant and engineering women. but it gives us a good starting point for discussions and plans for parternering in a minstry. oh and I am so not a catalyst leader. god is going to have to work through me because I would never be chosen to be a leader normally.
July 9, 2016
Great inspiration for churches to do more and think outside the box.
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews