Case Study: Partnership that Blesses Both Churches
By Executive Editor John Yoder
Can I tell you an inspiring story that illustrates how cross-cultural partnerships can be transformative for both participating churches?
Two years ago, A Mexican sister named Abdala Lopez planted a house church in Eden Prairie, MN, a 20 minute drive from my home. I worshipped with La Casa del Padre twice, sensing the presence of the Holy Spirit in their gathering. Their church was typical of a first-generation immigrant church in Minnesota: it had about 25 members, the pastor had a full-time job outside the church, and there were no resources to provide English-language Bible training for children and youth. Pastor Abdala asked me to help her find a host church that would open its ministry programs as well as its facility to them.
Not long after, I introduced myself to the staff of Eden Prairie Assembly of God. They were open to meet Pastor Abdala and begin a conversation about ministering together. Both churches wisely took time to build a trusting relationship before entering a ministry partnership.
At Easter of this year, La Casa del Padre began meeting in Eden Prairie Assembly’s facility. Previously, their worship was conducted at 5:00 PM on Sundays. But Pastor Abdala was willing to move their worship to 11:00 AM, so their children and youth could receive English-language Bible training while their parents worship in Spanish.
Unbeknownst to all of us, there were two Venezuelan young men attending Eden Prairie Assembly. They spoke limited English, but because they came to faith through an Assemblies church in Venezuela, they looked for a sister church when they moved to the States. When they heard that a Spanish-language church was gathering on their campus at 11:00, they began hearing the Word in their mother language. Both of them are gifted musicians. Previously, La Casa del Padre’s worship was led by a solo acoustic guitar. Now they have a full contemporary worship band!
Because Pastor Abdala speaks limited English, her friend Lilly served as her translator. Lilly has a Caucasian husband with little church background, who doesn’t speak Spanish. Not long after the transition, he began attending the English-language services of Eden Prairie Assembly.
Often relationships between churches break down over facility use issues like misconfigured sound systems or smells in the kitchen. La Casa del Padre has taken such good care of the facility that Eden Prairie Assembly has waived its requirement that a facilities person remain onsite while they are present.
The leadership teams of both churches are absolutely thrilled with the relationship they’ve developed! Each church is made stronger by the partnership. The whole is more than the sum of the parts.
I wish I could tell you that all relationships between American and immigrant congregations are as robust. Most are nothing more than “religious roommates” who share nothing more than space. The robust partnership between La Casa del Padre and Eden Prairie Assembly highlights characteristics found in the most impactful partnerships:
- A shared spiritual passion
- Prioritizing relationship as well as task
- Agreement on proper use of the facility
- Ongoing communication between leadership
- English-language discipleship of the second generation
You can learn more about cultivating this kind of mutually beneficial partnership through our online course Jumpstarting Church Momentum at https://www.immigrantministry.com/jumpstart.