Collaborating for the Kingdom
by Peter Greer
What would it look like if logos and egos could be tamed so that they no longer get in the way of creative partnerships, collaboration, and greater examples of collective impact?
When I joined the nonprofit sector, I imagined that hard work, compelling missions, and formidable challenges would forge an uncommon spirit of camaraderie—not just within an organization but within an entire sector. Chalk it up to youthful idealism, but I assumed backbiting and competition were far removed from the noble nonprofit.
I understood and appreciated the merits of my co-laborers’ work—providing clean water, combatting human trafficking, feeding the hungry, and expanding access to education—so I never expected the twinge of envy I felt when I heard of worthy organizations’ substantial accomplishments in these sectors.As I sought to understand the source of this uncharitable reaction, I began to realize that, at my core, I subscribed to a scarcity mentality. On a subconscious level, I feared there would not be enough recognition or resources for all of us. More for others meant less for us, so I felt threatened by others’ success.
When we lead from this posture of scarcity, we’ll inevitably see others as competition. But what if we truly believed that God is a God of abundance, not scarcity? Do we remember that with Christ, five loaves and two fish are enough to feed multitudes?
Moving toward an abundance mindset opens the door to relationships. It allows us to see others as collaborators instead of competitors. To develop genuine friendships and partnerships that avoid unnecessary duplication and inefficient use of resources. To think beyond our organization and discover our part in a much grander and more compelling mission.
It was with these realizations that Chris Horst and I wrote Rooting for Rivals in 2016, and for the last several years, we’ve been on a mission to apply the words we wrote. We open-sourced everything we have at HOPE International. Our resource library made organizational documents—from board manuals to operating models—freely available to any interested organization or individual. While clearly there is more to do, we have moved toward a posture of generosity and collaboration. That move has been life-giving. Over the past several years, we’ve actively engaged with other Christ-centered organizations in the economic development sector through The Christian Economic Development Network: a space where organizations could share best practices, learn from each other’s challenges, and encourage one another in our pursuit of transformational economic development.
The CED Network encompasses more than 175 organizations in 65 countries. Through frequent webinars, an online resource library, and an annual summit, members have grown in relationship. We truly believe the wisdom of the Burundian proverb, “You’ll never make it through the dry season on your own.” We also believe that the dry season is not the time to initiate these relationships; it’s the time to draw on them.
When the pandemic struck in 2020, the CED Network had already been meeting together, establishing trust, and sharing best practices. When it became clear that standard operating procedures were not going to sustain our organizations in this season, none of us knew exactly what to do—but we didn’t have to figure it out alone.
Vision Fund, World Vision’s financial services provider, promptly consulted with global health experts and was among the first to share the resulting health protocols, training materials, and revised standards for gathering they had established.
Other members of the CED Network were figuring out how to extend grace periods to borrowers and reschedule loan repayments while remaining solvent. These were challenges that every organization in our network needed to address—and perhaps we could have each solved them on our own. But what a gift it was that we didn’t have to!
We built from the foundation of what our peers were successfully implemented, and the men and women we served were better served as a result. The resources donated to each of our organizations went further toward empowering those hit hardest by the crisis. In collaborating with our colleagues across various organizations, we found opportunities to navigate each new challenge together.
This was possible because we truly have grown to see one another as friends and co-laborers in Christ, not competitors for limited resources.
As Christ’s followers, we have the opportunity to work as one body. To move toward the prayer Jesus prayed for the unity of his followers in John 17:21: “that all of [us] may be one … so that the world may believe that you have sent me.”
May we be a people who long to see God’s Kingdom come, even as our earthly kingdoms fade. May we ready ourselves for the work God is calling us into together.