Third Wave Mission (Part 3 of 3)
The Ambivalence of Partnership: A Colonial and Contested History.
Jonathan S. Barnes, M.Div., Ph.D. Executive of Mission Education. Global Ministrie (DOC, UCC)
The term partnership has been used for at least the past century to describe the relationship
between what Lamin Sanneh terms Global Christianity (the churches of the North or Western world, also
formerly known as “sending” or “older churches”) and World Christianity (the churches of the South and
East, formerly known as “receiving” or “younger” churches). In seeking to understand how the usage of
this term began, as well as how its understanding evolved over time in describing ecumenical
relationships, a review of the history of Protestant mission, as well as the resultant ecumenical movement,
reveals that its meaning and usage is ambivalent and has been highly contested. The term has a definite
colonial heritage which has impacted its use. However, at the time of its introduction into ecumenical
discourse, the antecedents for an alternative interpretation, one focused on equality and mutuality, had
been present for at least half a century, going back to the very beginnings of the modern missionary
movement and the formation of mission societies. Today, as we participate in international, ecumenical
relationships, an understanding of this history is vital if partnerships are to avoid the continuation of neocolonial power dynamics in the name of solidarity and mutuality.
Promise and Peril: Evaluating the Sister Church Model of Mission
Janel Kragt Bakker, Assoc. Dir., Collegeville Institue for Ecumenical and Cultural Research
The sister church model of mission, in which a congregation in the North Atlantic partners with a
congregation in the global South for the sake of mutual ministry, has become an increasingly popular
expression of “third wave mission.” Based on ethnographic research in twelve congregations in the
Washington, D.C. area representing diverse traditions (Roman Catholic, mainline Presbyterian,
evangelical Anglican, and African-American Baptist), this paper considers the strengths and weaknesses
of the sister church model of mission from a North American vantage point. Sister church relationships
take advantage of globalization processes, capitalize on the restructuring of North American religiosity,
bridge ideological polarities, and foster social capital. At the same time, sister church relationships are
vulnerable to the idiosyncrasies of individuals and personal relationships, too often reinforce rather than
remedy disparities in access to power and resources, and are difficult to sustain over time and across
barriers. In short, the sister church model of mission is both promising and imperiled. The paper will
conclude by exploring how congregations and parishes that participate in sister church partnerships can
mitigate the model’s weaknesses and build on its strengths.