Introduction and Background Information
In October of this year, one of New Life Church’s senior leadership team and I were on a mission trip to Istanbul, Turkey, and spent a significant amount of our time working with and ministering to the Istanbul Protestant Church Foundation. There was a deep connection formed between us and their leadership. Together, we have proposed to the rest of the senior leadership team that a partnership would be formed between New Life Church in Colorado Springs, CO, and the Istanbul Protestant Church Foundation. This proposal will summarize the information and logistics surrounding this partnership in an effort to provide clarity and context, as well as the theological import of international church partnerships in the body of Christ.
Motivation and Theological Basis
Our basis for believing in international ties in the church are the biblical principles of unity, diversity, and holiness in the body of Christ. First, there are many scriptures in both testaments that encourage unity among God’s people. Believers are encouraged to love one another and to live together in love and deference, even to follow the ultimate example of Christ and humbly lay ourselves down for our brothers. Each one of us has been given gifts that are for the benefit of the rest of the body, and we are meant to function together in harmony. As Jesus said, our unity will be a sign to the world that Jesus was sent as the grace of God for our redemption. Additionally, the concept of unity is often tied with the idea of holiness and maturity in our faith. (Ps. 133:1; John 17:23; 1 Cor. 1:10, 12:12-13; Gal. 3:26-28; Romans 12:16; Eph. 2:14, 4:3, 11-13, 16; Phil. 2:1-11; 1 John 4:12)
Even in the Old Testament, there is a precedent set that everyone who loves the name of the Lord will worship God together as one body—God’s house is a house of prayer for all peoples. (Is. 56:6-8) Though our diversity does not hinder any of us from receiving salvation (Gal. 6:26-28), our differences will not be wiped away in the next age. In Revelation, we see a picture of those who have been washed in the blood of the Lamb, “a great multitude that no one could number, from every nation, from all tribes and peoples and languages, standing before the throne and before the Lamb” (Rev. 7:9, ESV). Despite their diversity and differences, this multitude has unity in one testimony, that salvation belongs to God and to the Lamb (Rev. 7:10). The body of Christ also shares in the same future. “For the Lamb in the midst of the throne will be their shepherd, and he will guide them to springs of living water, and God will wipe away every tear from their eyes.” (Rev. 7:17, ESV)
For the past few years, a revival has been happening in the Muslim world. More than ever before, Muslims are finding Jesus and converting to Christianity. There are refugees from Iran and Iraq who flee to Turkey, some of whom are Christians and are fleeing from an Islamic State. One of the ministries that the Istanbul Protestant Church Foundation participates in is work with Iraqi and Iranian refugees. Turkey itself is a primarily Sunni Muslim country, with its own potential for revival and salvations amongst Muslims. Partnering with them in ministry is exciting because not only will we grow in love for our brothers and sisters internationally, we will also able to partner with an incredible move of God in the earth.
We affirm the importance of ministering to the material and spiritual needs of our brothers and sisters in Christ, and of refugees. We desire to commit to works of mercy and justice in the nations of the world. We base this principle off of James’ distinction in his epistle that faith must be followed by works. What good is it, he says, if we have faith but do no good works? “Show me your faith apart from you works, and I will show you my faith by my works.” (James 2:18, ESV) He goes on to say, “For as the body apart from the spirit is dead, so also faith apart from works is dead.” (James 2:26, ESV) As a church, we desire to live holistically and to see the gospel transform every part of our lives. This includes how we relate to others. We must be doers of the word, and not just hearers (James 1:22). We often focus on personal holiness in our church, and we have a passion to see that expand into how we treat those around us. If we truly love God with all of our soul and strength and mind, we must then be compelled to love our neighbors as ourselves. (Luke 10:25-37) Similarly, when we have a well-developed understanding of the mercy of God that saved us from the pit, we will be filled with compassion for others. Moreover, if we give generously, we will be given to generously. “Good measure, pressed down, shaken together, running over, will be put into your lap. For with the measure you use it will be measured back to you.” (Luke 6:38, ESV) Let us then be generous givers of everything that we possess, both spiritual and material.
Partnership Details and Logistics
In order to form this partnership, we will contact the leadership team of the Istanbul Protestant Church Foundation, and talk to them about their needs, both spiritual and material. Based on their greatest needs, the New Life Church leadership team will set a goal for financial giving, most likely to be sent every three months with a larger gift at the end of the year, and this financial goal will be communicated to both the downtown and central locations of New Life, to invite them into sowing into the kingdom in this way. Our leadership team will also commit to spending time in prayer for the churches, and one prayer meeting per week will be devoted to praying for their foundation, and for the nation of Turkey and the city of Istanbul. We would aim to be as involved as possible in their ministry with Iraqi and Iranian refugees, as well as Esther House, which is their house for women refugees and their children. At Christmas, extra financial gifts would be sent to aid in their efforts to provide food, clothing, and other material needs for refugee families. We also believe that it would be important to visit them in Istanbul, or invite some of their pastors to visit us in Colorado Springs, once a year, if possible. With a collective congregation of over 10,000 members across all of our New Life campuses, it’s our desire to begin with a yearly commitment of $200,000 given to the Istanbul Protestant Church Foundation and their ministries.
We recognize the natural difficulties that are faced by Christians in Turkey, particularly Protestant Christians, and the roadblocks we will also face by proxy. Turkey is the crossroad nation for Europe and Asia, and is situated in the Middle East. It is a primarily Muslim nation, and of the portion of Christians, most are Catholic or Orthodox. There is tension in the Sunni and Shiite population, as well as between Muslims and Christians, and even between Orthodox and Protestant Christians. In terms of intersectionality, the protestant Christians are one of the smallest and most disliked groups in Turkey. Martyrdom has been a reality for the church in Turkey in the not-so-distant past, and the political climate is such that serious persecution of Christians could happen at any time. There will also inevitably be, despite our best contextualization efforts, communication issues. Their culture is structured differently from ours, and we will have to learn how to communicate according to their needs. However, as we have stated above, we believe that these issues are nothing compared to what God is inviting us into and the spiritual inheritance that we can gain by serving the Istanbul Protestant Church Foundation.
Conclusion
In summary, we believe that the opportunity for New Life Church to partner with the Istanbul Protestant Church Foundation in Istanbul, Turkey, is one that we must take. Not only will it be enriching for us as a congregation, it is also a way for us to continue growing in spiritual maturity by reaching out to our neighbor. We will build and invest in our international family in Christ, and we will be able to take part in what God is doing in the Middle East among Muslims. This type of opportunity to grow in love and unity with our brothers and sisters in Christ is one that shouldn’t be wasted. As Jesus prayed to the Father, “The glory that you have given me I have given to them, that they may be one even as we are one, I in them and you in me, that they may become perfectly one, so that the world may know that you sent me and loved them even as you loved me.” (John 17:22-23, ESV) Let our unity in Christ with those so different from ourselves be a miraculous sign for unbelievers—that Jesus Christ is Lord.