Friendship—a more excellent way towards global, regional, and local ecumenical partnership in mission

Abstract

The notion of “partnership” has assumed a high profile in the twentieth and twenty-first centuries, particularly in relation to its increasingly common usage with reference to relationships between educational institutions, non-government organizations, government bodies, ecumenical movements, business ventures, and an array of agencies seeking to address global, regional, and local development challenges. For the purpose of this article I will concentrate on the concept of partnership within the context of Christian organizational relationships, with particular reference to the global ecumenical movement and the notions of “partnership in mission.” One of the critical issues on which partnership in mission has consistently run aground is a strong underlying tension and largely unacknowledged stalemate between the respective positioning of donors and recipients within mission and ecumenical partnerships. This article therefore advocates the notion of friendship with particular reference to its relevance to the ecumenical journeys of partnership in mission globally, regionally, and locally. In particular, the principles articulated by Jesus’ characterization of friendship in John 15, incorporating such values as mutuality, trust, confidence, selflessness, and sacrifice, could breathe new life and vitality into the global, regional, and local ecumenical journey of partnership in mission.