EMQ Article

Building Healthy Partnerships: Missionaries as Alongsiders

By Tom Gerick | Partnerships in cross-cultural missions are becoming the norm. Yet, they remain challenging. Interviews with national leaders, Christians, and experienced missionaries, confirm the importance of building strong relationships for effective partnerships.

October 15, 2026

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EMQ » Oct - Dec 2026 » Volume 62 Issue 4

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Group of people enjoying a city view from a park overlooking a dense urban area. — Bogotá, Colombia. Courtesy of IMB.

Summary: Partnerships in cross-cultural missions are becoming the norm. Yet, they remain challenging. Interviews with national leaders, Christians, and experienced missionaries, confirm the importance of building strong relationships for effective partnerships. These are fostered by respect for the local culture, humility, trust, alignment of vision, and sensitive management of power and resources. There are no short cuts for investing time and effort in engaging with the local culture and building relationships.

By Tom Gerick

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