We are committed to following Christ in the renewal of all things and because God’s work of renewal extends far beyond Orange County we maintain strategic global partnerships. Over the last year Redeemer has been in a discernment process of prayer and research as we evaluated our past partners and planned for the future. We established five guiding principles and a partnership structure that helped us to identify these partners and maximize our support. We have two new global partners: Ethiopia ACT and the Tokyo church planting movement through Grace Harbor Church in Tokyo, Japan. We
are also continuing our partnership with Reformed University Fellowship and will continue to encourage involvement in Sunshine Kids International through their yearly silent auction and child sponsorship.
Are you interested in serving in Ethiopia in the spring of 2015? Email Pastor Adam at adamf@redeemeroc.org.
Guiding Principles
If a missionary is someone sent to represent Jesus, to make him know and cultivate his kingdom, then every follower of Jesus is a missionary. We are a sent people.
At Redeemer “mission” is a normal part of the rhythm of our life together. Together we are following Jesus in the renewal of all things. We talk about “mission” as making Jesus known among our neighbors and working to heal our neighborhoods. This takes place throughout our lives, but especially in our parish ministry. A parish is simply a neighborhood group designed to help Redeemer members connect with other Redeemer members that they live close to, and to empower these local Redeemer communities to contribute to the health of their cities. However, God’s work of renewal extends far beyond Orange County so Redeemer also seeks out ministry partnerships. Redeemer partners with a limited number of ministries to maximize our support of those organizations as well as increase the engagement of Redeemer members with our partners.
We prayerfully follow the below guidelines as we seek out and evaluate our partners:
- Philosophy of Ministry and Theology: A Redeemer-aligned ministry that shares Redeemer’s philosophy of ministry and theology.
- Empowering the Local Church: Church planting, church revitalizing or church based ministry.
- Local Accountability: Accountable to a local church or presbytery with priority given to PCA (Presbyterian Church in America), MNA (Mission to North America) and MTW (Mission to the World) churches, organizations, and ministers.
- Under-Reached Regions: Ministries to countries and cultures with a low percentage of native Christians.
- Engagement and Communication: Ministries willing to stay engaged with Redeemer. This ministry is willing to be in regular contact with Redeemer, provide our members with opportunities to actively pray for them and to get to know their ministry. This ministry would also be willing to visit Redeemer in person and allow for Redeemer members to visit them on short-term mission trips and/or vision trips.
Redeemer Members & Relational Connections
We celebrate that Redeemer members are already involved in many ministries both directly and through their relational connections. Redeemer seeks to empower and support our members as they follow Christ in the renewal of all things through these ministries. All Redeemer members are invited and encouraged to approach the session for support. For budget planning purposes the session has set aside five ministry support grants of $500 each to support Redeemer members.
Structure – Three Tiers
Our intention is to foster long-term ongoing relationships with our partners. Our financial support comes with a three-year commitment that will be reassessed at the end of year two with the intention of continuing the partnership.
Tier 1: Global Churches and Global Church Planters Two partnerships - $10,000 each Ethiopia ACT Grace Harbor Church, Tokyo Japan
Tier 2: Strategic Kingdom Ministry One partnership – $5,000 Reformed University Fellowship (RUF) Learn more: RUF National Organization and RUF at UCLA, Rev. Joe White
Tier 3: Ministry Support Grants Five grants of $500 each to support individual Redeemer members