The letters from Paul consistently have the language of partnership in the body of Christ. Paul’s inspired letter is from Holy Spirit, and it is in response to what is happening in local churches. For example, Paul writes to the Corinthian church, “I appeal to you, brothers and sisters, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that all of you agree with one another in what you say and that there be no divisions among you, but that you be perfectly united in mind and thought” (1 Corinthians 1:10–17, NIV). Paul’s theme of partnership is a focus because division is present and he God this from a family in an influential family in the church. Paul stated, “some from Chloe’s household have informed me that there are quarrels among you” (1 Corinthians 1:11, NIV). Thompson affirms that Paul’s “remarkable attempt to build a cohesive community out of people from different ethnic groups and social levels was now threatened by divisiveness and partisanship.[1]

One way to incorporate the principles of partnership within the modern local church starts with language. For example, many churches refer to people who are invested and committed to a church as “members.” However, the terms “members” or “membership” is taken as being part of an exclusive club that carries benefits. It is true this view is not scriptural, but the cultural influence has bled into the church's understanding of membership. One way to shape the local church culture into how God guides us in the Bible is by changing the language to partnership. Paul gives good language for the local church to use when he stated, “In all my prayers for all of you, I always pray with joy because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now, being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus” (Philippians 1:4-6, NIV). In this passage from Philippians, one can see the active language of partnering together for a purpose.

[1] James W. Thompson, Pastoral Ministry according to Paul: A Biblical Vision (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Academic, 2006), 120.