Ron Howard’s 1995 film expertly depicts the harrowing events of the Apollo 13 mission in 1970. One of my favorite scenes in the movie describes the life-or-death issue of keeping the oxygen level at the right concentration for the astronauts to survive in the lunar landing module.
The NASA engineers were tasked with making “a square filter fit in a round hole.” That scene is an excellent example of collaboration.
Over the last few months, you’ve heard about the Tennessee Baptist Convention’s Acts 2:17 vision for the future and the twin rails of prayer and collaboration on which that vision runs.
Embedded in the vision statement itself is the description of the convention as “a collaborative network of spiritually healthy churches.”
So, what do we mean by “collaborative network” and even the term “collaboration” itself?
First, at the heart of that network, is collaboration. A simple definition is “the act of working together with other people or organizations to create or achieve something.”
Steve Holt
Our history as Southern Baptists has been filled with examples of how autonomous local churches have worked together to accomplish great things under the direction and empowerment of our Heavenly Father.
However, sometimes our collaborative efforts are hindered by conflict, competition, busyness, and distraction.
Effective collaboration requires personal investment and alignment around common goals. Tennessee Baptists have voted overwhelmingly during our last two Summit meetings to work together to accomplish the “bottom line” goal of our Acts 2:17 vision: “Until every Tennessean hears the Gospel!” We believe that is a Great Commission goal worth leaning into.
Second, our collaborative network is made up of individuals and churches that work together, sharing information, resources, and expertise to achieve our common goals. Each church and church leader contributes to the collective success while maintaining their autonomy. Essentially, a collaborative network is built on partnership rather than competition.
As we work together, a collaborative culture will become rooted even deeper among our churches and leaders. We can envision an environment where churches work together to achieve previously unreachable goals. This collaborative culture is a space where sharing ideas, skills, and efforts isn’t just encouraged — it’s the norm.
It’s characterized by open communication, shared goals, and a belief that collective intelligence is more creative than individual efforts.
At the core of a collaborative network is the collaborative catalyst. This is a person who actively facilitates and drives teamwork between different groups and/or individuals, essentially acting as a spark to initiate and accelerate joint efforts towards a shared goal. It’s often done by bringing differing perspectives together and fostering productive partnerships.
The Tennessee Baptist Mission Board is looking for collaborative catalysts across our state who will bring their passions together to help us discover God’s perfect plan for our network moving forward.
Our vision contains 10 key areas of emphasis around which we are gathering these catalytic individuals (note there is a place for you to list an area of passion you may have that is not listed):
• Prayer
• Ministry Pipeline
• Minister Wellness
• Family Discipleship
• Evangelistic Disciple-making
• Church Renewal
• Engaging Current Culture
• Church Planting/Replant
• Adoption/Foster Care
• School Partnerships/Engagement
• Other
If you are willing to join us in this advancement of God’s Kingdom here and beyond, please scan this QR code and fill out a Collaboration Response Card. B&R
