Para-church?

What is 'para-church'?

'Para' as I understand it means 'alongside of '. For many years longer than I have lived there have been ministries working alongside of churches for the propagation of the gosepel and Christian services. One of the main reasons that 'para-church' ministries were initiated was to compensate for the lack of local church vision and inititiative to do what she was commissioned to do in the first place. Although these ministries (outside of the ABA and some Independent Baptist churches) are not under the authority of a local New Testament church, they are however, accountable and responsible to boards of trustees who are usually accountable to local churches of their own affiliation.

The idea is that if local churches were not stepping up to the plate and initiating ministry to carry out the Great Commission then neither would those same churches be responsible in maintaining those ministries. Many a good ministry has been killed by well meaning local churches and individuals that didn't understand the ministry founder's vision. Therefore, maintaining a separate entity from the local church has often been better from a practical point of view.

Many new ministries have arisen in our own ABA fellowship. Most of them have started because there was a lack of vision and structure within the local churches as well as the associated work itself to initiate these ministries. These ministries, as long as they are accountable to local New Testament churches are not 'para-church' even though they are operated and controlled by a board of directors or trustees. As I understand it, many of our bible institutes and seminaries are operated in the same fashion. Are we going to call them 'para-church'? To be accountable to and under the sponsorship of a local church is one thing, but to be controlled by the same is another. When ministries are sponsored by local churches, both parties enter into an agreement. It is then a matter of abiding by the agreement by both parties.

XSTREAM is not 'para-church'. We are sponsored by Landmark MBC in Martinez, California. We work alongside of many churches and are accountable to our sending church. We have a great pastor and a great church.

David