Brian Harpell- (Mentor of the Everett LCC writes)

At one of our past LLC meetings we spent some time talking about partnering essentials, generated by our conversation at Ross Point. The following are a summary of their thoughts.
PARTNERING ESSENTIALS
How is it that we've joined together in partnering ministry (Is it only a matter of tradition or denomination affiliation?) and how will we discern future partnering opportunities given to us by God? The following is a collection of the input of those who were present. If you feel I've missed an important point please add and sent to all.
RELATIONAL COMPONENT
This was felt to be critical for all of us, learning to trust one another, so that we can do missions together. The extremes are independence and co-dependence. We are talking about a healthy inter-dependence. But we believe you've got to want to be together in relationship to do missions at deep levels. What is the shape of this relating?
-We're looking out for one another.
-Willingly investing in one another.
-Gaining a larger perspective from one another.
-We're learning from one another (literally LLC).
-We're finding encouragement/energy in coming together with one another.
MISSIONAL COMPONENT
-We have to have a common mission (Great Commission).
-The articulation of the mission doesn't have to look identical, but we have a sense that we are in a common mission. Not contradictory missions. There is diversity in our unity.
-We have to have a common vision. Again, not identical but not contradictory.
DOCTRINAL COMPONENT
-Peter reminded us of how important this one was in his own experience. This in turn reminded us of how important it is for us not to assume, as we did in the past, that we are all on the same page.
-We need to distinguish between essentials and non-essentials.
-Our own region statement was referenced as a document we may want to look at.
-We could work with organizations who have the same faith value, but we may not be able to enter the same level of partnering relationship as we might if all three of these components were present.