The Gift of Partnership

June 26, 2026June 26, 2026 by Jonathan In Nairobi Church Plant 2 Comments

Someone recently shared this advice with a young couple from our church: “Make sure you surround yourself with people who will be with you through suffering.”

Of course, many of us have family and friends who stand by our side.

But what if they can’t? What if they’re going through their own season of suffering? What if your family isn’t enough? Friends keep their distance. Neighbors don’t know. Do you have a community that’s committed to you? People who love you enough to say hard things, who don’t back away when life gets difficult—or awkward—who show up to grieve with you, rejoice with you, counsel you, and simply be with you, day after day?

I’m so grateful to be part of a church where I know those things are true. When we moved to Kenya, it was never simply about planting a church as a missionary objective. It was about seeing God, by his grace, form a people—a body, a family—that increasingly looks like Jesus.

But as I said goodbye this week to two men who spent several days serving us from a sister church, Trinity Grace in Athens, Tennessee, I was reminded that God has given us not only a local church family, but an extended spiritual family as well.

I’m deeply grateful for the wider body of Christ. We have brothers and sisters in countless churches and traditions who faithfully preach the gospel, love Jesus, and serve his kingdom. At the same time, I don’t think it’s wrong to have a particular affection for the family of churches that knows us personally, prays for us by name, and is committed to our growth in Christ. That’s no more a denial of the wider body of Christ than loving your own family deeply means you care less about everyone else.

In fact, I think that’s what a healthy denomination—or better yet, a family of churches—ought to be. Not an organization asking, “How can our churches serve us?” but leaders and churches asking one another, “How can we serve you?”

Especially here in Kenya, I’ve often seen denominations function the other way around. Churches exist to support the denomination rather than the denomination existing to strengthen and care for its churches. That’s why I’m so thankful for Sovereign Grace Churches. Partnership isn’t just something we talk about; it’s something we’ve experienced. This past week, a church on the other side of the world sent two of its leaders simply to ask, “How can we serve you?”

Taylor, one of the pastors at Trinity Grace, and Abe, one of their deacons, spent the week with us. Taylor led a seminar on biblical hospitality in our home, preached on Sunday morning, spent time getting to know our church, and invested in the marriages of our leadership team. Abe quietly looked for practical ways to help—fixing cars, repairing couches, and serving wherever he was needed.

But the encouragement they brought went far beyond the things they did. They reminded us that we’re not alone. They represented the love and care of our extended church family, and through them we experienced something even greater: the faithful care of our Savior, who continues to strengthen his people through his people. Thank you for being the kind of people God uses to strengthen his people—and for strengthening us in particular.