Cooperations that Foster Transcultural Missions

As part of its mission to facilitate cooperation among those in the worldwide Alliance movement, the Alliance World Fellowship (AWF) seeks to mentor missions mobilizers in every nation, ethnic group, and local church to work together for the fulfillment of the Great Commission.

Promoting cooperation between the Alliance national churches and the AWF regions to disciple and equip people of all tribes, languages, ethnic groups, and nations is one way to extend the Kingdom of God. Throughout history, God has scattered his people for his purposes to further his Kingdom. The Church, by its nature, is a diaspora community, and this is at the heart of the AWF.

The AWF organizes annual meetings with the Global Network of Mission Leaders, where national church presidents and mission leaders gather to create spaces for cooperation. Each region shares what God is doing in their field and the existing opportunities to work together at the regional or interregional level.

As a result of these meetings, the Latin America (CLA) Region carried out a Missions Mobilization Mentoring Workshop in Mexico in August 2023 in cooperation with the North America, and the Europe and Middle East (EMERALD) regions. This cooperation began during the Global Network of Mission Leaders meeting in Colombia in 2022. The conversations took place in an atmosphere of friendship and brotherhood and are a tool to fulfill the Great Commission.

Brother Eoghan Cosgrave, the AWF Missions Mobilizer for the EMERALD Region, and Pastor Jorge Barra, the Alliance Missions Director in Chile, were the main speakers at the workshops in Mexico where more than 20 missions mobilizers gathered.

Eoghan stressed that “love and trust when serving as a missions mobilizer are crucial, and all missions projects and teams must be based on and keep in mind love, trust, and deep loving relationships.” He also explained that often this does not happen due to unfulfilled expectations, which stem from a lack of communication and relationships. That ultimately stems from a lack of love and trust.

Jorge highlighted how the Latino world can reach unreached ethnic groups through business as mission at home and around the world. He shared specific examples of how gospel-passionate entrepreneurs have impacted nations for Christ through business as mission.

These cooperations are also centered on the Alliance Church of All Nations (CAN) Network, a new AWF initiative, with its focus on the creation of communities where people from all nations, tribes, and languages, whoever they may be and wherever they may be from, find a loving, welcome, warm family and belonging. Loving communities are those where the love of Jesus has removed barriers due to language or culture, and where people experience the love and grace of Jesus in a very tangible way, through the love and grace of their brothers and sisters in Christ.