Collaboration by Faith

Dear Cheryl,

I am eager to get together with you and share an opportunity to work together!

I have an idea for a project that will help young people to share their story. As their peers hear their story, they will know that they are not alone. They will be encouraged to persevere, and they will be motivated to share their story, too. 

Can we get together and talk more about how we could work together?

Yours truly,

Pat

This is an example of an email that I received from a Christian faculty member of a university. I imagine that you get emails inviting you to collaborate, too. Some of you are quick to say, “Yes!” Some of you are inclined to respond with a “No, thank you.” Which answer do you typically give? 

I had some time in my schedule, and campus ministry is a priority for our organization, so I met with Pat to learn more about the project. While I decided not to collaborate, I did introduce Pat to others I knew who had more in common with the goals of the initiative.

Interdependence is one of the leadership mindsets that will lead us to greater fruitfulness in the Great Commission. We cannot accomplish it alone. Interdependence requires collaboration. If you are not working together, you are working in a silo. If you are working in a silo, you are neither collaborating nor achieving interdependence. You are also missing out on fruit that God has for you.

Collaboration can also be costly. Aligning your goals and approaches takes more time. It will almost certainly require crucial conversations and conflict resolution. However, the fruit of this kind of work can grow your character and increase trust with those you are collaborating with. 

It can require people and money to accomplish the work together with others. It can also lighten the load. The right kind of collaboration can yield greater results as you share resources for outcomes that advance aspects of the mission that both parties care about. 

Above all else, discernment about collaboration requires wisdom from the Holy Spirit. Take a moment to breathe deeply and ask the Holy Spirit to guide you in your response to any collaboration invitation. If you aren’t certain how you should respond, take a curious posture and ask more questions. Learn more about the goals, priorities, and values of the other party. Even if your answer is, “No,” you can bless them and pray for the work God has called them to do. If you aren’t sure, assess your current situation. If you have time and resources to give, start small and offer to take on a small experiment in collaboration. That will give you a chance to see if the partnership is a good fit for both of you. If you are stretched beyond your capacity, offer your blessing and don’t feel guilty about declining their invitation. If you really think it is a good opportunity, you can suggest working together sometime in the future when you have more margin to give. 

You will not get it right every time, and not every collaboration goes well. That has definitely been my experience. I encourage you to stay open to the Spirit’s leading. Do not rush your response. Remain prayerful, open, and avoid reacting out of a scarcity mentality or out of fear.

When the next invitation to collaboration comes, challenge yourself. Slow down and reconsider your first inclination. Why do you give the answer you do? What principles guide you? Are you missing out on fruit, or are you squandering resources that could be stewarded more effectively elsewhere?