Serving, Training, Energizing Partnerships

Serving, Training, Energizing Partnerships

STEP is a Global Discipleship program that provides your church with the opportunity to engage more significantly in global mission through a three-way partnership with CBM and one of its global partners. Being a STEP church is more than just participating in a cross-cultural experience or financially supporting mission. It means being open to where God is at work in our world and becoming active participants in it through the ministries of CBM and your global church partner. At the heart of STEP is a commitment to forming deeper relationships with believers from another part of the world – sharing life, learning from each other, giving and receiving. Foundational to the STEP partnership is the principle of mutual learning. This commitment can deeply impact the life of both your church and the global partner. Through the STEP experience your church may develop a renewed ministry focus within its congregation, local community and the world. Being a STEP church will: • Give your church the opportunity to journey deeper in discipleship as you worship, visit and grow with people from a different cultural context • Provide encouragement and solidarity with your global partner as you walk alongside them in ministry • Increase your awareness of the needs facing the global church • Enable your church to become advocates on behalf of the people you will partner with through STEP, as you educate others about the work God is doing around the world CBM’s ministry is rooted in integral mission, which emerges from the heart of God. It links words and actions, truth and love. It also has a community dimension because proclaiming that “Jesus is Lord” has social consequences as we call people to renewal and love in all areas of life. In the same way, our social involvement has evangelistic consequences as we bear witness to the presence and transforming grace of Jesus Christ.

THE STEP COMMITMENT A STEP partnership is 3 years, at which point a church may be able to renew its partnership for another term following a joint evaluation. Generally, we strongly encourage churches to consider making a commitment for an additional term because it allows for a further deeping of relationships that may have just begun during the first STEP term. When committing to a STEP partnership, it is expected that your church will: • Make a financial commitment of $10,000 per year for the length of the term. Of this amount, 75% is allocated to ministry priorities established by CBM in dialogue with the global partner. The remaining 25% is designated by your church in consultation with CBM. • Send a minimum of one short-term mission team to visit your global partner during the length of your partnership • Provide prayer support for the ministries of CBM and your global partner • Be open to opportunities to serve and be served, train and be trained, by maintaining ongoing dialogue with CBM and our church partner around global issues and ways to respond to them

The STEP program began in 2004 and is currently active in six countries: Bolivia, El Salvador, India, Kenya, Lebanon, and Rwanda. In return for your church’s commitment to a STEP partnership, CBM will provide: • Priority short-term ministry opportunities for your church to participate in the work of the global partner • Information and updates about your global partner and country approximately every 6-8 weeks • CBM Global Field Staff will speak in your church when they visit your region • Opportunities to host representatives from your global partner and CBM National Field Staff when they are in Canada • CBM staff to be available for joint mission planning with your church’s leadership • Access to promotional resources for your church (e.g. photos, ministry updates) and educational materials for Global Discipleship and integral mission • Ongoing monitoring and evaluation of the STEP partnership

By having your church as its STEP partner, our global partner commits to: • Receiving and facilitating short-term mission teams to fulfill the ministry priorities established in consultation with your church and CBM • Being open to mutual learning and the sharing of experiences • Openness to allowing God to energize them and you, and to encountering Christ together as we join his ministry in the world

STEP supports CBM’s four areas of ministry focus: Grassroots Leadership Formation Sustainable Community Development Joint Pioneer Outreach Global Discipleship

To find out more about becoming a STEP church contact us at 905.821.3533 or email [email protected].