We’re continuing our miniseries examining Six “Key” Strategies…operating principles and approaches that provide a framework for our staff and volunteers when unexpected opportunities arise. Today, we’ll look at our ongoing efforts to advance our mission and the disability ministry movement through partnering with other like-minded organizations and individuals.

What, after all, is Apollos? And what is Paul? Only servants, through whom you came to believe—as the Lord has assigned to each his task. I planted the seed, Apollos watered it, but God has been making it grow. So neither the one who plants nor the one who waters is anything, but only God, who makes things grow. The one who plants and the one who waters have one purpose, and they will each be rewarded according to their own labor. For we are co-workers in God’s service; you are God’s field, God’s building.

By the grace God has given me, I laid a foundation as a wise builder, and someone else is building on it. But each one should build with care. For no one can lay any foundation other than the one already laid, which is Jesus Christ.

1 Corinthians 3:5-11 (NIV)

We would have been very intentional about cultivating relationships with other like-minded ministries and Christ-followers, even if doing so wasn’t imperative from a strategic perspective. The crew has too much fun when we get together with our colleagues from around the country and beyond.

We didn’t (and still don’t) have the budget to hire a large staff in support of our mission. Relationships with other leaders and ministries allow us to cast much greater influence than our budget would otherwise allow. Our relationships allow us to access gift and talent sets that compliment the strengths of our team. Working together helps increase awareness of our resources, as well as the resources of our partnering organizations. Working together allows us to focus our efforts on developing resources and services that address unmet needs among the churches we serve.

Key Ministry has occupied a unique position in the disability ministry movement in that our organization was largely started by child-serving professionals, while most other organizations were launched by parents of kids with disabilities or churches in which a senior leader’s family was impacted by disabilities. Our current Board is composed (in part) by a child and adolescent psychiatrist, a former speech and language pathologist, a special education teacher, and a counselor specializing in the treatment of anxiety. We’ve been blessed with many leaders and volunteers with years of professional experience in serving the population of kids and families who are underrepresented in our churches. We’ve asked those professionals to develop resources no other organization could offer and are honored to share our resources with other organizations.

Inclusion Fusion is one enormous collaboration with thirty leaders from a plethora of ministry organizations. Our Free Respite website will be made available to other ministries offering church-based respite care services. We greatly benefit from the resources of organizations who can help us get the word out about what we have to offer… Group Publishing’s invitation to Katie to write for Children’s Ministry magazine and train at their annual Kidmin conference is one example. Our trip next month to the McLean Accessibility Summit is another. Our future electronic ministry will involve MANY collaborations with churches seeking to serve more families of kids with disabilities.

Are you a ministry leader interested in working with us? Give us a call. Shoot us an e-mail. Let’s talk!

I think God is pleased when His children are working together on behalf of the Kingdom.

FYI…Here’s an excellent post from one of our friends on how to do ministry collaboration.

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Our Key Ministry team will be hitting the road to be part of the 2013 Accessibility Summit, hosted by McLean Bible Church in suburban Washington D.C. on April 19th-20th. This year’s Summit features Emily Colson (daughter of Chuck) As an artist, author, and speaker, Emily is passionate about inspiring others to persevere through their challenges and appreciate life’s gifts. In her book Dancing with Max, she and her late father share the struggle and beauty of life with Max, Emily’s son with autism.

For more on our Key Ministry presentations, click here. For more information on the Summit and registration, click on the Summit logo to the right.