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Within the U.S., Colorado's Baptists have partnered with Baptists in Missouri to provide shared opportunities for ministry.

The partnership with Missouri is the newest Colorado partnership.  Like the others, it was voted on and approved at the 2004 Annual Meeting of the Colorado Baptist Convention.

The Missouri Baptist Convention partnership gives churches an opportunity to partner with churches within the United States, making mission trips more affordable for those unable to travel internationally.

The Missouri Baptist Convention is made up of 63 Associations and over 2,000 churches in a population of 5.5 million people. The Colorado Baptist General Convention, on the other hand, is made up of 11 Associations with 385 churches in a population of 4.5 million. With 90% of the Colorado population unchurched, there are endless opportunities.

The purpose of this partnership will be to proclaim the Gospel of Jesus Christ in such a way that all people in Colorado and Missouri will have the opportunity to hear and to receive Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior, to accelerate the planting and development of churches, and to help foster a climate for spiritual renewal and awakening in Colorado and Missouri. This will be accomplished primarily through the formation of church-to-church partnerships between Missouri Baptist and Colorado Baptist churches for the purpose of fostering ministry relationships that facilitate a more effective mission’s effort on the part of the local church.

The focus of the partnership will be evangelism, church planting, and discipleship. The emphasis will be on Christians from Missouri and Colorado working together to extend the Kingdom of God in Colorado and Missouri. The partnership will not be based on financial or material need or ability.

The basic strategy of the primary partnership is to enlist volunteer teams and churches from each state and strategically partner them together. Each team will be composed of representatives from either one or multiple churches. (Example: A team may consist of 30 people who represent 8 different Missouri Baptist Churches.) Each team will focus on one particular Colorado partner church. The Colorado Baptist General Convention will, in cooperation with its associations, select key churches from each association that are active in evangelism and church planting. These will be the partner churches for the Missouri Baptist Teams. The Missouri team will come and spend several days with the their respective Colorado partners during which time they will minister together, see the needs and opportunities, discuss the missions strategy and possibilities of a partnership. They will discuss the parameters of their partnership and set concrete goals for the partnership and a basic implementation plan for the partnership. Within a short time (up to 1 month) after the Missouri church returns, both churches will decide if they sense God’s leading in continuing with the church to church partnership and what should be the duration of the partnership. The CBC church will, in turn, determine how they can reciprocate with similar mission involvement.

Here is how you can become involved and how the CBC will support you:

• The Colorado Baptist Convention (CBC) will encourage it’s congregations to pray for, partner with, and serve through volunteer missions with the Missouri Baptist Convention churches.
• CBC will coordinate initial volunteer teams with associations and churches of the Missouri Baptist Convention.
• The CBC will provide volunteer orientation materials conducive to enhancing a good and fruitful mission experience.
• The CBC will offer a suggested church to church partnership covenant to be used by CBGC churches as they establish partnerships with MBC churches.
• The CBC Office of Prayer & Evangelism will act as the central information center for mission’s needs and opportunities, mobilization of teams, and partnership evaluation between the CBGC and MBC until the partnership is established.
• The CBC will serve as an adviser and encourager, and offer assistance to partnering churches of the CBC for the purpose of gaining a more fulfilling missions/ministry experience.
• CBC partnering churches will be expected to communicate and pray for MBC partners on a regular basis.
• CBC partnering churches will be encouraged to plan a missions/ministry trip to the partnering church at least once a year.
• The CBC will promote missions involvement and offer missions support for this partnership through its annual Week of Prayer for Partnership Missions.

For more specific information about partnership mission opportunities in Missouri, contact Ron Clement at 303-771-2480 x 236 or by email at rclement@cbgc.org