Partnership in Gospel Ministry

Werner Baumker
January 4, 2018

“I thank my God every time I remember you. In all my prayers for all of you, I always pray with joy because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now, being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.” Philippians 1:3-6

Partnership is a familiar concept – whether in the workplace, marriage, or in the sporting arena. Yet, what does it mean to partner in the gospel? What does it mean to partner in bringing the gospel of Jesus Christ to others, to partner in shared strength, support and encouragement?

The word Paul uses in the original Greek for ‘partnership’ is ‘koinonia’ which is commonly defined as a state of fellowship, bond, oneness, association or joint participation with someone for a united purpose. The word that Paul uses in the Greek therefore is a lot stronger and suggests something much deeper than the way we would use the word ‘partnership’ in modern day English.

From the earliest days, the Philippian church had been involved in the work of the Gospel. One of the ways in which the early Christians in Philippi were partnering in the gospel was through their generous, sacrificial, financial and resource support of Paul’s ministry of advancing the gospel. In this form of support, Paul regarded the Philippians as labourers or co-labourers in his ministry and as co-partakers with him of God’s grace (1:5, 1:7; 3:10). Through their financial support, the Philippians were thus regarded as fellow laborers or co-laborers with Paul in the advancement of the gospel to the whole world, united in purpose by a strong sense of ‘koinonia’, of oneness.

The Rich History of Gospel Patronage

Throughout history, from the early Philippian church right through to the modern day, we find incredible examples of long-standing partnerships in the gospel through financial support. These stories tell of how willing ‘givers’ have come alongside ministers of the God’s word, with fervent prayer, with encouragement, and with sacrificial giving to progress the gospel and reach the lost. These historic accounts of gospel patronage have largely gone unnoticed and have been forgotten over time.

An excellent resource that seeks to bring to light and celebrate these stories is the book “Gospel Patrons” by John Rinehart and its associated website www.gospelpatrons.org. The book shares several detailed accounts from history about men and women whose financial generosity in support of the proclamation of the word of God changed the world. These accounts provide a vivid insight and visible demonstration of the ‘koinonia’ Paul so aptly describes in his letter to the Philippians.

From John Rinehart’s systematic review of the historic records of gospel patronage, it is clear that several trends and patterns emerge. Gospel patrons are typically characterised by a sense of joyful sacrificial giving, a deep personal rather than purely transactional partnership, and a committed desire to partner in gospel proclamation to the lost. In the words of the author, “A gospel patron is someone who resources and comes alongside others to help them proclaim the gospel. The patron provides the means, the supported ministry provides the gospel message. Both are partners in the gospel.”

William Tyndale and Humphrey Monmouth

One such partnership was that between William Tyndale and Humphrey Monmouth. For over 1,000 years the Bible had been inaccessible to most. The Vulgate, a late 4th century translation of the Bible, was locked in Latin, a language that very few could read. Very few therefore knew the Bible. In the 1500s, an Englishman named William Tyndale was driven by a burning desire to translate the Bible from the original Greek and Hebrew into the English language, so that the British people, so that the many who had heard about the God of the Bible, could actually meet Him. Around 1520, William Tyndale became a tutor and chaplain in the family of Sir John Walsh, at Little Sodbury in Gloucestershire. He would often become involved in debates and discussions with local abbots and archdeacons that visited the wealthy household. During one such debate, in response to the taunt by a local clergyman entrenched in Roman Catholicism, “We are better to be without God’s laws than the Pope’s”, Tyndale uttered these now famous words:

“I defy the Pope and all his laws. If God spare my life, ere many years I will cause a boy who drives the plough to know more of the scriptures than you do.”

Many regard this as Tyndale’s key mission statement. In fact, the reference to the image of a plough-boy was very fitting, because a plough-boy at that point in history would have been illiterate with no access to the word of God at all. Tyndale set out to translate the Bible is such a way that it would be accessible and understandable to everyone.

Tyndale and Humphrey Monmouth met for the first time in 1523. Tyndale was a gifted scholar, preacher and linguist who during his lifetime became fluent in over eight languages, ancient and modern, including French, Greek, Hebrew, German, Italian, Latin and Spanish. Monmouth was a wealthy and successful London cloth merchant with an expansive business network, and with a heart for the gospel to reach the lost. Monmouth recognised the incredible gospel opportunity in helping Tyndale to make known the Word of God to all people. From that day forth, Monmouth financially supported Tyndale’s dangerous work of translating and printing the Bible.

By 1526, three years after first meeting, Tyndale had produced the first full printed edition of the New Testament in English. As the first English translations to take advantage of the printing press, widespread access to the newly translated Bible lit up the Protestant Reformation. His subsequent work focused on translating the Old Testaments until the day of his capture and death.

Convicted of heresy, Tyndale was strangled and burnt at the stake in the prison yard of the castle of Vilvoorde on 6th October 6 1536, after being imprisoned for 500 days. His last words were, “Lord, open the king of England’s eyes.”

Just one year after Tyndale’s death, his translation work led to the first full, true and legitimate printed edition of the Bible in English in 1537. And only three years after his death, Tyndale’s prayers were answered with the authorisation, publication and distribution of King Henry VIII’s 1539 English “Great Bible” throughout the country, the first authorised edition of the Bible in English. In 1611, 75 years after Tyndale’s death, King James authorised an updated English translation. This King James Version (KJV), also known as the King James Bible (KJB) or the Authorised Version (AV), drew significantly on Tyndale’s work, with estimates that an incredible eighty to ninety percent was carried over.

The gospel partnership between Tyndale and Monmouth led to the first translations of the Bible into English directly from the original Hebrew and Greek, and the world has never been the same again. As Rinehart reflects on the partnership: “History remembers Tyndale, but it has largely forgotten that behind this massive movement of God was a businessman. In the shadows of the English Reformation stands an invaluable Gospel Patron named Humphrey Monmouth.”

George Whitfield and Lady Huntingdon

In His mercy, God united a passionate preacher in George Whitfield and a single-minded English aristocrat and patroness in Selina Hastings, Countess of Huntingdon, to spread the gospel far and wide across the world.

Whitfield was a remarkable preacher and evangelist, with widespread engagement, recognition and following across Great Britain, North America, and the American Colonies. He was a leading figure in the “Great Awakening”, the Protestant revival that swept Protestant Europe and British America in the 1730s and 1740s.

But some wanted to curb his extraordinary evangelistic efforts and have him settle down. He was offered large sums of money in London, Boston Philadelphia and Maryland.
But this wasn’t Whitfield’s dream. He said: “The sight of so many perishing souls every day affects me much, and makes me long to go if possible from pole to pole, to proclaim redeeming love.”

It was Lady Huntingdon’s financial support made it possible for Whitfield to fulfil this dream and vision to advance the gospel.
A key development in their gospel partnership came about when Lady Huntingdon asked Whitfield to become one of her personal chaplains, enabling Whitefield to take the Word of God to the influential and the nobility. Her support also gave Whitfield the financial means and the encouragement to continue preaching everywhere, promoting the revival among all churches, all denominations and all peoples. She also financed the building of at least 64 chapels in England and Wales. Whitfield sourced and trained evangelical preachers, while Lady Huntingdon provided the places to worship.

The death of Whitfield in 1770, at the age of 55 marked the end of an incredible gospel partnership. It is widely recorded that Whitfield had preached at least 18,000 sermons, which averaged to more than ten a week and more than 500 a year over a period of thirty-four consecutive years of active ministry.

Rinehart summarises the partnership: “What Lady Huntingdon and George Whitfield accomplished was truly incalculable. They reached into the unreached places of both England and America where there were no faithful churches and no gospel preachers. Together they persuaded many of England’s nobility that God was not a dull idea, but a living Savior who could be known and felt. In the years before the American colonies became an independent nation, four fifths of Americans had heard Whitfield preach Jesus…Together, this gospel preacher and his Gospel Patron brought their generation face to face with eternity and revived the faith of the English-speaking world.”

A Call to Action

The words of the apostle Paul and these rich historic accounts of gospel patronage serve as a timely call to action for us today. In light of the relational gospel partnership (koinonia) let’s consider what it means to partner in the gospel from the perspective of stewarding the financial resources God has entrusted you with.

Many of us may assume that gospel patrons are an exclusive groups of wealthy individuals, with significant disposable income to support a wide variety of different gospel ministries and causes. We may struggle to identify with the stories of Humphrey Monmouth or Lady Huntingdon, and therefore quickly rule out the prospect of gospel patronage. However, it is encouraging to know that gospel patronage starts with the heart and with relationship, not with wealth and high-capacity giving. Throughout history, gospel patronage has started with the aim of advancing the gospel through sincere prayer, deep friendship and faithful financial stewardship.

So, what does this mean for us today? It means that gospel patronage is something we can all consider. What could our gospel patronage look like? it could start by investigating the wider gospel ministry opportunities within your own local church. It could start by developing a friendship with a
Co-Mission gospel ministry trainee in your church and coming alongside them in regular prayer, accountability and financial support for the longer term. It could start by learning more about the evangelistic church plants being launched across the Co-Mission network, and coming alongside the planters as they plan, develop and fundraise. Whichever avenue you pursue and commit to, know that there is great joy that comes from investing in gospel ministries, watching them flourish, and being co-labourers in the advancement of the gospel to the lost. As Rinehart helpfully puts it, “for the Gospel Patron, giving is an opportunity, not an obligation; a blessing, not a burden.” We know this because Jesus himself said: “it is more blessed to give than to receive” (Acts 20:35)


Co-Mission Patrons Scheme

The Co-Mission Patrons’ Scheme is a developing initiative within Co-Mission, which seeks to grow a long-term base of prayer and financial support for planting and strengthening evangelistic gospel churches across London.

Gospel ministry in London is increasingly expensive and Co-Mission’s vision to reach London for Christ cannot be funded through local church giving alone. Gospel partnership is therefore a vital component of launching, maintaining and supporting gospel ministry.

Find out more

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