From Time to Time Part 6

By JASON CURRY
President, TBHC

HOW CHURCHES PARTNER FOR MINISTRY
If you asked a church member fifty years ago how their church “partnered in ministry,” you likely would have heard words like “sending, supporting or sponsoring”. Today, the language has shifted to “collaborating, sharing and co-laboring.” That change tells a story, not of drifting away from faithfulness, but of growing deeper into it.
 
THEN
Fifty years ago, most church partnerships were simpler and more centralized. Churches supported the work through national efforts, state conventions and individual ministries. Ministry largely flowed in one direction, from the local church outward. These efforts were genuine and sacrificial, rooted in obedience and trust that God would multiply what was given from afar.
 
That model made sense, and in many ways it still does. Communication was slower. Travel was costly. Centralized organizations filled critical gaps individual churches could not cross on their own. Those partnerships are what helped build TBHC, and we stand today on foundations strengthened by that faithfulness.

NOW
Today’s partnerships reflect a different ministry landscape. Churches want to know the ministries they support, not just fund them. They desire proximity to the mission and participation in the outcomes. Partnership looks more like shared vision than shared paperwork.
 
Modern churches partner through foster care and family support ministries. Volunteers serve alongside staff. Congregations adopt ministries rather than simply supporting budgets. Data, best practices and accountability matter more than ever, not because trust has faded, but because stewardship has matured.
 
According to research from the Barna Group, churches today prioritize collaboration, community engagement and measurable impact over single event ministry models, especially among younger generations of believers who long to see faith embodied rather than outsourced.
 
TBHC wants to help you discover how your church can be right in the middle of this work. Many of our churches already are faithfully engaged in meaningful ways, often without realizing how much impact they are already making. We want to help you be successful as you lean in.
 
I am excited to share with you that I and TBHC’s Vice President of Programs, Jami Hogan have written an interactive booklet that looks at how you can engage your congregation in caring for vulnerable children, steps to starting and sustaining a foster care/adoption ministry in your church as well as tools for partnering with TBHC to strengthen your church’s impact. At its core, the booklet “More Meaningful” proclaims a simple truth: everyone can do something. Not all are called to foster or adopt, but every believer can offer hope and healing. If you would like your free digital copy, please reach out to TBHC’s Operations Coordinator, Heather Coe, at [email protected].
 
Our hope is that this booklet helps pastors and church leaders see an important reality. The work of caring for children is already in your church. This is not something you need to build from scratch. It is something God has already placed within your people. We simply want to help you recognize it, nurture it and steward it well.
 
Complex issues like family stability and trauma recovery require solutions none of us could achieve alone. They demand long-term relationships, professional expertise at times, spiritual care and shared responsibility. Churches have not abandoned what they once did well. They have expanded it, learning that partnership is not just about sending help, but about being present together.
 
SCRIPTURE SPEAKS TO THIS TRUTH
“Now you are the body of Christ, and members individually.”
1 Corinthians 12:27
 
The body works best not when one part carries the load alone, but when every part contributes its God-given role. That truth remains timeless, even as expressions of partnership continue to change.
 
115 YEARS: HONORING THE PAST, CELEBRATING THE FUTURE
As we celebrate 115 years of ministry, we honor the churches who partnered with us decades ago through faithful giving and prayer. Their obedience continues to sustain the work today. We also celebrate churches who walk alongside us now, inspiring families to serve children, opening their doors and hearts and embracing a shared mission together.
 
AN INVITATION

• Would you pray for churches and ministries to partner with humility and courage?
• Would you give, knowing generosity multiplies impact?
• Would you share this story with someone who loves the Church and its mission?

Together, we are stronger than we have ever been.
Next month I will share another installment in my From Time-to-Time series, running through September to celebrate 115 years of ministry. We may not be the ministry you think we are, we are so much more!

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Memorials & Honorariums

An Expression of Everlasting Love
Many of our friends choose to honor or remember a family member, a friend or an associate with a gift for the children of TBHC. Texas Baptist Hope for Children, in turn, notifies the appropriate person. Listed in bold letters are those honored or remembered from May 1 to May 31, 2026.
 
ENDOWMENTS
BILL STOKES
 
HONORARIUMS
ALMIGHTY GOD: Karen Anglin
DR. J. LEONARD DECARLO, M.D. (RETIREMENT): Charles & Charlotte Johnson
MR. & MRS. LARRY HENSON: Leon & Johnnie Ross
MR. & MRS. WESLEY HENSON: Leon & Johnnie Ross
MR. & MRS. BRADLEY JOHNSON: Leon & Johnnie Ross
MR. & MRS. CLARK KEIFER: Leon & Johnnie Ross
DR. & MRS. TIM LEVENDUSKY: Leon & Johnnie Ross
REBEKAH LOW: Leon & Johnnie Ross
AVA RYLEE: Amy Dennis Realtor LLC
JAN STANTON: Weldon & Lana Sparks
SHEILA WALTON: Weldon & Lana Sparks

MEMORIALS
ANITA LANGE ANDERSON: Charles & Charlotte Johnson
MARK BARNHILL, SR.: Charles & Charlotte Johnson, Rosewood Baptist Church
LINDA CHILDS: Donny & Mary Traywick
HOLLY L. CHILEK: Chilek Law PLLC
GEORGE CONN: Oma Conn
LARRY DAVIDSON: Charles & Charlotte Johnson
CECIL DOWNEY: Carlie Downey
MR. CHARLES ENTRIKIN: Oak Hill Missionary Baptist Church
KEN GORDON: Andy & Nell McCuistion
MS. PAT HACKNEY: Harmony Missionary Baptist Church
BUDDY & LULU HAZELL: Cheryl Briscoe
BILLY WAYNE HOPKINS: Mr. & Mrs. Donald Traywick
JERRI HOWARD (NANA): Oak Hill Missionary Baptist Church
Y’VONNE JONES: Charles & Charlotte Johnson, Rosewood Baptist Church
JOYCE KENNEDY: Temple Baptist Church —Mexia
LAURIE MURRAY: Larry & Carol Brock
LOVITA OUIMET: James Ouimet
PAT, SAWN, & NATHANIEL: Shari Moore
BOBBIE PERRY: Weldon & Lana Sparks
TAMMY SWANNER: Phillip & Diana Quinn, Linda Green, Tony & Kelly Laminack
WADE WOODROM: Deidra Stewart

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