Principles of Cooperation

Joint statement (excerpt)

Decided at the conference of Directors and Board members of the Mission Association LIGHT IN THE EAST and its partners, Kiev, 15 May 2008.

1. The biblical tenor of the partnership

1) We are all united by one aim: to spread the Gospel and praise the glory of God. The glory is His, not ours.
2) We are all members of the body of Christ:
    - Every member can make a significant contribution.
    - Every member needs to be complemented by the other members of the body.
    - Every member bears his own share of responsibility.
3) We understand our partners to be members of one family, having equal rights, being of equal value and bearing equal responsibility.


2. Our attitude to one another: love in practice

1) We communicate with each other on an equal footing, and mutual respect and regard are a characteristic of our interaction.
2) We do not exercise power, but help one another, serve one another and support one another.
3) With spiritual responsibility we endeavour to create trust and to subordinate all our own behaviour to this goal. Openness and transparency promote trust.
4) We are considerate of our partner's opinion and accept him with his national and cultural characteristics.


3. Practical cooperation

1) We are equal partners, but each partner is independent. We grant the other partner the freedom to take autonomous decisions and to define the priorities for his own activities.
2) We develop good communication with one another, maintaining close contact as a mutual help for our ministry.
3) We exchange opinions about what concerns us. In so doing we listen attentively and try to understand what is of importance to our partner. We take his arguments seriously. We count on and respect the work of the Holy Spirit in our partner.
4) Each partner has a greater responsibility in his own country than elsewhere: his arguments have more authority than those of the others.
5) We clearly communicate our mutual expectations.
6) We not only see the achievement potential of our partner, but also his needs, which we take an interest in.

Trusting in the grace of God, signed by the leading brothers and sisters of LIGHT IN THE EAST and their partners