Church and Parachurch: Friends or Foes?

Are the church and parachurch friends or foes?

The short answer is, they can be either. Healthy and accountable parachurch ministries strengthen local churches. Undiscerning and unaccountable parachurch ministries undermine them.

The question we’d like to pose to you, if you’re a leader in a church or a parachurch, is whether you know what makes the difference.

Every author in this 9Marks Journal is a fan of parachurch ministries. A majority of us work for one! But the first order of business is determining what’s unique about each and how the two should relate to one another. Mack Stiles, Carl Trueman, and Aaron Menikoff help us answer these questions by establishing a vision.

Next, we need some practical advice for both the parachurch worker and the church leader on how to pursue a wise and fruitful partnership. Byron Straughn addresses the parachurch worker, Andy Johnson and Jeramie Rinne the church leader, D. A. Carson and I everyone.

What’s the ideal partnership? It’s one where the parachurch exists to protect the local church, says Mack Stiles. It pursues its good agenda thereby enabling the church to focus on its unique Christ-given mission. In Jeramie Rinne’s words, it’s one where the parachurch gives church members a venue for fulfilling all the godly ambitions that godly preaching inspires within them.

Getting a Vision for the Parachurch
Nine Marks of a Healthy Parachurch Ministry
By J. Mack Stiles
A longtime parachurch veteran lays out nine things that should keep a parachurch ministry faithful to the gospel. Read more >
How Parachurch Ministries Go Off the Rails
By Carl Trueman
Parachurch ministries often go wrong because they sideline important doctrines and lack proper accountability. Read more >
Are Parachurch Ministries Evil? Bad and Good Arguments for the Parachurch
By Aaron Menikoff
This article critiques common arguments in favor of parachurch ministries; then it offers surer footing for their biblical legitimacy and practical usefulness. Read more >
Helping Church and Parachurch Work Together
For the Parachurch: Know the Difference Between Families & Soccer Teams
By Byron Straughn
Too many parachurch workers are only casually connected to a church. But this parachurch worker says they should reconsider this stance—for their good and the good of their ministries. Read more >
For the Church: Which Parachurch Ministries Should You Support?
By Andy Johnson
Pastors are flooded with requests for parachurch support. Here are a few principles to help you decide whom to get behind. Read more >
For the Church: How Can You Support Parachurch Ministries?
By Jeramie Rinne
How can the local church support parachurch ministries? This pastor says by attending to your church’s health, by providing accountability, and by promoting their work. Read more >
Praying for Parachurch Ministries
By D.A. Carson
A seasoned saint, scholar, and parachurch leader offers six reflections on praying for parachurch ministries. Read more >
How Church Discipline Will Save the Parachurch
By Jonathan Leeman
Imagine what the evangelical landscape would look like if local churches did more to correct sin. Might the landscape become crowded with healthy parachurch ministries? Read more >
Miscellaneous Book Reviews
Book Review: Almost Christian
Reviewed by Matt McCullough
In 2005, sociologists Christian Smith and Melinda Denton published Soul Searching: The Religious and Spiritual Lives of American Teenagers, the first book to draw from the groundbreaking discoveries of the National Study of Youth and Religion (NSYR). Their description of teen religiosity as “Moralistic Therapeutic Deism” has been eagerly embraced by journalists, ministers, and other interested pontificators. Read more >
Book Review: The God Who Is There
Reviewed by Nicholas Piotrowski
In his 1998 book Losing Our Virtue, David Wells comments that systematic theologies are more commonly written for the academy than for the church. To do the latter, he says, “would require that theology understand the life of the Church as well as the way life in the postmodern world works, and not simply orient itself to the preoccupations of the academic guild” (10). Read more >
Book Review: Following Jesus, the Servant King
Reviewed by Bobby Jamieson
Discipleship is fundamental to Christianity. To be a Christian is to be a disciple—a follower, an apprentice—of Jesus. This entails a lifetime of grace-driven effort in pursuit of greater and greater conformity to Christ. Yet in many churches, real spiritual growth among church members is an anomaly. Stagnation is the norm. Read more >
Book Review: Christ-Centered Worship
Reviewed by Josh Manley
In his recent book Christ-Centered Worship Bryan Chapell writes, “Worship cannot simply be a matter of arbitrary choice, church tradition, personal preference or cultural appeal. There are foundational truths in the gospel of Christ’s redeeming work that do not change if the gospel is to remain the gospel. So, if our worship structures are to tell this story consistently, then there must be certain aspects of our worship that remain consistent” (85). Read more >
Book Review: Wired for Intimacy
Reviewed by Deepak Reju
Talk to ten males, and you shouldn’t be surprised to discover that a strong majority of them struggle with internet pornography. Sex seduces. Sex sells. And sex powerfully affects the male brain. Now William Struthers, associate professor of psychology at Wheaton College, has helped us to better understand why sexual images so powerfully affect men in particular with his book Wired for Intimacy: How Pornography Hijacks the Male Brain. HOW PORNOGRAPHY REWIRES THE BRAIN Read more >
Book Review: The Tangible Kingdom
Reviewed by Bobby Jamieson
Hugh Halter and Matt Smay are fed up with how we’re doing church today. Their book The Tangible Kingdom provides a vent for their frustrations. It tells the story of how they’ve sought a better way. And it prescribes how other church leaders can go about “creating incarnational community” by recovering “the posture and practices of ancient church now.” Read more >