THE POWER OF “WITH”:
CHURCH COOPERATION & COLLABORATION

“I thank my God in all my remembrance of you…because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now.” Philippians 1:3,5

Churches of the New Testament were interdependent within their relationships as well as their shared mission of making Jesus unignorable to every man, woman and child. The Church at Antioch set an example and become a hub for leveraging leadership to advance the Kingdom as well as support resources to provide relief to those in need: “So the disciples determined, everyone according to his ability, to send relief to the brothers living in Judea. And they did so, sending it to the elders by the hand of Barnabas and Saul” (Acts 11:29-30). There is movement among the churches of Greater Charleston to connect and collaborate to advance the Great Commission of making disciples of Jesus by mobilizing members as missionaries and developing leaders to shape Kingdom movement.

The Charleston Baptist Association (CBA) seeks to connect churches for greater Kingdom potential. Since 2021, the CBA has office at The Hub Ministry Center (HMC) due to its central location to the tri-county area and collaborative co-working spaces. The CBA is comprised of 73 churches who willingly participate and strategically support the vision of saturating every life with the Gospel. Additionally, Mission Charleston offices at the HMC and is an interdenominational alliance of 12 denominations and 215 churches who cooperate around Kingdom initiatives for prayer, good of the city, discipleship strategies, healthy leaders and church multiplication.

Churches are the centerpiece to leveraging strengths, sharing hope, serving communities and multiplying missionaries. The HMC fosters and fuels cooperation and collaboration in multiple ways among churches as well as non-profit organizations. It’s co-working shared spaces serves as a convening center for collaborative learning and strategizing. It’s cohabitating ministries and location serves as a missional lab for mission teams to conduct and coordinate ministry projects. It’s convening events and workshops provides a greenhouse incubator for equipping and mobilizing next generation leaders. It’s collaborative partnerships creates a transitional intersection for helping individuals and families take their next step up toward greater vitality. It’s missional environment creates a classroom for envisioning leaders toward their own missional outreach.

“ANTIOCH CHURCH”
SUNDAY GATHERINGS

“And when they arrived (at Antioch) and gathered the church together, they declared all that God had done with them, and how he had opened a door of faith to the Gentiles.” Acts 14:27

On-campus congregations resident at The Hub Ministry Center

  • Diverse communities of servants on mission to make Jesus unignorable to every man, woman & child

  • Celebrative Sunday Gathering that elevates Kingdom praise, shares Gospel stories & teaches Biblical truths

  • Community minded greenhouse for missionary disciples to gather, connect & collaborate to advance the Gospel in every domain of Greater Charleston

Praise – Inviting worshippers in lifting up each other thru singing Christ-centered songs together

Stories – Sharing Gospel hope by everyday disciples from everyday domains as living parables

Truths – Teaching biblical principles that connect and equip from everyday parables

THE MULTI-DIMENSIONAL DISCIPLE

“And when they arrived (at Antioch) and gathered the church together, they declared all that God had done with them, and how he had opened a door of faith to the Gentiles.” Acts 14:27

The Hub Ministry Center pushes against the gravitational pull of a one dimensional discipleship isolating cognitive learning as the ultimate expression of knowing and loving God and others. Formal theological training as well as biblical expository preaching provides a vital foundation for knowledge. However, Solomon exclaimed, “The beginning of wisdom is this: Get wisdom, and whatever you get, get insight (understanding)” Proverbs 4:7. Wisdom is the application of knowledge and understanding is the incarnation of wisdom. Jesus was a Rabbi with authority who did much more than convey knowledge, He demonstrated wisdom and modeled insight through the example of His life.

Loving God and loving others is to convey much more than what we know (“all your mind /knowledge”) and is interconnected with the heart which speaks to relationships both vertical toward God and horizontal toward others. One can be rich with material wealth and yet be a pauper through relational poverty. Another dimension is one’s soul which speaks to purpose. Jesus said, “For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world and forfeits his soul?” (Matthew 16:26). The Gospel gives us a new heart, eternity with God gives us a new purpose and the Spirit of God enables us with a new vitality through a spiritual strength. “As each has received a gift, use it to serve one another, as good stewards of God’s varied grace” (1 Peter 4:10).

Spiritual life can flourish when heart, soul, strength and mind are held together like a flourishing ecosystem of salt water marsh teeming together with life that is held together for the smallest to the greatest of organisms. The Hub Ministry Center provides a holistic spiritual eco-system that encompasses the multi-dimensional expression of loving God and loving others fully. Through the compassion of direct services and the collaboration of shared services, a holistic environment can provide shared experiences for disciples of Jesus in relationships, purpose, knowledge and stewardship.