Pact Partnerships

What is a PACT Partnership?

A PACT Partnership consists of a group of evangelical student pastors who meet consistently together to encourage one another in their personal walk with God, family life, and strategic ministries through Prayer, Accountability, Care and Training. These gatherings are led by a certified PACT Partner.

 

What is the purpose of creating these PACT Partnership networks?

The desire is to create a grid of relationally based networks of evangelical youth ministers across the country committed to encourage one another in their personal walk, family life, and strategic ministry. Where networks already exist, it is the desire of PACT to support these networks by providing encouragement, strategic help, and support when called upon.

 

What are the goals for a PACT Partnership?

  • Create greater faith and dependence on God through exposing truth of Christ
  • Encourage ministry priority to spouse and children
  • Provide safe refuge of accountability in personal, family, and ministry life
  • Provide on-going encouragement, support, and fellowship
  • Teach greater balance in life priorities
  • Teach discipleship through modeling
  • Eliminate youth minister isolation
  • Create communities of prayer
  • Provide training, educating, and equipping for highly effective youth ministry
  • Share effective resources and training opportunities to complement and enhance life and ministry
  • Help youth ministers wisely and strategically choose places of service
  • Encourage stronger relationships among church staff
  • Strengthen the local church all over the country
  • Promote youth ministry as powerful, attractive, and professional

What makes the PACT networking strategy unique?

There is a combination of three factors that make the PACT Partnerships unique. 1) The networking strategy is solely in place to provide student pastors a refuge to encourage one another. There are no hidden agendas or expectations. 2) The strategy is built upon a life-to-life investment principle rather than an event basis. 3) The strategy is clearly defined with excellent support resources to execute the ministry.

 

What is the strategic DNA of a PACT Partnership?

 

The PACT Strategy

The PACT strategy is a simple tool to help provide clear goals for PACT Partnerships.

 

Prayer

Just as Moses, Aaron and Hur joined in prayer for Joshua and the Israelite army (Exodus 17:8-16), we too must pray for one another to have God’s strength, wisdom, and direction in our personal walk with God, family, and ministry. Prayer unleashes God’s incredible love, incomprehensible power, and immeasurable blessings that can brand the earth for His glory. The PACT Partnership leader must believe that it is possible for student pastors to stay on their feet only if they and their partnership group stay on their knees. Prayer should be a priority during the partnership gathering. Take care to pray for the personal needs of leaders, students, parents, programming, and special concerns. Occasionally, it might be healthy to dedicate a whole gathering to prayer.

 

Accountabilty

“Two are better than one, because they have good return for their work: If one falls down, his friend can help him up. Pity the man who falls and has no one to help him up!” (Eccl. 4:9-10.) The art of holding one another lovingly accountable is almost extinct in our prideful society of self-made man. The results are tragic in the Christian community. God never intended for His people to be “lone rangers.” It is imperative that the partnership gathering provide consistent, honest, and loving accountability for one another. The PACT Partnership leader should provide the group with an accountability sheet for personal accountability. Hand out and collect these sheets weekly. In the event a student suggests a struggle in a particular area, the adult leader should pray first. If the problem persists, he should contact the student pastor to offer help.

 

Care

“The righteous will serve as a shelter from the wind, a refuge from the storm, and a stream in the desert and as a shadow from a great rock in a thirsty land” (Isa. 32:2). The PACT Partnership leader should provide an environment where the needs of each student pastor are cared for, whether spiritual, physical, emotional, relational, or ministry. “I had no place to turn” should never be the motto of one in the small group. Each student pastor, at one time or another, will have a burden that is difficult to carry. The PACT Partnership group should strive to be a safe place where student pastors are comfortable sharing needs and receiving help. It may come in the form of emotional support or counsel from the leader. It may be through an occasional phone call of encouragement from one of the student pastors to another.

 

Training

The small group is a place to receive biblical encouragement and training. In this safe environment, each student pastor can learn through life-to-life investment, biblically based resources, and the personal experiences of one another. It is here that the truth of God’s Word is studied and applied to the real needs of the student pastors. A vital aspect of the PACT Partnership gathering is training. Through the study and discussion of God’s Word and other Christian literature, the student pastors can glean insights critical for their own life and ministry.

Who leads these partnerships?

Youth Ministers across the country who have a particular call and passion to invest in and serve fellow youth ministers as “PACT Partnership Leaders” will be equipped and deployed for this task.

Are there special qualifications for these leaders?

  • Each leader must be presently serving as a youth minister in an evangelical church.
  • Each leader must exemplify the following characteristics:
    • Clear understanding of the gospel and living by grace
    • Spirit-controlled temperament
    • Committed to family as first ministry priority
    • Gifted Leader
    • Servant’s heart with a particular heart for fellow youth ministers
    • Selfless (not seeking personal gain)
    • Teachable spirit and team player
    • Self-motivated
    • Ability to communicate the vision of the ministry
    • Dedicated to prayer
  • Each leader must have a personal calling to serve the vision of the “PACT Partnership” Network.

How can I join a PACT Partnership, or how can I seek the position as a PACT Partnership leader?

If you are interested in seeking a PACT Partnership or inquiring about becoming a leader of a PACT Partnership, please contact Matt Brinkley at matt@pactministry.org for more information.