Besides these areas, which most Christians are familiar with, I was involved in
personal witness in jails and college campuses. At the time of my
involvement, which was one of the most positive experiences of my life, I didn't
realize I was part of a "parachurch organization". Until fairly recently, I had not even heard the term. Over this and the following articles, we will discuss just what the term means, for the benefit of those who, like me, have never heard of one, or know little about the idea.
The first step in discussing something is defining it, so everyone agrees we're talking about the same thing. The prefix "para" is a
Greek word meaning "beside" or "near". A parachurch organization, then, is one that works alongside, or in concert with, the church, but has a separate identity independent from the church. For purposes of our discussion, "church" means either a local church body, or a group of local churches organized into a denomination.
That said, the best way of giving a definition here is by way of
example. Evangelistic organizations like the Billy Graham Evangelistic
Association and Campus Crusades, and missionary boards, and local food pantries are but a few examples. Parachurch organizations have one overriding function: they strive to meet a perceived need that the local church either cannot, or will not, meet. They do not perform the functions of a local church; they do not offer communion, perform baptisms, or perform marriage or funeral ceremonies. The parachurch members may, indeed, do these things, but as part of their own local church.
There is no question that parachurch organizations perform vital functions in the ministry of the Gospel. No local church body places Bibles in hotels and motels like the Gideons do, and few churches have an effective evangelistic outreach on college campuses like Campus Crusade. At the same time, there are problems inherent in the very fact that these groups exist outside the control of local church organizations. Short of breaking the law, they are usually accountable only to themselves. Frequently they siphon off financial resources and talent from local churches, leaving less able
to accomplish their own mission.
The following articles will discuss these issues in greater detail. The last one in the series will attempt to draw all of the threads together, and draw some conclusions about whether parachurch organizations are, on balance, good or bad for the functioning of local churches.
Coming next: The types of parachurch groups