Partnership fund

The fund begins
Development of the fund (1991-1996)
1994: Taking stock
An evaluation of the fund
Statistics
Future of the fund

The uniting general council (Nairobi 1970) established a Special Services fund, which was administered by the department of cooperation and witness. The fund was designed to enable member churches of WARC to apply for small grants for projects that could not be funded by other interchurch aid networks, notably the World Council of Churches' commission on interchurch aid, refugee and world service (CICARWS). The income of the fund came from designated grants by member churches, with an average balance of about CHF250,000 per year, which did not seem to be sufficient to cope with the expanding needs.

The department of cooperation and witness experienced great problems in promoting the fund's possibilities due to limited staff and financial resources. The report on "The Alliance in the Nineties" presented to the 22nd general council proposed that the fund should be enlarged and given regular financial and staff support. It was suggested to strengthen the fund by

• renaming it the "Reformed churches partnership fund", and transferring the monies currently held with the Special Services fund to the new fund;
• working with clear criteria and a transparent procedure;
• funding it "separately from the regular yearly budget of the Alliance through designated contributions from churches, foundations and individuals";
• administering it through the general secretariat, with continuing oversight by the executive committee;
• making "grants to member churches of the WARC for funding of projects initiated by one or more member churches that cannot be funded from any other bilateral or ecumenical source";
• providing advocacy on behalf of applicants with other agencies or sources of funding whenever possible.

Due to lack of time, the general council was unable to carry through the projected redefinition of the fund but it nevertheless made some general remarks about the use of the fund, "that this fund helps the member churches to take up matters of concern for them, whether at the level of a country, a world region or at an international level".

The fund begins

At its first meeting in Geneva in 1990, the new executive committee decided:

• to appoint a partnership fund committee (serving as a subcommittee of the executive committee): Dr Herbert Ehnes, Germany (Chair); Prof Dr Jane Dempsey Douglass, USA; Rev Karin Sporre, Sweden; Rev Dr James Andrews, USA; Mr Benjamin Masilo, Lesotho; Attorney Emilio Capulong, Philippines; and the general secretary. In 1993, Rev Samuel Ador, Sudan, and Rev Carlos Camps, Cuba, joined the partnership fund committee to contribute their experience from the southern perspective.
• to appoint Gerhard Dilschneider to the newly created position of assistant to the general secretary, charged as part of his job description with the administration of the partnership fund;
• to approach member churches and donors to contribute; and
• to split the fund into two in order to comply with the criteria of the Churches' Development Service (KED), Germany.
• The first meeting of the partnership fund committee was held in August 1990. The assistant to the general secretary started work on 1 February 1991.

Development of the fund (1991-1996)

The second meeting of the partnership fund committee took place in Sao Paulo, Brazil, in August 1991. The committee decided on policy and procedures and evaluated the results of the work done in recent months.

Policy of the fund

WARC, as a fellowship of churches rooted to a particular theological tradition, does not see its primary purpose as collecting and channelling interchurch aid funds. It operates the partnership fund in a unique manner and cannot be compared to other donor agencies.

During a conference with ecumenical partners in Madras, India, in November 1993, the policy of the fund was explained as follows: "The fund was named "Partnership fund" under the guiding principle of the ecumenical movement of "sharing of resources". WARC receives financial contributions from member churches and distributes such funds to those in need. But WARC considers this activity as only one of many other activities and by no means the most important. With the support of many others the small partnership fund office is sharing the resources among the Reformed family including the sharing of material and non-material resources. WARC uses its service in communicating the work and life of the churches among themselves through literature, conferences and meetings, visits, correspondence and petitions. WARC tries to share our faith and hopes, problems and aspirations by meeting each other, worshipping together, providing support in situations of crisis, opening up to ecumenical relations in cases of isolation and by working towards more unity to enhance the credibility of Christian witness in a given situation. For WARC the partnership fund is one means, one component among many others and therefore due to the WARC structure-financial means are one common source among others."

In El Escorial, Portugal (1987), the ecumenical family adopted an important document, "Guidelines for Sharing", which is relevant to WARC as one of the Christian world communions: "To promote through words and deeds the holistic mission of the church in obedience to God's liberating will" and "to present to one another our needs and problems in relationships where there are no absolute donors, or absolute recipients, but all have needs to be met and gifts to give, and to work for the structural changes in the institutions of the north and the south which this calls for."

WARC tries to implement in a modest way, considering its limited finances and staff, what El Escorial is calling for: "working towards self-reliance and self-determination; committing ourselves to a common discipline of sharing among God's people; participating in the decision-making process between north and south; promoting through words and deeds the holistic mission of the church." Through its structures, programmes and activities, WARC attempts to share resources both material and non-material. The partnership fund with its financial resources is just one element within this overall picture.

Project Criteria

Criteria for the approval of grants were based on "The Alliance in the Nineties" and covered a wide range of programme activities, while at the same time recognizing the interests of the Churches' Development Service (KED), Germany, which had agreed to contribute regularly to the fund's income through earmarked grants for development-orientated activities. Further revised in 1993 with additions stressing women's concerns, the criteria are as follows:

1. Projects that strengthen the witness of one or more member churches and facilitate their constructive contribution to the ecumenical movement.
2. Projects that enhance the effectiveness of the witness of one or more member churches in hostile or daunting circumstances, whether occasioned by their small membership, meagre resources or the pressures of a dominant religious group or of an antagonistic government through cultural, economic, political or ideological influences. Programmes that provide leadership development, [theological training/reflection], and [other] training opportunities for clergy and lay people, with particular emphasis on women [on integration of women's concerns], fostering Christian stewardship leading to self-reliance and seeking solutions to root causes of problems.
3. Projects that promote cooperation among member churches in a geographic region and foster effective networks of mutual support among them.
4. Projects that assist one or more member churches to increase their knowledge of the Reformed tradition and its application in their witness today.
5. Projects that seek reconciliation of divisions within or among member churches, especially within a nation or geographic region, that inhibit participation by those churches in the wider unity of all Christ's people.
6. Projects that respond to violation of human rights by providing legal assistance, advocacy and pastoral accompaniment, direct legal and moral assistance to prisoners, sharing of expertise and experience among member churches and organizations.
7. Projects that give visible and tangible expression to the solidarity of the whole Reformed family for those within it who are oppressed or in dire need by encouraging and giving support to member churches in their struggle for justice, peace and integrity of creation (eg responding to emergencies and famine, refugees and rehabilitation programmes, assistance to community development projects, including administrative costs).
8. WARC will not duplicate existing agencies and channels for the funding of projects. It subscribes to the Lund Principle (which promotes ecumenical cooperation) and cooperates to the fullest extent possible with the World Council of Churches and other ecumenical bodies.
9. Applications for grants may be made only by member churches, and grants may be made [given] only to or through member churches.
10. Grants to a particular project shall not exceed Swiss Francs 30,000 in any year except upon authorization of the Officers of WARC.

Contributions from the German donor KED were kept in a separate account of the partnership fund (Fund "A"); only project requests related to criteria 1, 2, 6, 7, 9 and 10 were disbursed out of this earmarked grant. Fund "B" represents the contribution of non-earmarked grants from other sources (churches, donors and individuals); and Fund "C" is related to the contribution of the Geneva foundation Fondation pour l'aide au protestantisme réformé (FAP).

The Lund Principle

The Lund Principle mentioned in criterion 8 was already adhered to by the Special Services fund. The principle, formulated at the third world conference on Faith and Order in Lund, Sweden, in 1952, after deliberation on the unity of the church, states that "activities which can be carried out ecumenically should not be carried out denominationally". It is important that the partnership fund does not duplicate already funded projects, but also that the principle serves as a guideline without victimizing those in need. Neither "does it intend to limit the scope but should give enough freedom and flexibility to initiate and to become active in certain areas of concern not yet covered" [Committee Minutes, 1991].

One of the main reasons of promoting the partnership fund was the acknowledgement that almost half the WARC member churches are not related to the ecumenical funding structure of the WCC and its interchurch aid programme and that WARC could express its solidarity with the Reformed family in such a way without encroaching on existing efforts.

The partnership fund committee decided not to support applications for scholarships. This was not only for reasons of structure, finances and capacity but is also related to the Lund Principle, since the WCC runs an extensive scholarship programme.

Public Relations work

To make the fund's new approach known to the member churches and to give it wider exposure, material in English, French and Spanish was sent out to the WARC constituency and the donors. The criteria and procedures were explained and a logo (the globe) was employed to identify the fund.

During its first year of operation (1991), the partnership fund committee disbursed grants amounting to CHF280,457 to 27 projects submitted by member churches in 17 countries in Africa, Asia, Latin America and the Pacific, plus CHF244,200 to 4 projects supported by FAP.

Already by the third meeting of the committee in Wellington, New Zealand, in 1992, Dr Ehnes could declare that the partnership fund "with the present achievement has implemented one mandate of the Seoul general council, that the procedures introduced in 1991 serve its purpose and that in particular member churches of WARC not linked to the WCC benefit from the funds resources".

Cooperation with donors

From the very beginning, the income contributed to the partnership fund by WARC member churches from the northern hemisphere provided the backbone for its operation. Over the years a fruitful relationship has also developed with other donor organizations, namely:

a) Churches' Development Service, Germany

The Churches' Development Service, or Ausschuß der EKD "Kirchliche Mittel für den Entwicklungsdienst' (KED), in Hanover, Germany, agreed in 1990 to contribute to the partnership fund on a regular basis and in two ways: through earmarked grants for projects support to member churches on development oriented activities and through an annual contribution to administrative expenses. This generous assistance over the years has shaped greatly the possibilities, profile and function of the partnership fund.

b) Fondation pour l'aide au protestantisme réformé, Geneva

Since 1990, thanks to the former WARC general secretary, Edmond Perret, the partnership fund has benefited from the Geneva fund Fondation pour l'aide au protestantisme réformé (FAP), a fund created out of a legacy and designed to help churches of the Reformed family in their ministry and diaconal work. The partnership fund has been represented on the FAP committee and a helpful and cooperative relationship has developed with this donor. The assistance given by FAP to projects administered by WARC is approved according to partnership fund criteria and channelled through the partnership fund accounts.

c) Kirchen helfen Kirchen, Germany

The programme Kirchen helfen Kirchen (churches helping churches) was set up under the umbrella of the Diakonisches Werk (welfare organization) of the EKD (Evangelical Church in Germany), in Stuttgart, as an ecumenical interchurch agency assisting churches and parishes in various fields of their ministry. An agreement was reached in 1992 that the partnership fund can pass on to the Stuttgart office project requests submitted by WARC member churches, with the grants channelled and disbursed through the partnership fund accounts. Through this fruitful cooperation the Reformed family has benefited in various ways.

d) Cooperation with other agencies

From the very beginning the partnership fund sought advice from other ecumenical bodies like the WCC and the Lutheran World Federation (LWF) which had much more experience in this field. In December 1991 partnership fund representatives met the leadership of CICARWS to explain the fund's role and seek closer cooperation. The aim of the partnership fund to not to deal with project applications in an isolated way, but to give advice and guidance to the church or project holder how best to achieve the intended purpose. If the partnership fund cannot help in a particular case, the applicant is brought into contact with other donors and ecumenical partners like the ecumenical development cooperative society (EDCS) or the ecumenical church loan fund (ECLOF).

1994: Taking stock

The fourth meeting of the partnership fund committee was convened in July 1994 at Pittsburgh, PA, USA. An extensive report about the activities of the partnership fund was supplemented with some further detailed information about the kinds of projects assisted over the years. During the period 1991-1993 the partnership fund approved 95 funding requests amounting to CHF1.8 million, and the following analysis gives a breakdown of how this money was spent:

It was noted that in 1993 alone 53% of the total amount disbursed to member churches went into physical resources (buildings). This led to a review of the criteria and a streamlining of the policy. The committee, considering the experience gathered in working with donors and recipients over the period in question, and realizing the specific needs of the member churches of WARC for the development of human resources, decided to give preference to project requests emphasizing:

• human resource development;
• the need for continuous education and training;
• the promotion of south-south programmes and relations among member churches;
• programmes in the southern hemisphere related to the preparation of the 23rd general council;
• with priority for pilot projects reflecting the preferences.
• It agreed that, in order to serve the interests of the WARC constituency, only one application from a member church would be considered every other year.

This shift in emphasis from buildings to human development can also be seen in the following table of disbursements for the years 1993 to 1995:

Note: After dropping by half in 1994, grants for buildings increase again in 1995; but an allocation, of course, is also a question of judgement. Grants for the Yaoundé Faculty (B1/95) or the family quarters of the UTC (B3/95) or the multipurpose open market in Kiribati (B7/95) were put in the building category, but might also have been allocated to leadership development, because all three facilities serve this purpose.

Three-quarters of the WARC member churches are located in the southern hemisphere. The partnership fund would like to commit still more energy to promoting south-south exchange so that churches coming from a similar environment can learn from each other.

Attempts at cross-fertilization were also made, to share information and experiences among project partners. Ways should be found for those benefiting from the fund to share their experiences with other churches in the south.

An evaluation of the fund

In the period 1991-1995, the partnership fund committee made grants totalling CHF2,640,000 for 138 projects or programmes to 53 member churches in 46 countries. In January 1996, the Assistant to the general secretary sent a questionnaire to 35 selected recipients in order to obtain their perspective on the working of the fund. The aim was to find out more about the social effects of the projects, the participation of the people, and the involvement of women and youth. The questionnaires asked who benefited, and what was learned in the process. Sixteen questionnaires were returned with the information requested. Information on one additional project was collected from an extensive report With a 50% response to a relatively small sample, the replies cannot be taken as fully representative, but they give some indications, show trends and provide useful insights.

What were the results?

• 88% of the projects were successful and met the expectations;
• 88% reported that the planning and implementation of the project resulted in encouragement and new initiatives of various kinds;
• 94% indicated that the project helped to mobilize new resources and strengthened local solidarity and cooperation;
• 81% said that the project contributed to social and economic advancement;
• 63% said that activity resulted in more self-reliance and reduced dependence on foreign resources (a further 19% said "yes and no");
• In 69% of the projects, women and youth were involved in the planning, implementation and decision-making; 88% of the answers said that these target groups were direct beneficiaries of the activity;
• Half of the projects had an income-generating effect;
• 63% did not envisage any follow-up costs, whereas 37% were exposed to unbudgeted expenses.

What was learned?

• new forms of organization and new approaches to decision-making were discovered, developed and put into practice;
• new insights into participatory learning, leadership and development of material were gained;
• the marginalized can contribute and take responsibility, gain dignity and self-respect;
• the service of the church is holistic and extends to the wider community, as well as working together with people of other faiths and cultures;
• the importance of the role of women was recognized;
• the need for more education and continuous training was strongly emphasized;
• there was more experience and improvement in cooperation and networking even across religious borders;
• shortage of resources can be covered by community effort;
• motivation can be strengthened by the injection of external resources.

For the partnership fund and its involvement in the life and ministry of the member churches, the process is as important a paradigm in development as the target to be reached. Investment in people takes priority over "brick and mortar". The grants disbursed to these 17 projects were said to have resulted in:

• achievements in leadership training
• people's participation and involvement in a democratic process
• gender and youth orientation
• capacity building
• material for human potential development and the search for justice and human rights
• involvement and cooperation with the larger community
• the raising of social, political and economic awareness.

Worth noting is an encouraging comment from a church leadership training programme in the Philippines: "The programme thrust of empowering the laity will be a turning point in the continuing struggle for our country's journey for total transformation of church and society. The lay formation programme will be a relentless challenge to enlighten, organize and mobilize our lay leaders for church and community action. The vital and substantial role of LFP in the life and ministry of the church/diocese will become a part of our written history."

Statistics

In the period 1990-96, the partnership fund received CHF6,801,730 in income from member churches and other donors. Its expenditure amounted to CHF5,825,081. The partnership fund disbursed grants to 187 projects submitted by member churches in 50 countries: in Asia (9), Africa (18), Latin America (14), Pacific (6), Middle East (1), Europe (2).

Future of the fund

The experience of the last years, especially after the criteria were revised in 1994, as well as the evaluation indicates that the partnership fund has met the expectations with which it was established. The fund plays a modest role as a way of expressing solidarity within the Reformed family.

The future of the fund and any change in its operation will be determined by the general council. This relates in particular to the recommendation by the executive committee that "the central and eastern European fund (CEEF) as currently constituted will cease to exist" and "the partnership fund of WARC will have its scope extended and will be made available to requests of all WARC member churches including the churches in central and eastern Europe, applying the criteria of the partnership fund to all WARC member churches".

In past years, the central and eastern European fund played a significant role for the churches in this region but recent developments and the reduced income of the CEEF led to the proposal to wind it up as a separate operation. If the recommendation of the executive committee is followed, the partnership fund will be open to all of the WARC constituency.

This page in the history of the Alliance could not have been written without the many member churches, ecumenical partners, donor agencies, parishes and private donors who gave generously to the fund. We express our gratitude and appreciation to all who contributed. In addition, we must thanks the members of the partnership fund committee, through whose strong support, advice and guidance the policy and criteria were set and the management of the fund was made possible.

We hope that in the future the partnership fund can continue to play its role as a sign of solidarity with Reformed churches in need.