Meet Your Church Relations Team

Rich Peterson

Western Region

r.peterson@worldventure.com

Having served as a local church pastor in a variety of roles and in several different churches (including one in Australia) for over forty years, I joined the Staff at WorldVenture in March 2023 as a Church Relations Officer. I was assigned over 100 churches in the Western part of the United States.

Quincy Thompson

Eastern Region

q.thompson@worldventure.com

As a former college and young adult pastor, I love getting the chance to meet with pastors who are passionate about reaching and sending the next generation. I got my start at WorldVenture as a college intern serving with missionaries in Mozambique, Africa. Today, I am thrilled to serve as the liaison between our globally focused organization and partner churches!

For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do. – Ephesians 2:10

FAQs

What is a Church Relations Officer?

For several years, WorldVenture engaged several regional Church Relations Officers, but currently there are two of us serving in this capacity. Quincy is our Eastern Region Church Relations Officer and Rich is our Western Region Church Relations Officer. While our assignments are specific to a limited number of churches in the WorldVenture network of partner churches, in general we serve as a liaison between the Church and WorldVenture in seeking to help local churches cultivate a global vision.

If I am a church partner, what kinds of things can the Church Relations Officer help with?

WorldVenture exists to help churches send out their people to the nations. By connecting with sending churches, providing trainings, facilitating vision trips, and developing tailored solutions, we help churches embrace their role as the true sending agent.

If we do not have an immediate answer to your church’s needs or questions as they pertain to partnership with WorldVenture, we promise to strive and assist, connect and otherwise provide the care you need.

Why did WorldVenture decide to create a church relations team?

We believe the Church is the joyful assembly of God’s people called to participate in God’s eternal purpose to reach all people for Christ. Because WorldVenture is passionate about the Church, we are passionate about serving and strengthening local churches to participate in God’s redemptive plan.

WorldVenture created the position of Church Relations Officer to help unleash the Church for Global Gospel impact.

The role of Church Relations Officer helps to create and foster a reciprocal and cyclical relationship between WorldVenture and the local church. The role is focused on mission expansion through equipping, encouraging, sending, and supporting. It asks the questions:

Is WorldVenture equipping & encouraging the church on their journey towards Gospel Impact?
Is the church sending and supporting WorldVenture for Gospel Impact?

When all four elements (equipping, encouraging, sending, & supporting) are present in the relationship between WorldVenture and the church – it is a Gospel Impact Partnership!

@ WorldVenture…

We define an equipping relationship between WorldVenture and the Church by:

WorldVenture sharing the necessary tools and resources so that the church may deepen its understanding for God’s heart for the world including:
- Website resource page for churches including educational, inspirational, and practical assistance leading to church-wide engagement in global missions.
- Online training for churches seeking deeper engagement in global missions.
WorldVenture training and coaching the church in mission’s best practices, missional thought, cultural adaptation, people groups, and diaspora.
WorldVenture providing opportunities of service and learning though local and global mission experiences (i.e. short-term missions trips and learning experiences with WorldVenture teammates).
WorldVenture Church Relations Officers and other WorldVenture personnel coming alongside the Church through the provision of preaching, teaching, and training events in both large and small group settings.

We define an encouraging relationship between WorldVenture and the Church by:

Sharing words and actions of praise, encouragement, possibility, inspiration, and reassurance from WorldVenture mainly through in-person Church Visits, calls, and zoom meetings.
Intercessory prayer from WorldVenture on behalf of the church.
The offering of tangible and feasible next steps on the local church’s journey towards Gospel Impact.
Helping churches learn how to engage at deeper levels with their current global workers and appointees.

We define a sending relationship between the Church and WorldVenture by:

The church sending short-term teams with WorldVenture.
The church referring candidates for long-term missionary service to WorldVenture.
- WorldVenture believes that missionary sending is meant to be carried out in partnership with the local church, working together to prepare, train, assess, test a calling, and confirm believers for the work to which God has called them.

We define a supporting relationship between the Church and WorldVenture by: