by Dr. Hector Cruz, Learning Partnerships Faculty
Every garden thrives on diversity. The soil enriches, the sun warms, the rain nourishes, and the gardener tends. Each element plays a role that another cannot replace. Remove one, and the entire ecosystem falters.
This is the essence of the missional ecosystem. In the Kingdom of God, nonprofit (including ministry and school) leaders, donors, partners, and those served are each a vital part of the garden.
- Nonprofits are the cultivators, planting seeds of hope and care.
- Donors are the rain and sunlight, providing the resources and energy for growth.
- Partners, like The FOCUS Group, are gardeners, equipping and guiding so that every seed has the chance to flourish.
- Those who are served also play a vital role. They are living plants, bearing fruit that blesses families, communities, and generations to come.
When each part of the garden plays its role, the result is abundant life full of color, nourishment, and beauty for all to share. This mirrors the apostle Paul’s words in 1 Corinthians 3:6-7: “I planted the seed, Apollos watered it, but God has been making it grow. So neither the one who plants nor the one who waters is anything, but only God, who makes things grow.” The garden thrives not because of one role, but because each role complements the others under God’s care.
From Garden to Table
But the garden is not an end in itself. Its purpose is to bring people together. A thriving ecosystem produces fruit that is carried to the table, where the family of God gathers.
At this table of the Kingdom, we are reminded that we are each a part of God’s family, invited to share in the bounty of His feast. Nonprofit leaders and beneficiaries sit together next to donors and partners—all sharing in the joy of seeing God grow something bigger than any one of us.
The table imagery reminds us of Jesus’ ministry. Again and again, He gathered people—tax collectors, Pharisees, fishermen, and friends—all around meals. At the Last Supper, He gave us not just bread and wine but a vision of unity and participation in God’s work (Luke 22:19-20).
Are you ever tempted to wonder about the impact you’re having? Do you look at another role and wish you could be in that seat instead? Let the table remind you: Every seat matters. Every person plays a unique role. Remove one, and the meal is simply incomplete.
Flourishing Together
When all roles are embraced, the garden thrives, the table is complete, and the Kingdom is made visible in generosity, love, and transformation. This is why Paul wrote in Romans 12:4-5, “For just as each of us has one body with many members, and these members do not all have the same function, so in Christ we, though many, form one body, and each member belongs to all the others.”
The missional ecosystem is not about competition but about complementing each other. Donors can’t do the daily frontline work of nonprofit leaders. Nonprofits can’t provide the resources that donors offer. Partners like The FOCUS Group aren’t meant to take either role but to strengthen both. And those served, far from being passive, often become the greatest witnesses to God’s grace, carrying the fruit of the mission outward into the world.
The Question for Us
So here is the challenge for each of us: Are you fully embracing your role today, so that the whole ecosystem flourishes and the whole table is blessed?
Remember that whichever role God has you in, your role is unique, and your contribution is needed. A garden requires attention. A table requires preparation. We each have the privilege, today, to play our part in this missional ecosystem.
We’ve been privileged to help many organizations be more effective in their fundraising by learning and implementing relational fundraising principles in their work with donors. Want to talk?