Churches Helping Churches is a global partnership of church communities who seek to rebuild other churches in the wake of a catastrophic natural disaster. You can read our statement of faith here.

Importantly, we are not Churches Helping People or even Christians Helping Churches. Rather, we are church communities from all over the world who have partnered through CHC with other church communities of brothers and sisters who are suffering.

Our efforts are intended to provide spiritual support and development aid to the pastors and their churches who are often the de facto leaders in these affected communities, as a complement to the initial waves of humanitarian aid that pour into a country in the wake of a disaster.

Many countries have relied on networks of local churches to be a primary conduit for the flow of health care, humanitarian aid, and even education. Rebuilding churches is a means of restoring not only the spiritual health and global fellowship of these affected communities, but also the infrastructure through which aid can flow into communities that so desperately need it.

Operating Identity • CHC is a:

• Network: 1) Connect churches/organizations with one other and 2) create opportunities for churches in need to build relationships with sponsoring churches for ongoing encouragement and support.
• Operation: Where strategic needs exist without strategic projects, CHC will formulate and execute initiatives with local implementation partners (e.g. Churches Helping Pastors)
• Fund: Where a church already has strategic projects planned, CHC will issue grants with no further involvement.

Core Values • CHC operates on the following principles:

• “Lead with long-term vision.” Once out of emergency mode, we don’t make short-term relief decisions at the expense of long-term development. Our strategies seek to foster progress at the infrastructural level of a community.
• “Lead by listening.” Our plans should be born out of conversations and relationships with local pastors and their churches.
• “Lead from behind.” Although the churches and leaders will know CHC, in the eyes of the affected communities, the local churches must be the heroes. Therefore, local communities also own and execute these initiatives.
• “Don’t go to solve but to serve.”

According to UN statistics, the incidence of natural disasters rose by a factor of 20 during the 20th century. We anticipate more disasters on par with the Haiti and Kashmir earthquakes, Asian tsunami, and the Pakistan floods, for example. We specifically are also looking to partner alongside communities that would struggle otherwise rebuild themselves on their own, and, without direct aid, would stagnate indefinitely. It is time for the people of God to move from reactive to proactive with prepared, strategic responses to such crises.

CHC was founded by Pastor James MacDonald of Harvest Bible Chapel and Pastor Mark Driscoll of Mars Hill Church following the 7.0-magnitude earthquake that hit Port-au-Prince, Haiti on January 12, after the two went to the devastated capital within the week of the event.

In the past we have provided the following support:

• Basic building structures to jump-start reconstruction
• Gospel-centered, Biblical counseling retreats for pastors
• Training materials for pastors who have been personally affected by natural disasters and are still striving to serve their recovering communities
• Medicine and pharmaceuticals to clinics operating out of churches
• Food for pastors and church communities

When the magnitude of a catastrophe can be described as “biblical,” it is the local church that reminds people that another biblical concept is even more powerful: hope in Jesus Christ.

To be a part of Churches Helping Churches, please click here.