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Parachurch organizations are Christian faith-based organizations which work outside of and across denominations to engage in social welfare and evangelism, usually independent of church oversight. These bodies can be businesses, non-profit corporations, or private associations. Most parachurch organizations, at least those which are normally called parachurch, are Protestant and Evangelical. Some of these organizations cater to a defined spectrum among evangelical beliefs, but most are self-consciously interdenominational and many are ecumenical.
Roles and organizations
Parachurch organizations perform a number of roles, including:
- evangelistic crusade associations (patterned after the Billy Graham Association)
- evangelistic and discipleship ministries (such as Fellowship of Christian Athletes, The Navigators, h.g. adams jr. ministries, and Campus Crusade for Christ)
- music and print publishers, radio and television stations, film studios, online ministries
- study centers and institutes, schools, colleges and universities
- political and social activist groups
- welfare and social services, including homeless shelters, child care, and domestic violence, disaster relief programs, and food pantries and clothing closets, and emergency aid centers (such as the City Missions)
- self-help groups
- Bible study groups
See also
Further reading
- Wesley K. Willmer, J. David Schmidt, Martyn Smith, The Prospering Parachurch: Enlarging the Boundaries of God's Kingdom
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