About the Paper
Title: Cruciform Collaboration: A Biblical Theology of Collaboration Between Organizations
Type: White Paper (2026)
Authors: Valerie Hamilton and Tsega Tilahun, with Bruce Wilson and Michael Ortiz
Publisher: GACX — Global Alliance for Church Multiplication
Download: https://gacx.io/assets/misc/cruciformcollaboration_2026_print.pdf
Website: https://cruciformcollaboration.com
Summary
This white paper argues that organizational collaboration is not merely a pragmatic strategy — it is deeply rooted in Scripture and fundamental to God’s created order. The study traces a macro-storyline of collaboration throughout the Bible, demonstrating that:
· Collaboration was built into the created order (Genesis 1–2)
· It was distorted by the Fall (Genesis 3–11, Babel)
· It was transformed and restored by Jesus (NT, koinonia)
The paper identifies three essential elements of cruciform collaboration:
1. Invitation to the Spirit — Relationship with God
2. Interdependence — Relationship with one another (1 Cor 12)
3. Intentionality — Relationship with all of creation
Key New Testament examples examined: The Jerusalem Council (Acts 15) and Paul’s Collection for Jerusalem.
Core Thesis
“Collective collaboration is not merely pragmatic but deeply rooted in Scripture and fundamental to God’s created order. While humanity’s collaborative vocation was distorted by the Fall, it is transformed by Jesus, who restores humanity’s broken relationship and invites believers to collaborate within a cruciform value system, in which organizations are willing to lose what they have for the sake of his kingdom.”
