Making a Twinning Agreement
Part 2
A Twinning Agreement should be signed by both partner churches.
Purpose
- Define your aims: why do you want to twin?
- Set some goals and work out how you might achieve them.
- Get agreement and get commitment.
Duration: how long should your church link run before a review? A period of five years offers
- a long enough period to get to know your partner church members.
- time to achieve something together.
- time to review the twinning without a rush.
- time to consider renewing the commitment or moving on to something new.
Beware running out of steam! Better to end it quickly than let it decay slowly.
Personnel
- The Twinning Committee should be a sub-group of the church council, in order to make it 'official'.
- The more the work is shared, the greater will be people's commitment to do it! But don't make the sub-committee too big.
Finance
- The administrative costs must be covered in the church's annual Budget, as part of its mission.
- Participants on an exchange visit will normally pay towards the costs involved.
Exchange visits - how often and for how long?
- how much time do your and your partner church members have?
- how far would you consider travelling?
- how would you travel - cars, bus, rail, air?...
- a weekend? midweek to midweek?
- less than one visit each year by one of the partners is risky (see "Keeping the link alive").
Time of year
- school holidays can be a problem for young families.
- many working people have limited holiday entitlement.
- many people would find it impossible to be away during major church festivals.
- would church members need or be willing to take unpaid leave?
- off-season travel is cheaper, but also colder.
New members
- make room for newcomers to ensure new ideas.
- don't allow people to become "regulars" - perhaps aim at a quarter or third of new faces each time.
- perhaps a limit of three visits before a 'year off'?
Review
- have a review after every visit
- send a copy to your partner church (they'll do the same for you).
- a review must cover all aspects, and mistakes as well as successes.
- with your partner church, have a major review during year five.
Report
- make a report, with pictures, for your church members, other churches and the local press, even radio and TV.
- make sure someone competent will take photographs or video.
Signing the Agreement
- signing the Agreement should be An Event!
- Invite your partner church for the occasion.
- Invite local dignitaries - church and community.
- Travel to your partner church for their Event.
- Get it into the papers and on the radio.
