It’s a question that arises often. “What is a parachurch ministry?” The “para” in parachurch comes from the Greek preposition which can communicate, “alongside” or “beside.” Generally, a parachurch ministry is a Christian-based organization which seeks to come alongside the New Testament local church in a variety of ways. There are a myriad of wonderful parachurch ministries for which God’s people should be grateful.

But many parachurch ministries functionally remove the “para” from their doings. They would be better called, “huper” (“above, beyond”) or “antichurch” (“instead of, against”) ministries.

Some of the common problems with parachurch ministries include:

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