“Our Co-Laboring’ by Dr. Jorge Parrott
Addressing the idea of ‘being co-Creators”
Christ’s Mandate for Missions (CMM.world) and CMM College of Theology (CMMTheology.org are committed to forming leaders who live as sons and daughters of Abba Father, grounded in the authority of Scripture, centered in Jesus Christ, and empowered by the Holy Spirit. We affirm that God alone is the eternal Creator of all things, yet in His grace He calls His people into a genuine, though subordinate, partnership in His ongoing work of redemption and restoration. Psalm 100:3 underscores, “It is He who has made us, and not we ourselves,”
- God the Creator and Human Image-Bearers
From the beginning, Scripture reveals God as Creator and humanity as His image-bearers. Genesis 1–2 presents God creating the heavens and the earth and then forming humanity “in His image” and “likeness,” blessing them and commissioning them to be fruitful, multiply, fill the earth, and exercise dominion as caretakers of His world. This mandate is not a license for exploitation but a call to wise, loving stewardship: to cultivate, guard, and develop creation so that it flourishes according to God’s purposes.
In this sense, believers are called to reflect God’s character and creativity within the boundaries of His Lordship. God alone creates out of nothing; humans work with what He has made, shaping culture, vocations, families, and institutions in ways that honor the Creator and bless others. Our “co-creative” language at CMM is always anchored in this Creator–creature distinction and rooted in worship, humility, and obedience.
- New Creation in Christ and Spirit-Empowered Service
In Jesus Christ, the eternal Word through whom all things were made, God initiates a new creation and invites us to participate in His restorative work. Scripture declares that if anyone is in Christ, “new creation” has come, and that we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works prepared in advance for us to walk in. As the Spirit indwells believers, our gifts, callings, and creative capacities are awakened and aligned with God’s kingdom purposes.
The New Testament describes the church as a body in which each member receives spiritual gifts “for the common good,” and as a field and building in which “we are co-workers in God’s service.” This language of “fellow workers” expresses a real partnership: God initiates, empowers, and sustains; we respond in faith, obedience, and creative action. Our teaching, counseling, scholarship, leadership, business, art, and mission all become arenas where the Lord’s life is expressed through us for His glory.
- Co-Laboring, Not Competing, with the Creator
Because God remains the sole Creator and Owner of all things, any notion of human “co-creation” must be carefully defined. CMM College of Theology rejects any view that places human beings on the same level as God or suggests that we independently create reality by our own will or words. Instead, we embrace a thoroughly biblical vision of co-laboring: God delegates authority and responsibility, and we steward His gifts, resources, and opportunities in faithfulness to His revealed will.
The parables of the talents and the minas underline this stewardship: the Master entrusts resources, departs, and then returns to evaluate how His servants have multiplied and managed what was His. In the same way, believers are accountable for how we use time, relationships, finances, callings, and opportunities in alignment with the character and mission of Jesus. Our “co-creative” activity is thus a Spirit-led, Scripture-shaped stewardship that participates in God’s work rather than competes with it.
- Prayer, Discernment, and Calling “Things That Are Not”
Within this framework, prayer, discernment, and proclamation play a central role. Scripture portrays God as the One who “calls those things which do not exist as though they did,” and shows His servants prophesying life into dry bones, speaking His promises into situations of death and impossibility. Believers are not autonomous reality-makers, but friends and servants who hear the Lord’s heart, receive His word, and speak and act in agreement with what He is doing.
At CMM, we teach students to approach prayer and prophetic ministry as acts of attentive partnership: listening for the Lord’s voice, testing impressions against Scripture, and then responding with courageous obedience in word and deed. When we “call things that are not as though they are,” we do so only insofar as we are echoing the promises, character, and revealed will of the Creator, not asserting our own will.
- CMM’s Educational Vision in Light of These Foundations
CMM College of Theology seeks to cultivate an environment where Spirit-led theological education equips students worldwide to discover and walk in their God-given destiny as faithful stewards and co-laborers with Christ. Our accredited programs are designed to deepen intimacy with God, sharpen biblical understanding, foster critical thinking, and empower practical ministry that bears fruit in families, churches, and nations.
We envision graduates who:
- Love the Lord their God with all their heart, soul, mind, and strength, and love their neighbors as themselves.
- Engage Scripture deeply and faithfully, submitting all revelation, experience, and creativity to the authority of God’s word.
- Practice Spirit-led creativity in vocation, mission, and culture-making as a form of worship and witness.
- Live as joint heirs with Christ who understand themselves as “fellow workers” with God—humble, obedient, and courageous in advancing His redemptive purposes in every sphere of society.
In all of this, our language of “co-creation” is meant to underscore the dignity and responsibility of redeemed image-bearers while jealously guarding the central confession that “from Him and through Him and to Him are all things.” CMM College of Theology exists to serve that confession, forming leaders who help the church and the world see more clearly the beauty and Lordship of Jesus Christ.
You can read our Statement of Faith at: https://cmm.world/statement-of-faith/
Please comment and share with friends and family who are searching for the Lord and the fullness He offers us. New classes forming now for September. Apply at www.cmmtheology.org, and we will schedule a one-on-one video session to answer your questions.
