Parachurch organizations are Christian faith-based organizations that work outside and across denominations to engage in social welfare and evangelism, usually independent of church oversight.
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Definition
These bodies can be businesses, non-profit corporations, or private associations. Most parachurch organizations, at least those normally called parachurch, are Protestant or Evangelical. Some of these organizations cater to a defined spectrum among evangelical beliefs, but most are self-consciously interdenominational and many are ecumenical.
In Protestant and Catholic theology parachurch organizations are termed sodality, as distinct from modality, which is the structure and organization of the local or universal church.
Roles and organizations
Parachurch organizations perform a number of roles, including: