Missional Church Network

Recently I have been involved in a good bit of conversation around the topic of community transformation. Fortunately it hasn’t all been talk, in fact, there has been a good amount of activity taking place through several of the churches in our local network. Much of the activity has been prompted by the conference we hosted last November. You can listen to Eric Swanson’s sessions on community transformation from that conference here and here.

Since the conference, I have been challenged to seek out multiple ways to better understand our city, as well as how to enhance networking opportunities with private, public, and other non-profit institutions. One resource that I have found helpful  has been Compassion, Justice and the Christian Life: Rethinking Ministry to the Poor by Robert Lupton.

Throughout the book, Lupton challenges traditional strategies for serving the poor. He proposes alternative ways for churches to think and act that moves the issue beyond entitlement programs to real community development. A final summation is offered by Wayne Gordon, Chairman of CCDA, as he provides eight components of Christian community development. The first three are based on John Perkin’s “Three Rs” of community development: relocation, reconciliation and redistribution. Following is a select excerpt of each component:

Relocation: Living Among the People

Living out the gospel means desiring the same thing for your neighbor and neighbor’s family as that which you desire for yourself and your family. Living out the gospel means bettering the quality of other people’s lives spiritually, physically, socially and emotionally as you better your own life.

Reconciliation

Reconciling People to God. Reconciliation is at the heart of the gospel. . . . Evangelism is very much a part of Christian Community Development. The answer to community development is not just providing a job or a decent place to live, but it is also having a true relationship with Jesus Christ.

Reconciling People to People. Can a gospel that reconciles people to God without reconciling people to people be the true gospel of Jesus Christ? A person’s love for Christ should break down every racial, ethnic and economic barrier in a united effort to solve the problems of the community.

Redistribution (Just Distribution of Resources)

When men and women in the Body of Christ are visibly present and living among the poor (relocation), and when people are intentionally loving their neighbors and their neighbors’ families as their own (reconciliation), the result is redistribution, or a just distribution of resources. When God’s people who have resources (regardless of their race or culture) commit to living in underserved communities, seeking to be good neighbors, being examples of what it means to be a follower of Christ, working for justice for the entire community, and utilizing their skills and resources to address the problems of that community alongside their neighbors, then redistribution is being practiced.

Leadership Development

The primary goal of leadership development is to develop leaders in order to restore the stabilizing glue and fill the vacuum of moral, spiritual and economic leadership that is so prevalent in poor communities. This is accomplished most effectively by raising up Christian leaders from the community of need who will remain in the community to live and lead.

Listening to Community

Often communities are developed by people from the outside who bring in resources without taking into account the community itself. Christian Community Development, however, is committed to listening to the community residents and hearing their dreams, ideas and thoughts.

Church-based Community Development

Nothing other than the community of God’s people is capable of affirming the dignity of the poor and enabling them to meet their own needs. It is practically impossible to do effective wholistic ministry apart from the local church. A nurturing community of faith can best provide the thrusts of evangelism, discipleship, spiritual accountability and relationships by which disciples grow in their walk with God.

A Wholistic Approach

Often, many in ministry get passionate and involved in one area of need and think that if they solve that one particular problem that all else will be resolved. . . . Certainly, the most essential elements to Christian Community Development are evangelism and discipleship. Yet solving problems with lasting solutions requires more.

Empowerment

Empowering people as community developers to meet their needs is an important element to Christian Community Development. . . . Often Christian ministry, particularly in poor communities, creates dependency. This is no better than the federal government welfare program. But the Bible teaches empowerment, no dependency.