CHURCH INITIATED RURAL COMMUNITY TRANSFORMATION Rural Community Transformation

CHURCH INITIATED RURAL COMMUNITY TRANSFORMATION

Rural Community Transformation Bringing Kingdom Transformation by Equipping Churches to be Agents of God’ Purposes in Their Communities

What is Kingdom Transformation? n Your Kingdom come, your will be done…. n Health and wholeness spiritually, physically, emotionally, and socially. n Restoration of right relationships with God, self, others, and creation. n Transformation is radical change that starts on the inside. As beliefs and values change, behaviors and the resulting effects are also altered. Communities change as individuals change. Transformation comes one person at a time. ” (adapted from Miller 1998)

Vision For Rural Communities See a rural community develop to its God-given potential in all areas of life. Communities are networked together so eventually the region is transformed.

People Often See Only Needs n Alcohol and drug dependency n Youth leaving for life in the cities n Unemployment and underemployment n Underfunded schools at risk of being closed n Shifting values n Broken families n Poor living conditions

But God has given Many Assets n Natural skills & creativity in individuals n Assets found in groups of people: local associations & networks. n Assets of location, infrastructure, & natural resources n God’s creative plans and purposes for each community. n God’s powerful intervention accessed through believing prayer

Why Focus on Assets? Needs Focus Assets Focus Do Things For People Empowers People To Do For Themselves & to Multiply it to Others Seeks To Fix Current Problems According To a One-size-fits-all Blueprint Focuses On What Is Missing Seeks What The Lord Has Intended For This Place Builds On What Is Already Present

Why Focus on Assets? (2) Needs Focus Assets Focus Provides Services to Meet Needs Provides Connections and Contributions of Neighbors Programs are the Answer People are God’s Answer Fosters Dependency on Outsiders and Professional Builds Interdependence Between Neighbors

Where to Find Assets In Your Community Individual Skills And Abilities Identify skills and talents of local individuals and what they are willing to share. Associations Identify informal groups already involved & how they contribute to your community. Institutions Identify formal organizations; government, forprofit and non-profit organizations.

Where to Find Assets In Your Community (2) Location, Infrastructure, & Natural Resources Identify the natural and man-made resources that already exist in your area. God’s Purposes Prayer and spiritual mapping can help discover God’s purposes for your community and region. God’s Intervention As individuals and churches come together in unified pray for their communities, the Lord acts in miraculous ways.

How does one Find Assets In the Community? n ASK PEOPLE: for input on themselves, on associations, and institutions, about the location, and about what they’ve seen God doing. n WHO do we ask? Everyone community leaders, workers, housewives, teachers kids EVERYONE.

How does one Find Assets In the Community? (2) n As we ask, we are valuing the people we ask, we are building relationships, and we are giving people a chance to glimpse a bigger vision of your community. n ASK GOD. n We can’t just ask people. And we can’t just ask God. Our tendency will often be to do one or the other.

Rural Community Transformation Is Built On n Prayer and unity in the church. n Identifying and utilizing the assets already found in your community. n Mobilizing individuals, associations and institutions. to build together on their assets. n Reawakening neighbor helping neighbor instead of being dependent on professionals. n Jesus Christ is the cornerstone. He has good plans for your community.

Ways to Help n Relief Ministries - Provide temporary help using outside resources. Relief does not address long term issues nor increase the effectiveness of local people & organizations. n Betterment Ministries (aka Rehabilitation)Rehabilitation programs can help people grow past one issue but often give only temporary or partial improvement. n Development Ministries – Help participants & their communities to develop their abilities, knowledge, and conditions. Improvement should be recognizable & lasting.

Rural Community Transformation Is Committed To n Working alongside externally-focused churches who want to bring Kingdom transformation to their communities. n Partnering with groups & networks already functioning in the area.

Rural Community Transformation Is Committed To (2) n Promoting self-help within the community, not providing services to the community. n Empowering and releasing local leadership. n Discovering and using local assets of all kinds.

Major Players in Rural Community Transformation n A Facilitation/Training Team (launch team) of 10 -12 lay people from the church, and eventually the community, initiates the program--creating awareness and training the next two groups. n A Committee, or Association of local leaders who are trained by launch team & then direct Rural Community Transformation in their area. n Agents of Chang. E (ACEs) are local volunteers who learn how to help their neighbors & then visit neighbors to share what they have learned.

Process Within Church n Teach the church about kingdom transformation from the pulpit and in small groups. n Provide opportunities for church members to participate at their interest or commitment level n Identify Launch Team and begin to train them.

Giving Everyone the Opportunity EXPOSE Easy Entry One Time No Commitment EXPERIENCE Several Times Heart is Changing Some Commitment ENGAGE Continuing Engagement Recruiting Others High Commitment EXPOSE EXPERIENCE ENGAGE From Mariner’s Church

Process Within a Church n Launch team begins work on several fronts to further raise awareness and build participation. n n n Provide further training for members Organize church to pray and to serve community with Acts of Love Identify skills that church members are willing to share in the community Begins identification of other community assets Identify and train a committee, Train ACEs n Committee selects directions, continues asset identification, oversees ACEs, and so on. ,

What Happens n Learning, Skill, and Resources: Launch team is equipped to identify assets, create a plan, and mobilize volunteers. As participants continually evaluate what is working well, they become increasingly effective. n Christian Community and Witness: Believers are meeting together for fellowship, prayer, Bible study, and worship, and are sharing Christ with their neighbors in word and deed. n Community Members and groups join in and work together with increasing effectiveness

What Happens (2) n As the previous are achieved, churches are established and strengthened, community health improves, productivity increases, jobs are created, and infrastructure is enhanced. n Kingdom Transformation: Peace & well-being, identity & dignity, justice, righteousness & compassion are witnessed in the community. God is glorified. n All of this is achieved at the initiative of the people, so it is impossible to predict what specific improvements will result in a given community.

Getting Started: Equipping Lay People n Hold Small Group studies to help lay people develop a Kingdom worldview so they will desire to participate in an empowering and wholistic approach to bless their community. n Study Options: Multiplying Light and Truth Book Study, 4 Weeks Or On Earth as it is in Heaven DVD, 6 weeks Or When Helping Hurts Book study, 9 weeks

Training of the Launch Team by Master Trainers Three Options n Seven Saturdays spread over 24 months n OR Three weekends spread over 24 months n OR One five day Intensive training

Training Is Built On Participatory Facilitation Builds on what people already know. n Focuses on the learners instead of the teacher. n By participating in discussions, doing role plays, creating stories and songs, and so forth, students are actively involved in their own learning. n All learning is turned into action for outside of the classroom, not left as head knowledge. n The teaching is under the guidance of the Holy Spirit. n Over 2000 participatory lessons on diverse topics are ready to be used. n

Outcomes n Shared vision: The community sees a better future and has hope that it can be achieved. n Leadership: Godly Christian leaders are positioned and equipped to lead the community toward the accomplishment of its vision. n Ownership: People are taking responsibility for their own wellbeing.

Outcomes (2) n Cooperation: People are united and working together for the common good. n Volunteers: Significant numbers of people are taking initiative and acting sacrificially to meet the legitimate needs of others. n Dignity: People have recovered their identity as made in the image of God and their vocation as stewards of creation; instead of being controlled or victimized by their environment, they are stewards of it.

Expectations n Transform rural communities from the inside. n People know neighbors and help each other. n People know and grow in Christ. n People take responsibility for their own lives. n Healthy churches. n Improvement in employment and living conditions. n Reduction in loss of local business or industry. n Youth see hope in staying or returning to their home communities. n Other communities throughout the region begin to implement Rural Community Transformation.

Transformed Regions n Communities throughout the region using the ministry are networked together to learn from and encourage each other. n As the teams come together they find common interests which begin to transform their region as a whole, thereby changing it from the inside out.

What’s Next? n Decide if you want your church involved. n Identify one or two key church champions who will be trained as Master Facilitators who will teach Segmented Training to Local Facilitators from other churches in the city. n Come to Master Trainers training. n Each church then raises up 3 to 5 lay people to be Agents of Chang. E for their area. n Start Segmented training by bringing lay facilitators from different churches to one location for Saturday trainings spread over two years.

Helping Bring People To Maturity In Christ and Rural Communities To Their God-given Potential. A Ministry of Alliance for Transformational Ministry 6420 W. Beverly Lane Glendale AZ 85306 www. neighborhoodtransformation. net stan@neighborhoodtransformation. net