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Becoming a Church that Makes a Difference: Ventures in Holistic Ministry

Note: This web content reflects the contents of an informational CD-rom produced by Evangelicals for Social Action's Word & Deed Network.  If you find the resources presented here helpful, feel free to purchase this CD-rom from ESA's resources located at this link.  Also, while this CD-rom is a solid foundation for understanding holistic ministry, we especially recommend the Holistic Ministry Starter Kit, which is available from the same page as above.  This Kit is not only an excellent value, but also will provide a church with the resources needed to not only continue thinking holistically about ministry, but develop programs and initiatives that facilitate the Kingdom's in-breaking. 

 

Becoming a Church that Makes a Difference: Ventures in Holistic Ministry

You want to share God's love for the world in word and deed. You hear God's call to "preach the gospel to the poor ... to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and recovery of sight to the blind" (Luke 4:18). You believe in the power of the gospel to restore broken lives and rebuild troubled neighborhoods. You want to become a church that makes a difference.

A church that ventures into holistic ministry - ministry that works toward transformation of persons and communities, building wholeness in body, soul, and spirit - can share Paul's confidence in Philippians 1:6, "that the one who began a good work among you will bring it to completion by the day of Jesus Christ." So take small steps, take big steps - but let's get started on the journey!

A good launching point is to go to "Where do we start", which gives an overview of how to navigate this CD based on your church's situation.

About this CD

This CD-ROM is sponsored by Word & Deed Network, a program of Evangelicals for Social Action that connects and resources churches for holistic ministry (see Matthew 9:35).

The authors had the privilege of becoming closely acquainted with some wonderful holistic ministries through a study called the Congregations, Community Outreach and Leadership Development Project. This study, sponsored by Eastern Seminary (now Palmer Seminary) and Evangelicals for Social Action, and funded by the Lilly Endowment and the Templeton Foundation, explored the integration of evangelism and social ministry in congregations in the Philadelphia area. The fifteen in-depth case studies, conducted by researchers Averil Clarke, Joan Hoppe-Spink, Paula McCosh, Keisha Moore, Timothy Nelson, Jill Witmer Sinha, and Gaynor Yancey, are the source of most of the illustrations used in this CD. A follow-up study funded by the Lilly Endowment helped us explore further the practical implications of our research for how churches can learn to embrace holistic ministry. (The opinions expressed on this CD are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of the Lilly Endowment or the Templeton Foundation.)

For more information on the findings of our research, see the website http://hirr.hartsem.edu/research/research_churchoutreachindex.html, and our books "Churches That Make a Difference" (Baker Books, 2002) and "Saving Souls, Serving Society" (Oxford University Press, 2005). These books and other ministry resources by the authors are available from Evangelicals for Social Action (see www.esa-online.org, 800-650-6600).

Besides the study, the authors of this CD also draw on extensive experience in networking, consulting and writing about holistic ministry. Phil Olson was the mission pastor for thirteen years at First Presbyterian Church in Mt. Holly, New Jersey, which has been a pioneer in holistic ministry for three decades (and is one of the congregations we studied). Phil also served as director of Word & Deed Network, and now coaches congregations through leadership and missional changes. As founder and president of Evangelicals for Social Action, director of the Sider Center on Ministry and Public Policy, and professor of Theology, Holistic Ministry and Public Policy at Palmer Seminary, Ron Sider has been speaking, writing, and teaching about the church's calling to combine evangelism and social action for over thirty years. Heidi Unruh has researched and written extensively about the role of faith-based organizations, and develops training materials to help church leaders cultivate outreach mission. She serves as a consultant on church-based holistic ministry, and a policy analyst with Evangelicals for Social Action specializing in faith-based initiatives and social welfare.

We invite you to be in touch with us with your questions or comments:

Heidi Unruh: unruhheidi@aol.com
Ron Sider: rsider@eastern.edu
Phil Olson: Philip.Olson@verizon.net

Acknowledgments

The makers of this CD gratefully acknowledge the generous support of Wayne Presbyterian Church and their partnership in ministry. We thank Interlink Media, and particularly Gregg Meister and Jules Cornelious for their diligence, patience, and generous work on the production of this CD. We also express appreciation for the churches profiled on this CD for letting us learn from them and tell their stories.

Copyright

The content contained on this disc is copyrighted. Copying, duplicating, recording or transcriptions of such materials (except internal use by your ministry team or congregation) without the prior written permission of the Producer or Distributor thereof is a violation of the United States Copyright Act and is prohibited.

 

 

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