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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.

The accompanying CD-ROM contains documentation, training, and a demonstration version of website building software from the folks at the Web-Empowered Church ministry.

author: Mark M. Stephenson asin: 0687642841 binding: Paperback list price: $23.50 USD amazon price: $15.98 USD

It's a mustard seed world after all. The little things we do or fail to do have immense impact. Jesus understood this truth, and he prepared his followers to act on that understanding. Somewhere along the way, however, the enormity of our trouble-plagued world and the uncertainty lurking beyond our immediate horizon overwhelmed us. We shrank from such big problems and contented ourselves to live in isolation from one another. In the process, we cut ourselves off from God's conspiracy: our little acts of faith and compassion prepare the world for the great celebration God has planned for us.

author: Tom Sine asin: 0830833846 binding: Paperback list price: $15.00 USD amazon price: $10.20 USD

Trendscope: New tech can help bridge generational gaps

by Rodolpho Carrasco in Current Thoughts and Trends, Summer 1996
(Rodolpho Carrasco is associate director of Harambee Christian Family Center in Pasadena, Calif. and a columnist for the San Gabriel Valley Newspaper Group. Check out more articles by Rodolpho Carrasco here.)

From May 5-6, the Externally Focused Network will be holding its 2008 conference in Longmont, Colorado. Speakers including Alvin Bibbs, Rick McKinley, and Robert Lewis will expand your vision of outreach ministry and demonstrate how to take your church to the next level of community engagement.

Register now to receive the early bird rate of $199. This rate expires March 31st.

From May 5-6, the Externally Focused Network will be holding its 2008 conference in Longmont, Colorado. Speakers including Alvin Bibbs, Rick McKinley, and Robert Lewis will expand your vision of outreach ministry and demonstrate how to take your church to the next level of community engagement.

Developing New Ministry Leadership

What does a church need to make a difference?  The attached document explains how  transformational leadership is a critical ingredient. 

"Where do we start?" Questions to help you navigate the ministry journey

Your church wants to become more active in reaching your community with Good News and good works ... where do you start?

Guiding Principles

Your church's holistic ministry journey will be most fruitful if it is guided by these principles:

• Take ownership of the process.
  
  Every church starts its holistic ministry journey in a different place, and no two holistic congregations look alike. You are the experts on your congregation's unique identity. You know best your church's strengths and needs, and what your church can realistically commit to outreach at this time. So don't be afraid to adapt the material in this CD. Trim our suggestions down, or go the extra mile. Rearrange the steps. Focus your energies where they are most needed. Supplement references with favorites from your bookshelf. Be creative, and expect the unexpected!



• Focus on building relationships.
  
  Holistic ministry is not about heroic lone ranger Christians taking on the world. God commissions the church as the body of Christ with carrying out Christ's mission in the world. Loving, accountable Christian fellowship is the basis for incarnational witness and service. We thus emphasize building a ministry community, called here a Ministry Vision Team. The suggested process encourages team members to develop relationships by praying, eating, studying the Bible, going on retreats, and sharing ministry "field trips" together. If the Ministry Vision Team is nothing more than a committee for getting through a list of tasks, it has not accomplished its purpose.
  
  Developing relationships with individuals and entities outside the church is also important. You will discover brothers and sisters in Christ, fellow laborers in the field of community restoration, potential partners in ministry. You will also come to view community needs not as abstract issues but as familiar names and faces. Building ministry on a foundation of relationships strengthens people's trust in your church and openness to your church's gospel message.
  
  Talking with fellow team members at a retreat or sharing a cup of coffee with the director of a local pregnancy counseling center may feel like a waste of time in light of our usual busy-ness. But relationships are the business of the kingdom. As Rev. Patrick Cabello Hansel reminds us: "When Jesus brings shalom, which is the restoration of the whole creation, that's real peace. That only comes from a relationship with God, and a relationship with each other."

• Build on your strengths.
  
  Every congregation has the capacity to make a difference. The goal of the ministry journey is not for your church to look like this or that model church. It's about helping your church to realize its own potential to become a ministry model! To do this, you have to discover and build on your strengths. Most likely, your church is not starting from scratch when it comes to developing outreach. Your building blocks may be past or present ministry efforts ... a pastor or core group of people with a heart for outreach ... an established spiritual gift discernment process ... a strategic plan that lays out a vision for ministry. Your challenge, with the help of this Guide, is to dig down, shore up these foundations, and launch a disciplined construction project.



• Allow a balance of study, planning, reflection, and action.
  
  David Apple, Director of Mercy Ministries at Tenth Presbyterian Church, summarizes the relationship between study and action: "Christians need to know what they're doing. And Christians need to do what they know." Don't wait until you know everything there is to know about holistic ministry before you jump in. Like Nike says: Just do it! On the other hand, taking practical steps (like organizing committees and fundraising) should go hand in hand with study, discussion and personal reflection. Like the Boy Scouts say: Be prepared!
  
  Over-emphasis on discussion and self-reflection can easily turn into armchair expertise or narcissistic navel-gazing, neither of which do your community any good. Thus this project stresses "field trips" designed to get you out of the meeting room and into the ministry arena. On the other hand, what your congregation does should flow from who you are. Some people in your church may be impatient to skip to the part of the project that produces results - getting an actual ministry program underway. If you sacrifice the process for the product you may end up with a program, but you will have lost a valuable opportunity to grow as a holistic congregation. Programs that spring up wihout grounding in an informed vision are often like plants with shallow roots, lacking theological depth and supported only by a few members.



• Emphasize passionate spirituality.
  
  We were created to worship God and enjoy Him forever. Holistic ministry begins as Christians submit their whole lives to God as instruments of his love by the power of the Spirit (2 Cor 8:5). Obviously, this is not something you accomplish by setting up a committee. If you could, we would start our guide this way: "Step One: Love God with your whole heart, and your neighbor as yourself." What you can do is build opportunities into every step along the way for prayer, spiritual growth, theological reflection, and worship. Expect God to begin the work of revitalizing your church's zeal for outreach by transforming you.



• Have the posture of a servant-learner.
  
  Once churches decide to get into outreach ministry, they often show up in the community with the equivalent of a bull horn and a bulldozer: "Listen up, all you miserable people! We're here to save you from your sins and fix your problems!" We encourage you to have the attitude of doing ministry with and alongside the community, rather than doing things for or to people. Seek the input of community residents and welcome local ministry partners. Be simultaneously bold in proclaiming the Good News of God's kingdom, and humble in doing the work of God's kingdom.



• Celebrate small steps.
  
  The advice of many church consultants is that a significant congregational change takes five to seven years. So don't panic if you get to the end of your planned steps, and the world still looks about the same. "Think big, but be patient and proceed at a teaspoon pace initially," advise ministry practitioners Mark Gornik and Noel Castellanos. Focus on "doing small things with excellence."
  
  Give people the chance to wet their big toe before expecting them to make a plunge. For example, this Guide lays out an option for a "Ministry Month" that offers a tantalizing taste of holistic ministry. Set goals you can reasonably expect to accomplish, and then celebrate your accomplishments. Cultivate an attitude of thankfulness for every sign of progress toward becoming a people of compassion and witness. Continually remind people of the larger purpose of the holistic ministry journey and its anticipated rewards.



• Don't stop learning and growing.
  
  Your holistic ministry journey never ends. Learning about the church's mission, and learning how to do mission, is an ongoing adventure. It's best to have the attitude from the beginning that this only is the first stage in a long-term strategy for ministry development. We include a list of resources to help you keep moving.
  
  One of the best ways to learn is by becoming a teacher. As you continue on your ministry journey, we encourage you to share what you have gained along the way with another church or two that could benefit from your experiences. Continued growth is also more likely if you form a relationship with a more experienced church that can serve as a ministry mentor (see Word & Deed Network's Congregation-2-Congregation mentoring program).
  
  The authors of this Guide are still learners too! The materials and process included in this book draw on years of experience (by the authors and others) in leading church-based ministries, consulting with churches, writing and speaking about holistic ministry, networking among the best ministry models and resources, and an in-depth research project studying church-based outreach. But we are still learning about ministry - and we want to learn from you. We invite you to contact us and tell us about your experience with these materials. What worked for you? What's missing from this workbook? What changes would you recommend? What additional resources might you find helpful for your next steps in ministry?

Introducing the ministry journey

Your church can proclaim the Good News, comfort the afficted, build up the cities, and repair the cyclic devastations of broken communities. If you are willing in obedience and trust to take the first small step and then the next and the next God will take care of the big picture. (Churches That Make a Difference, page 314)

ORGANIZING FOR HOLISTIC MINISTRY

Warning Signs of an Unhealthy Organization

How healthy are your church’s organizational systems? There are three warning
signs that indicate a need to renovate your church’s structure.