Outcomes/Evaluation

Scandals point out importance of having accountability
by rudy [at] harambee [dot] org
September 25, 1999 in Pasadena Star News
[Rodolpho Carrasco is associate director of Harambee Christian Family Center in Pasadena, Calif. Check out more articles by Rodolpho Carrasco here.)

Ministry Program Evaluation

If your church already has active outreach ministries — evangelism, mercy ministry,
community development, advocacy, etc. — it is essential to look carefully at these
programs before forging ahead with new ideas. A future direction may evolve out of the
church's current ministries. A new direction or paradigm for ministry may mean making
changes in existing programs, or even ending some ministries to make way for new ones.
In designing new ministries, keep in mind the strengths and weaknesses revealed by the
evaluation so that you can build on successes and avoid repeating mistakes.

PROCESSING THE COMMUNITY STUDY REPORT

Many churches that undertake a community assessment do the study, write the report, file
the report, and forget about the report. But a community study is not information for
information's sake; it is gathered for the purpose of equipping the church to share the good
news of the gospel in word and deed. Keep this goal in mind. If you allow your study
committee to get bogged down in statistics or overwhelmed with details, you will end up
with "paralysis of analysis."

Community Study Guide

This guide will help you know what you are looking for in your study of the community. Feel
free to add, subtract or adapt questions as appropriate to your particular context. Some
of the questions will apply more to "community" in the sense of a geographical area; others
apply more to "community" in the sense of a people group.

Note that this guide focuses on the community's strengths as well as its needs. An assetbased
analysis keeps the church from having a patronizing attitude and discourages the
temptation to look for a "quick-fix" for the community's problems.

Methods for learning about your commnity

The community study task group can gather information about the community of ministry in a variety of ways:

1. Census data and other published reports: The census (available on the Internet, www.census.gov provides a wealth of demographic information and tracks changing trends. Ask your local librarian for help in accessing the census data for your community. Other kinds of reports on your community may also be available from a local university, the school board, the chamber of commerce, or another church.



2. Maps: Detailed street maps can be obtained from the planning department of your municipal government. Or download a map from mapquest.com. See the Word & Deed Network resource list for Christian mapping software programs (e.g. the Mapping Center for Evangelism and Church Growth, mappingcenter.org). You can also draw your own map of your community based on your observations. Use Tool #25 to fill in the map with important characteristics of the community.



3. Documents: Collect neighborhood publications, articles about the community in city newspapers, and newsletters from nonprofits that work in the community.



4. Surveys: Written or oral questionnaires ask community members to identify local needs, issues, and assets. If church members are not from the community, try to pair each member on the survey team with a local resident who knows the people in the neighborhood. While surveys can also gather information about people's background and interests, they should not be too personal or intrusive. Tool #26 provides a sample survey format.



5. Interviews: Identify leaders and "insiders" in the community (elected officials, business leaders, community organizers, other pastors, long-time residents) to interview. Also include interviews with "ordinary" members of the community. Ask about their experiences and views of the community, their perceptions of your church, and their suggestions for how the church could impact the community's well-being. See "Networking in the community", and Tools #27 and 28 for a sample interview guide and networking log.



6. Focus groups: Gather a group of community members to share their insights. Groups can either reflect the diversity of the community or share a common key characteristic (such as seniors, or parents of teenagers). It is helpful to start by asking broad questions about people's opinions and observations of community life - their fears, gripes, prides and hopes. As your ministry focus narrows, focus groups can target specific questions (such as what kinds of ministries for seniors are needed, or why people think so many local teens are becoming pregnant).



7. Community informant panel: Invite a selection of experts on the community - e.g., a school principal, city council representative, police officer, business leader, and neighborhood association representative - to a meeting at the church where each can give a brief presentation on the community and answer questions.



8. Observation: Conduct visual surveys by foot ("walking surveys") and by car ("windshield surveys"). (See Tool #29 for questions to guide your observations.) Make an effort to seek out the hidden corners, the people living on the margins.



9. Participation: Participant observation in a spirit of Christian servanthood-as distinct from voyeurish, gawking "slumming"-is especially important if your community of ministry is geographically, culturally or economically distant from your own. Suggested activities to help church members soak in community life and become more familiar with the area include:



• shopping, eating, and walking in the neighborhood;
• riding public transportation into and around the community rather than driving;
• spending a few hours in the waiting room of the local emergency room or welfare office;
• hanging out in public spaces like parks or libraries;
• volunteering at a homeless shelter or other local service agency;
• attending civic, cultural, sporting, or seasonal events (town meetings, concerts, Little League games, Easter parades);
• worshiping at church services in the neighborhood.



10. "Insiders": Use church members as a resource: members who live in the community of ministry; who came to your church as a result of your community outreach; or who work in the community, particularly in service positions such as health care providers and teachers.

In selecting your community assessment methods, seek a balance of qualitative and quantitative information, as the Handbook for Urban Church Ministries (p. 13) explains:

You are looking for both objective and intuitive information. Intuitive insight about the neighborhood, as you can gain from conversations with residents, for example, puts living human faces on social circumstances. Objective information, as found in sources like census data, broadens individual experiences to community trends. Based on intuition alone, you might end up creating an entire program to meet needs that only one or two families are experiencing. Working with data alone, you risk becoming simply another social service agency, missing the warmth of gospel love for God's people around you.

Ministiry Program Planning Guide

I. Ministry Description

A. Mission
1. Problem statement (Why is this ministry needed?)
2. Program mission statement (why are we doing this program?)
3. Philosophy of ministry (how will the program go about fulfilling its goals?)

Tool #48: Qualities of Transformational Leadership for Holistic Ministry

How do you lead a church through a season of missional transformation? Most congregations
will not move forward in holistic ministry unless their leaders—called and empowered by God’s
Spirit—model the way. The following ten characteristics are hallmarks of effective
transformational leaders. As with every aspect of mission, developing these qualities is a
mysterious process that blends divine grace and human response. Look over the attached document and think about how your leadership can embody these virtues.

Tool #50: Counting the Cost, Looking for Treasure

Any church considering a significant new ministry investment must weigh the cost of the desired
project against the potential benefits of its completion and the risks incurred by not investing.
Every holistic ministry carries a price tag, but also represents an investment.

For your church's proposed ministry venture, use this attached document to consider both the risks and the opportunities for volunteers, all
church members, church facilities, and the church's mission overall.

Special Fundraising Goals Worksheet

In-Kind Donations Worksheet