Ideas to Action

Articles, Excerpts, Tips & More
Getting There from Here: Starting Compassion Ministry in Your Church: This article discusses discuss the importance of vision, purpose, and planning in conducting effective community outreach. It describes the three common stages congregations experience as they engage in compassion ministry and suggests action steps for each.
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Ministry Opportunities Brainstorming Tool : A group exercise for church leaders who are developing an outreach program.
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Goals for Community, Church, and Personal Transformation: This tool enables a leadership group involved in a church outreach ministry to identify clear and achievable goals for that ministry in several areas of positive change.
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Recommended Books
A Guide to Running the Citizen Leaders Program: This manual describes one effective indigenous community leadership program in Chicago and offers guidance to imitating it elsewhere.
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What Every Church Member Should Know About Poverty: An insightful book on understanding and reaching the generational poor.
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99 Innovations: This booklet describes ninety-nine innovative and successful ideas to help churches move toward engaging 100% of their congregations in community service.
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Ventures in Holistic Ministry (CD): This CD is packed with helpful tools and profiles to aid church leaders in becoming more effective in community ministry.
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On Earth as It Is in Heaven: This 12-week video curriculum helps churches become more knowledgeable about and equipped for God’s Kingdom mission.
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Cracking Your Congregations Code: This book guides church leaders in identifying their congregation’s “spiritual DNA,” in order to assist them in crafting an authentic vision and mission.
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Just Neighbors Toolkit: A small-group curriculum covering the basics of poverty and social injustice, including how and why congregations must take action.
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Community Organizing: A workbook for churches about effective community organizing, including theological reflection, interactive activities, and practical advice on getting started.
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Justice: Creating Policies, Laws and Systems:: This introductory workbook helps church leaders identify injustices and brainstorm action plans that congregations can take.
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Doing Justice: Congregations and Community Organizing: This book challenges pastors and congregations to address the root causes of poverty and injustice through congregation-based community organizing.
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Recommended Links
Withreach.com:  “Withreach” is a strategy for combining neighborhood-based friendship evangelism with community service, to reach the unreached while benefiting social ministries.
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Chalmers Center for Economic Development: This organization, based at Covenant College, trains the Church worldwide to implement holistic, church-centered programs and strategies that facilitate Christian economic development within low-income communities.
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Center on Faith in Communities: This site equips Christians for the work of mercy and justice among the poor with a variety of tools, profiles, how-to’s, and other resources.
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Emmanuel Gospel Center:  An urban ministry based in Boston, the Emmanuel Gospel Center works to build and multiply urban churches and urban ministries. EGC provides resources to nurture urban churches and urban ministries and to encourage ministry in urban and ethnic communities.
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