I have worked with Community Ministry Networks for over 30 years and still find that it is a foreign concept to many congregations and communities. I would be interested in learning more about what other congregations are doing to coordinate their ministry to the community with other congregations or service organizations.
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I am very passionate about linking the work of the church with the work of the community. I recently spent a few years trying to form a network of local churches to join in with other initiatives in the community. The local city councilor was very supportive and actually hosted a meeting for the churches. the Board of Ed already had started to create a local network where we were invited to join along with social work, employment initiatives, the Jewish community, police and others.
I could not get this off the ground. I found it very hard to get churches to send a rep to meetings or to even find what our common vision was - the belief was we had to "do something" but beyond that it was tough.
I am now in another church for an internship anxious to involve ourselves with the local neighbourhood association. It was my intent to start out small and join in the neighbourhood clean up event. This has been met with "don't spend your time on this".
This is my reality in urban Canada. I'm hoping that I will learn some approaches from others!
The Communities First Association consultants take an ABCD approach, which involves churches seeing what is already going on in their community, and what organizations are already working there, and networking together. Asset mapping is an important first step.
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