Indiana Annual Conference

Christian Faith Formation Transforming the World

George HowardDeputy General Secretary,

Global Ministries

Christian Faith Formation Transforming the World

Christian Faith Formation

Transforming the World

Christian Faith Formation

Transforming the World

Transforming the World

Personal Christian Faith Formation

Where is God calling you to Stretch and Grow?

Which practice will you focus on?

Growing Movements around the world:

Models of Development

Three Self Patriotic Movement

• Self-Governance• Self-Support• Self-Propagation

John Wesley model• King’s foundry for cannon

• A charity school

• A dispensary

• An almshouse for nine poor widows

• A loan society

• Daily worship services

• Class meetings

The Wesleyan tradition

North Katanga UMC model• Church

• Parsonage

• Garden for the pastor’s family

• School

• Medical clinic

• Well

UM Church for All People model

• Worship

• Housing

• Community music and arts

• Healthy eating and living

• Afterschool

• Medical clinic

• What do you notice about these models?

• What do they have in common?

• What are/were some of the keys to the growth of the church using these models?

Call to Worship:

Leader: God’s love is deep and wide.

Community: God loves all people.

Leader: Beyond differences that may divide

us.

Community: No matter who we are or what we

have done.

All: We are all beloved children of God.

Leader: We are a church for all people.

Community: We give our love to everyone no matter who they are or what they have done.

All: Welcome to this circle.

Relief-Rehabilitation-DevelopmentRelief

The urgent provision of emergency aid to reduce suffering resulting from a natural and/or man-

made crisis.

Relief is by its very nature, immediate and temporary. It is prolonged only when self-reliance

is impossible.

The basic dynamic is provider and receiver.

Rehabilitation

The restoration of people and their communities to their pre-crisis state and minimization of future

vulnerabilities.

Opportunities for moving from doing for to doing with. Local population involved in the work.

Serves as a bridge between relief and development.

Relief-Rehabilitation-Development

Relief-Rehabilitation-Development

Development

The process of on-going change that is moving people closer to being in right relationship with

God, with themselves, with others and with nature.

Development isn’t done to people or for people but with people.

The key dynamic is promoting an empowering process. This will typically be done around or

result in some “products/project”.

Growing Christian Movements

Values

Church

Relationship Driven

Asset Based

Healthy Partnerships

Holistic

Values

Relationships vs. Resources

Partnerships vs. Dependency

Asset Based vs. Need Based

Broad vs. Narrow

Connectional vs

Congregational

Methodism began as a movement of the poor, for the poor, by the poor, and with the poor. Failure to be in friendship and ministry with the poor, the imprisoned, and the vulnerable people of the world is a betrayal of the gospel as communicated through the Wesleyan tradition.

Bishop Kenneth L. Carder

Adaptive Challenge:

Transition to New Concept of Partnership

Short TermNeeds-BasedRelief

Long TermAsset-BasedDevelopment

Holistic Church Model

Church

Food Security

Health

Education

Faith Formation

Your Church Model

Church for All People Core Affirmation

GOD loves us just the way we are

and

GOD is not finished with us yet!

Participatory ContinuumCoercion

Compliance

Cooperation

Consulting

Community Initiated

Participatory

What Kind of Participation?

Functional participation: Involvement in project/program activities that are predetermined

by the implementing organization.

Empowering participation: Building capacity of people by involvement in the planning,

implementing and evaluation of the project/program.

5 Steps:

1) Start a 50/50 Conversation: Set Expectations Begin actively listening & learning. Move beyond assumptions. Use 50/50 as framework for goal settingAsk Questions: What are your dreams and aspirations? What do you hope for our partnership together?

 2) Assess & Discern: Where are you? Where are you going?50/50 as an assessment for current ministries and partnerships. Are they 50/50? It’s a lens for helping you focus on relational opportunities with long term impact in missional engagement.  

3) Know your Gifts: Appreciative InquirySelf-discovery or gifts mapping - List assets of each partner with emphasis on non-resource based ones to build local capacity. Ask questions: What has God blessed each of us with? What do each of us have to offer vs what do they need? What can we do WITH you vs what can we do FOR you? 

4) Plan Together: Strategic Vision Casting based on 50/50You’re writing your own manual! Imagine what your ministry together will look like as a locally sustainable program.  

5) Frequent Communication: Long-Term Deepening of Partnership Share best practices, address mistakes and spiritually ground relationship through class meetings and online worship

Four Foundational Relationships

Relationship with God – Glorify and enjoy God forever

Relationship with Self – Created in the image of God giving worth and dignity

Relationship to Others – Created to dwell in loving, grace-filled relationships

Relationship with the Rest of Creation – Stewardship of the earth and all of God’s creation

Avoid PaternalismDon’t do for others what they can do for

themselves.

Types of Paternalism

Resource Paternalism – We’ve got the FundsSpiritual Paternalism - We’ve got the Word

Knowledge Paternalism - We’ve got the Know-HowLabor Paternalism - We’ve got the Muscle

Managerial Paternalism - We can git‘er Done

I had come to see that the great tragedy in the church is not that rich Christians do not care about the poor but that rich Christians do not know the poor.Shane Claiborne

Key characteristics of ministry with the poor

• Relationship building

• Vulnerability (affinity)

• Power equity

• Inclusive worship

• Asset based

• Sustainable impact

Ministry with the poor• The UMC has been anointed to bring and receive

good news with the poor. Through developing mutually engaging relationships, we, the living body of Christ, work together to make disciples of Jesus Christ, build inclusive worship communities, transform our world and experience abundant life.

Dallas Round Table of MWTP Practitioners

November 2013