WORKSHOPS

These topics and descriptions are just launching points to customize what your church or ministry needs. Below is a brief overview of what will be covered in each topic.

Poverty and Alleviation Approaches

Poverty is much more than only material or physical poverty, and often is more complicated than can be solved by a simple bag of groceries. In this workshop, we will:

• Explore the roots of poverty stemming from the fall of man in the Garden of Eden
• Redefine poverty as broken relationships with God, self, others and creation
• Illustrate examples of poverty in all cultures and socioeconomic situations.
• Discover the difference between chronic and crisis poverty situations and why it matters.
• Discuss approaches to poverty alleviation, such as relief, rehabilitation, development.

Cross- Cultural Awareness

Culture impacts everything about how you live, work, and play, but it is one of those things that you are often not even aware of until you interact with a culture different than yours. Often, when that happens people shrug off differences as odd or interesting, but if your church or ministry desires long term relationship and impact with people from another culture, you need awareness of a few key differences. This workshop will explore the cross-cultural differences of:

• Collectivist vs. Individualist
• Flexible vs. Linear View of Time
• Communication Style
  • High vs. Low Context
  • Direct vs. Indirect context
• Leadership
  • High vs. Low Power distance

Engaging Your Community

Where do your church’s or ministry’s programs originate? Who decides what your community needs or wants? What is the best way for your church or ministry to engage its community? It is probably not a question of program creation and implementation. In this workshop we will:

• Describe the importance of learning about your community.
• Discuss strategies to be present through observation and conversation.
• Explain Asset Based Ministry.
• Look at your church as a parish or connecting point for the community.

Partnership and Collaboration

When you look at the challenges facing your community, do you ever wonder where are the other organizations and churches? Could we all be more effective if we worked together? Or have you been burned by trying to work together in the past? Partnership and Collaboration, when done properly, are a true picture of the Kingdom of God and the body of the church at work. It takes time and proper perspective. In this workshop, we:

• Explore key people needed for effective collaboration.
• Discuss the power of common vision and ongoing communication.
• Imagine potential for increased impact.
• Consider the steps toward collaboration in your community.

How to Get Started :

Explore, Refine or Start your Church’s Missions and Outreach

Starting something new or changing course on how things have always been can be challenging. Often, people stop before they start, just because they do not know where to begin. This workshop will explore these questions:

• Where is God already moving in your church and community?
• What relationships exist? Explore existing connections and partnerships?
• What is the mission and vision of the church? How do missions fit in?
• What does the evolution of Transactional Giving to Transformational Relationships look like?

Activate and Equip Your Church Where They Live, Work and Play

When you think about where your church members spend much of their time, it is probably not at church. They spend most of their time in their neighborhoods, where they work and go to school, and where they engage in recreation, or kids’ activities. Which is good, since the hurting and lost are probably not in your church, but they can be found in all the other areas. This workshop is designed to:

• Look at how God gathers and scatters the church each week and the purpose behind that.
• Explore the power of a ministry of presence – why it is important to show people Jesus where they are?
• Discover a healthy theology of work – to empower your church to embrace the God designed purpose of their work.
• Consider the practice of intentional neighboring – to empower your church to experience God sending and planting them in a specific place.