A New Approach toward Community Outreach (Guest Post) by @GabeBedenbaugh

 A major part of our strategy at Next Level Church is serving “the least of these” in our city. I want to introduce you to Pastor Gabe Bedenbaugh, our community outreach pastor who leads the charge in serving the the hurting, broken and forgotten of our city. In this week’s Guest Post, Gabe unpacks a strategic shift we’ve made in our approach to serving the poor.

A major shift is taking place in community ministry. Volunteerism is at an all time high. The church, corporate America and non-profits of all sizes are more involved in their communities than ever before. And yet… it appears nothing is changing. Crime and murder rates are still too high. So many are still living in poverty and hopelessness. What we’ve discovered is, its not that we are not doing enough, its that we are not doing what actually helps.

At Next Level Church, we have made a shift in our mindset toward community ministry. A shift away from making our people feel good and a shift toward truly fixing the problem.

A book we’re learning much from is Toxic Charity by Robert Lupton. In his book, he writes, “When we do for those in need what they have the capacity to do for themselves, we disempower them.”

We’re learning the goal of community ministry should be to empowerthose we are serving, not lead them into further dependence.

Here are three shifts we are making as a church to empower instead of foster dependence:

Last year around Christmas we set up a “Mobile Mall” right in the middle of the community we serve. The parents could walk through the mall and purchase discounted gifts for their children. We charged $1 per gift (they cost us anywhere from $3-10).

The result: We sold every gift we brought and there were more fathers  present than at any other event we have ever done! Even charging small amounts for items creates a sense of ownership, honor and dignity.

Its impossible to truly empower people without learning their needs and dreams firsthand. We had to get “knee deep and elbow dirty” to really find out how we could help. We have implemented a “teams of four” strategy, where each of these teams spend time in our community weekly with specific families, building relationships and trust on a deeper level.

Anytime you are dealing with mindsets, it can be extremely emotional and difficult to change. Often a mindset can be so ingrained in someone, that they can’t see an issue any other way. As leaders, we are continually casting vision and pointing people toward a new approach that will bring honor and dignity to those we serve. The good news is, though it may take time for a mindset to change, once it does, there is no going back to the old way of thinking! A shift like this, leads to people who are committed to empowering others!

At Next Level Church, we’re excited to be making this shift. Though difficult at times, we know it truly adds dignity to those we’re serving in ways we never imagined were possible.

 For more information about Next Level Church’s Community Outreach Strategy e-mail Gabe@nextlevelchurch.com. 

#AddingValue

@MatthewKeller