Visioning Together:

How the Church Can Transform Holland

What’s YOUR Dream for Holland?

“If you could work effectively with other Christians in Holland and had endless

resources, what would be the #1 thing you would like to see accomplished in Holland?”

SEMINAR OVERVIEW

I. Promising Models of Church Collaboration

II. Benefits and Challenges of Collaboration

III. The 4 Stages of the Collaboration

IV. Next Steps

Promising Models of Church Collaboration

(1) Church as City Convener

• Once per month breakfasts for pastors, lay

leaders, Christian businesspersons

• Guest Speaker each time was a prominent public official

• Guest Speaker addresses same 4 questions each time

The Churches of Springfield (Springfield, MO)

Church as City Convener

1. What are the hardest aspects of your job?

2. What seems humanly impossible to accomplish?

3. How can we pray for you personally and professionally?

4. What specific things can churches do to make this a better community?

The Four Key Questions

Church as City Convener

• City-Wide tutoring program for at-risk 3rd graders

• At Weller Elementary (82% of kids on free lunch), 100% of kids are reading on grade level!

The Results:

Church as City Convener

1. Less-than-comprehensive involvement OK

2. Breakfast meetings were efficiently/tightly run and well scripted

3. Didn’t rush into “What are we going to do about it?” mode

4. Second Baptist was a SERVANT leader

Some Lessons Learned:

(2) Churches United for a Cause

• 16 churches united to serve homeless families

• Churches provide homes for transitional housing

• Churches provide mentors

Good Samaritan Ministries

Churches United for a Cause

• 150 people served last year

• 80% of graduated get decent, affordable, stable rentals

• 20% have bought homes

The Results:

Churches United for a Cause

1. Structure program to give each church a sense of ownership

2. Working with the professional FBO provided opportunity for solid training, coaching, on-going support as church mentors worked with families.

3. The FBO gathered additional agency partners and this afforded the homeless families a wide range of supportive resources.

Some Lessons Learned:

(2) Churches United for a Cause

• Mission to reduce divorce rate through Community Marriage Policy

• Provision of mentor couples

• Training churches to intervene effectively in troubled marriages

Marriage Savers of Clark County (Springfield, OH)

Churches United for a Cause

• 18% average drop in the divorce rate in MS communities – Springfield too

• In Springfield, OH, over 60 clergy have signed CMP

• In Springfield 124 couples served in the first year

Results:

Churches United for a Cause

1. Community Marriage Policy has both core and optional elements to reduce controversy and promote widespread collaboration.

2. MS gets commitments from larger, well-resourced churches to share resources with smaller churches, to help them implement the CMP. Sharing of resources can mean money, volunteers, facilities, training scholarships.

Some Lessons Learned:

(3) Churches Partnering with a Key Institution

Lincoln Village Ministries (Huntsville, AL)

• One lead church with several key partner congregations

• Focus is on one school: Lincoln Village Elementary

• Churches have cooperated to renovate library, build science lab, provide mentors

• PTA attendance increased from 6 to 100

• Students writing test scores increased 37%

• Reading and Math score are increasing

• Half of student body enjoys a one-on-one tutor

Results:

Churches Partnering with a Key Institution

Churches Partnering with a Key Institution

1. Take the initiative and ask how your church can help.

2. Respond to felt needs first before pitching a lot of your own ideas.

3. Personally invite other pastors to get involved.

4. Build on the partnering momentum – combined efforts on the school have led to combined efforts in the neighborhood (multi-church food pantry, affordable housing development).

Some Lessons Learned:

(4) Church-Business Partnership Model

The Jobs for Life model

(formerly The National Jobs Partnership)

• Partner Christian businesspersons with inner-city pastors to provide job training, mentoring and job placement

• Together they run a 12-week job-and-life skills training course

• 2,100 job placements

• 80% job retention rate after one year

Results:

Church-Business Partnership Model

1. Minority Pastors take the lead

2. Start with a small class composed of church members

3. Hold classes at the church(es) most geographically accessible to the potential class participants.

4. Use covenants – the Board members, the volunteer mentors, the JP class participants, and the supporting businesses all sign covenants outlining expectations and commitments.

5. Establish a diverse base of business partners

6. Keep class size manageable – 12 to 18 is ideal.

Some Lessons Learned:

Church-Business Partnership Model

(5) Neighborhood Focused Church Coalition

Hartford Center City Churches

• 12 downtown churches in Hartford, CT pooling resources to combat social ills

• Offer after-school program at two elementary schools

• Offer MANNA Assistance – advocacy group that deals with low-income families and the homeless population of Hartford

• Daily soup kitchen

• Meditation of tenant/ landlord relations

• “Peter’s Retreat” – residential facility for homeless AIDS patients

• Connecticut’s first and Hartford’s only weekend senior center

1. Churches themselves are in the locale they are serving (downtown).

2. They formalize and hired staff to run programs; then the churches participate through financial support and volunteers.

3. They let other churches also help without becoming “members.”

Some Lessons Learned:

Neighborhood Focused Church Coalition

COLLABORATION DEFINIED:

Collaboration is a mutually beneficial and well-defined relationship entered into by two or more organizations to achieve common goals

The relationship includes a commitment to mutual relationships and goals; a jointly developed structure and shared responsibility; mutual authority and accountability for success; and sharing of resources and rewards.

- From Collaboration: What Makes it Work

Collaboration, Cooperation, Coordination

• Cooperation is the most informal: info shared as needed; authority retained by each organization; little risk

• Coordination characterized by more formal communication, but authority retained by each organization

• Collaboration is a more durable & pervasive relationship: brings organizations into a new structure that holds authority

Collaboration:

The BENEFITS and CHALLENGES

The Four Stages of Collaboration

Stage 1: Envision results by working individual-to-individual

Collaboration begins by individual-to-individual conversation to envision results

Challenges: • Bring people together • Enhance trust• Confirm our vision• Specify desired results

START-UP STAGE

Stage 2: Empower ourselves by working individual-to-organization

We need clear authority from our home-base organizations to work effectively together at this stage

Challenges: • Confirm organizational roles• Resolve conflicts• Organize the effort• Support the members

CONSOLIDATION STAGE

Stage 3: Ensure success by working organization-to-organization

Here we will want to build relationships and work together as organizations. This stage is definitely the most fruitful stage of the Collaboration, as we begin to reap rewards from our hard work.

Challenges: • Manage the work• Create joint systems• Evaluate the results• Renew the effort

ACTION STAGE

Stage 4: Endow continually by working collaboration-to-community

Finally, we relate collaboration-to-community to endow continuity. With help from more people and organizations, we can develop increased support so that our efforts would bring about new and continuing efforts over time.

Challenges: • Create visibility• Involve the community• Change the system• End the collaboration

CONTINUATION STAGE

Collaboration:

What are the key factors in a successful collaboration?

The 20 Factors of Successful Collaboration

Based on evidence of 281 research studies on collaboration, with special emphasis on 18 key studies specifically looking for “success factors” in health, social science, education and public affairs collaborations.

The 20 Factors of Successful

Collaboration

• Factors Related to the ENVIRONMENT

• Factors Related to MEMBERSHIP CHARACTERISTICS

• Factors Related to PROCESS AND STRUCTURE

• Factors Related to COMMUNICATION

• Factors Related to PURPOSE

• Factors Related to RESOURCES

Environmental Factors

• History of collaboration/ cooperation in the community

• Collaborative group seen as a legitimate leader in the community

• Favorable political and social climate

Membership Characteristics Factors

• Mutual respect, understanding, and trust

• Appropriate cross-section of members

• Ability to compromise

Process & Structure Factors

• Members share a stake in both process and outcome

• Multiple layers of participation

• Flexibility

• Development of clear roles and policy guidelines

• Adaptability

• Appropriate pace of development

Communication Factors

• Open and frequent communications

• Established informal relationships and communication links

Purpose Factors

• Concrete, attainable goals and objectives

• Shared Vision

• Unique Purpose

Resource Factors

• Sufficient funds, staff, materials, and time

• Skilled leadership

NEXT STEPS