Creating a Justice Based Ministry in Your Local Church

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Creating a Justice Based Ministry in Your
Local Church

• Originally created by Rev. Elder Diane Fisher
  for use in Metropolitan Community Churches

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AgendaOpening Prayer

• What is justice and why do we do justice work?
• What is real in our world!
• Where is your passion/call? Where do you
  struggle?
• Identifying what ministry is right for your
  church
• The first step - Getting the community on board
• Whats next - establishing your ministry
• Keeping the ministry alive and vibrant
• Personal, Local, National, Global
• Evaluation - the ministry and the workshop
• Closing Prayer

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What is justice?

• Harpers dictionary defines justice as
• the standard by which the benefits and penalties
  of living in society are distributed.
• the foundation of justice is being founded in the
  being of God.
• God is the defender of the poor and the oppressed
  (Jeremiah 923-24, Psalm 1017-18)
• the justice of God is characterized by special
  regard for the poor and the weak, a corresponding
  quality is demanded of Gods people (Deuteronomy
  1018-19).

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When we properly carry out justice, we are agents
of divine will (Isaiah 5915-16)

• Paul presents Gods justice as a grace flowing
  into and through the believers into the needy
  (2 Corinthians 98-10).
• The demand of God for justice is so central that
  other responses to God are empty or diminished if
  they exist without it (Amos 521-24 Micah 66-8
  Matthew 2323).
• Justice is closely related to love and grace
  (Deuteronomy 1018-19, Hosea 1012) rather than
  being a contrasting principle.
• It thus provides vindication, deliverance, and
  creation of community in addition to retribution.
  
• Need is the criterion for distributing benefits
  and the focus is on the oppressed.

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Justice is associated with the basic
requirements of life in community.

• Basic needs are basic rights.
• The context for the carrying out of justice is
  the creation of community and the preservation of
  people in it (Leviticus 2535-36 Job 245 Psalm
  10736 Luke 729-30).
• Justice is deliverance, rectifying the gross
  social inequities of the disadvantaged (Psalm
  769).
• It puts an end to the conditions which produce
  the injustice (Psalm 1018 )
• It will not be to everyones advantage.

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The oppressed are raised the oppressors judged
(1 Samuel 27-10 Luke 151-53 620-26)

• Paul uses the language and meaning of justice to
  describe Gods work of salvation in his theme of
  the righteousness of God.
• It occurs primarily in Romans, where he treats
  the inclusion of the Gentiles in the new order of
  redemption.
• By justice, God brings into community the
  Gentiles, who previously had no rights in the
  commonwealth of Israel.

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• What does the Lord require of you? To do
  justice, and love kindness and walk humbly with
  our God. Micah 68

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100 People

• If Earth's population was shrunk into a village
  of just 100 people-with all the human ratios
  existing in the world still remaining - what
  would this tiny, diverse village look like?
  That's exactly what Phillip M. Harter, a medical
  doctor at the Stanford University school of
  Medicine, attempted to figure out.
• This is what he found.

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What Gender would we be?

• 52 would be female
• 48 would be male

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Our Colour?

• 70 would be nonwhite
• 30 would be white

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Our faith?

• 70 would be non-Christian
• 30 would be Christian

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Our orientation?

• 89 would be heterosexual
• 11 would be homosexual

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Our wealth?

• 6 people would possess 59 percent of the entire
  world's wealth
• All 6 would be from the United States

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Housing? Literacy?

• 80 would live in substandard housing
• 70 would be unable to read

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Health?

• 50 would suffer from malnutrition
• 1 would be near death
• 1 would be pregnant

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Education?

• 1 would have a college education
• 1 would own a computer

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The following is an anonymous interpretation
think of it this way.

• If you live in a good home, have plenty to eat
  and can read, you are a member of a very select
  group.
• And if you have a good house, food, can read and
  have a computer, you are among the very elite.

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• If you woke up this morning with more health than
  illness... you are more fortunate than the
  million who will not survive this week.
• If you have never experienced the danger of
  battle, the loneliness of imprisonment, the agony
  of torture, or the pangs of starvation ... you
  are ahead of 500 million people in the world.

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• If you have never seen a family member tortured
  or killed you are more fortunate than half the
  worlds population.
• If you can attend a church meeting without fear
  of harassment, arrest, torture, or death...you
  are fortunate, more than three billion people in
  the world can't.

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• If you have food in the refrigerator, clothes on
  your back, a roof overhead and a place to
  sleep...you are richer than 75 of this world.
• If you have money in the bank, in your wallet,
  and spare change in a dish someplace...you are
  among the top 8 of the world's wealthy.

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• If your parents are still alive and still
  married...you are very rare, even in the United
  States.
• If you hold up your head with a smile on your
  face and are truly thankful you are blessed
  because the majority can, but most do not.

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• If you can hold someone's hand, hug them or even
  touch them on shoulder... you are blessed
  because you can offer healing touch.
• If you can read this message, you are more
  blessed than over two billion people in the world
  that cannot read at all.

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Passion, Call, Struggle

• Identifying your call or passion is not always
  easy, but if you listen to your heart, consider
  it prayerfully, and talk to others it will become
  clear.
• If you have heard something or seen something and
  you say to yourself, I should be doing something
  about that or I wish I could do...Consider that
  this might be your niche, or a gentle nudge from
  God.

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• If there is something, or a group of people, who
  make you uncomfortable this might be an area of
  growth and ministry for you.
• If you hear something or a thought passes through
  your mind and the hair on your arms stands up or
  you sigh or you have a sudden, clear moment of
  comprehension - an ah ha! moment, Pay Attention!

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What is right for your church and for getting
the community on board?
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• If you sense that your call is to tree plant and
  your church does not own its own property, it may
  not be the best decision to rip up the lawn of
  the space where you worship to plant trees.
• Identifying a congregational justice ministry
  begins by someone having a vision.
• It is then considered in terms of the needs of
  your community.

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• You may want to do a needs assessment with the
  larger community, outside the church.
• Contact social service agencies, ministerial
  associations, your Chamber of Commerce.
• See where the gaps are and consider if they match
  your vision.

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• Consult with the Pastor, board, key leaders and
  the congregation.
• Invite other folk with similar interests into the
  process with you.
• Create a detailed plan, time line, and financial
  impact statement and ask to meet with the Pastor
  and board.
• If it seems feasible, present it to the
  congregation.

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• If it is too big too do on your own, see if any
  other churches or groups would be interested in
  partnering with you.
• As churches do strategic planning, they map out
  the direction for the life of the church over a
  1,2,3 or 5 year period.
• It is necessary to plan ahead, so be prepared to
  take the time needed to get folk on board with
  the ministry plan.

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Getting the community on board

• Have a kick of date to introduce the ministry,
  and invite the congregation and those who
  participated in the needs assessment.
• Other churches, or other folk from the community
  may be interested in working with the ministry
  even though they dont attend the church.

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• Using community billboards on cable networks and
  radio stations can help let people know about the
  ministry.
• Press releases/announcements sent to key
  organizations will also let the community know
  what is happening.
• Feature the ministry during worship services.

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Establishing Your Ministry

• If this is a group, or a service where the people
  participating meet regularly, begin by setting
  norms.
• If the ministry is more transient, the ministry
  team should have a set of norms and guidelines.
• If they ministry involves sessions, make sure
  that they are planned out in advance. You can
  never be too prepared.

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• Never work alone.
• If you need additional training, get it.
• If you need help, ask for it.
• Remember that it is okay to not have all the
  answers.

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• Ask for feedback.
• Have congregational updates on the progress of
  the ministry.
• Communicate, communicate, communicate!

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• Arrange to evaluate the ministry at three, six
  and twelve months. If all is well evaluate
  annually.
• Make sure that you have written reports for the
  Annual Congregational Business Meeting.
• Reports available for board meetings when
  requested.

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Evaluation Questions

• At three, six and twelve months it is important
  to evaluate the justice ministry.
• A narrative or oral evaluation works well and
  eases the tension.

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Evaluation Questions to ask

• How are you feeling about the ministry?
• What is working well, what is not
• What makes you feel uncomfortable?
• Is it meeting the needs you thought it would?
• What has surprised you?

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More questions to ask

• What are the joys? The frustrations?
• What would help?
• How is the team working?
• What needs readjusting?
• Have you identified other needs
• Should the ministry continue?

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Keeping the ministry alive and vibrant

• Celebrate successes
• Support each other with hard things
• Meet regularly
• Evaluate, change, adapt
• Learn from mistakes and laugh.
• Share stories, communicate and celebrate.

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Personal, Local, National, Global Justice work
happens on many levels.

• Your personal vision for justice work may need to
  be lived out in other places. Live your passion.
• Local ministries are our predominant justice
  focus and serve the needs of our community, where
  we are.

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Personal, Local, National, Global Justice work
happens on many levels.

• Your personal vision for justice work may need to
  be lived out in other places. Live your passion.
• Local ministries are our predominant justice
  focus and serve the needs of our community, where
  we are.

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Personal, Local, National, Global Justice work
happens on many levels.

• Your personal vision for justice work may need to
  be lived out in other places. Live your passion.
• Local ministries are our predominant justice
  focus and serve the needs of our community, where
  we are.

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Personal, Local, National, Global Justice work
happens on many levels.

• Your personal vision for justice work may need to
  be lived out in other places. Live your passion.
• Local ministries are our predominant justice
  focus and serve the needs of our community, where
  we are.

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National Justice Ministries

• National Justice Ministries are often political
  in nature, fighting for human rights, lobbying
  for the under served.
• These can often be done in conjunction with other
  organizations.

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Global Justice Ministries

• Global Justice Ministries can be done by
  supporting our current Global Outreach churches,
  by joining movements like the Jubilee.
• Again there is often a need to lobby locally and
  nationally to have an impact globally.

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• Invite folk to get involved at many levels,
  letter writing and phone calls are effective
  tools.
• Designing pamphlets, setting up web sites can be
  avenues to get folk involved at all levels.
• Be creative, open, flexible.

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• Dont forget God in the process...pray
  unceasingly.
• Good luck and Gods many blessings as you live
  out your passion.

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• Making Action Easy
• Include a list of your City Council Members,
  Provincial or State Representatives, Members of
  Parliament or Congress Reps and Senators on your
  web site to allow members to write letters, email
  or call with their concerns.
• For Information on Justice Based
• Ministry Programs Available contact
• KAIROS
• 947 Queen St. E., Suite 201,
• Toronto, ON, M4M 1J9
• Tel [phone]
• Toll-free 1-877-403-8933
• Fax [phone]
• E-mail info_at_kairoscanada.org
• Web www.kairoscanada.org

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• Evaluation
• What worked?
• What didn?t?
• What would have been helpful?
• Could you use this with your local church?
• Would you?
• Thank you!
• Closing Prayer
• Name Email