COMMUNITY ADVOCATESa new way of community

• Vision • Building the framework

• What is City Transformation?• What is God calling the church to do in

communities?

• Community Advocates: a local example • Jumping in with your community

Objectives

My Dream for My City is…

(Talk Waco)

“The Lord God has told uswhat is right and what he demands: See that justice is done, let mercy by your first concern, and humbly obey your God”

- Micah 6:8Contemporary English Version

“The process whereby individuals, peoples, and the city as a whole increasingly and dramatically become more like God’s intention for them. As a result, growing numbers of converts begin to function as mature disciples and the social, political, and economic fabric of the entire community begins to change”

- Jack Dennison and Steve Capper

City Transformation Defined:

(Rusaw, 2004)

A New Perspective

SOCIAL- injustice-broken relationships

ECONOMIC- greed- poverty- exploitation

SOCIAL- justice-

reconciliation/forgivenessECONOMIC

- generosity- no needy among

you- empowerment

(Swanson, 2010)

SPIRITUAL- sin-

judgment-death

SPIRITUAL- holiness- salvation- eternal life

MANGOD

JESUS

SIN

The Call to City Transformation

Cities are deeply connected to God’s plans on the earth

God is just and we are created in his image

The Church is God’s Plan A

Concept Biblical Reference

Isaiah 62:1, Jeremiah 29:7, Nehemiah

Psalm 147:6-7, Zephaniah 3:5 , Micah 6:8

Isaiah 58:6-8, Matthew 5:13-16, 2 Corinthians 9:6-12

Impact Waco

CONTEXT

MISSON

2013 GOAL

Antioch Community Church – Waco, TX

Mobilizing the church to see the city of Waco transformed

20% of the congregation actively involved in serving the community

Coming up with a Plan

A congregation actively involved in seeking the wellbeing of the community

LifeGroupDiscipleship

Community Advocates

goal

strength

strategy

Our Approach to Impact

Anatomy of a Community Advocate

pray teach

engage

Community Advocates Process

(Dolgoff et al., 2012)

Findings: Knowledge

not familiar at all

think its in the bible, but not

familiar with it

read about it in the bible, know a

little

heard, read, or learned a fair

amount

heard, read, or learned, a lot

0

0.5

1

1.5

2

2.5

3

3.5

4

4.5

0 0

3

2 2

3

4

pre-testpost-test

How familiar are you with God’s plans and desires for social and economic transformation?

Findings: Personal Investment

no, never not within the past year

within the past year, but not right

now

yes, in the church's internally focused ministries

yes, in the community

0

0.5

1

1.5

2

2.5

3

3.5

4

4.5

0

1

4

2

0

1

3 3

pre-testpost-test

Are you involved in any type of volunteering or other type of city engagement?

Results of Community Advocates

Excited members

Increase in knowledge

Increase in community involvement

Increase in community appreciation

Neighborhood study on perceived impact

Your Church and Your Community

ENCOUNTER

EXPLORE

ENGAGE

(Martin, 2012) (Schmidt, 2012), (Gucwa, 2012)

Continuum of Engagement

Your Church and Your Community

ENCOUNTER

EXPLORE

ENGAGE

EVALUATE(Martin, 2012) (Schmidt, 2012), (Gucwa, 2012)

“And if you spend yourselves on behalf of the hungry and satisfy the needs of the oppressed, then your light will rise in the darkness and your night will become like the noonday”

- Isaiah 58:10New International Version

Questions & Discussion

(Smithsonian Institution)

laura-pennington@aminternational.org

Bibliography

Gucwa. (2012). [Graphic Illustration Sunset over the Bridge and New York]. Retrieved from http://nythroughthelens.com/post/28657794697/sunset-over-the-brooklyn-bridge-and-the-new-york

Martin, J. (2012). The just church: Becoming a risk-taking, justice-seeking, disciple-making congregation. USA: Tyndale House Publishers, Inc.

Rusaw, R. & Swanson, E. (2004). The externally focused church. Loveland, CO: Group Publishing.

Schmidt. (2012). [Graphic Illustration City on a Hill]. Retrieved from http://genesiseightseven.blogspot.com/2012/09/city-on-hill-casting-crowns.html

Swanson, E. & Williams, S. (2010). To transform a city: Whole church, whole gospel, whole city. Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan.

Smithsonian Institution. (1939). [Graphic Illustration of William Johnson’s Harlem Street with Church]. Retrieved from http://www.flickr.com/photos/smithsonian/4247999860/

Talk Waco. [Graphic Illustration Talk Waco Blog April 25,2013]. Retrieved from http://talkwaco.wordpress.com/pics-around-town-2/