Leading Ideas from the Lewis Center for Church Leadership of Wesley Theological Seminary
Leading Ideas from Lewis Center for Church Leadership at The Wesley Theological Seminary in Washington, D.C., United States: "Does Your Church Need a Disaster Ministry Plan?/God and Guns - Do Something!" for Wednesday, 7 September 2016
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Leading Ideas from Lewis Center for Church Leadership at The Wesley Theological Seminary in Washington, D.C., United States: "Does Your Church Need a Disaster Ministry Plan?/God and Guns - Do Something!" for Wednesday, 7 September 2016
SUBSCRIBE | Topics | Authors | Reprints
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Does Your Church Need a Disaster Ministry Plan? by Jamie D. Aten And David M. Boan
Jamie D. Aten and David M. Boan, who head the Humanitarian Disaster Institute at Wheaton College, say that you may never have thought about your church’s role in disaster response. But if your doors are open after a disaster strikes, people will come to you for help. The time to plan is now. It can be the difference between calm and chaos, between courage and fear, between life and death.
Since the 1980s, there has been roughly a 400 percent increase in natural disasters. The world’s five costliest natural disasters have occurred within the past twenty years, with three of those disasters striking in the last eight years alone. There have also been nearly 5,000 terrorist events annually over the last ten years.
If you are going to be ready, the time to plan is now. When a crisis strikes, it is too late to get prepared and too late to start working with those in need. By taking action now, you can save lives and prevent harm during a disaster as you extend your ministry to those in need.
Local congregations are uniquely situated in their communities to help with disaster preparedness, response and recovery. We have heard the following from congregational leaders who support disaster ministry:
Congregations can provide broad-based prevention as well as holistic care for individuals after a disaster incident. Holistic care provides for the physical, emotional, and spiritual parts of a person’s life.
Congregations can reach people in need that other groups and agencies cannot reach, and thus help those who would otherwise go unserved.
Disaster work can be integrated into the other ministries of a congregation and strengthen those same ministries.
Congregations can be a source for community action. The connection with people in the community helps with assessing needs and risks and identifying possible actions.
Congregations can advocate on behalf of the marginalized and vulnerable, as in ensuring fair distribution of health care or food, or determining where help is needed most.
Congregations may provide key resources during a disaster, such as using a meeting space as a rest or evacuation center, or storing and distributing food, water, equipment, and other resources.
Congregations are already a center for communication, allowing meetings and messages to be communicated to a significant number of people on a regular basis.
Congregations can provide a willing body of volunteers who are motivated by love and compassion.
In working with churches, we have found that a three-stage approach can be a practical way to get started. It revolves around thinking of how your congregation might take action before, in the midst of, and after a disaster. This is the approach that most government agencies and Christian organizations involved in emergency response have recommended for developing high-quality emergency plans.
Your disaster ministry needs to take into account and leverage your congregation’s unique talents, calling, and gifting. The churches we have seen who have developed the most effective disaster ministries were the ones that started small and built on strengths. This allowed them to take a developmental approach, grow in their vision, add appropriate resources, and sustain their work. Thus it is important to begin by matching your congregation’s resources with specific goals, taking into account current congregation and community resources needed.
This material is excerpted from Disaster Ministry Handbook (Intervarsity Press, 2016) by Jamie D. Aten and David M. Boan, and used with the publisher’s permission. This book is a comprehensive resource for developing a disaster response ministry plan. It is available through Cokesburyand Amazon.
Related Resources:
Read more.
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God and Guns -- Do Something! by Amy Butler
Amy Butler, pastor of The Riverside Church in New York City, writes that the epidemic of gun violence in America is no longer a matter of opinion or politics; it is a matter of life and death. Because Protestant churchgoers are 40 percent more likely than other Americans to own guns, pastors and church leaders are in a key position to facilitate conversation and organize for change. Rather than just hoping the next horrible incident won’t come, Butler says the church must “do something.”
Just this summer, our nation was stunned by the killing of 49 people in an Orlando nightclub. As we were still grieving that horror, we were rocked by the killing of Alton Sterling and Philando Castille and then horrified again by the assassination of five police officers in Dallas and three others in Baton Rouge. I can’t have been the only one grateful for the distraction of the Rio Olympics and the two-week respite from soul-crushing headlines.
But only two months after the deadliest shooting in recent history, are we really saying that as a country we have moved on? Are we really going to wait for the next deadliest shooting, the next slaying of a young black man, the next first responder murdered? One after another, we recite the names we know: Sandy Hook, San Bernardino, Charleston, Orlando. Add to those the names we’ve already forgotten or never heard at all. They make up a mind-numbing litany that has inured us to the shock and horror of our current reality.
We cannot let it continue. My colleagues and I cannot plan another vigil. Gun violence in America is no longer a matter of opinion or politics; it is a matter of life and death. And the solution to grief fatigue is not just to cross our fingers and hope the next horrific event won’t come. We must dosomething.
Protestant churchgoers are 40 percent more likely than other Americans to own guns, and gun owners can be powerful advocates for speaking up about changing a culture of gun violence in our country. We believe that if we can give pastors and other church leaders the tools they need to engage their congregations, we can have a wide and lasting impact on this problem.
At The Riverside Church, our something is to train faith leaders, especially millennials, on how to talk with their congregations about gun violence and organize for change, hosting God and Guns: Millennial Faith Leaders Address Gun Violence, October 6–7, 2016. Attendees don’t have to agree on the solutions to gun violence, only that doing nothing is not an option.
Looking at your community, at your sphere of influence, what is the something you can do? We all need some words of hope, and so I share this prayer:
On October 6-7, 2016, The Riverside Church in New York City, in partnership with Everytown for Gun Safety and a growing list of sponsors, will host God and Guns: Millennial Faith Leaders Address Gun Violence. Designed for millennial faith leaders, a demographic with the capacity to shift our culture, the training is also open to ministry teams of any age that include a millennial attendee.
Related Resources:
Read more.
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The Right QuestionLeaders do not need answers. Leaders must have the right questions.
Register Now for "Discovering God's Future for Your Church" Conference and Live Stream
Saturday, November 5, 10 a.m.-1 p.m. Eastern
What next faithful step is God calling your church to take? It is vital to know God's vision for your congregation. At the Discovering God's Future for Your Church Conference and Live Stream, you will learn from where vision comes, how to know if the vision is right for your church, and how to communicate and live the vision. Learn more and register now. Also, preorderDiscovering God's Future for Your Church, a turn-key tool kit that helps your congregation discern and implement God's vision for its future. Learn more now.
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Quotable Leadership:
50 Ways to Welcome New People
One key to effective outreach is making sure that worship visitors feel truly welcome. The strategies and tips in "50 Ways to Welcome New People" will help your congregation make a good first impression and extend hospitality in meaningful ways.
Does Your Church Need a Disaster Ministry Plan? by Jamie D. Aten And David M. BoanJamie D. Aten and David M. Boan, who head the Humanitarian Disaster Institute at Wheaton College, say that you may never have thought about your church’s role in disaster response. But if your doors are open after a disaster strikes, people will come to you for help. The time to plan is now. It can be the difference between calm and chaos, between courage and fear, between life and death.
Since the 1980s, there has been roughly a 400 percent increase in natural disasters. The world’s five costliest natural disasters have occurred within the past twenty years, with three of those disasters striking in the last eight years alone. There have also been nearly 5,000 terrorist events annually over the last ten years.
Knowing what to do when faced with a crisis can be the difference between calm and chaos, between courage and fear, between life and death.
Many people turn to faith and to local congregations for answers and assistance when disaster strikes. You may never have thought about your church’s role in responding to a disaster in your own community. But if your doors are open after a disaster strikes your area, people will come to you for help. Knowing what to do when faced with a crisis can be the difference between calm and chaos, between courage and fear, between life and death.If you are going to be ready, the time to plan is now. When a crisis strikes, it is too late to get prepared and too late to start working with those in need. By taking action now, you can save lives and prevent harm during a disaster as you extend your ministry to those in need.
Local congregations are uniquely situated in their communities to help with disaster preparedness, response and recovery. We have heard the following from congregational leaders who support disaster ministry:
Congregations can provide broad-based prevention as well as holistic care for individuals after a disaster incident. Holistic care provides for the physical, emotional, and spiritual parts of a person’s life.
Congregations can reach people in need that other groups and agencies cannot reach, and thus help those who would otherwise go unserved.
Disaster work can be integrated into the other ministries of a congregation and strengthen those same ministries.
Congregations can be a source for community action. The connection with people in the community helps with assessing needs and risks and identifying possible actions.
Congregations can advocate on behalf of the marginalized and vulnerable, as in ensuring fair distribution of health care or food, or determining where help is needed most.
Congregations may provide key resources during a disaster, such as using a meeting space as a rest or evacuation center, or storing and distributing food, water, equipment, and other resources.
Congregations are already a center for communication, allowing meetings and messages to be communicated to a significant number of people on a regular basis.
Congregations can provide a willing body of volunteers who are motivated by love and compassion.
In working with churches, we have found that a three-stage approach can be a practical way to get started. It revolves around thinking of how your congregation might take action before, in the midst of, and after a disaster. This is the approach that most government agencies and Christian organizations involved in emergency response have recommended for developing high-quality emergency plans.
Your disaster ministry needs to take into account and leverage your congregation’s unique talents, calling, and gifting. The churches we have seen who have developed the most effective disaster ministries were the ones that started small and built on strengths. This allowed them to take a developmental approach, grow in their vision, add appropriate resources, and sustain their work. Thus it is important to begin by matching your congregation’s resources with specific goals, taking into account current congregation and community resources needed.
This material is excerpted from Disaster Ministry Handbook (Intervarsity Press, 2016) by Jamie D. Aten and David M. Boan, and used with the publisher’s permission. This book is a comprehensive resource for developing a disaster response ministry plan. It is available through Cokesburyand Amazon.
Related Resources:
- Best Practices for Short-Term Mission Trips by Laurie A. Occhipinti
- Your Community is Your Congregation by Joe Daniels
- A Ready Hope: Effective Disaster Ministry for Congregations by Kathryn M. Haueisen and Carol H. Flores, Rowman & Littlefield, 2009
Read more.
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God and Guns -- Do Something! by Amy ButlerAmy Butler, pastor of The Riverside Church in New York City, writes that the epidemic of gun violence in America is no longer a matter of opinion or politics; it is a matter of life and death. Because Protestant churchgoers are 40 percent more likely than other Americans to own guns, pastors and church leaders are in a key position to facilitate conversation and organize for change. Rather than just hoping the next horrible incident won’t come, Butler says the church must “do something.”
Just this summer, our nation was stunned by the killing of 49 people in an Orlando nightclub. As we were still grieving that horror, we were rocked by the killing of Alton Sterling and Philando Castille and then horrified again by the assassination of five police officers in Dallas and three others in Baton Rouge. I can’t have been the only one grateful for the distraction of the Rio Olympics and the two-week respite from soul-crushing headlines.
Gun violence in America is no longer a matter of opinion or politics; it is a matter of life and death. We can’t just cross our fingers and hope the next horrific event won’t come. We must do something.
Lately, as we’ve been stunned over and over and over again by our country’s epidemic of gun violence, the obstacles seem more insurmountable than ever. And, if I’m being honest, I must confess that these days when I look at my congregation and my colleagues — when I look in the mirror — I see something different from hopeful optimism. I see that secret-yet-shared question about whether what we do makes any difference at all. I think, along with a lot of others, I have grief fatigue.But only two months after the deadliest shooting in recent history, are we really saying that as a country we have moved on? Are we really going to wait for the next deadliest shooting, the next slaying of a young black man, the next first responder murdered? One after another, we recite the names we know: Sandy Hook, San Bernardino, Charleston, Orlando. Add to those the names we’ve already forgotten or never heard at all. They make up a mind-numbing litany that has inured us to the shock and horror of our current reality.
We cannot let it continue. My colleagues and I cannot plan another vigil. Gun violence in America is no longer a matter of opinion or politics; it is a matter of life and death. And the solution to grief fatigue is not just to cross our fingers and hope the next horrific event won’t come. We must dosomething.
Protestant churchgoers are 40 percent more likely than other Americans to own guns, and gun owners can be powerful advocates for speaking up about changing a culture of gun violence in our country. We believe that if we can give pastors and other church leaders the tools they need to engage their congregations, we can have a wide and lasting impact on this problem.
At The Riverside Church, our something is to train faith leaders, especially millennials, on how to talk with their congregations about gun violence and organize for change, hosting God and Guns: Millennial Faith Leaders Address Gun Violence, October 6–7, 2016. Attendees don’t have to agree on the solutions to gun violence, only that doing nothing is not an option.
Looking at your community, at your sphere of influence, what is the something you can do? We all need some words of hope, and so I share this prayer:
It helps, now and then, to step back and take a long view.
The kingdom is not only beyond our efforts, it is even beyond our vision.
We accomplish in our lifetime only a tiny fraction of the magnificent enterprise that is God’s work. Nothing we do is complete, which is a way of saying that the Kingdom always lies beyond us …
We cannot do everything, and there is a sense of liberation in realizing that.
This enables us to do something, and to do it very well.
It may be incomplete, but it is a beginning, a step along the way, an opportunity for the Lord’s grace to enter and do the rest.
We may never see the end results, but that is the difference between the master builder and the worker.
We are workers, not master builders; ministers, not messiahs.
We are prophets of a future not our own[“Prayer of Oscar Romero,” by Bishop Ken Untener]
We cannot do everything, and there is a sense of liberation in realizing that. This enables us to do something, and to do it very well.On October 6-7, 2016, The Riverside Church in New York City, in partnership with Everytown for Gun Safety and a growing list of sponsors, will host God and Guns: Millennial Faith Leaders Address Gun Violence. Designed for millennial faith leaders, a demographic with the capacity to shift our culture, the training is also open to ministry teams of any age that include a millennial attendee.
Related Resources:
- Leaders Do What Is Needed by Lovett H. Weems, Jr.
- Easter Vigil Brings the Story of Salvation to a City in Need by Kate Payton
- Communication Strategies for Addressing Conflict by Craig Gilliam
Read more.
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The Right QuestionLeaders do not need answers. Leaders must have the right questions.
When we are part of planning a new initiative, event, or ministry, there is excitement about getting it started. It is good to remember that while we know our plans and hopes, we cannot anticipate accurately how it will be received. Questions to consider along the way that can help prepare for your eventual results include:
What if this does not work?
What if it works far better than we expect?
Register Now for "Discovering God's Future for Your Church" Conference and Live Stream Saturday, November 5, 10 a.m.-1 p.m. Eastern
What next faithful step is God calling your church to take? It is vital to know God's vision for your congregation. At the Discovering God's Future for Your Church Conference and Live Stream, you will learn from where vision comes, how to know if the vision is right for your church, and how to communicate and live the vision. Learn more and register now. Also, preorderDiscovering God's Future for Your Church, a turn-key tool kit that helps your congregation discern and implement God's vision for its future. Learn more now.
-------
Quotable Leadership:
Nothing has the potential to change the world like the mission of the local church fully realized.[Carey Nieuwhof]
50 Ways to Welcome New PeopleOne key to effective outreach is making sure that worship visitors feel truly welcome. The strategies and tips in "50 Ways to Welcome New People" will help your congregation make a good first impression and extend hospitality in meaningful ways.
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Editors: Dr. Ann A. Michel and Dr. Lovett H. Weems, Jr.
Lewis Center for Church Leadership of Wesley Theological Seminary
Connect with the Lewis Center:
Lewis Center for Church Leadership
Editors: Dr. Ann A. Michel and Dr. Lovett H. Weems, Jr.
Lewis Center for Church Leadership of Wesley Theological Seminary
Connect with the Lewis Center:
Lewis Center for Church Leadership
Wesley Theological Seminary
4500 Massachusetts Avenue NorthWest
Washington, D.C. 20016, United States
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