The Externally Focused Life
20
The Externally Focused Life
By Rick Rusaw and Eric Swanson
browse
 
Simply Christian free
Plant deep roots by joining the private EFN Pastors Network

browse
 

List Your Para-Ministry

Listed in this section are organizations that help churches develop robust externally focused ministries and help people learn the importance of serving in their communities. Check out their websites and contact them directly for more information or if you have a particular need, use the different search methods to find a Para-ministry that can help you by searching either by name of the Para-ministry, contact persons name or by state.

Search by contact name, ministry name or state

If you have a ministry that helps a church create, sustain or enhance their externally focused ministry, just click on the “List Your Para-ministry” button above and enter your own information.


Krista Petty Tricia Richardson
Backyard Impact

 

info@backyardimpact.com
Phone: 803.727.9965

www.backyardimpact.com

38 Springsdans Lane
Columbia, SC 29229

Backyard Impact's mission is to see communities transformed for God's Kingdom purposes. They believe the effectiveness of the local church has a lot to do with reaching that goal, thus one of their main objectives is to build the capacity and strengthen the strategy of the local church's community involvement activities.
The BYI Senior Advisors have a combined experience of almost 20 years in church leadership, community involvement and volunteer nonprofit experience. Backyard Impact Senior Advisors, Tricia Richardson and Krista Petty, offer mentoring, speaking and teachin. Their signature program is a customized strategy sessions for Externally Focused churches and community organizations-facilitating greater collaboration in communities.

They have served with Leadership Network, LifeBridge Christian Church, The Externally Focused Network, the American Red Cross and Group Publishing. Both are certified Results Based Conversation Facilitators through Wild Works Group and Leadership Network. For complete biographies and service descriptions, visit www.backyardimpact.com.


Don Simmons
Creative Potential Consulting and Training

 

creativepotential@gmail.com
Phone: 559-246-9970

www.creativepotentialconsulting.org

1440 E. Divisadero St.
Fresno, CA 93721

Creative Potential focuses on identifying and equipping UNPAID servants for externally focused ministries.
With over 25 years of experience and with academic credentials, Creative Potential is focused on helping organizations unleash the untapped energy of this army of gifts and passions, sometimes known as ″volunteers.″ We specialize in strategic planning, fund development, volunteer leadership and strategic partnerships.
Don Simmons, Ph.D. teaches Philanthropy and Nonprofit Organizational Management at California State University, Fresno, and is a consultant and trainer with Leadership Network, Outreach, and Group Publishing. A regular contributor to Rev! magazine and Christianity Today, Don's passion is seeing people, churches and communities tap into their creative potential for Kingdom results.
Consulting, training and coaching are available nationally.


Deb Harrell
Shattered Pots Ministry

 

dbhmail2005-shatteredpots@yahoo.com
Phone: 314-774-1708

www.shatteredpots.com

PO Box 1567
Maryland Heights, MO 63043

PURPOSE
Shattered Pots Ministry publishes a free online internet magazine (e-zine) intended to encourage, teach and equip believers to grow and mature in their faith in God during life and faith-shattering trials......and ordinary every-day life.

The purpose of this website will be to use the “shattered pot” experiences of our contributors to give hope to others going through a “shattered pot” experience, comfort them, help them understand the purpose of their brokenness and then, hopefully, help them see the plan God has for their life after He fashions them from a painful, raw lump of clay into a new vessel fit for service...and hopefully use the experience as a springboard to discover and develop new ministry.

HELP AND RESOURCES
As you read their stories each month, we hope you will discover how they learned to grieve, grow and give back to the Kingdom of God and comfort others with the comfort they were given. New ministry evolves from the crucible of suffering and God does not allow any trial or test to be wasted when the vessel is willing to stay in the hands of the Divine Potter long enough to be re-shaped for His purpose.

The people in these stories are real and are willing to help you discover how to use your own shattered pot experience as a springboard for ministry to others.


Stan Rowland
Neighborhood Transformation

 

stan@neighborhoodtransformation.net
Phone: 623-412-0184

www.neighborhoodtransformation.net

6420 W. Beverly Lane
Glendale, AZ 85306

NEIGHBORHOOD TRANSFORMATION
WHAT IF
• What if neighbors were helping their neighbors instead of depending on Citizens were in control of their neighborhood rather than city leaders?
• Those who wanted to help a neighbor, were concentrating on assets more than needs?
• Those helping neighbors were concentrating on possibilities not problems?
• Those who serve a neighborhood were really listening to the neighborhood?
• The conversations they had led the impoverished to accomplish what they wanted instead of what someone else wanted for them?
• Our neighbors in need were empowered to do things for themselves instead of counting on others to do for them?
• Those who want to help their neighbors, joined in with what was already going on in the neighborhood instead of bringing a different agenda?
• People were able to work on improving all of their life, physical, spiritual, emotional and social aspects, rather than concentrating on one area?
• The improvements multiplied individual to individual and neighborhood to neighborhood so that the city becomes transformed from the inside out?
• These questions became a reality, what would an urban underserved neighborhood look like if this were to happen?

Neighborhood Transformation (NT) helps churches minister in a wholistic manner with nearby urban disadvantaged neighborhoods. NT is all about empowering people to take responsibility for their own lives thereby seeing wholistic transformation in individuals in all areas of their life; physical, spiritual, emotional and social. NT concentrates on possibilities not problems and creates a place for people of the neighborhood you come together to have conversations that matter to them.

Neighborhood Transformation is all about:
• Equipping lay people in your church to facilitate the “What If” questions so they may become a reality.
• Helping churches minister in a wholistic manner with nearby urban disadvantaged neighborhoods.
• Empowering people to take responsibility for their own lives that they be able to experience wholistic transformation in their life: physical, spiritual, emotional and social.
• Builds on what people already have in their hands and neighborhood.
• Focusing on existing assets not needs or problems.
• Overcoming poverty, disease, and hopelessness by mobilizing their God-given potential and available resources.
• Demonstrating Agape Love for others. As we evangelize their neighborhood in all areas of life, making new followers of Jesus and nurture disciples, strengthening the church as we reach out with compassion.
• Implementing a neighborhood strategy that results in permanent change.


Scott Allen
Disciple Nations Alliance

 

sallen@disciplenations.org
Phone: 480-609-7760

1224 E Washington St
Phoenix, AZ 85034

The Disciple Nations Alliance Equips the Church to Transform the World!

Scripture is clear. God's principally ordained agent for the advancement of His Kingdom is the Church (Mt. 16:17-19). Local churches represent the single most important community-based institution for social and cultural transformation. They have a mandate to represent God's agenda for restoration (Mt. 28:18-20), its members are represented in all sectors of society, and most importantly, the Church has the promise of God to work through it to bless, heal, and disciple the nations (Gen. 12:1-3; Eph. 3:10-11).

Yet we live in a time of tragic paradox. Never have there been more churches, yet more brokenness, poverty, and despair. All too often, local churches are disengaged from culture, and thus, irrelevant to the needs of their communities and nations. Rather than discipling the nations, churches are being discipled by their nations.

Thankfully, things are changing. The Church worldwide is reawakening to her historic role as God's Kingdom ambassador and change-agent. It is within this historic context that the Disciple Nations Alliance finds its calling.

Since our founding in 1997, Disciple Nations Alliance seminars, materials and curriculum have provided fresh vision and practical tools for application to thousands of church leaders in over 50 nations worldwide. Our tested and proven materials help the Church:

- Recognize and abandons false beliefs, and embrace a robust biblical worldview--bringing truth, justice and beauty into every sphere of society, and

- Demonstrate Christ's love in practical ways, addressing the brokenness in their communities and nations beginning with their own resources.

To learn more about the Disciple Nations Alliance, its seminars and global network, as well as access free resources, training materials and curricula, visit our website at www.disciplenations.org.


Bubba McQueen
Crosswind

 

mcqueen@corinthdental.com
Phone: 662-284-9218

www.crosswind.ms

703 Tate Street
Corinth, MS 38834

Crosswind is a nonprofit ministry that serves the community in Corinth, Mississippi by making vital connection points for service and by reaching out to people in need on behalf of Christ with kindness, love and generosity.

We believe the Scriptures teach that once someone begins to follow Jesus, he or she is now a minister. Therefore, all of us have a responsibility not simply to consume, but to partner with one another, own the mission together, and discover how we can utilize our time, gifts, and resources to strategically make the most significant impact possible. We are seeking, pursuing and praying for the well-being and prosperity of our city. This is the identity of Crosswind!


The Power Of Kindness

Perhaps our motto should read, ″Small Things Done with Great Love Are Changing the World″ because that's what's happening. We have seen the power and impact of showing God's love in practical ways through simple acts of servant evangelism. Servant evangelism is a basic, straightforward approach to sharing Gods love in simple, practical ways. Servant evangelism wins the heart before it confronts the mind. A small act of kindness nudges a person closer to God, often in a profound way as it bypasses ones mental defenses. When the average Christ-follower is willing to do a simple act of kindness for a stranger, the high grace is seen in the typical reaction, ″Oh, thank you! This is so nice!″ And, ″Why are you doing this?″ Kindness builds a bridge for the person to receive a touch of love from God. It's simple, practical, effective, inexpensive and fun! We want to release the ″regular″ Christ-followers to live the Jesus-style life of noticing and responding to those around us with kindness, love and generosity. (www.servantevangelism.com)


Crosswind Target Groups

* The Marginalized - We offer community to those who have no community partnering with God who sets the lonely in families. (Duet 10:18, Ps 68:6)
* The City - We pursue the prosperity and welfare of our city for its peace is our peace.(Jer 29:7)


Core Values

* We lead by example.
* We serve with humility and not presumption.
* We are pursuing social justice (care for the marginalized).
* We are pursuing relational unity (social, racial, denominational).
* We have learned what it means to meet Jesus desire for mercy and not sacrifice.
* We define ministry as meeting someone elses needs with the resources that God has entrusted to us.
* We value excellence, creativity, and ingenuity. We are artist and architects not just teachers and learners.
* We are cultural architects helping our community discover and mobilize new expressions of spiritual life in the community unbound by or to the traditional church.



Relationship to the church

* We are servants to the ″church″ in Corinth.
* We facilitate the ″whole″ church bringing the ″whole″ gospel to the ″whole″ city.
* We are committed to partnering with the church (organizationally and relationally) for the purpose of community transformation.
* We are servant to the city of Corinth (its peace is our peace).
* We are a collaborative catalyst and relationship builders (i.e. we meet together to encourage one another and love one another).


Relationship to the community

* We identify, connect, resource and empower transformational leaders who facilitate holistic servant evangelism and the spiritual awakening and transformation of our city.
* We enlist, train, promote and send volunteer ministers to serve in the community. These volunteers are our neighbors enlisted from businesses, other churches and the community. Volunteers train in small groups, conference settings and ″on the job″. We connect these volunteers with opportunities and help businesses, churches and non-profits effectively engage volunteers to meet community needs.
* We believe that outside each of our buildings is shared air and common ground. It is on that common ground that we will partner and serve and advance our Lord's kingdom. Each and every person we come into contact with is someone for whom Jesus died!


Stan Rowland
LifeWind, International

 

stan@lifewind.org
Phone: 623-412-0184

healthwholeness.net

6420 W. Beverly Lane
Glendale, AZ 85306

Neighborhood Transformation (NT) is the urban ministry of LifeWind International. It helps churches to minister in a wholistic manner with nearby under-resourced neighborhoods. NT is all about empowering people to take responsibility for their own lives thereby seeing wholistic transformation in individuals in all areas of their life; physical, spiritual, emotional and social. Then these neighborhood people as a collective transform their neighborhood from the inside out. NT helps neighbors help their neighbors and moves them from welfare to empowerment.

NT trains lay people in your church how to enter a nearby under-resourced neighborhood, develop relationships, identify assets already in that neighborhood and teaches them on topics they are interested in or want to do something about. It then equips them to network these assets and interests together in order for neighbors to begin to impact their own neighborhood.

Teaching is done around topics of interest identified in the neighborhood. NT has a data base of over 1500 participatory lessons that the church members use to start where the people are and draw out of them what they already know.

LifeWind has been using this international strategy for 20 years in 80 countries of the world in over 2100 villages. NT has been fully adapted and tested for US use and is being used by churches in 10 cities with more cities joining in every week.

See our web site Collaborative for Neighborhood Transformation at www.healthwholeness.net to get all details on this catalyzing strategy.


Doug Pollock
Athletes in Action

 

doug.pollock@aia.com
Phone: 937-289-4422

http:www.godsgps.com

687 Ward Koebel Rd.
Oregonia, OH 45054

Doug serves as the Evangelism Director for Athletes in Action. He is co-author of the nationally recognized book and award winning resource entitled, ″Irresistible Evangelism.″ His evangelistic endeavors have taken him to 36 different countries, six of our seven continents, and throughout most of the United States.

His primary passion and calling is to come along side of faith communitites and energize and equip them for the journey into outward focused living. He is deeply committed to bringing the whole gospel to the whole person by emphasizing a holistic, organic approach to outreach that strives to balance urgency with wisdom, boldness with compassion, harvesting with sowing, and proclamation with listening.

His preaching, leadership forums, and workshops are designed to inspire the desire and build the skills needed for transforming inwardly focused faith communities. Whether you are looking for a catalyst to jump-start the process, or a coach to move yo along; Doug is committed to equipping Christ followers with doable, authentic, and practical ways of being the church Monday thru Saturday. If you are interested in his services, you will find his website helpful and resourceful.


John Sather
Here's Life Inner City

 

john.sather@ccci.org
Phone: 612-338-0999

www.hlictwincities.org

2112 NE Broadway St. Suite 100
Minneapolis, MN 55413

OUR MISSION:

We serve and mobilize the Church to live out God's heart for the poor, so all can grow in Christ and spiritually multiply.

Inherent in this statement are the convictions that:


1. God has mandated the church to minister to the needs of the poor. Heres Life Inner City works with churches that see the importance of meeting both spiritual and physical needs (wholistic) in their communities.

2. God has already placed local churches and organizations in the inner city with the vision and calling to meet specific needs of the poor. If fully mobilized and resourced, the sum of these ministries would have an enormous redemptive impact upon the inner city and its people.

3. Inner city communities will not be transformed by quick fix programs or by outside leaders. A generation of godly indigenous leaders must be raised up who are committed to mercy, compassion, and justice. Therefore, HLIC seeks to partner with churches that have a developmental orientation and a long-term commitment to the community.


4. Empowering inner city churches to fulfill their compassionate ministry potential must be viewed very broadly. Helping a church develop a drug rehabilitation program involves more than funding and clinical training. The ministry may need management training, evangelism skills, volunteer and other resources, job training and networking, encouragement, assimilation skills for the congregation, etc., etc.. The resources HLIC provides are driven by the needs of the partner ministries.


5. To facilitate the empowering function, a RESOURCE TEAM is developed for the city. Drawing together skilled and experienced urban workers, the team exists for one purpose: To serve the local church and help it succeed in fulfilling Gods mandate toward the poor.


Proverbs 14:31, ″Whoever is kind to the needy honors God″









Jerry Edmonson
The Fellowship at Cinco Ranch

 

jerry@thefellowship.org
Phone: 281-395-3950

www.thefellowship.org

22765 Westheimer Parkway
Katy, TX 77450

The Fellowship at Cinco Ranch is on a journey to love and lead our community to Christ. We began this journey of becoming an indispensable blessing to our community by mobilizing our church into need meeting ministries and agencies throughout the city of Katy. In 2005 we launched a ministry called Compassion Katy (www.compassionkaty.org) to act as a portal to assist the body of Christ in becoming an indispensable blessing to the community. We continue to learn what it means to truly love with good deeds that promote good will allowing us to share the transforming good news of God's love and grace.


< Previous ( Records 1 to 10 of 12 ) Next >