Community Engagement Resources

Welcome to the resource page for Community Engagement.

Below is a brief description of each area Send Me sees as critical for healthy community engagement, why it matters, and select resources to help you go deeper. Please let us know if you have any questions.

Principles for Healthy Community Engagement

The core DNA of a church or organization’s outreach strategy and vision will impact their efforts to engage, serve and love their communities. Below are some of the healthy principles Send Me encourages churches and organizations to consider as they work to engage their community.

  1. Seek to include those they serve in all stages of the planning process.
  2. Acknowledge that those serving AND those being served have a role in the solution(s) to a community’s challenge(s).
  3. Pursue holistic strategies that acknowledge the complexity of problems.
  4. Engage head and heart in their response.
  5. Focus on having deep impact that addresses underlying challenges and issues.
  6. Place relationships at the center of all they do.

Awareness for Internal Capacity

To effectively walk with a community, churches and organizations need to have a thorough understanding of how God has gifted them – assets, passions, interests, skill sets – and also where they lack capacity. 

Community Listening

While listening to the community isn’t always the first instinct of churches or organizations, Send Me has learned that it is a critical skill to be cultivated. Churches and organizations should seek to become active and ongoing listeners in their community, engaging a diverse group of stakeholders, including those they hope to serve. Additionally, churches and organizations should pursue a growing understanding of the unique profile of their “community”; i.e. assets, strengths, struggles, needs, opportunities, and awareness of community partners.

Desired Impact/Outcomes

For effective community engagement, churches and organizations should consider the ultimate impact they hope to see as a result of their efforts. This requires a more nuanced and reflective look at what you are doing, why you are doing it, and what is different because of your engagement.

Evaluating and Learning from Our Efforts/Impact

Churches and organizations that engage their communities well are always learning. They ask hard questions of their efforts and work to make sure they are aligned to healthy principles of community engagement, an awareness of their capacity, a growing understanding of the community, and a focus on ultimate impact and outcomes.

Welcome to the resource page for Community Engagement.

Below is a brief description of each area Send Me sees as critical for healthy community engagement, why it matters, and select resources to help you go deeper. Please let us know if you have any questions.

Principles for Healthy Community Engagement

The core DNA of a church or organization’s outreach strategy and vision will impact their efforts to engage, serve and love their communities. Below are some of the healthy principles Send Me encourages churches and organizations to consider as they work to engage their community.

Seek to include those they serve in all stages of the planning process.
Acknowledge that those serving AND those being served have a role in the solution(s) to a community’s challenge(s).
Pursue holistic strategies that acknowledge the complexity of problems.
Engage head and heart in their response.
Focus on having deep impact that addresses underlying challenges and issues.
Place relationships at the center of all they do.

View Principles for Healthy Community Engagement Resources

Books

When Helping Hurts, Brian Fikkert and Steve Corbett
Toxic Charity, Robert Lupton
Charity Detox, Robert Lupton
New Parish, Paul Sparks, Tim Soerens, and Dwight J. Friesen
Becoming Whole, Brian Fikkert and Kelly Kapic
Place Matters, Coz Crosscombe and Bill Krispin

Online Curriculums

Lupton Center

Seeking Shalom

Chalmers Center

Are you a Good Neighbor?
Helping without hurting: the basics.
Mobilize my church

Websites

Lupton Center 
Chalmers Center
Christian Community Development Association (CCDA)

Awareness for Internal Capacity

To effectively walk with a community, churches and organizations need to have a thorough understanding of how God has gifted them – assets, passions, interests, skill sets – and also where they lack capacity. 

View Awareness of Internal Capacity Resources

Asset Inventories

Congregational Assets Inventory – Worship, Christian Education, & Small Groups
Congregational Assets Inventory – Human Care Outreach
Congregational Assets Inventory – Facilities
Congregational Assets Inventory – Stewardship, Fellowship, & Recreation
Congregational Assets Inventory – Equipment

Asset Mapping

Asset Mapping Guide – Discovering Your Strength Within
Asset Mapping Fact Sheet
The Power of Asset Mapping, Luther Snow

Congregational and Community Narrative

What is Your Congregational and Community Narrative?

Personal and Spiritual Gifts Assessment

Myers Briggs Personality Assessment
DiSC Personality Assessment
ELCA Spiritual Gifts Assessment
LifeWay Spiritual Gifts Assessment
Group Spiritual Gifts Discovery Tool
PLACE – A Holistic Approach to Assessment & Placement
The Road Back to You: An Enneagram Journey to Self-Discovery, Ian Morgan Cron

Community Listening

While listening to the community isn’t always the first instinct of churches or organizations, Send Me has learned that it is a critical skill to be cultivated. Churches and organizations should seek to become active and ongoing listeners in their community, engaging a diverse group of stakeholders, including those they hope to serve. Additionally, churches and organizations should pursue a growing understanding of the unique profile of their “community”; i.e. assets, strengths, struggles, needs, opportunities, and awareness of community partners.

View Community Listening Resources

Books

Becoming Whole, Brian Fikkert and Kelly Kapic
Place Matters, Coz Crosscombe and Bill Krispin
The Art of Neighboring, Jay Pathak and Dave Runyon
Bowling Alone, Robert Putnam
New Parish, Paul Sparks, Tim Soerens, and Dwight J. Friesen

Cultural Exegesis/Assessment

Exegeting Your Community
Exegete Your Culture: 10 Checkpoints for Knowing and Reaching Your Culture

Defining Your Community – how to

Community Study: A Guide to Understanding Your Church’s Context for Ministry

Demographic Information

MissionInsite
Census Data

St. Louis Information
Podcasts

We Live Here

Documentaries

The Purit Igoe Myth
Spanish Lake

Research

Health Equity Works
Faith and For the Sake of All

Miscellaneous Resources

Community Meetings/Community Listening Example

Desired Impact/Outcomes

For effective community engagement, churches and organizations should consider the ultimate impact they hope to see as a result of their efforts. This requires a more nuanced and reflective look at what you are doing, why you are doing it, and what is different because of your engagement.

View Desired Impact/Outcomes Resources

Tools

Logic Model

Additional resources for pursuing impact in your ministry

Lupton Center 
Chalmers Center
CCDA

Evaluating and Learning from Our Efforts/Impact

Churches and organizations that engage their communities well are always learning. They ask hard questions of their efforts and work to make sure they are aligned to healthy principles of community engagement, an awareness of their capacity, a growing understanding of the community, and a focus on ultimate impact and outcomes.

View Resources for Evaluating and Learning from Our Efforts/Impact

Tools

Outcome Evaluation Tool

Additional Evaluation and Learning Resources

The IllumiLab: Insights into Impact