Outreach

We believe God’s love is radical and all-inclusive — This is our starting point, and it motivates everything we do.

We want to be the kind of community that reaches out to others the way Jesus did — Jesus showed us how to do this work, and part of our calling and purpose as Christ-followers is to reach out like he did.

We recognize that historically, the Church’s efforts at “outreach” have been tainted with a sense of superiority and arrogance (“white savior complex”) and we have to work constantly and deliberately to avoid that. Outreach without dignity causes harm instead of help and leads to toxic charity (when a well-meaning attempt to address a need is done in a way that ultimately causes harm). We uphold dignity by:

• Listening well (asking what is needed instead of assuming we already know).

• Recognizing and valuing the skills and resources someone already has.

• Finding opportunities for two-way exchange instead of one-way giving.

Christ calls us to welcome the stranger, which is to invite our fellow humans to connect with us on a human-to-human level.

• We recognize connection is a fundamental human need and we look for ways to include connection as part of our ministry. Even brief, simple interactions can be meaningful.

• We remember that healthy relationships include both trust and accountability. We need to place a level of trust in others as we connect with them (“no strings attached”) but we also need to maintain a level of accountability at times. (Absence of either trust or accountability leads to codependence and/or power imbalance.)

Collaborating with other people and organizations enables our efforts to be far more effective, holistic, and impactful. Our goal is not “what can WE do to fix this situation” but “how can we work TOGETHER to address these needs”. 

• With humility, we seek to come alongside individuals and organizations that are already doing good work and support them in ways that reflect our own abilities and resources.

• We also look for ways to collaborate with the people we are trying to serve (for example, working together with a parent to put a bed frame together for their child.) Collaboration is another way of sending the message of dignity—that everyone has something to offer.

Respond with discernment — We recognize our need for God’s guidance in every situation.

• The needs around us can feel endless and overwhelming. We need to be careful not to fall into the erroneous expectation that it is our responsibility to solve all the problems around us. That is not our calling. Instead, our calling is to look for how God is already working and join in that work out of the abundance of what we have. This is the process of discernment.

• Discernment also helps us distinguish between crisis and chronic need. A crisis requires immediate relief, but a chronic need requires a long-term solution that addresses underlying barriers and challenges (i.e. poverty, mental health, addiction…). We work to determine when to “give a man a fish” vs. “teach a man to fish.”

Meeting moments of crisis with compassion — During a crisis, normal coping is temporarily overwhelmed and immediate intervention is required before long-term sustainability can be addressed. All of us experience crises at times, and reaching out for help is part of what it means to live in community. When we encounter someone in crisis, we seek to respond with curiosity, empathy, and sensitivity.

Address chronic needs — Chronic needs are often mis-identified as crises. Treating a chronic need with immediate relief ignores the underlying barriers and prevents or delays the person from finding a genuine solution, which results in disempowerment. 

• Addressing chronic needs requires shifting away from the “quick fix” mentality and toward finding ways to foster long-term development. Long-term development is less glamorous, more complex, less common, and (often) more needed. 

• Finding ways to come alongside organizations that are already engaged and knowledgeable about addressing chronic needs, and helping to meet the needs they identify, is an essential part of our ministry.

People may be marginalized because of race, gender, sexual preference, age, wealth, opportunities, circumstances, etc. Jesus constantly sought out and ministered to the marginalized people in society, and our goal is to do the same.

We believe God’s heart is for all people to experience wholeness and hope. Just as we recognize we are on a journey toward wholeness and hope ourselves, we work toward finding ways for others to journey toward wholeness and hope as well.