1. Values, Faith & Community Building
Applying Asset Based Community Development (ABCD) in a Faith Context
Mary Nelson
ABCD-Strengths-based Ministry

2. ABCD-Strengths-based Ministry
Community Needs Map
Unemployment
Housing Projects
Crime
Child Abuse
Gang Members
Teen Mothers
Illiteracy
Poverty
School Dropouts
Mentally Ill
Homeless
Truancy Addiction
Delinquincy
Uninsured
ABCD-Strengths-based Ministry

3. ABCD-Strengths-based Ministry
TWO PATHS ---TWO SOLUTIONS
Needs Assets
(What is not there) (What is there)
Services to meet Connections &
needs Contributions
Consumers Citizens
Programs are the People are the
Answer Answer
Definition of insanity: Doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results.
ABCD-Strengths-based Ministry

4. ABCD-Strengths-based Ministry
LIMITS OF CHARITY
Charity is not the answer to poverty. It only helps poverty to continue. It creates dependency, takes away the individual’s initiatives to break through the wall of poverty. Muhammad Yunus
Blessing snatchers
Labeled people
Sharing what works, not what’s
wrong (appreciative enquiry)
Gifts of head, heart, hands,
relationships
ABCD-Strengths-based Ministry

5. GOD’S VISION FOR COMMUNITY
God’s vision for the human community?
How should we live together?
Who’s at the table? Left out?
What’s difference between
God’s vision and our reality?
ABCD-Strengths-based Ministry

6. ABCD-Strengths-based Ministry
VALUES & MOTIVATION
What are the values that come out of our faith commitments?
What are the common values that are shared with the community?
ABCD-Strengths-based Ministry

7. ABCD-Strengths-based Ministry
BUILT on a ROCK
faith based
Glue, gasoline and guts
Faith focus:
God’s call to be about justice
God’s reminder that every person is sacred, loved by God
God’s promise of victory sustains us with hope (King quote)
God’s love can turn lives around
God’s plan for the human community is without borders or barriers - community
ABCD-Strengths-based Ministry

8. Community Assets Associations Block Clubs Gifts of Residents
Local Institutions
Businesses
Schools
Associations
Churches
Block Clubs
Gifts of Residents
Parks
Income
Artists
Libraries
Youth
Elderly
Labeled/Marginalized
Social Groups Self-Help Groups
Nonprofits
Hospitals
ABCD-Strengths-based Ministry

9. ABCD-Strengths-based Ministry
FIVE LOAVES, TWO FISHES
Identifying the gifts, talents, resources
Of your group (individuals, etc)
Of your community
Assets of
Individuals
Associations
Institutions
Economy, businesses
Place
Faith and hope
ABCD-Strengths-based Ministry

10. Building on Strengths - Individuals
Create time/space to share gifts
Share self first
Learning interviews-Beyond the labels to see the gifts, hopes
Gifts of head, heart, hands, human relationships
Everyone has gifts, no exceptions
Everyone must share their gifts
Powerful communities create a place for people to share their gifts
“Each one should use whatever gift he has received to serve others, faithfully administering God’s grace in its various forms. I Peter 4:10
ABCD-Strengths-based Ministry

11. Building on strengths- Institutions
Identifying strengths within - group process; learning interviews -What do we care about?
What do we have to offer? Asset mapping inside
Identifying community institutions/associations; learning interviews
What do they have to offer? What do they want?
One on one -relationships inside & outside institutions
Coming together around common issues; sharing
ABCD-Strengths-based Ministry

12. Assets- Community (physical, social capital)
Recognize your physical assets & economic ones
Look with new eyes
Bethel - abandoned school, closed down hospital, transit stop, conservatory
Build partnerships
Keep evolving
ABCD-Strengths-based Ministry

13. ABCD-Strengths-based Ministry
AN ABCD APPROACH
Identifies and mobilizes the assets of individuals & institutions, especially those who are “clients” of social services.
Builds relationships among community members & institutions, especially those that are mutually supportive.
Gives community members more roles and power in local institutions. Citizens lead efforts.
ABCD-Strengths-based Ministry

14. DISCOVERING ABUNDANCE
Asset Mapping - teams of two (community and institution) - eyeballing
New eyeglasses
Learning conversations
Discovering with our feet
Discovering together
ABCD-Strengths-based Ministry

15. ABCD-Strengths-based Ministry
Learning Conversations to Discover Motivation
To Act
Less Successful More Successful
Start with the answer Start with learning
conversations
Recruit people to implement Discover what people care
the answer about, how they see the
situation, & what they
Look for answers to the to offer
additional problem of
“lack of motivation” Mobilize assets to action
ABCD-Strengths-based Ministry

16. LEARNING CONVERSATION
Tell us about something good that happened in the community recently
Issues & concerns you want to work on?
Gifts, capacities & skill to share?
Strong relationships with others (associations/institutions)
Further contacts you would suggest (other people-name, phone, address)
ABCD-Strengths-based Ministry

17. ABCD-Strengths-based Ministry
Social capital - the connections among individuals, social networks-with reciprocity; the more relationships someone (or some institution) has in their community, the more likely to be effective, employed, engaged, volunteer
ABCD-Strengths-based Ministry

18. PARTNERS: RELIGIOUS INVOLVEMENT IN COMMUNITY BASED DEVELOPMENT
Congregations Interfaith Religious Regional Individual Religious
Organizations Jurisdictions Leader
Advocate/Convenor
Enabler/Facilitator
Community
Organizer
Resource Provider
Development
Partner
Developer
Other
ABCD-Strengths-based Ministry

19. Tools for Action-Discovery
Asset mapping -physical-eyeball
Mapping associations, institutions
Learning Interviews: Individuals - gifts to share, want to learn (in congregation, in community)
Neighborhood Learning Interviews:
1)3 best things about community
2) 3 things need working on
3) what are you willing to work on?
Putting it all together to move into action-1) get back to people, businesses
2) connect people, institutions around ideas, issues;
3) ID role you will play
ABCD-Strengths-based Ministry

20. FIVE LOAVES and TWO FISHES
Start with what you have
Asset based approach-gifts of individuals, associations, institutions, physical; local economy
Experience the abundance
Linkages and connections
Leveraging funds
Social entrepreneurship
Building poor
ABCD-Strengths-based Ministry

21. ABCD-Strengths-based Ministry
EXERCISE
How can you link the resources of your people, organization & community to accomplish?
What are the first 4 steps (and timetable) to get it done?
ABCD-Strengths-based Ministry

22. Partnering & Persistence
Moses & Jethro (Exodus 18:13-27)
Servants into friends (John 13:1-17)
Widow going to Judge
(Luke 18: 1-8)
Where are your scars?
Wounded healer
ABCD-Strengths-based Ministry

23. ABCD-Strengths-based Ministry
COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT Go to the people Live among them Learn from them Love them Start with what they know Build on what they have; But of the best leaders when their task is done The people will remark “We have done it ourselves.”
ABCD-Strengths-based Ministry

24. ABCD-Strengths-based Ministry
Resources for Action
Building Communities from the Inside Out -McKnight, Kretzman - ACTA
Asset Based Strategies for Faith Communities - ACTA (800)
Power of Asset Mapping-How Congregation Can Act on its Gifts-Luther Snow; Alban Institute
When People Care Enough to Act - Mike Green with Henry Moore & John O’Brien; Inclusion Press, 2006 (
ABCD-Strengths-based Ministry