A small church identified several needs in its community, including a lack of after-school programs, arts programs, and community gathering spaces. Through intentional partnerships and collaboration with community members and organizations, the church helped launch a Boys and Girls Club, arts programs, and a community center over the following five years. The church found success by choosing to limit its own control, listening to community needs and priorities, and viewing its role as collaborating with the community rather than imposing its own agenda. These partnerships had a positive impact and brought the community together.

1. The Power of
Partnership
How A Small Church Made a
Big Difference In Its
Community

2. Our town
 Economic
transition
 Educational
extremes
 Affluence and
poverty
 Small town,
rural setting

3. Our congregation

4. Our concerns in 2004
 No community gathering place
 No after-school programs
 No arts programs for kids
 Limited cultural events
 Large underserved population

5. Our progress by 2009
 Boys and Girls Club
 Soundcheck
 Chatham Arts
 Community Music School
 Visual Arts program launch
 Chatham Cares, Inc.
 The Community Center

6. 1. Intentional decision to
engage our community
 “The world is
my parish.”
-- John Wesley

7. 2. Identified need for
partnerships and collaboration
 Wedid not
have:
 Money
 Manpower
 Experience

8. Theology of Collaboration
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9. Theology of Collaboration
 Collaborators in the missio Dei.
 Pragmatism is not the criteria for
mission.
 Scripture guides us.
 Community forms us.
 Practice emerges from theology.
 The future of God is found among the
people of God.

10. Characteristics of
Collaboration
 Chooses self-limitation
 Incarnation
 Values “otherness” –
 affirmation without assimilation
 Recognizes that which unites us –
 Our common calling (vocation)
 Commits to companionship on the journey –
 “fellowshippers”
 Re-unifies Creation –
 Sacred/secular, divine/human

11. 3. Listened and learned
 Parents & leaders > Music program
 Artists & educators > Soundcheck
 Business leaders > Boys & Girls Club
 Churches > Community Center

12. 4. Gave up control
 Example: Boys & Girls Club
 “At table as equals.”
 Maintained our principles.

13. 5. Dropped our hidden
agendas.
 Church growth
 It’s not about us.
 Evangelism
 New eyes, new language, new love
 Reward
 It won’t pay for itself.
 Doing good is its own reward.

14. Results: Boys & Girls Club
 Dec 2005
 200+ enrolled
 40-120 per day
 4 staff
 Community
involvement
 Budget: $60K/yr

15. Results: B&G Club, cont’d
 Art
 Computer skills
 Scouts
 Tutoring
 Life Skills
 Recreation

16. Results: Chatham Arts
Community Music School
 Virginia Tech
 Renaissance Music
Academy
 Professional faculty
 Jan 2006
 30 diverse students
 Violin, viola, cello,
guitar, piano, voice

17. Results: Soundcheck

18. Results: Chatham Cares

19. The Community Center
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20. Grand Opening
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21. Bringing Chatham Together
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22. Budgets Per Year
 Boys & Girls Club: $60K
 Music School: $75K
 Chatham Cares: $120K
 Soundcheck/Drama: $3K
 Total budgets: $258K

23. Our approach
 Start with what we have
 Listen to others
 Make others’ dreams come true
 Enhance our community
 Provide new experiences
 Value the arts

24. “People notice what you’re
doing.” - MLK Day 2008
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25. What’s next?
 ‘Care of souls’ and missional church:
 Contextual
 Incarnational
 Addresses communal issues
 Less educational, more relational
 Fills gaps in social fabric
 Makes meaning of life
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26. Pastoral Care Model
 Two aspects in care:
Spiritual Psychological
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27. Social Gospel Model
 Two aspects to action:
Spiritual Sociological
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28. Care of Souls Model
 Three aspects of care and action:
Spiritual Sociological
Psychological
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29. The church as abbey
 Worship
 Arts
 Learning
 Spiritual direction
 “Least of these”
 Peace & Justice
 Economics
 Hospitality George Hunter
 Rule of life The Celtic Way of Evangelism
 The world

31. In the cloud...
 Confessions of a Small-Church Pastor
 http://chuckwarnock.com
 twitter.com/chuckwarnock
 Facebook.com/chuck.warnock
 chuckwarnock@gmail.com
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