How does the spiritual Kingdom that impacts social, economic and justice issues engage such issues in the urban slums? Seven units in training urban poor workers in community development principles. A video presentation of this material may be found at https://vimeo.com/vivgrigg/commdevt

1. The Kingdom and Community
Development
= Social Discipleship +
Economic Discipleship
Viv Grigg, June 2016
Urban Leadership Foundation
www.urbanleaders.org
Training for effective urban poor work glbally www.matul.org

2. Background
 Pioneered urban poor churches
 10 years in slums of Manila, 10 in Kolkata –
developed models and evangelical theology –
Companion to the Poor
 Catalyzed urban poor missions
 Servants, Servant Partners, Kairos – Cry of the
Urban Poor
 Developed City Leadership teams globally
with AD2000 Movement
 Spirit of Christ and the Postmodern City
 Pioneered MA to train urban poor leaders in 8
cities – www.matul.org

3. Family
Poet, Development worker, Lego Designer, Interior designer, me, Hospital Chaplain

4. Unit 1: Theological: When Jesus came
preaching the Kingdom of God, what did
people understand?

5. Jesus came to preach good news
of a Kingdom to the poor, to
set at liberty the oppressed
(Luke 4:18,19).
He came declaring Jubilee. This includes evangelism,
liberation, community development, advocacy,
reconciliation, cultural healing…
Development begins in incarnation and proclamation

6. GOD
MANAGING THE CREATED
ORDER
GOD
SO
CIAL
DISCIPLESHIP
SPIRITUAL
DISCIPLESHIP
ECONOMIC
DISCIPLESHIP
RULES OVER
HUMANITY
WHO ARE TO RULE AS HIS
VICE-REGENTS
RULES OVER HUMANITY
WHO ARE TO BE THEIR NEIGHBOURS'
KEEPERS
IN EQUALITY, BROTHERHOOD,
SISTERHOOD AND JUSTICE
Discipleship: Responses to the Reign of the King
The Kingdom is God’s Rule
Bringing Redemption of Humanity
And Restoration of Creation
1.
2.
3.

7. The Epochs ofThe Epochs of
the Kingdomthe Kingdom
of Godof God

8. Comparison of Two GospelsComparison of Two Gospels
Which are you preaching?Which are you preaching?
Gospel of Salvation
 Simple, easy to
communicate
 Reproducible
 Gives meaning in closed
cultural systems
 Reductionist thinking
 Excludes, basis of division
Gospel of Kingdom
 Comprehensive, can
communicate in many
contexts
 Opens up freedom to
reproduce in many contexts
 Gives basis of meaning in
multiple arenas
 Integrative manner of thinking
 Includes, basis of unity

9. Jesus is the Answer
What’s the Question?
 Human Needs
 Spiritual
 Separation
 Death
 Social
 Alienation
 Injustice
 Economic
 Poverty
 Opulance
 Exploitation
 Political
 Oppression
 Divine Resources
 Spiritual
 Spiritual Life
 Eternal Life
 Social
 Community
 Justice
 Brotherhood
 Economic
 Food / Work / Land
 Equal Distribution
 Management of
Resources
 Political
 Servant-Leaders

10. In the current world of Urban Poverty:
The Kingdom and Community
Organization
= Spiritual Discipleship
+ Social Discipleship
+ Economic Discipleship
+ Political Discipleship
Urban poverty is rooted
in structural oppression.

11. Unit 2: Who are the Poor?
Global Poverty
Poor because of calamity
Poor because of sin
Poor because of others sin:
Oppression and Dispossession
Companion to the Poor, ch 3

12. Features of First and
Third World Poverty
First World
• Relatively few of society
• Objects of
discrimination
• Upward mobility difficult
• Job mobility limited
• Hard to find permanent
employment
• “Secure”
poverty/welfare
Third World
• Significant percentage of
population
• Originates in lower and
middle classes
• Upward mobility from
urban and rural roots
• Flexible and adaptive labor
• Self-inflationary employment
generation
• Daily subsistence

13. Unreached Peoples--
Getting to the Core of the 10/40 Window
84% of the people with lowest quality of life live in the 10/40 Window

14. Bryant Myers, MARC & GMI, 1991

15. STOP/THINK: What are the reasons for the
incredible overlap between the physical hunger and
spiritual poverty in the 10/40 Window?

16. Who are the poor?
Physical--material:
 Water & Food
 Clothing & Shelter
 Health
Emotional:Unable to relate
Social: Socially dislocated, outcast
“Marginalized,” outcaste
Spiritual: Unreached, Hidden Hopeless

17. 7StepstoP overty7StepstoP overty
What it feels like to be poor in the
developing world
 Take away your CLOTHES
 Take away ELECTRICITY
 Take away CLEAN WATER
 Take away your HOME
 Take away your FOOD
 Take away your HEALTH CARE
 Take away your HOPE
IM
AGINE

18. The Nature of Poverty:
Viv Grigg’s definitions:
1. Absolute poverty--situations in which
people have an absolute insufficiency to meet
their basic needs
2. Relative poverty--situations in which
people are on the margins of society; standards
are compared in relation to others in the
community/nation
E.g.: North America vs. India: telephone, car, TV

19. Growing Economic Gaps:
More than 1 billion people live on less than $1.00/day
“Absolute poor” are on the increase
1970: 650 million
1990: 1 billion
2050: 50% of global
population (Korten, 1990)
W
ho are the poor
W
ho are the poor
day?
day?

20. We are
victims of
Wars

21. A world in conflict

22. We are the Refugees…

23. We are the victims of Human rights
violations & injustice
E.g.:China, Kosovo/Armenia
W
ho are the poor
W
ho are the poor
today?
today?

24. We are the orphans.

25. We are prostitutes & commercial sex workers.

26. We are the children of the
streets and the homeless.

27. We are the teenagers losing our future.

28. We are the urban poor -34% of the world

29. Unit 3: Macro Definitions of Development
See other power Point

30. Unit 4: Major Responses

31. Help from
without
Help from
within
Strategy I
Economic
Growth
Strategy II
Political
Advocacy
Strategy III
Relief
Strategy
Transformational
Development
Structure
Needs
Method
Focus
As we do good, we proclaim the Name that motivates us
Five

32. The Wheel of Development
WhatisWrongwiththis?
Sanitation
Spirituality
Health
Shelter
& Clothing
Communication
Education
Economics &
Infrastructure
Transportation
Income production
Climate &
Weather
Water & Food
Environment & Energy

33. Economic Responses
1. Cooperative Savings Groups – ASCAS,
ROSCAS
2. Training in ten principles of Economics
3. Small Business startups
4. Microenterprise based on savings – only 3%
are entrepreneurs
5. Development of Deacons
6. Vocational training for upper sector jobs
7. Formal education for government jobs

34. Unit 5: Was Robin Hood a
Deacon?
Acts 4:32-34
Acts 6:1-7
Leadership is central
If the church exists then:

35. The Story of Robin Hood
 In English history, there is a well-known story
of Robin Hood. He was a noble whose lands
had been stolen while he was away at the
wars.
 He lived in the Forest of Sherwood, and
whenever the Sherriff of Nottingham’s people
passed would rob them, then distribute the
money to the poor people of the district.

36. AY BAHAY? IS IT A HOUSE? Written and composed by Gary Granada (Gary stayed in Tatalon where Viv Grigg lived). This
is a song about Tumbakan) tr. Juliet Uytanlet
Isang araw ako'y nadalaw sa bahay tambakan
Labinglimang mag-anak ang duo'y nagsiksikan
Nagtitiis sa munting barung-barong na sira-sira
Habang doon sa isang mansyon halos walang nakatira
Sa init ng tabla't karton sila doo'y nakakulong
Sa lilim ng yerong kalawang at mga sirang gulong
Pinagtagpi-tagping basurang pinatungan ng bato
Hindi ko maintindihan bakit ang tawag sa ganito
Ay bahay?

37. AY BAHAY! IS IT A HOUSE?
Sinulat ko ang nakita ng aking mga mata
Ang kanilang kalagayan ginawan ko ng kanta
Iginuhit at isinalarawan ang naramdaman
At sinangguni ko sa mga taong marami ang alam
Isang bantog na senador ang unang nilapitan ko
At dalubhasang propesor ng malaking kolehiyo
Ang pinagpala sa mundo, ang dyaryo at ang
pulpito
Lahat sila'y nagkasundo na ang tawag sa ganito
Ay bahay
Maghapo't magdamag silang kakayod, kakahig
Pagdaka'y tutukang nakaupo lang sa sahig
Sa papag na gutay-gutay, pipiliting hihimlay
Di hamak na mainam pa ang pahingahan
ng mga patay

38. AY BAHAY? IS IT A HOUSE?
Maghapo't magdamag silang kakayod, kakahig
Pagdaka'y tutukang nakaupo lang sa sahig
Sa papag na gutay-gutay, pipiliting hihimlay
Di hamak na mainam pa ang pahingahan ng mga patay
Baka naman isang araw kayo doon ay maligaw
Mahipo n'yo at marinig at maamoy at matanaw
Hindi ako nangungutya, kayo na rin ang magpasya
Sa palagay ninyo kaya, ito sa mata ng Maylikha
Ay bahay!!

39. Is it a
House?
One day I visited a house in the dumpsite
Fifteen in a family crowded in one place
Tolerating a tiny torn and broken house
When a mansion afar hardly has anyone
In the hot walled carton boxes
There they live like prisoners
Under the rusty roof with worn out tires
Scraps of garbage put together with rocks
I don’t understand why such as this is called a house
I wrote what my eyes have witnessed
I wrote a song about their situation
Like a painting describing their plight
I sought the learned people regarding this

40. Is it a
House?
A famous senator was the first I met
And a specialized professor of a big university
Even the blessed of this world
Which are the media and the pulpit
All of them agreed that this is called a house.
From morn till night they toil and sweat
To eat, they squat on the floor
On the dilapidated surface, trying to rest
Blessed are the dead - they have a better place
Maybe one day you passed by that place
You touched and heard, smelled and saw
I am not making you guilty,
you judge for yourself
Do you think in the eyes of the Creator
this can be rightly called a house?

41. Kingdom Transformation of a House in a
Slum
The government gave the land rights. The family pay a small amount
every month. As a son of the family I raised money to pay for
construction of two stories of the house! They doubled the money in a
cooperative. Now it is four stories.

42. Small Groups: Kingdom Activity or not?
 Electricity – How much does God want light?
 Water – How much does God want healthy water?
 Garbage – How much does God cares for garbage?
 Community Organization – where in the scriptures
does it tell us to defend the poor?
 Land Rights – Does God care about the people
having their own home? Some? None? Rich? Poor?
How big?
 Salvation – does God care about repentance?
 Priority? Which does he care about most?
 Strategy? Which should we engage with first?

43. 10 Principles of Kingdom Economics (www.economicdisciple.org)
Principle Genesis/Jubilee Gospels &Acts Epistles
1. Creativity God the creator Spirit sets free
2. Work God works Labour in the
gospel
Work with hands
(1 Thes 4:11)
3. Rest God rests Jubilee come
4. Productivity Good
5. Cooperative
Economics
Let us make Sharing Provide for
others
6 Redistribut’n
for Equality
Jubilee –return
of land
No needy one Global redist’n
(2 Cor 8,9)
7. Debt Jubilee cancels
debts
Debts
cancelled
Owe no man
8. Celebration It was good Worship daily
9. Ownership /Own home / Forsake all, / Provide family
(Levites) yet own home (1 Tim 5:8)

44. Unit 6: Community Organizing – based on Nehemiah
Make note of what Nehemiah does at each step to
prepare the Jerusalem community for long-term,
sustainable development:
1:1-4, 1:4-11
2:1-9, 2:10-16, 2:13-16
3:1-5, 6-12, 3:13-16,
3:17-21, 3:22-27, 3:28-32

45. Unit 7: Steps to Developing Diaconal
Ministry
 Preach the holism of the Kingdom and how
it affects all aspects of life.
 Draw together the leaders of the church.
From these a committee will be elected. Try
to not let the pastor be on this committee.
 Teach Luke 2:52 (see next) as a basis for
thinking about transformation of four
aspects of the community
 Get a blackboard, divide it into four parts
and dream with the people about each one
(see next slides).

46. Luke 2:52
Discipling Individuals
God’s Purposes
 Jesus increased in wisdom and stature, and
in favour with God and with man.
Physical Spiritual
WisdomSocial
Broken
World
God’s Kingdom
-Present
-Future (Rev 21:3-4)

47. God’s Purposes for the Church and the Community
 Maturity in all four areas
 a. For individuals (Col 1:28,29)
 b. For the Church (Eph 5:27)
— without spot or blemish
 c. for the world (slum) (Matt 6:10)
— thy kingdom come – ON EARTH
Physical Spiritual
WisdomSocial

48. Development of a Diaconal Ministry
What is God’s intention in this community?
Spiritual Economic Social Wisdom
(family/politics)

49. Development of a Diaconal Ministry
What is God’s intention in this community?
Discuss what you want to see happen and fill in the boxes like below.
Spiritual Economic Social Wisdom
(family/politics)
Gospel preached
everywhere in
slum
Free from disease
Water, electricity,
latrines,
playgrounds, parks,
compound
Community
organised, love &
unity
Orphans, street
children have
homes
People attending
worship
Good homes
Prosper in
businesses
Peace &
security
No thieving, no
violence
Food
Family
relationships
healthy
All areas of slum
prayed for
Jobs for all, where
they can work
hard and produce,
fruitful
No prostitution,
drugs, drunks,
Marriage
Seminars
Attractive for

50. What to do with These Ideas
 2. Prioritize these
 3. Now go and do the same process but including non-
Christian community leaders
 4. Make goals/plans for one of each of these areas
5. For the top priority of these four projects
a. plan field trips to see others who have done this
b. contact authorities for info on programs
c. contact NGO’s
d. make a plan
e. work with community leaders — possibly draw
them this committee.
 6. Start with a realizable project
7. Build people’s sense of ability and authority
 8. When negotiations break down develop techniques
that defuse violence but effect change.

51. Step by Step… Towards Gods Intentions
 Diaconal Development
 Pastor’s Role
 Teach the Kingdom, Kingdom Economics, Kingdom and its
impact on Slum
 Dream with people of the slum under the King
 Appoint Deacons and Planning Committee
 Planning Committee Process (This committee to include
community leaders)
 Prayer/Bible Study on Kingdom Economics
 Identify Projects
 Field Trips
 Seminars
 Seed Project
 Evaluation

52. Outcomes
Vision
Resources
Theology –
Knowledge of God
Leadership
Skills

53. Project
by Project
Towards God’s
purposes
Step by Step
For transformation
of the slum
Towards the
Kingdom of God
Implementation

54. Step by Step… Towards Gods Intentions

55. The Fight
Against
Poverty
 Unit 8:
Roles for the
Rich and
Middle Class

57. Personal Application of the Principles
Write down at least three (3) personal
applications of these principles for your life
and ministry:
1.
2.
3.