We Left Almost Every Area of Human Service to Others, What About Food?

Are food pantries the last bastion of Church value in the community? Hardly.  But we have to recognize that we have relegated almost every other sphere of human service to others.  Will food relief also be owned by a secular agency?  Its hard to miss the daily emails from Feeding America, a network of large foodbanks who source their food from the largest food suppliers and give away surplus food and government commodities.  But connected to these food banks are thousands of church food pantries, who provide something on a local level in a more personal way.  Its important to ask: are we approaching this the right way– making surplus food the primary resource we use to help hungry people, single mothers, seniors and the unemployed? … Continue Reading

To Feed, but How?

A large percentage of churches provide some kind of food relief, often in the form of a food pantry. Some have centralized this food resource into areas or by sending people to a shared pantry location. This role of helping with food is a staple (no pun intended) of our role in the community, but is it really working for us? And what is the Biblical standard for how we should approach food?

No doubt, we have the compassion idea right– not leaving people in a situation where they are caste off on the side of the road. But do we have the compassion practice right? Should we be collecting assorted cans and food and giving it out a bag at a time? I believe the Biblical standard is much higher than that; consider a few Biblical examples: … Continue Reading

Expanding the Circle of Funding for Your Building Program

Expanding the Circle of Funding for Your Building Program
Rev. David Mills, MPA, March 13, 2012

For nearly 20% of churches in America, developing new funds for building needs is on the horizon.  With church lending at an all time low due to new requirements and fewer bank programs, churches are having to find creative ways to fund their growth and maintenance.

Creative funding begins with a better understanding of the circles of influence and service in which your church already has impact.  The more clearly we understand those potential spheres of relationship, the more effective we will become at identifying alternative funding sources.  And there are sources we are missing. … Continue Reading

Two Buckets and No Holes- Non Profits that Extend Ministry

Two Buckets and No Holes- How A Community Service Non Profit  Supports Ministry Balance & Strength  Rev. David Mills, MPA, March 13, 2012

I had the joy of carrying mud for a day, and it wasn’t just just any ordinary mud, but the mud for a tile setter.  A great believing man that I once knew, gave me some work helping him as he set tile in a house.   I was in between jobs, which wasn’t uncommon when I was church planting, and my job for the day involved a large tray, bags of concrete and a hoe.  I worked outside mixing concrete or mortar or somer similar substance and then carrying it into the house in buckets. … Continue Reading

Creating Intentional Structures for Compassion and Service

Creating Intentional Structures for Compassion and Service
Rev. David Mills, MPA, Date

Creating and building community service and outreach as an ongoing part of church life is a high priority for many churches.   Through a variety of movements that include Servolution made famous by Ed Silvoso, Big Day of Service operated by Group, the Work of Externally Focused Churches with Rick Rusaw and Eric Swanson, and efforts by Missio and others, this trend continues to grow. These efforts all foster the practice of community service as a vital expression of faith, in which individual believers, small groups and large groups all learn to practice the art of serving others.  However, the ability to sustain this service depends both on the leadership and values to which it is tied and to the organizational structures through which it is supported. … Continue Reading