Building Church Coalitions

1
Building Church Coalitions

• Caring Communities Program
• Duke Divinity School
• Durham, NC

2
Building
Building Community

• Collaborating on community efforts not only
  shares the burden, but also fosters positive,
  caring relationships that have profound long-term
  effects on community.

3
Why Would We Collaborate??

• Modeling or creating positive change in peoples
  behavior
• Offering individual or public service
• Creating or adapting public policy or practice
• Providing relief or rescue
• Re-energize communities or people

4
Getting Started
GO!

• Determine problem and clarify as much as possible
• Seek validation from others that the problem
  exists
• Determine support for the effort to address

• Gather as many facts as you can to support the
  issue
• Re-define the problem
• Determine who will join
• Determine a leader
• Begin!!

5
Common
Mission

• Somewhere, soon after you begin your commitment
  to each other and the process, you will want to
  create a common mission statement and objectives
  to mark your path.

6
Common Mission
Be Specific

• Use words that hold meaning to the
  group
• Define terms that may need agreement
• State objectives short and/or long term

7
Characteristics of the Individuals

• Assess Characteristic
• (Meyers-Briggs)
• Be Aware of Different
  Communication Styles
• Ensure objectivity
• and opportunity

I just dont get these guys.
8
Caution Watch your Pace!
Not Too Slow
Not Too Fast
9
Periodic Checks

• Suggest specific
  Checkpoints
• Ensure periodic checks with members for
  understanding and buy-in
• Require linkage to church structure
• Submit written benchmarks from churches to
  ensure church structures are kept informed

10
Share the work...Reap the Benefits!

• Minimize community duplication (i.e. food
  banks, clothing banks, shelters, AIDS Care Teams,
  financial aide, parish nursing)
• Maximize collaboration for root cause efforts
  (i.e. substance abuse task force, teen
  pregnancy/STD prevention, school violence/
  suicide prevention)

11
As you can see, joining in partnership with your
neighborhood churches offers many wonderful
outcomes. Solving the problem you came together
to address will merely be one of them.
Success !!!