Next Steps In Community Ministry

Dudley and a research team go back to 24 ministries still in existence five years after the Church and Community Project’s completion. They discovered:

how the myths and expectations of funding, lay/clergy leadership, and church/society partnerships were shattered by what is doable;
how the often Herculean efforts frustrated and tired participants, who were then uplifted and sustained by making a difference;
how faith was the foundation for action, and how, through action, the poor, the homeless, and others in need became real people and not statistics.
Perhaps most important is the discovery that community ministry takes shape in ways unique to local issues of theology, church size, social location, and cultural composition.