Starting a Social Action Group Putting Feet to Your Faith
Social action is never a passive endeavor; rather it encourages active involvement and hope for a world that reflects the coming Kingdom of God. If you want to put feet to your faith, consider organizing a social action group among like-minded Christians. Here are a few tips to get you started: j Find Passionate People. Too many groups disintegrate because passion and action are absent.
Social action begins with what Orlando Costas calls the “spirituality of engagement.” Passionate people engage the world around them and one another.
j Develop Leaders. While your church leadership may provide wonderful support, develop lay lead-
ership from within your group to encourage members to live into their full potential as disciples of Christ and ministers to the world.
j Seek Diversity. Romans 12:4-6 tells us that “in one body we have many members, and not all the
members have the same function…we have gifts that differ according to the grace given to us…” Just as a church body should reflect this passage, so should a body of people committed to social action. While more than one of each part is welcome, too many is inefficient and ineffective (think an entire body of hands). Some common roles in a social action group are: •
X The Prophet: A person gifted in this way will lead the group through encouragement, celebration, and attending to needs. Note that this role also includes confrontation and accountability as outlined in Matthew 18:15-20.
• • X The Shepherd: The shepherd is in charge of welcoming new members to the group and acknowledging member’s gifts, while encouraging excitement and action. • • X The Teacher: The teacher is gifted in teaching and encourages teaching and nurturing among others. Some teachers can use their talents for Biblical social action instruction, while others can address social justice issues of the past and present. • • X The Action Guide: The guide will act as a connecting point between the group and other social action organizations, and encourage social networking.
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X The Spiritual Guide: The spiritual guide encourages and aids in the members’ prayer lives.
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XThe Administrator: A gifted administrator makes sure that the group is using their talents, following through on goals and commitments, and making measureable progress on their efforts.
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• • X Apostle/Evangelist: These folks help to increase interest in the group, and start new groups if necessary.
Starting a Social Action Group Putting Feet to Your Faith
The spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to set the oppressed free, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor. (Luke 4:18-19)
j Pray Together. Prayer is critical for the spiritual health of your group and its members.
Pray for the work of the group and other social action groups around the world; pray for leaders who make decisions on social action and public policy; and pray for one another.
j Increase Awareness through Study. Your group will only be effective if you are
educated not only on the critical social issues of the day, but on what God has to say about caring for the poor and the environment; human rights; managing money; and the responsibility of civil society and the government for caring for the most vulnerable. For educational and holistic ministry resources, visit EvangelicalsforSocialAction.org/Store.
j Set Goals (and meet them). Pray about and agree on
measurable, achievable goals and keep the group focused on meeting those goals. Visit ESA’s website (www.evangelicalsforsocialaction. org) for ideas and newsletters. Get to know your representatives and contact them with issues regarding immigration, economic justice, and the Israel-Palestine conflict. Contact other social action groups to work and study together.
j Engage Your Community. Members of the group should seek to make relationships, not just with other Christian groups, but also with the community at large. Connect with businesses, soup kitchens, homeless shelters, Palestinian and Israeli groups (at home and abroad), groups working towards economic justice, and groups working for immigration reform. Encourage your group to reach out to people who don’t look or live like you do, forget about your comfort zone! j Grow Your Group. The work of social action groups should be a vital part of the church community. Announce meetings in bulletins and on church community boards so that other members of the community can join your efforts. Evangelicals for Social Action’s Word & Deed Network can help connect your group with others in your area who want to engage your community in holistic ministry and social action. To join Word & Deed and to learn more about ESA, visit EvangelicalsforSocialAction.org.
Evangelicals for Social Action.org k @EvanSocAction f /EvanSocAction