The Power of
Partnership
How A Small Church Made a
Big Difference In Its
Community

Our town
 Economic
transition
 Educational
extremes
 Affluence and
poverty
 Small town,
rural setting

Our congregation

Our concerns in 2004
 No community gathering place
 No after-school programs
 No arts programs for kids
 Limited cultural events
 Large underserved population

Our progress by 2009
 Boys and Girls Club
 Soundcheck
 Chatham Arts
 Community Music School
 Visual Arts program launch
 Chatham Cares, Inc.
 The Community Center

1. Intentional decision to
engage our community
 “The world is
my parish.”
-- John Wesley

2. Identified need for
partnerships and collaboration
 Wedid not
have:
 Money
 Manpower
 Experience

Theology of Collaboration
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Theology of Collaboration
 Collaborators in the missio Dei.
 Pragmatism is not the criteria for
mission.
 Scripture guides us.
 Community forms us.
 Practice emerges from theology.
 The future of God is found among the
people of God.

Characteristics of
Collaboration
 Chooses self-limitation
 Incarnation
 Values “otherness” –
 affirmation without assimilation
 Recognizes that which unites us –
 Our common calling (vocation)
 Commits to companionship on the journey –
 “fellowshippers”
 Re-unifies Creation –
 Sacred/secular, divine/human

3. Listened and learned
 Parents & leaders > Music program
 Artists & educators > Soundcheck
 Business leaders > Boys & Girls Club
 Churches > Community Center

4. Gave up control
 Example: Boys & Girls Club
 “At table as equals.”
 Maintained our principles.

5. Dropped our hidden
agendas.
 Church growth
 It’s not about us.
 Evangelism
 New eyes, new language, new love
 Reward
 It won’t pay for itself.
 Doing good is its own reward.

Results: Boys & Girls Club
 Dec 2005
 200+ enrolled
 40-120 per day
 4 staff
 Community
involvement
 Budget: $60K/yr

Results: B&G Club, cont’d
 Art
 Computer skills
 Scouts
 Tutoring
 Life Skills
 Recreation

Results: Chatham Arts
Community Music School
 Virginia Tech
 Renaissance Music
Academy
 Professional faculty
 Jan 2006
 30 diverse students
 Violin, viola, cello,
guitar, piano, voice

Results: Soundcheck

Results: Chatham Cares

The Community Center
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Grand Opening
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Bringing Chatham Together
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Budgets Per Year
 Boys & Girls Club: $60K
 Music School: $75K
 Chatham Cares: $120K
 Soundcheck/Drama: $3K
 Total budgets: $258K

Our approach
 Start with what we have
 Listen to others
 Make others’ dreams come true
 Enhance our community
 Provide new experiences
 Value the arts

“People notice what you’re
doing.” - MLK Day 2008
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What’s next?
 ‘Care of souls’ and missional church:
 Contextual
 Incarnational
 Addresses communal issues
 Less educational, more relational
 Fills gaps in social fabric
 Makes meaning of life
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Pastoral Care Model
 Two aspects in care:
Spiritual Psychological
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Social Gospel Model
 Two aspects to action:
Spiritual Sociological
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Care of Souls Model
 Three aspects of care and action:
Spiritual Sociological
Psychological
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The church as abbey
 Worship
 Arts
 Learning
 Spiritual direction
 “Least of these”
 Peace & Justice
 Economics
 Hospitality George Hunter
 Rule of life The Celtic Way of Evangelism
 The world

In the cloud...
 Confessions of a Small-Church Pastor
 http://chuckwarnock.com
 twitter.com/chuckwarnock
 Facebook.com/chuck.warnock
 chuckwarnock@gmail.com
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