Why a central clearinghouse is essential for effective community ministry.

1. “ yo TheW lls
Be nd a ”
C m unity Ba e Re tio l
o m s d la na
Ministry Agency 1
Agency 2

2. It is the goal of a Neighborhood
Alliance to get families connected
as efficiently as possible to the
resources they need. A Community
Clearinghouse like an old fashioned
switchboard, becomes the
connecting link between families in
need, churches who care, and
agencies who serve.

3. Partner Churches
• Churches in a given geographic area,
regardless of denominational lines, agree
to partner with a Neighborhood Alliance
Clearinghouse to:
– train their congregations people
– Provide intake screening of all applicants
– coordinate information
– Collaborate on larger needs or services

4. Partner Churches
Partner Churches, along with the Alliance
clearinghouse, work under the premise
that serving our community in the name of
Christ can better be done together than
alone. The needs of any community are
diverse and great enough that no one
organization can fulfill all those needs on
their own. It is as we work together as the
Body of Christ that all things become
possible.

5. Congregational Inventory
• At the heart of all congregational
community ministry is the talent inventory.
It is administered to every member of
every partner churches which increases
the resources of the Alliance by 1000 fold.
• A tithe of their talents makes real the
priesthood of all believers and uses all the
gifts that the Spirit has given.

6. Talent/Tithe Inventory
• The Talent/Tithe is a simple inventory of
members individual gifts that they are
willing to share with one another and the
community.
• While it is simple, it is also one of the most
powerful tools a congregation can use to
be the caring hands and feet of Christ to
the community.

7. Simple Format
• The talent tithe inventory is a simple check
list that the congregation is asked to
complete during a time when they are all
together as a congregation (usually during
a worship service).
• The inventory usually takes 5 minutes to
explain and complete and then is collected
as part of the morning offering (this time
with their talents).

8. Sample Talent Tithe
Music and Worship Care-Giving (church or homes)
• ____ Singing ____Telephone Reassurance
• ____ Ushering/Greeting ____ Hospital Visitation
• ____ Playing an Instrument ____ Visiting Shut-ins
• ____ Leading Worship ____ Caring for Babies and Toddlers
• ____ Reading Scripture ____ Caring for Children (3-6)
• ____ Offering Prayer ____ Caring for Children (7-13)
• ____ Performing Drama ____ Caring for Elderly
• ____ Dancing ____ Caring for the Sick
• ____ Operating Sound Equipment ____ Caring for Physically Disabled
• ____ Operating PowerPoint
• ____ Worship Team Member
Maintenance (at church or in homes)
• ____ Decorating the Sanctuary
• ____ Other ________________________ ____ Window Washing
____ Window Repair (Homes)
____ Washing and Cleaning Carpets (Homes)
• Children’s Discipleship and Ministries ____ General Household Cleaning
• ____ Teaching Children to Learn ____ Fixing Leaky Faucets
• ____ Helping Children Learn ____ Mowing Lawns
• ____ Middle School Youth Leader ____ Snow Removal
• ____ Helping with Middle School ____ Planting & Caring for Gardens
activities ____ Pruning Trees & Shrubbery
• ____ High School Youth Leader ____ Seasonal Maintenance
• ____ Helping with High School Activities ____ Electrical Maintenance
• ____ Youth Mission Trips ____ Other ________________________
• ____ Tutoring*
• ____ Mentoring Youth*
• ____ Other ________________________

9. Completing the Inventory
• Besides the gift of talents, each member is
asked to provide contact information and
when they are available.
• This makes the job of the contact persons
an easy matter of matching the need with
those who indicated their willingness and
who meet the time qualifications (if any).

10. Talent Tithe Information
• Name: I am available: (please circle all available times)
_________________________
Mon: Morning Afternoon Evening
• Address:
________________________ Tues: Morning Afternoon Evening
• City: Wed: Morning Afternoon Evening
___________________________
Thurs: Morning Afternoon Evening
• Zip:
____________________________ Fri: Morning Afternoon Evening
• Phone: Sat: Morning Afternoon Evening
__________________________
Sun: Morning Afternoon Evening
• Cell:
___________________________
• Email:
__________________________

11. Clearinghouse Functions
• The clearinghouse will serve as the trainer
for those engaged in coordinating
community ministry and interaction with
the clearinghouse.
• The clearinghouse volunteers will assess
if needs are
– Specific
– Manageable
– Legitimate

12. Clearinghouse Functions
• It will maintain the central database so as
to be aware of all applicants who have
approached any of the Alliance Churches
for assistance. This is key to success.
• It will make a referral to either an
organization set up to meet the need or to
a congregation that is closest to where the
person lives, that can meet the need.

13. An Alliance

14. Steps for Clearinghouse
response
• Need comes to church from Family
• Need is communicated to Clearinghouse
who analyzes the need to insure it is
specific, manageable and legitimate
• Need is referred to church closest to
where Family lives that can meet their
specific need(s).
• Church provides feedback to
Clearinghouse.

15. Church Contact Person
• As a Partner Church, one of the critical
elements is to provide, church contact
persons, who will be responsible for
receiving needs from the Clearinghouse
and referring needs to the Clearinghouse.
• The church contact persons will know their
volunteers and when the assessed needs
are presented will be able to match them
to the proper church volunteer or program.

16. Church Contact Persons
• Contact persons, along with clearinghouse
volunteers, will be trained to oversee
those who are the front line of service to
those in need in our community.

17. Building Relationships
• The Clearinghouse takes care of logistic
needs that a congregation may have in
terms of ministering to the community, so
it can focus on building lasting, Christ like
relationships with those who come to its
doors.

18. Building Relationships
• Using Christ’s own approach to
ministering to those in need, churches are
expected to serve without strings, but
plenty of invitations. In other words, we
serve others as they are, but strive not to
leave them where they are.
• Change comes by building relationships,
not by conformed behaviors.

19. Gathered information
• Family information is maintained to validate
and define family needs. Only with complete
need and resource information on every
family can the clearinghouse ensure each
need referred is specific, manageable, and
legitimate.
• Family information is maintained to ensure
that complete true needs are met and that
illegitimate needs or duplicate needs are
weeded out.

20. CICN Database
• The Central Indiana Community
Network
– The Central Indiana Community Network
(CICN) is a web-based collaboration of human
service organizations in Central Indiana
sharing basic client information and referrals
for the purpose of helping their clients obtain
better, faster, more informed services.

21. • The CICN system is not a case
management system rather it is designed
to augment agencies' current case
management systems with secured
access to client information. The CICN
system will provide a truly integrated
system with shared data, information, and
resources from multiple social service
agencies that will benefit clients,
providers, funding sources and the larger
community as a whole.

22. CICN and Clearinghouse
• The Castleton Clearinghouse might
choose to use CICN as it database and
informational retrieval system so as to
network with what other agencies and
organizations are doing to provide for the
needs of the assisted family, but one does
not replace the need of the other. CICN
would simply give the Clearinghouse more
network resources to confer with.

23. Clearinghouse Goals
• Assist neighbor in finding the community
resources they need
• Build a relationship with neighborhood
Family
• Surround Family with individuals who can
assist them in finding their way and exiting
their presenting situation
• Love them in the
Name of Christ.

24. How Clearinghouse Works
• Step 1 - Request for Help
• Neighbors who need food, clothing,
budgeting assistance, car repairs, home
repairs, transportation, friendship, family
help - all kinds of needs - can call the
clearinghouse office and request help.
• Clearinghouse in-take advisors
briefly interview the person
to obtain necessary information.

25. Step 2 - Analyze the Need
• Clearinghouse assesses requests for assistance
to ensure that the needs referred to churches
and their volunteers will be legitimate, specific
and manageable.
• The office researches not only the need, but
also the best available local resources. Upon
processing the request, the Clearinghouse may
refer the request to local church volunteers, or to
a local service agency, a helping organization or
a local ministries.
• The Clearinghouse is committed to meeting
needs without duplication of services.

26. Step 3 - The Helping Church
• Requests for services are referred to
volunteers in partner churches. The
Clearinghouse identifies the church
closest to the persons location with willing
volunteers and material resources and
matches these church volunteers, through
their contact persons, with neighbors in
need.

27. Step 4 - Follow Up
• The Clearinghouse makes follow-up calls
to make sure the person who has asked
for help was satisfactorily assisted, and to
determine if there are any other
outstanding needs the churches can
assist with.