Monday, March 08, 1999

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Term Paper Title	Monday, March 08, 1999
# of Words	2732
# of Pages (250 words per page double spaced)	10.93

Monday, March 08, 1999

The Social Ministry of the Church
Dr. David Maldonado
Perkins School of Theology

Mid Term Paper
Submitted by: Jerry L. Johnson

Defining Social Ministry in the Local Community Context

The social ministry is the first and foremost responsibility of the church today. In order for the church to do the work of Jesus Christ and of an Almighty God it must take the church outside of the institution itself.  James 1:27  27 "Pure and undefiled religion before God and the Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their trouble, and to keep oneself unspotted from the world"(NKJ).   I do not believe that the church needs any other direction other than this scripture for its theological responsibility for the social ministry.
Although, there is much Dieter T. Hessel writes in his book, Social Ministry that I do not agree with, I certainly agree with the following statement that opens the preface of his book.  "All church members share one common ministry, which is social and all of its aspects.  Thus there is no question as to whether the church will be involved in social ministry; the only questions are why and how" (Hessel vii)?
It is the responsibility of every church of every faith and denomination to diligently search out areas of human need and do their best to fill that need.  In my opinion the common failing is that individual congregations do not understand their own strengths and weaknesses.  Any social ministry that is attempted without understanding exactly what you are capable of providing will be less successful then it could be if a thorough and thoughtful plan is developed and implemented.
Understanding the Task
If the proper background information and analysis is collected, discussed, studied and verified.  Any new social ministry would naturally seem to fit into the current need based project.  The six steps to community ministry listed in Basic Steps Toward Community Ministry by Carl S. Dudley will provide adequate protection toward insuring a program that meets the needs of the community and the ability of the particular organization to fill the need.
· Step One: Define Your Community.
· Step Two: Identify the People.
· Step Three: Find the “Invisible” People.
· Step Four: Analyze the Intangible Forces.
· Step Five: Listen to Your Community.
· Step Six: Choose Your Focus of Ministry.
Just as individuals have been given gifts and graces, so have the churches and the congregations that fill them.  It is obvious that man...

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