Relationships are essential

Jan Burn who spoke at Engage Cheltenham about her work as a church leader within local schools offers the following tips and advice to those wanting to make the leap from church into community engagement.

Whilst knowing the practical steps that you need to take to engage is important and covered really well at the Engage event. It is my firm belief that successful community engagement rises or falls on building relationships.

As we have built teams to engage with our communities we have learnt through many mistakes to pay the most attention to the character and personal motivations of each team member. As such we spend a lot of time and focus in on their personal development.

Here are some bullet points surrounding the areas we constantly teach and highlight when training people:

INTEGRITY

• Be up front and honest about your intentions.
• Provide the service you are being asked for and that people have signed up to, not your own agenda!
• Seek permission from the person/persons who have invited you if you want to offer any next steps.
• Only offer next steps if they are really for the people you are servings highest good not to build your own ministry.
• Be honest about your strengths and weaknesses, don’t pretend you have greater expertise than you actually possess.

RESPECT

• Show respect for other people and organisations - boundaries / mission statements / beliefs
• Respect what may already be happening and serve wherever you can.
• Respect people by listening to them!
• Don't give people answers to questions they are not even asking!
• Be willing to earn the respect of others not just assume you have it because of any role or title.

HUMILITY

• This is not about you! It's not about building a personal ministry or having a platform. It's not to meet your own needs or personal ambitions.
• Serve wherever you are needed not just seeking after the more high profile roles.
• Don't even think of yourself as "the expert." You are one beggar showing another beggar where to get food.
• Be willing to admit your own shortcomings, failures and mistakes.
• Be willing to ask advice from wherever is appropriate.
• Always seek to be learning from anywhere and everywhere.
• Don't take yourself too seriously. A little humour goes a long way!!

SHOW GOD'S LOVE AND UNCONDITIONAL ACCEPTANCE

• If you don't love people don't try to lead them.
• Accept people where they are, and not where you think they should be!
• Don't judge
• Love unconditionally expecting nothing in return.
• Demonstrate God's love through generosity.
• Be willing to be personally inconvenienced and vulnerable for others.
• Be committed for the long haul showing consistency and faithfulness.
• Be willing to pay the cost!!!!!

We spend a lot of time covering and recovering these areas with our folk. To establish trust in community takes all of the above and lots of time, but is the key to really see societal reformation, to gain the reputation of church really being Good News, and offers the most fertile ground for the Holy Spirit to do his work.

Jan Burn

Last Updated 30 November 2010