12 Step Program...

Introduction

by Oliver R. Phillips

Taking the Steps Necessary to Change Human Beings

Organized ministries of compassion (also referred to as faith-based nonprofit organizations or compassionate ministry centers), have become, to many individuals and congregations, an opportunity to revitalize their vision, energize their commitment to be faithful to biblical mandate, renew the historical alignment to social concern, and be a conduit for involvement in holistic ministry. This booklet outlines the steps that should be taken to organize members of church and community to effectively serve the economically disadvantaged.

In the recent past nonprofit organizations were looked upon as marginal to an American society dominated by government and big business. That has changed. Increasingly, such organizations have become central to American society.

The nonprofit entity must be intentionally defined in order to serve the church and community to the fullest. Nonprofits are not a business. They do not exist to make a "profit." They are also "non-governmental." Consequently, the nonprofit exists for significantly different reasons than the government or a business. Businesses offer goods or services, while the government regulates goods or services. When both government and business discharge their responsibility, the task is finished.

The faith-based nonprofit does not exist for control, services, or products. The bottom line is a changed human being. Its product is a cured patient, a child that learns, a rehabilitated life, a self-respecting adult, a reformed prisoner, or a transformed purpose.

Compassionate Ministry Centers are the result of a denomination that places emphasis on the compassionate lifestyle, not merely on the formulation of programs. These centers complement the congregations in which they emerge. While congregations exist for the mutual benefit of the welfare of their members, compassionate ministry centers remain viable by the benefit they bring to the public and community. Three salient features identify the ministry of these Nazarene ministries of social evangelism:
1. The production of changed human lives
2. The transformation from recipient to contributor
3. The instillation of community and common purpose

This booklet is designed to give a step-by-step approach and development of the basic elements that must become a priority. To disregard these fundamental ingredients is to invite disaster and disgrace to the cause of Christ and the Kingdom. To be attentive to them is to be on the way to presenting to the worshiping community an alternative ministry option that could reap untold dividends.

Oliver R. Phillips, NCM Coordinator