03Jan 2011 by Nigel Ring

Planning for Ministry pt 1 – Project or People?

Christian ministry, Equipping, Good Practice, Planning, Poor
[caption id="attachment_1689" align="alignright" width="150" caption="Equipping Oaks of Righteousness"][/caption] First, I do hope you had a great Christmas celebrating Jesus’ birth and also having family and friends around you. I am aware that for some Christmas is a difficult time and if this applied to you I trust that you knew God’s grace for the circumstances. May 2011 be a fruitful and fulfilling year for you. Last year I shared an eight part series on some aspects of planning but made clear that these were essentially for an event or some other activity with a clear time boundary. Ministry is different. It is open ended so requires a different approach. This will be the subject of my next series. Terminology Before we dive into the subject I would like to express…
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24Nov 2010 by Nigel Ring

When Helping Hurts – Part 3 – Practical Strategies for helping without hurting

Christian ministry, Cross-culture, Equipping, Good Practice, International, News, Poor, Relief and Development, To the Nations
Concluding the review of this excellent book we shall now look at one very practical application. Short term mission teams. Like the story of the elephant and the mouse dancing together at a celebration - both benefit and enjoy it until the mouse is squashed - such can also be the effect of a short-term mission team. Who is really benefitting? Perhaps neither. The team have a ‘life changing experience' - but may learn the wrong things. The hosts can feel crushed. At the root of the problem is lack of sensitivity to others' cultures eg "Mine is the plumbline so any deviation is ‘wrong'". Consider time. In the ‘west' time = productivity; the emphasis is on good stewardship and using every minute productively. In the majority world there is…
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19Nov 2010 by Nigel Ring

Ministry Report – Feeding Programme in Mumbai

Christian ministry, Good Practice, India, Ministry Report, News, Poor, Relief and Development
Recently I was visiting India and was very impressed by what I heard of a beautiful ministry of compassion. I asked Lynn Fernandes to write it up for my blog: Around December 2007, a few of us from Living Word Church, Mumbai, India, felt sovereignly lead by God from a verse in Is 58:7 " ...is it not to share your food with the hungry, to provide the wonderer with shelter, to cloth the naked, and not to turn away from your own flesh and blood." In short, to do something for the poor. There were so many poor people around us. Where were we to start and how were we to go about doing what we felt lead to? Feeding of the Poor We started off one Wednesday in…
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10Nov 2010 by Nigel Ring

When Helping Hurts – Part 2 – General Principles for helping without hurting.

Christian ministry, Cross-culture, Equipping, Good Practice, News, Poor, Relief and Development, To the Nations, Training
Continuing this somewhat protracted commentary on the strongly recommended book, When Helping Hurts, we will now see what the authors say about Principles that need to be followed to avoid causing damage to those who are in need. Relief, Rehabilitation and Development First, it is important to distinguish between Relief, Rehabilitation and Development. In true crisis (e.g. tsunami) people cannot help themselves and need Relief. After the crisis there is Rehabilitation when people can start to help themselves but need others alongside Development is about empowering, the point at which great discretion is needed - ‘handouts' can be very damaging, especially if the reason for needing help is of a person's own making e.g. through irresponsible living such as alcohol abuse. Cultural sensitivity At all times we must be careful…
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05Nov 2010 by Nigel Ring

‘When helping hurts’ pt 1 – Steve Corbett and Brian Fikkert

Christian ministry, Cross-culture, Equipping, Finance, Good Practice, International, News, Poor
Foundational Concepts for helping without hurting. In this excellent book - a ‘must read' for all who are involved in helping people who are poor or disadvantaged - the authors look critically at both the issues of poverty and how it is defined, and at the typical response of very well meaning individuals and agents of society that may in fact be doing more harm than good. This is a book that will challenge the accuracy of notions you may currently hold - ‘is my desire to do good actually doing harm?' It applies both to ministry within your community and to international development ie how to relate across cultures. Each chapter begins with questions for you to answer which reveal your present stance and ends with questions to review.…
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21Aug 2010 by Nigel Ring

God’s Stump – book about cross cultural issues

Christian ministry, Cross-culture, Equipping, News, Poor
I find that holidays are times for reading. There are a couple I want to recommend. This is the first. Are you willing to be challenged about cross cultural issues? For ten years Nigel and Lisa Measures have been leading a cross-cultural and multiracial church, Khanyisa Community Church, in a township outside Cape Town, an area which, in the days of apartheid, was a hot bed of political and physical strife. But they have lived there for even longer and are thus well qualified as white people from a British culture to address some of the deep-rooted issues which should challenge all of us about the gospel and its application. How should it be outworked out among rich and poor, black and white, multi-racially? What are our inner attitudes when we…
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