18Jan 2017 by Nigel Ring

Leading a church to minister with the Poor pt 3. The structure of a ministry

Charity, Equipping, Poor, Social Enterprise, The church
We have now looked at two topics: how to make church life more accessible to those who are poor or in need so that they can 'hear' the gospel, and how to identify what particular ministry we should be carrying out in our church. In this interview Andy Cottingham considers some matters related to running the ministry. Form a Charity? The church is an integral part of the community. A charity has a separate life. So it is with great caution that a church should consider forming a separate charity and there must be safeguards in the governance to prevent any such charity becoming independent of the church. Andy addresses this in the talk below but I have also written about it in a previous series. Relationship with other agencies Typically there are several agencies…
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27Mar 2013 by Nigel Ring

Milk for Transformation in Burundi

Burundi, News, Poor, Social Enterprise
In my last three postings I have shared the philosophy and background of this initiative to bring transformation to the community in Burundi. Now here is a video. As you watch it look for the following ways in which this Social Enterprise can bring about transformation: Income generation Improved health Children able to go to School Adults have time to work the land Employment opportunities Restoration of the land to become more fertile Transformational thinking Milk for Transformation in Burundi from Newfrontiers on Vimeo. This is an exciting initiative! To be able to scale up the processing capability there is need for capital funding. If you are interested in becoming involved please contact me at Nigel.Ring@gmail.com or Donna Bloomfield at info@hopefortomorrowglobal.org
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29May 2012 by Nigel Ring

Toxic Charity – how churches and charities hurt those they help

Books, Christian ministry, Equipping, Good Practice, Poor, Relief and Development, Social Enterprise
This is a provocative book - a 'must read' for those working among people who are poor or disadvantaged, espcially in an urban setting. But first, the church I belong to (CCK, Brighton) was live on BBC television last Sunday? This  was a one hour Pentecost service. You can watch it on this link. When helping hurts In recent months I have been recommending widely When helping hurts. As the title suggests our well-intentioned generosity may sometimes cause greater problems rather than relieving them (but not always!). It looks critically at the damage we can cause, particularly with cross-cultural ministry among the poor, and suggests how we can improve our practice. Toxic Charity Here is another thought-provoking read to make you think through your stance on how you really can…
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19Mar 2012 by Nigel Ring

Impacting communities through Social Enterprise

Equipping, Jubilee+, Newfrontiers, Poor, Social Enterprise
Community Engagement There are three strands to the way in which the church can exercise community engagement to bring about change in the social environment - Social Action (hands-on involvement), Social Justice (advocacy) and Social Enterprise (transformation through business). The last, Social Enterprise, is the one most likely to produce lasting personal and community transformation with financial sustainability. It was thus with great interest I attended a half day conference on this important topic organised through the Jubilee+ Initiative of the Newfrontiers family of churches on March 16th. This was then followed on 17th by the Everything Conference which, on occasion, touched on the same subject. What is Social Enterprise? Social Enterprise is attaining a growing profile in the UK. Increasingly businesses are being launched or re-aligned to help those…
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