Advancing sustainable solutions to material poverty through church missions.
The North American Church is losing ground in attendance, influence, credibility and virtually every other category that really matters. In this day and age, many see the church as the hope of the world only as it “proves” itself in practical ways that touch the everyday needs of everyday people. But that’s not a cry for more traditional forms of charity or the missionary model of the past 200 years. Instead, thoughtful people, from Millennials to Boomers, are looking for churches that have moved from simply doing good things to solving real problems in lasting ways. Churches that invest in this kind of mission work become more helpful in lifting people out of poverty and better partners to ministries on the frontlines. They also become more relevant and credible to their community, more fulfilling to both pastor and people, and more appealing to those on the margins looking for a reason to attend a church.
Our mission is to help churches reframe their missions and charitable work around sustainable solutions and create room for business-minded people who can help that happen. Our annual SATtalks and other resources highlight some of the most innovative churches and faith-based ministries around the world working to move missions in this direction. We do this because the Church needs the stories of early pioneers and innovators to inspire and help us see what could be!
Tom Bassford, Founder/President | Significant Matters & SATtalks
Church Missions and Lasting Change: The Tip of the Iceberg | by Tom Bassford
Historically, church missions have been about mobilizing money and people toward relief and betterment efforts that provided urgent comfort, care and stability for those in crisis. However, those efforts alone do little to solve core social problems in lasting, sustainable ways. In fact, untethered relief and betterment, in most cases, have left people worse off in the long run. It is an unintended consequence of the good and meaningful work of traditional Church missions and philanthropy as a whole. In 2005, Significant Matters, a 501c3 nonprofit organization, was formed to help churches and other faith-based organizations move beyond these [...]
Randy White, Center for Community Transformation, Fresno | 2018 SATtalks
Randy has been an urban activist and practitioner for more than 25 years. He was the founder of Fresno Institute for Urban Leadership and many other urban training formats in Fresno. Globally he led doctoral programs of Bakke Graduate University helping leaders from 39 countries imagine and implement new forms of community transformation. In 2012 he founded the Center for Community Transformation at FPU. He is the author of many books and articles on urban ministry, the latest of which is Out of Nazareth: Christ-Centered Community Transformation in Unlikely Places (Urban Loft, 2017). The Center for Community [...]
Nancy Mitchell, Caring for Kids | 2018 SATtalks
Nancy Mitchell is the Executive Director for Caring for Kids which was born out of the Citywide Prayer Movement of Kansas City. She was part of the original design team for the organization and previously served as Director of Operations. Caring for Kids sought to bridge the gap between schools and churches to create lasting, meaningful partnerships built upon the simple but powerful question, “How may we help you?” By becoming a catalyst for collaboration and serving as a true “backbone organization” they have been able to build trust with schools, churches and business all wanting to [...]
Oye Waddell, Hustle PHX | 2018 SATtalks
Some of the best natural entrepreneurs in the United States are in underserved urban communities. They are called hustlers – visionary risk-takers who seize the opportunity to move product and turn a profit. They have the God-given skills, attributes, and talents of an entrepreneur, but they lack key resources needed to create sustainable businesses that benefit the broader community. At Hustle PHX, we want to let the hustlers hustle – for the common good. Oye Waddell is the Executive Director of Hustle PHX. Waddell grew up in inner city Los Angeles and has a long track record [...]
Wanjiru Gitau, Center for Religion and Civic Culture, USC | 2018 SATtalks
Wanjiru M. Gitau (PhD, Africa International University) is a research fellow at the Center for Religion and Civic Culture (CRCC) at the University of Southern California (USC), pursuing a multi-year global research project commissioned by the John Templeton World Charity Foundation on contemporary religion. She is a Kenyan educated in Nairobi, Edinburgh, and the United States, with extensive global experience, including research projects from Korea to Kentucky. She formerly served on the staffs of Nairobi Chapel and Mavuno Church. The CRCC houses a team of scholars pioneering research on matters of religion and civic engagement. The center [...]
James Whitford, Watered Gardens Gospel Rescue Mission | 2018 SATtalks
James and his wife, Marsha co-founded Watered Gardens Gospel Rescue Mission in 2000, now a 50 bed mission working with the homeless and poor, meeting about 20,000 needs every year. He also directs the True Charity Initiative, calling communities to effective charity and freedom from welfare through connecting non-profits, educating community and advocating improved public policy. Watered Gardens exist to serve the Church in its mission to help the poor. Our core components include an Outreach Center through which the local Church meets more than 20,000 basic needs annually, a Worth-Shop in which 2/3 of those needs [...]
