VIDEO – Charity at Its Best | Tom Bassford

The North American Church is losing ground in attendance, influence, credibility and virtually every other category that really matters. Yet, according to Barna Research, 8 out of 10 Americans still look to the church for answers to poverty. “The trust that the American public places in pastor’s opinion of poverty presents an increasingly rare public platform… pastors have incredible potential to lead the charge and position the US Church as a powerful force in anti-poverty endeavors.”

But that’s not a cry for more traditional forms of charity or the missionary model of the past 200 years. In fact, it is no longer enough to simply hand out an endless stream of charity, share the gospel and pat ourselves on the back. Instead, thoughtful people, from Millennials to Boomers, are looking for churches that practice a kind of charity that helps create lasting change.

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. See how Significant Matters can help your church practice charity at its best @ Significant Matters  / SATtalks /  SATCatalyst Fund

Tom Bassford is the founder and President of Significant Matters, a nonprofit organization working with churches and other faith-based groups to tackle complex societal issues in sustainable ways.   Before founding Significant Matters, he pastored for over 30 years and has been involved in the work of church missions both locally and internationally for over 40 years.

In 2014, under his leadership, Significant Matters lunched SATtalks, a TED talk type of gathering and video website to explore and demonstrate ways to create sustainable transformation through church missions.  They also launched the Missions 3.0 Network and Peer Learning Communities for churches wanting to move their mission work beyond simple charity and short-term fixes.