Opening Statement

Parish Social Ministry begins with baptism and the call each of us receives to actively participate with the Church in bringing about the kingdom of God. The Gospel confers on each Christian the vocation to love God and neighbor in ways that bear fruit in the life of society. That vocation consists above all in a change of heart; a conversion expressed in praise of God, and in concrete deeds of justice and service.

We have been created to share in the divine life through a destiny that goes far beyond our human capabilities and before which we must in all humility stand in awe. We marvel at the wonders God has done for us, how God has raised up the poor and the lowly and promised great things for them in the Kingdom. God now asks of us sacrifices and reflection on our reverence for human dignity - in ourselves and in others - and on our service and discipleship, so that the divine goal for the human family and this earth can be fulfilled.

Communion with God, sharing God's life, involves a mutual bonding with all on this globe. Jesus taught us to love God and one another and that the concept of neighbor is without limit. We know that we are called to be members of a new covenant of love. We have to move from our devotion to independence, through an understanding of interdependence, to a commitment to human solidarity.

That challenge must find its realization in the kind of community we build among us. Love implies concern for all - especially the poor - and a continued search for those social and economic structures that permit everyone to share in a community that is a part of a redeemed creation (Rom 8:21-23).

Every believer is called to serve “the least of these,” “to hunger and thirst for justice,” to be a “peacemaker.” [Mt 25:31-46; 5:1-10] Christians are called by God to protect human life, to promote human dignity, to defend the poor and to seek the common good. This social mission of the Church belongs to all of us. It is an essential part of what it is to be a believer.

Being a believer means that one lives a certain way - walking with the Lord, doing justice, loving kindness, living peaceably among all people. Christian discipleship means practicing what Jesus preached. Discipleship is found in a relationship with Christ and a commitment to his mission of “bringing good news to the poor, liberty to captives, new sight to the blind and setting the downtrodden free.” [Lk 4:18] (1, 2)

The urban parish, as a constitutive part of its mission, provides an organized outlet for the community to respond to that baptismal call. The urban parish dimensions of social ministry not as an added burden, but as a part of what keeps a parish alive and makes it truly Christian. Effective social ministry helps the parish not only do more, but be more--more of a reflection of the gospel, more of a worshipping and evangelizing people, more of a faithful community. It is an essential part of parish life.

This is not a new message, but it takes on new urgency in light of the increasing clarity and strength of Christian social teaching and the signs of declining respect for human life and human dignity in society. We preach a gospel of justice and peace in a rapidly changing world and troubled nation. Our faith is tested by the violence, injustice, and moral confusion that surround us. In this relatively affluent nation, a fourth of our children under six grow up in poverty. Each year in our nation, 40,000 children die from hunger and its consequences around the world. In our streets and neighborhoods, violence destroys the hopes, dreams, and lives of too many children. In our local communities, too many cannot find decent work, housing, health care, or education. In our families, parents struggle to raise children with dignity, hope, and basic values.

Our faith stands in marked contrast to these grim realities. At a time of rampant individualism, we stand for family and community. At a time of intense consumerism, we insist it is not what we have, but how we treat one another that counts. In an age that does not value permanence or hard work in relationships, we believe marriage is forever and children are a blessing, not a burden. At a time of growing isolation, we remind our nation of its responsibility to the broader world, to pursue peace, to welcome immigrants, to protect the lives of hurting children and refugees. At a time when the rich are getting richer and the poor are getting poorer, we insist the moral test of our society is how we treat and care for the weakest among us.

In these challenging days, we believe that the Christian community needs to be more than ever a source of clear moral vision and effective action. We are called to be the “salt of the earth” and “light of the world” in the words of the Scriptures (Mt 5:13-16). In urban neighborhoods, in suburban communities, and in rural areas, parishes serve as anchors of hope and communities of caring, help families meet their own needs and reach out to others, and serve as centers of community life and networks of assistance.

The mission of the Urban Parish Social Ministry is to assist parishioners, through the parish community, in understanding and acting on Christian social teaching. This is achieved by providing formation and education in Christian social teaching (allowing those involved to be confident, and ensure, that action arises from Christian faith and values) and by identifying, supporting, and training leaders who will organize people and activities around four specific, complementary ministries:

• Direct Service, where parishioners are given opportunities to provide a compassionate, yet empowering, response to the immediate needs of individuals and families

• Community Organizing and Community Development, where parishioners are given opportunities to put into practice our passionately-held Christian belief in the rights and responsibilities of persons - especially powerless individuals, families, and communities - to fully participate in decisions that affect the quality of everyday life

• Legislative Advocacy, where parishioners are given opportunities to engage in efforts to create or change state and federal legislation to reflect just and compassionate social policy impacting people in need

• Global Solidarity, where parishioners are given opportunities to participate in social justice and peace efforts, such as environmental stewardship projects and world hunger or development programs, that address the needs of our world and/or of our more distant neighbors.

Urban Parish Ministries

We rejoice that our eternal God finds us worthy to call us to the service of ensuring that all share in the Gospel promise to salvation (Mark 1:14-15), and liberation (Matthew 25:31-46).

The theology of Paul in I Corinthians (12:4-11), speaking specifically of the giftedness of individuals and of the Spirit working for the common good, is also applicable to the broader and local parishes. Therefore, we affirm that parishes must work in solidarity through communication and consensus. The Spirit of God will be better heard in this atmosphere of solidarity; and the prophetic voice, whether emanating from within or from without the local parish will have its influence.

Urban Parish Ministries seeks to develop, implement and support outreach and peace and justice ministries in urban parishes. These ministries will address current issues that affect human lives by using the faith and spirituality of the Christian Gospel and the commitment of the Church. It will foster cooperation and mutual ministry between other outreach organizations, nationwide church programs, interdenominational outreach organizations and government agencies.

Guiding Principles for Formulation of a Urban Parish

• Proposals should be sensitive and responsive to cultural and socio-economic diversity
• Proposals must not reflect a duplication of services
• Proposals should indicate follow-through and continuity with existing program initiatives
• Proposals should evidence provision for leadership training and development
• Proposals should reflect a sharing of resources through collaboration among churches
• And/or between parishes and other agencies
• Proposals must be originated by a parish (or a combination of parishes).

Checklist of Common Proposal Pitfalls

• Program is not sufficiently linked to a local parish(es): i.e. parish leadership not involved in program planning program not formally endorsed by parish governing body program does not receive reasonable financial backing from the parish

• Program duplicates rather than compliments services offered by neighboring agencies and/or parishes. Creative possibilities for networking have not been explored or sufficiently worked through

• Proposal exhibits weak planning and did not involve key implementers in its development.

Parish Structures and Interdependent Relationships

Parishes are vital to the life of the Church and the life of neighborhoods. The continued development of effective parishes amidst times of diminishing resources and new needs calls us to create more responsive and flexible structures as tools in meeting the challenges of The in the urban communities. Spiritually we must become one people united in faith and interdependent on each other.

This interdependence must be supported by structures and relationships that are mutually beneficial and able to utilize the different gifts of people and communities in complementary partnerships. We also need to address the inequities between parishes in the accumulation and use of resources.

Develop and encourage effective models for parish partnerships which recognize the gifts and needs of each community and promote dialogue, understanding and mutual support.

• Include models that can share the staffing, structures and activities of two or more parish communities

• Provide -supported linking service for urban parishes, recognizing the need for support from pastors and lay leaders

• Encourage people to remember "where I came from" to get them in touch with urban parishes in their roots

• Consider prayer days, discussion groups, social activities, gardening projects, pulpit exchanges, workshops, community outreach, joint pastoral council meetings and the mutual sharing of time, talent and financial resources

Utilize the Future Parish Staffing Project to support parishes in assessing parish vitality and viability and in creating, discussing and developing new proposals and models for more effective staffing, ministries, structures and facility use

• Prepare and encourage viable alternatives for more flexible staffing plans which include permanent deacons, pastoral ministers, lay professionals, and shared staffing between two or more parishes

• Provide a 'third-party facilitator' service for helping parishes to propose, explore and implement new models of staffing and restructuring with other parishes

• Assist parishes in making the best use of their buildings in service to neighborhood needs. Develop and support evangelization efforts which involve the cooperative efforts of parishes and utilize learning from past experiences.

• Learn from and support the evangelization efforts within the African American and Hispanic an other ethnic communities

• Build upon successful parish efforts which incorporate the following qualities: facilities and opportunities for youth, good liturgy and hospitality, an experience of a welcoming community, effective outreach, involvement in revitalizing the neighborhood, adequate parish support staff and program capability.

Assign pastors and parish administrators who will consistently support models of interparish collaboration that have been established as well as continue to develop new models. Encourage parishes to consider wider Church needs and not only the assessment of fiscal soundness and local parish needs, at the time when major parish expenditures (related to facilities, staffing and investments) are being planned.
Overview

The Urban Parish is a response to the social and moral issues resulting from dramatic movements of people and the suburbanization of our church since World War II. It is based upon the following five principles:

• social justice
• redevelopment
• interdependence
• restructuring, and
• preferential love of the poor.

The vision of Urban Parish is not just a guide to the revitalization of the city nor does it merely add a moral dimension to political, economic, and social decisions that affect city life. Rather it is a redefinition of who we are and what we do. We are not separate people but a faith community grounded in the reality of our times and in our solidarity with the whole human family. The United Methodist Church has a prophetic role in calling for and participating in an extensive collaboration among many different sectors of the wider metropolitan community.

The principles of social justice and preferential love for the poor lead us to action in addressing the injustice and inequity that we find in the lives of people in our society, with particular concern for people who are most vulnerable in our cities. These actions must overcome poverty, racism, crime, apathy, fear and the pervasive influence of violence in our culture.

Our actions can build upon the many good things already being done within our cities. But we also must face the harsh economic reality of the times and seek to reverse powerful trends of out migration, unjust social mores, and diminishing resources. It means personal and institutional conversion as well as tough, pragmatic, personal and institutional choices.

The recommended actions are not a new church plan, Vision or Goals. Rather, they invite us to see new possibilities and challenges in what it means to be a Celebrating, Evangelizing, Teaching, Caring and Participating community. We are also called to a deeper understanding of stewardship. Good stewardship means using our gifts and resources in such a way that we can be even more responsive, interdependent and mutually supportive.

To succeed in this vision, we will need strong organizational skills put to use in imparting a moral and ethical dimension to political and economic life. It will be necessary to act out Gospel values in the home, neighborhood, and workplace and in the political arena. The vision of The Urban Parish must be a way of life that is the constant thread in our daily activity, the reflective application of Gospel values to the challenges of our time and place in history.

Recommended Actions/Two Key Perspectives in Implementing These Actions

Family perspective: Family life is foundational to the life of our cities, our society and our Church. If we strengthen and support families - single parent families, multi-generational families and persons living alone, we will renew our cities. We must view the city through the lens of the family in planning activities, assessing their impact upon families and building partnerships with families.

Multicultural perspective: Our church area has a great diversity of cultures. This diversity bring both gifts and challenges. We need to approach implementation activities in ways that build bridges and relationships among our different cultures. If we build a healthy respect and appreciation for the different cultures of our communities, we will renew our cities.

Five Key Principles in the Basis for the Urban Parish

Social Justice: The practice of charity is different from promoting change which will further the cause of social justice. We are called to work to change underlying causes of what has transpired, focusing on policies and practices of federal, state and local government that strongly favor out migration over moving inward or simply staying in one's community.

The point is not to halt out migration, as people must be free to move as they wish, but to balance the role of government in such a way that redevelopment and maintenance of cities and inner suburbs is given as much support as the development of new suburbs. Achievement of the needed change will require unprecedented cooperative action on the part of public officials across the region, in order to influence state and federal government and in order to guide future public investments toward new visions and goals.

Rebuilding must occur in our cities where vacant land presents that opportunity. But we must rebuild in ways that serve to heal the wounds and close the separations that have been opened and aggravated by what has transpired over the past 400 years.

Redevelopment: Government policies which support development of new suburbs while neglecting the redevelopment of older cities have contributed to the problems caused by out migration. In an analogous way, the Church can fall victim to this same strategy by concentrating on the development of newer parishes in the suburbs, while older parishes in the cities are allowed to decline. For government, banks, developers, real estate brokers and others, redevelopment means creating and investing. For the Church, redevelopment means renewing its commitment to the cities and finding ways to provide necessary resources for ministry being done there.

Interdependence: Many differences exist between ministry to the city and ministry to the suburbs, but a single mission to reveal God's love binds them together. There are gifts present in every church, whether urban or suburban, which can be shared with all the churches. In order to deal effectively with the effects of out migration, we will need to find ways to share these gifts more widely with one another. Parishes which have reached out beyond their boundaries have given witness to the kind of Church we ought to be. The parish which does not in some way extend its work beyond its own parish boundaries fails to be Church in its most complete meaning. In our commitment to stewardship, we must seek to define stewardship in a way that encompasses the urban and suburban Church, with the gifts and problems unique to each.

Restructuring: In order to more effectively and more efficiently serve the people living in the cities, it will be necessary to restructure the current church parishes in such a way that they will be able to offer proper ministry to their people. We must also work to makes these parishes financially stable and, as much as possible, independent of church subsidy. Restructuring of our city parishes will not diminish in any way the Church's commitment to the city, but will actually increase the effectiveness of the Church's presence there. In considering the ways in which the Church can be restructured in the city, special care must be taken to be sensitive to the cultural diversity of its residents.

Preferential Love for the Poor: Acknowledging that there are many poor people living in the suburbs, we must still admit that more and more the results of out migration have contributed to the existence of two societies: one poor and living in the older cities, the other more affluent and living in the outer suburbs. The love of Christ compels us to turn our attention to the needs of our poorer sisters and brothers, who have been most hurt by present policies. We must be especially mindful of women and children, who are often the primary victims of social neglect