ABCD Resources: Jay’s Picks

March 12, 2012 Leave a comment

Someone recently asked me, “If you were going to recommend three books on Community Development in the US context what would you recommend?”

Here is my preferred beginner’s list:

1.  The team that I work with wrote a book called Communities First - it needs a re-write, but it still introduces the themes I work with today. You can order it here.   I recommend the main text without the workbooks as a starter. The workbooks go a little further into application.

2.  Toxic Charity by Bob Lupton is a book along the lines of When Helping Hurts.   It is a good read and goes beyond naming the problems to proposing solution directions.

3.  Peter Block and John McKnight have an excellent book titled The Abundant Community.

A few more resources (because I can’t resist):

  • A website I recommend for Asset Based Community Development and training is www.mike-green.org.  Mike has been a mentor for us.  Another is www.abcdinstitute.org.  Both sites list excellent resources.
  • Peter Block also wrote a great book called Community: The Structure of Belonging.
  • CCDA’s  beginner’s primer by Mary Nelson called Empowerment. You can find it here.

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Asset Based Community Development: Working “With” the Community

February 13, 2012 1 Comment

CFA Executive Director, Jay Van Groningen, responds to a comment from a recent post, and discusses the idea of “In, To, or With:”

“How does one listen to neighbors in a way that: 1. Discovers what neighbors care about enough to act on it? 2. Discovers what gifts they bring to the things they want to work on? 3. Helps neighbors discover their neighbors who care about the things they care about – so they can work on them together?

Personally,  I resist those programs and ministries that churches want to start, control and implement to/for their neighbors. I think it is much healthier when church comes along and supports the good things neighbors care about doing. Then the church and community can work together on how to sustain the good work. If ministry is done really well, the church does not need to own or control the ministry, it gets to support it in the ways that bless ministry and the congregation. If ministry is done really well, the community eagerly accepts and embraces the church members participation on a level, respectful, playing field (with respect to power in and control). They enjoy getting good things done together.”

Here are some further thoughts…

The Church “With” the Community:

  • desires to influence the community.
  • desires community stakeholders to influence it.
  • spends significant resources (time, talent, goods) in the community.
  • utilizes planning and assessment processes that are influenced by both church members and community stakeholders, and makes decisions based on the impact desired by church members and neighbors.
  • serves and develops the community for reasons and with with methods that bring transformational impact to the community and church alike.
  • looks for and unleashes the gifts, skills, and resources already present in the community.
  • is a convener of the community, a servant to the community, adding value to residents and the community as a whole; a net contributor to the community even though it does not pay taxes.

(Communities First, p. 10)  Go to the Store for more information on this resource.

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ABCD and Asset Mapping Workshop PowerPoint (En Espanol)

January 1, 2008 Leave a comment

This tool is a Spanish PowerPoint document describing Asset Based Community Development and how to Asset Map your community.

Download PowerPoint

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An Introduction to Asset-Based Community Development for Church Leaders

January 1, 2008 Leave a comment

How do you look at a community? Is it really community? Do people work together? Is it deficient, disabled, filled with problems? OR, is it full of gifts, abilities, and capacities for achieving a better tomorrow?

ABCD helps leaders and communities see themselves as gifted and capable of change. Rather than starting with needs and problems, ABCD starts by harvesting what is already there. ABCD establishes the possibility for Christians and churches today to unleash the capacities of their members and their neighbors in ways that help neighbors succeed and the community improve.

View PDF

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