Community Ministry Grants Program Guidelines

Presented by the Center for Congregations

Program Description and Application Process

INTRODUCTION

Has your congregation dreamed about doing ministry outside your four walls?Or, maybe you already do community ministry, but dream of adding something entirely new to your efforts?

Ministry beyond your four walls – community ministry – is on the hearts of many Indiana congregations.There are a variety of ways to do community ministry.Extending charity to neighbors is one vital form of community ministry.Another is working on political issues that impact neighbors.Yet another, ministry with (not for) people in your community is emerging as a vibrant way to move beyond the four walls of the congregation.Often referred to as mutual ministry, this form of outreach depends on building friendships and collaborative support between your congregation and those you seek to serve.

The Community Ministry initiative is a special opportunity for up to 30 Indiana congregations to create a new or expanded community ministry program using the mutual ministry approach.This educational program includes the opportunity to apply for a matching grant of up to $30,000.It has been made possible by the generous funding of Lilly Endowment Inc.

COMMUNITY MINISTRY PROGRAM AND GRANT OPPORTUNITY (referred to as “CMG”)

This program is selective.Congregations will be chosen through an application process.Participating congregations will engage in a nine-month process where they will learn:

  • how to listen effectively to their chosen community to identify assets, passions and needs.
  • how to listen to their congregations so that they are engaged and committed to the new ministry.
  • how to integrate the strengths and passions of their congregations with the strengths, passions and needs of the community to create a new mutual ministry program.

Each congregation will designate a team to lead the work and participate in three required education days and two live online events.In each education day, congregations will have the opportunity to share with and learn from other participating congregations in their region.

Participating congregations will be expected to:

-interview members of their chosen communities to learn about their assets and needs in order to inform the direction of the new mutual community ministry.

-develop ongoing relationships with members of their chosen communities so that the new ministry can be developed in dialogue with them.

-cultivate congregational participation in the new mutual community ministry program though ongoing dialogue with CMG team.

Congregational teams will receive education, training and support from the Center for Congregations to help structure and carry out the work.Special support will include the opportunity to consult directly with mutual community ministry experts.

By the end of the nine-month process, congregational leaders will develop a new mutual ministry program. The program will emerge from their work of listening to and engaging with their chosen communities and securing the support and engagement of their congregations. At that point, each congregation will be eligible to apply for matching grant funds for up to $30,000 to fund the new program.These matching grants are non-competitive.

RANGE OF POSSIBLE PROGRAMS

Fundable programs include, but are not limited to, ministries such as

  • Job training
  • School mentoring
  • ESL
  • Prison ministry
  • Community gardens
  • Single parent support
  • Legal immigrant support
  • Mental Health
  • Disabled support

Non-Fundable Programs include

  • Political activity: Political activity is activity directed toward the success or failure of a political party, candidate for partisan office, or partisan political group.

.

  • Social advocacy: Social advocacy includes activities to change the law or denominational policies.
  • Ministries that function under a separate 501(c)3 status than the worshiping congregation.

Non-fundable items

  • Staffing
  • Direct, consumable social services such as food, medicine, and other giveaway things.Consumable items are the responsibility of the congregation and are a sign of commitment.

The above list of examples is not a comprehensive list of non-fundable or fundable items.The Center reserves the right to make case by case decisions during the grant process.

EDUCATIONAL EVENTS

Each applying congregation must identify a project leader and two other individuals who can commit to the education events.These include three full-day events, one in Indianapolis, the remaining two in regional areas, and twolive online sessions that will each last 1 ½ hours.

  • Education day 1, Program Orientation and Listening to Your Congregation, Thursday, May 17, 2018, 9a.m.-4p.m. (Eastern time) in Indianapolis.
  • Education day 2, Listening to Your Community,June 2018 9a.m.-4p.m.in regional area (please see chart below).
  • Live Online session 1, September 2018, 11:30a.m.-1p.m. (please see chart below).
  • Live Online session 2, December 2018, 11:30a.m.-1p.m. (please see chart below).
  • Education day 3, Putting it All Together, February 2019, 9a.m.-4p.m. (please see chart below).

Chart of Regional On-Site Education days and Regional Live Online sessions*

NorthwestNortheastSouthwestSoutheast

Ed Day 1INDIANAPOLIS - DOWNTOWN SHERATON HOTEL

Ed Day 2June 13, 2018June 14, 2018June 6, 2018June 7, 2018

Live Online 1Sept. 12, 2018Sept. 13, 2018Sept. 20, 2018Sept. 19, 2018

Live Online 2Dec. 5, 2018Dec. 6, 2018Dec. 12, 2018Dec. 13, 2018

Ed Day 3Feb. 6, 2019Feb. 7, 2019Feb. 13, 2019Feb. 14, 2019

*To verify your congregation’s region, please email or phone Rose Villarruel at or 219-472-4981.

WHO MAY APPLY?

Indiana congregations beyond the Metro Indianapolis area are eligible to apply for this program. Non-eligible Metro Indianapolis counties are Boone, Hamilton, Hancock, Hendricks, Johnson, Marion, Morgan and Shelby.

Applications can only be accepted from individual congregations, not schools, campus ministry groups, faith-based non-profits, groups of congregations, etc.

Congregations cannot participate in two Center for Congregations Major Grants Programs at a time.If your congregation is already participating in a MGI you are not eligible for the CMG.

Please note that this is a highly participatory program.If your congregation chooses to apply, you are indicating your congregation’s willingness to participate in each stage of the process.Additional questions about this educational and grant program’s suitability for your congregation can be addressed to Katie Lindberg, program co-director, at or 219-472-4938.

HOW TO APPLY?

  1. Further familiarize yourself with the program by attending an Information Session.
  2. Read the accompanying article and review the questions.
  3. Download the application.
  4. Gather a group of interested persons in your congregation to discuss the article and questions before designating one person to write the application.
  5. Contact your regional Center for Congregations office if you have questions about the program or application process.
  6. Mail completed application to:

Ms. Rose Villarruel

Community Ministry Program

Center for Congregations – Northwest

9801 Connecticut Drive

Crown Point, IN 46307

  1. All applications must be post-marked no later than March 20, 2018.

Successful applicants will be notified by April 20, 2018.

Community Ministry Matching Grants

After attending the education days and live-online sessions and after completing the homework associated with each part of the educational process, congregations may submit a grant application for a matching grant of up to $30,000 to help launch their new community ministry.In this matching grant, congregations must match dollar for dollar of their own funds for each dollar of grant money received.

CMG Statewide January 2, 2018`1