“IF YOU’RE NOT PLANNING ON BEING IN YOUR NEIGHBORHOOD FOR AT LEAST FIFTEEN YEARS, DON’T EVEN BOTHER GOING! SEND YOUR MONEY TO SOMEONE WHO ACTUALLY WILL COMMIT TO THE NEIGHBORHOOD!”

This was my orientation. This was my first day formally studying the ministry framework of Christian Community Development at seminary. What had I just signed up for? What have I gotten myself into? These were the thoughts swirling in my head.

Christian Community Development is a ministry philosophy developed by practitioners in challenging neighborhoods across the country over the past 35 years. It is rooted in decades of experience and researched-backed practices from women and men serving their neighbors and neighborhoods.

These faithful people take seriously the words of Jesus in Matthew 22:36-39:

“‘Teacher, which is the most important commandment in the law of Moses?’ Jesus replied, ‘You must love the LORD your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your mind. This is the first and greatest commandment. A second is equally important: Love your neighbor as yourself.”

With this in mind, these are the 8 key principles of Christian Community Development, (CCD,) at the center of everything we do at BJM, along with thousands of CCD practitioners around the country:

Relocation: This principle is best understood in terms of what is called a “theology of presence” – a theology that lies at the heart of God’s relationship with people in the incarnation. Being with and alongside the people and the community.
Reconciliation: This is the essence of shalom – restoring broken relationships where nothing is missing and nothing is broken. We are first reconciled to God and then reconciled to other people and groups of people.
Redistribution: This means creating equal access to resources, power, and opportunity for all humanity. It is a lifestyle that confronts the unjust distribution of our economic, social, educational, and relational resources and lives in the light of Psalm 24:1: “The earth is the Lord’s and everything in it, the world, and all who live in it.”
Leadership Development: At the core of this principle, it is identifying, mentoring, retaining, and getting out of the way of leaders already in our community. Success in low-status communities is often to “get out,” but we aspire to redefine success for people not in terms of escape but in terms of leading.
Empowerment: We recognize that the Holy Spirit is our great “Empowerer,” the one who gives us the power to live out the Gospel in our communities. We all rely on the power of the Holy Spirit to understand and activate our own gifts and resources and to work together toward the development of our families and communities, the brighter future, for us all.
Church-based: At the heart of CCD is the Church, the body of Christ, fully engaged in the process of transformation and renewal. From the command of Jesus, it is the responsibility and the command to love God and to love our neighbor, (and neighborhood!)
Wholistic Approach: We desire to see Christ’s love integrated into every part of a person’s life – in their minds, bodies, souls, spirits, and relationships. In following Christ’s command to make disciples, we must continue to love in tangible ways and provide wholistic care throughout their lives.
Listening to the community: This practice affirms the dignity of individuals and collaborates with neighbors while identifying assets to bring about sustainable change in the community. By actively listening to our community’s stories and dreams, we can build a shared vision, a brighter future, for our community.

Most CCD practitioners will tell you that year 15 in neighborhood-based ministry does seem to be the turning point year. It takes about 5 years to set a solid foundation, 10 years to begin ministering effectively, and the 15th year is the tipping point into long term, community-led ministry. This is when roots are set in strength and when impact catalyzes to the next level.

And this is where BJM is at in our history.
The tipping point of the past 15 years and on the brink of the next 15 years.

These principles have become core to our framework to all that we do at Because Justice Matters. This year is a pivotal moment as we move into the new thing God is doing in and among women and girls who are building a brighter future for their families and community.

Partner with us. Actively invest in the next 15 years of BJM leaders today. Participate in the new thing God is doing in women, girls and families in San Francisco.

Gabrielle Alzate
Executive Director

References:

CCD Philosophy,” About CCD, Christian Community Development Association, accessed May 24th, 2023, https://ccda.org/about/philosophy/.
Wayne Gordon & John M. Perkins, Making Neighborhoods Whole: A Handbook for Christian Community Development (Downer’s Grove: Intervarsity Press, 2013).
Wayne Gordon, Lecture, CT 400: Church and Community Development, Northern Seminary, June 11th, 2018.

15 Years: The Unwritten Threshold of Christian Community Development

“IF YOU’RE NOT PLANNING ON BEING IN YOUR NEIGHBORHOOD FOR AT LEAST FIFTEEN YEARS, DON’T EVEN BOTHER GOING! SEND YOUR MONEY TO SOMEONE WHO ACTUALLY WILL COMMIT TO THE NEIGHBORHOOD!”