Do you know someone gifted at addressing human needs? Perhaps that person should consider joining the missionary corps known as Church and Community Workers.
Church and Community Workers (CCWs) are commissioned missionaries of the Board of Global Ministries. In response to God’s call, they devote themselves to uplifting the poor and disenfranchised in rural and urban areas throughout the United States. They work to change the social inequities of poverty, racial injustice, and domestic violence. As the name implies, CCWs take the church into the community and bring the community into the church. They normally serve in a project for six to 10 years.
Church and Community Ministry is ever-changing. However, they embody core values that help them equip churches and communities to work together to address human needs.
You may find CCWs serving as nurses in a free health clinic, contractors working with volunteers to provide affordable housing and home repairs, leaders and economic developers, and immigration attorneys, just to name just a few. CCW placement is a partnership between Global Ministries, the annual conference, the project, and the worker. Support for the CCW is shared between Global Ministries and the conference/project to which the worker is appointed.
The Rev. Don Gotham serves on the National Advisory Committee for Church and Community Workers. He reports that there are openings for three Church and Community Workers. The project descriptions are shared here.
Position 1: Coordinator of Local Missional Engagement (Gulf Coast Mississippi Conference)
The initial goal of the project is to engage, motivate, train, organize, and position the community for rendering and receiving service to/for an underserved population on the Gulf Coast of Mississippi.
Responsibilities include: Manage office operations of the organization, including storm preparation; Develop partnerships with the community; Coordinate volunteers to support operations and ministry; manage social media platforms. The candidate must have effective bridge-building and relational skills across lines of racial and cultural differences.
Position #2 Executive Director (North Carolina Conference)
A CCW would bridge the disenfranchised Hispanic community and the United Methodist Church, working toward a world where all cultures are understood and valued equally.
Responsibilities include: Manage and supervise the programs, including Saturdays, summer camps, and special events; children’s tutoring activities; Recruit and train volunteers; grant applications; The candidate must be fluent in English and Spanish
Position 3: Southern District Coordinator (West Virginia Conference)
To assist the establishment of a community center, the CCW will minister to the spiritual, economic, health, and social problems and needs of the surrounding area.
Responsibilities include: Identify and coordinate with existing services such as area food banks, domestic violence shelters, drug treatment options, a medical clinic, and county and state agencies, etc.; connect with all existing support agencies and programs in the area; community engagement and ministry to those on the margins of society; assist churches and district disaster response coordinators.
Interested in one of these positions? Click here to apply for more information.
Last Updated on May 11, 2021