Four church community teams met to begin their transformational journey on May 19-20. During the course of this year, these teams will gather for three sessions to learn about the application of asset-based community development process to their current ministry engagements with their community mission fields. 

An initiative of the Transforming Communities Vision Team, the Transformational Communities of Praxis [TCOP] program is designed for a church community resident teams to begin (or go deeper in) the application of community development with the end goal of effecting measurable transformation within a given community. 

Over a one-year period, participants will gain training, knowledge, and application of asset-based community development [ABCD] process and methods, facilitation techniques, action planning and application, identifying underlying contradictions and challenges within communities, and the understanding of Missio Dei – the mission or sending of God.   

The churches participating in Class 1 of this program:

• FUMC / Hope Outreach Center – Brackettville
• Pollard Memorial UMC – San Antonio
• Parker Lane UMC – Austin
• FUMC / Mission Border Hope – Eagle Pass

Each congregation and community is unique. The community contexts of Class 1 reflects two urban areas [population 900,000 to 1.3 million], one small town area [population 25,000], and one rural community [population 3,000]. 

This initiative is made possible due to funding support from Methodist Healthcare Ministries, who likewise is vested in the application of asset-based community development approaches through the Wesley Nurse and Community Health Worker programs.

With continued funding and support, the program hopes to grow a class of four churches every year. The program hopes for models of ministries applying community development principles and processes to emerge for serving as reference points and even teaching centers of spiritual transformation within the church and community.

Contingent upon funding support, the Transforming Communities Vision Team is receiving requests for teams to apply for participation in this program. Teams applying should be composed of no more than 5 persons, with 2 persons being community residents, 2 persons being church members, and 1 person being the pastor or a designated church staff member. Four teams will be selected for each year’s Transformational Communities of Praxis class. The applying team should possess the willingness and readiness for this learning opportunity and the ability to meet the team composition requirement.

Request for 2018 – Class 2 TCOP Team request for applications will be available via riotexas.org by September 24. The deadline for team applications to be received for consideration is November 16.

For a slide show tour Learning Session 1, click here. To learn more about the Transformational Communities of Praxis initiative and / or the Team Application Process, contact Abel Vega - Director of Outreach Vitality at avega@riotexas.org  / 210.408.4514.