MUM 401: Building Community Partnerships Fall 2016
Deborah J. Kapp, Ph.D. Barbara Ann Wilson, MDiv, DMin
773.947.6327 (office) 312.420.2701 (mobile)
Office Hours: Wed. aft. or appointment
Course Description
Through field trips, reading, discussion, and case study evaluation, students will learn practical skills to further an organization’s mission and build up a neighborhood through collaboration. Particular focus will be given to developing the skills of community analysis, asset identification and leveraging, and partnership building.
Course Learning Outcomes
1. Identify, inventory, and evaluate the assets of a church and its community
2. Evaluate case studies of existing church and community partnerships to understand better some of the factors that promote healthy collaboration and help leaders to avoid toxic ones
3. Demonstrate an understanding of the opportunities and challenges associated with partnership agreements, including legal, financial, organizational, and interpersonal
4. Demonstrate an understanding of some of the best practices that contribute to partnership development, community development, and economic development
5. Articulate a theological frame for engaging in community ministry and forming effective partnerships.
Degree Level Learning Outcomes
Core 1 Think Critically: The development of asset mapping skills (outcome 1) and case study evaluations (outcome 2) will further students’ capacity to think critically about an organization, its neighborhood, and its engagement with other organizations.
Core 4 Exhibit Cross Cultural Competence: The demonstration of how well students understand the challenges of partnership building and their identification of best practices (outcomes 3 and 4) will reflect students’ abilities to engage and negotiate differences in organizational cultures (which may cross a number of cultural boundaries, depending on the situation).
MAM 5 Serve Effectively in Congregational Ministries, and
MDiv 6 Lead Sustainable and Just Communities: By equipping students to strengthen congregational ministry through establishing vibrant and creative community partnerships that are theologically grounded (outcomes 1-5), this course will equip students with practical skills and knowledge needed for effective congregational leadership and neighborhood building.
Assignments and Grading
1. Participation. Students are expected to complete all reading and engage in any assigned online activities on time. That is, students should come to class prepared to participate. Attendance at both field trips is mandatory. (10%).
2. Asset map. Students will work collaboratively to develop an asset map of a particular neighborhood, and share/present the map to the class on Thursday, October 27. Due October 27 (30%).
3. Case study reflections: Students will write reflection papers about the Dudley Street Neighborhood Initiative and lead discussions about their analyses, as assigned. More information will be available on Moodle about paper expectations and the schedule of discussion assignments (20%).
4. Best practices check list. Students will develop a check list of best practices, which they can use in local contexts to help them identify and remember the complex array of issues/ tasks involved in establishing community partnerships. Due December 9 (20%).
5. Theological frame: Students will write and submit a sermon or reflection paper that engages a biblical text of their choice, in ways that provides a strong theological foundation for community engagement by a specific congregation or agency. 2500-3500 words. This must be submitted as a written text. Due September 29 (20%).
Required Reading: Books and Monographs
King, Martin Luther. Strength to Love. Minneapolis: Fortress Press, 2010 [1963].
Silberberg, Susan, Katie Lorah, Rebecca Disbrow, and Anna Muessig. Places in the Making: How Placemaking Builds Places and Communities. Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 2013. http://dusp.mit.edu/sites/dusp.mit.edu/files/attachments/project/Places%20in%20the%20Making%20MIT%20DUSP%202013.pdf
Snow, Luther K. The Power of Asset Mapping: How Your Congregation Can Act On its Gifts. Herndon, VA: Alban Institute, 2004.
Tharp, Twyla. The Collaborative Habit: Life Lessons for Working Together. New York: Simon and Schuster, 2009.
Required Reading: Chapters and Articles
(materials not available through the web will be posted on Moodle).
Billions in Taxpayer Mortgage Aid Flow Through Nonprofit in Turmoil
http://www.newsmax.com/US/mortgage-aid-red-cross/2015/03/18/id/630804/
Dudley Street Neighborhood Initiative website: www.dsni.org
How Chicago’s Housing Authority is Pushing Out Poor Communities http://live.huffingtonpost.com/r/highlight/how-chicagos-housing-authority-is-pushing-out-poor-communities/55084f96fe3444a68b000726
Jenkins, Willis. “Neighborhood Ethics: Christianity, Urbanism, and Homelessness.” Anglican Theological Review 91:4 (Fall 2009), 539-558.
Irvin, Dale. “Bridges and Doors.” The Living Pulpit (online) 24:1 (Spring 2015), 4-7.
Ivory, Luther D. “King as Theologian of Radical Involvement,” in Toward a Theology of Radical Involvement: The Theological Legacy of Martin Luther King, Jr., pp. 107-129. Nashville: Abingdon Press, 1997.
Kapp, Deborah J. “Frames Articulate Vocation” and “Frames, Worship, and Change” in Worship Frames: How We Shape and Interpret our Experience of God, pp. 61-98. Herndon, VA: An Alban Institute Publication, 2008.
Linthicum, Robert. “Society as God Intended It To Be” and “What Should the Church Be About” in Transforming Power: Biblical Strategies for Making a Difference in Your Community, pp. 17-40 ad 71-90. Downers Grove: InterVarsity Press, 2003.
Martinez, Juan. “What Latino Churches are Doing,” in Walk With the People: Latino Ministry in the United States, pp. 65-90. Nashville: Abingdon Press, 2008.
Pierce, Gregory F. A. “Introduction,” “The Kingdom of God is Authentic,” “The KOG is About Action,” “The KOG is About Repentance, Forgiveness and Reconciliation,” and “The KOG is Nonjudgmental,” in The World As It Should Be: Living Authentically in the Here-and-Now Kingdom of God, pp. xii-xvi, 11-15, 25-30, 49-57. Chicago: Loyola University Press, 2010.
Salvatierra, Alexia and Peter Heiltzel. “Prophetic Spirituality: Sustaining the Struggle” in Faith Rooted Organizing: Mobilizing the Church for Service in the World, pp. 169-182. Downers Grove: InterVarsity Press, 2014.
Stanfield, R. Brian. “The Focused Conversation Method: An Overview” in The Art of Focused Conversaton: 100 Ways to Access Group Wisdom in the Workplace, pp. 17-21. Gabriola Island, Canada: New Society Publishers, 2000.
Class Schedule
Thursday, September 8
Tonight we will get oriented to our class, and begin our discussions about theological framing and theological leadership.
Thursday, September 15
Reading:
The entire class will read the following:
· Strength to Love by Martin Luther King, Jr. If you are able, read the entire book. If you need to read only chapters essential for class, read chapters 1, 4, 5, 9, and 12.
· “Frames Articulate Vocation” and “Frames, Worship, and Change” by Deborah Kapp
· “Kingdom of God is About . . .” – 4 short chapters by Gregory Pierce
We will divide the class into three groups, each of which will read one of the following and summarize it for the rest of the class.
· “Society as God Intended it To Be” and “What Should the Church Be About” by Robert Linthicum
· “King as a Theologian of Radical Involvement” by Luther Ivory
· “Neighborhood Ethics: Christianity, Urbanism, and Homelessness” by Willis Jenkins
Thursday, September 22
Reading:
· “Bridges and Doors” by Dale Irvin
Gianfranco Grande, the Senior Vice President of Partners for Sacred Places, will be our guest tonight. This is the first of two nights he will be with us to lead workshops about collaboration and building partnerships. Tonight the focus will be building assessment, because one approach to partnership building is hosting outside organizations in one’s sacred space. How do we assess our buildings? How do we work with architects? What sorts of questions or concerns should we be considering as we seek to leverage an organization’s physical assets?
We will also begin our conversation about asset mapping tonight. Get started reading Luther Snow, The Power of Asset Mapping
Thursday, September 29
Reading:
· The Power of Asset Mapping by Luther Snow
· “The Focused Conversation Method: An Overview” by Stanfield
Asset mapping how-to’s will be the focus of our class tonight.
The class will be divided into two groups, each of which will develop an asset map of the Washington Park neighborhood of Chicago (community area 40). The maps will be shared and presented on October 27.
Dudley Street Neighborhood Initiative conversations, part I (land).
Saturday, October 1, 10am – 1pm
Field trip to Greater Bethesda Missionary Baptist Church
Thursday, October 13
Reading:
· Places in the Making by Susan Silberberg, Katie Lorah, Rebecca Disbrow, and Anna Muessig.
Dudley Street Neighborhood Initiative conversation, part II (housing) and III (education).
Discussion of placemaking. What is the importance of place? How do places get constructed?
Any extra time we have in class tonight will allow the mapping teams to work on their asset maps of Washington Park. We can answer questions, confer with each other, etc.
Thursday, October 27
Each team will share and present their asset maps. Please construct a presentation as if you are presenting your map to a congregation or agency in Washington Park. Presentations should be no more than 30 minutes.
Saturday, November 5, 9:00 am – 3:00 pm
Field trips to Edgewater Presbyterian Church and Woodlawn Promize Zone
Thursday, November 10
Reading:
· The Collaborative Habit, by Twyla Tharp
Gianfranco Grande will return and conduct a workshop on capacity building and fund raising.
Thursday, November 17
Readings:
· “Billions in Taxpayer Mortgage Aid Flow Through Nonprofit in Turmoil”
· “How Chicago’s Housing Authority is Pushing Out Poor Communities”
Building partnerships entails dealing with logistics, some of which can be predicted. Guest presenters will talk with us about working with other organizations and municipalities. We will also talk about how to avoid potentially toxic partnerships.
Guests TBA
Thursday, December 1
We will wrap up our class, pick up loose threads from our conversations, and close with evaluation and worship.
Reading:
· “Prophetic Spirituality: Sustaining the Struggle” by Salvatierra and Heiltzel
Reread:
· Linthicum, “What the Church Should be About”
· Ivory, “King as Theologian of Radical Involvement”
· King??
Resources:
Asset Based Community Development Institute. This website is a rich compilation of resources, training workshops, and other information. http://www.abcdinstitute.org
City of Chicago. This is the official city website, full of information, though sometimes it is difficult to find. Be persistent. http://www.cityofchicago.org/city/en.html
Encyclopedia of Chicago. This site has some good, concise historical information about Chicago, its neighborhoods, and the dynamics that have shaped it. http://www.encyclopedia.chicagohistory.org
Kretzman, John and John McKnight. Building Communities From the Inside Out: A Path Toward Finding and Mobilizing a Communities Assets. ACTA Publications, 1993.
US Census Data can be accessed here http://factfinder.census.gov/faces/nav/jsf/pages/index.xhtml
Voorhees Center. If you explore this site, you will find useful information and research about particular neighborhoods in Chicago. The gentrification studies are particularly interesting, as are the neighborhood change statistics, but the site has other compelling information, too. Please explore! http://www.voorheescenter.com
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