Church Collaboration for City Transformation in a Context of Affluence

The dissertation examines the opportunities and the challenges local churches have in collaborating for the sake of the city of Clovis, California. Although a considerable amount of literature is available on the subject of community transformation, particularly how individual churches can serve and influence a city, a need exists for models of churches working collaboratively to be transformational agents
in their cities. The need is addressed by surveying leaders from ten churches and a city representative to assess current levels of collaboration and the potential for greater collaborative efforts in the future.

The project analyzes the problem in terms of the lack of communication among churches about their ministry outreach projects and opportunities as well as the churches' actual pursuit of collaboration. Biblical and theological foundations are established through an examination of characters in the Bible such as Nehemiah and Elisha as well as writings of the apostles. The interviews revealed much ministry activity but not much sharing of projects with people outside the walls of each individual church. They also revealed a need to create a vision for and an understanding of the need for collaboration as a strategy for outreach to the city.

The central finding of this project is that churches want to work with other local churches in community outreach but insufficient time and personnel are major obstacles. The personal interviews and discussions launched several collaborative endeavors even before this project was finished. This achievement underscores how asking relevant questions of church leaders and sharing information with others can catalyze partnership. It demonstrates that a central clearinghouse of ministry activities and opportunities can facilitate greater collaboration among churches that, in turn, can catalyze community transformation.