The impact of church ministries on a surrounding community

Written by John McNeil Wednesday, 14 April 2010 15:49

In June 2006, the then Mayor of Christchurch, Garry Moore, took the unusual step of appearing at all three Sunday services of Spreydon Baptist Church to thank church members for their contribution to the social service fabric of the city.

Spreydon Baptist has gained a pre-eminent reputation among New Zealand churches for its wide range of community ministries. In mid-2009, 24 ministries birthed by church members were providing 40 services. A survey of 18 ministries showed they employed 266 staff, with a further 775 volunteers, had annual expenditure in excess of $11 million, of which 75 per cent came from government sources, and come into contact with an estimated 2,400 people weekly.

The ministries are as diverse as a community preschool, work among at-risk children, a budgeting service that provides loans at no interest, and the largest provider of mental health services in Christchurch outside the hospital system.

The aim of this paper is to briefly examine to what extent these ministries impact the surrounding community and to identify principles that can be applied in other contexts.