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An Introduction To Asset Based Community Development for Church Leaders |
by Jay Van Gronigen, CRWRC and Communities FirstAuthor’s note: This article draws from important material I have learned about ABCD from Mike Green ( http://www.mike-green.org ), Dr. John McKnight, and a two-day training event with Jim Diers. Their notes are included here by permission.
Introduction: Thinking About Community
Asset Based Community Development (ABCD) is a way to find and mobilize what a community has. In many communities, social service organizations and governments tackle community change by asking what is wrong, what has to be fixed. ABCD takes a totally different approach to community change. ABCD starts by looking at what a community has that it can give/contribute to desired change.
 An Introduction To Asset Based Community Development for Church Leaders (267.42 kB)
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Women of Faith Lighthouse Group
What is ABCD
Asset Based Community DevelopmentHow do you look at a community? Is it really community? Do people work together? Is it deficient, disabled, filled with problems? OR, is it full of gifts, abilities, and capacities for achieving a better tomorrow? ABCD helps leaders and communities see themselves as gifted and capable of change. Rather than starting with needs and problems, ABCD starts by harvesting what is already there. ABCD establishes the possibility for Christians and churches today to unleash the capacities of their members and their neighbors in ways that help neighbors succeed and the community improve.
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