Episcopal Relief and Development Intro

A Word from Sean McConnell, Director of Engagement of Episcopal Relief and Development

When I started working at Episcopal Relief & Development in the spring of 2013, I was already aware of asset-based approaches to ministry and community development. I had witnessed pieces of this method in different ministries and initiatives within the Diocese of California and elsewhere. I had known some of the elements, like Appreciative Inquiry and the development of social capital, but it was not until I came to work in the field of international development that I had the opportunity to work alongside professionals who place an asset-based approach at the center of everything they do.

As a development methodology, asset-based community development (ABCD) strives for a more sustainable and deeper change within the communities where it is applied. For Christians, ABCD provides an opportunity to live out a basic Gospel tenet, that our hope is in God’s abundance and that a mentality of scarcity is antithetical to the promise of the Kingdom of God. For Episcopal Relief & Development, ABCD moves our agency from a charitable organization that arrives to fix problems to a catalyst for change that walks along side our international partners. For congregations, ABCD is a tool that helps them turn from an inward focus to look beyond their walls and develop partnerships and deeper relationships. These deepening alliances contribute to stronger bonds with neighbors and greater opportunities for connected and healthier communities.

Moving from a mentality of scarcity to one of abundance does not mean that resources are not treated as precious. On the contrary, when the assets that a community holds in common are recognized for their purpose in God’s unfolding reign, they are treated with dignity and respect. Do remember that one of the primary types of resources that you will be mapping in your community are its human assets. Couple that asset recognition with our Baptismal Covenant, and we begin to move to a place where the members of our community, the resources that we hold in common and the creation that we inhabit, all become recognized for holding Christ at their center.

It is my hope that this resource can become for you a tool for growth and change, not only in your congregations, but in your neighborhoods, your communities and your world. You are already blessed by God’s abundance. May the Spirit guide you to a new vision of how God’s gifts, rightly employed, can bring about a just, loving and thriving society.