Guide to Church Partnership

Transcription

1 Guide to Church Partnership 2

2 Slavery I see, by more than Fancy s mirror shown, The burning village, and the blazing town: See the dire victim torn from social life, The shrieking babe, the agonizing wife! She, wretch forlorn! is dragged by hostile hands, To distant tyrants sold, in distant lands! Transmitted miseries, and successive chains, The sole sad heritage her child obtains! Even this last wretched boon their foes deny, To weep together, or together die. By felon hands, by one relentless stroke, See the fond links of feeling nature broke! The fibers twisting round a parent s heart, Torn from their grasp, and bleeding as they part. Hold, murderers, hold! not aggravate distress; Respect the passions you yourselves possess; Excerpt from Slavery by Hannah More, 1788

3 Contents Section Page Introduction to the Freedom Church Alliance 1 Collaboration Step 1: Forming Your Team 5 Step 2: Approaching Church Leadership 8 Step 3: Partnering in the Alliance 11 Educate Step 4: Learn about sex trafficking in Houston 11 Step 5: Educate your church 14 Engage Step 6: Choose a strategic focus 15 Step 7: Participate in projects 16

4 Introduction to the Alliance The Freedom Church Alliance exists to unite churches in the fight against sex trafficking in Houston. While the Freedom Church Alliance is its own organization, its purpose is to truly function as a para-church: an organization that comes alongside churches to support their ministry. Our Vision The church in Houston awake, united and engaged Collaboration and partnerships that address the problem of sex trafficking in a holistic way Trafficked survivors walking in a new identity in Jesus Christ A transformation of dark places into sanctuaries of light The end of sex trafficking in Houston and the world! Our Mission The mission of the Freedom Church Alliance is to unite and mobilize local churches in our city to work alongside trusted anti-trafficking organizations to bring freedom and restoration to women, men, and children in our city. Our Strategy Collaborate with churches and organizations to strategically combat sex trafficking Educate on the reality and responses to sex trafficking Engage the Church body to most effectively use their unique skills and callings in the fight for freedom Give justice to the weak and the fatherless; maintain the right of the afflicted and the destitute. Rescue the weak and the needy; deliver them from the hand of the wicked. Psalm 82:3-4 (ESV) 1

5 Why Partner Together? Addressing the problem of sex trafficking in Houston can seem overwhelming. It is certainly too large a task for any one church or even one denomination. By partnering together we are able to be far more effective; for surely many streams make a mighty river. In particular partnership allows churches in the Alliance to: Share in educational resources, training, ministry strategies, and best practices. Participate jointly in projects and events. Have financial support go further by joining funds with other churches in the Alliance to accomplish project goals. Be a part of providing holistic, transformative, and long-term solutions through a broad and complete spectrum of partnerships rather than addressing isolated problems or parts of trafficking. Become a collective voice in our city through the unity of the church. Types of Partnership The Freedom Church Alliance desires to be a resource to churches in Houston, and our website and mailing list are open to anyone who wants to learn more about what the Alliance is doing to combat sex trafficking. However, at the core of the Alliance are committed churches who have agreed to partner together. There are two basic levels of partnership in the Alliance: Project Based Churches at the project level are united in purpose and action with the other churches of the Alliance. They have allocated a line item in their budget or have a focused campaign to help fund anti-trafficking projects that the Alliance is pursuing. They also seek to provide volunteer support to anti-trafficking efforts in Houston. Strategic Partner Similar to the project based partners, strategic partners have committed funding and volunteers to anti-trafficking efforts. In addition strategic partners have committed to help fund the Freedom Church Alliance. These partners have a representative on the advisory council, which provides input to the board of directors who oversee the vision, strategy, and growth of the Alliance. 2

6 The glory that you have given me I have given to them, that they may be one even as we are one, I in them and you in me, that they may become perfectly one, so that the world may know that you sent me and love them even as you loved me. John 17:22-23 (ESV) Projects Projects are where the churches of the Freedom Church Alliance collaborate and turn their passion for freedom into action. A portion of the Alliance leadership is dedicated to identifying and developing project opportunities. Some of these opportunities will be created by the Alliance or organized through other Christian anti-trafficking organizations. Other opportunities will arise from our contacts with local law enforcement and government agencies. The leadership of the Alliance has identified three primary areas of project focus for the Alliance: prayer, prevention/education, and after-care. These three focuses are discussed in more detail in step 6 of the guide below. Volunteering One of the goals of the Alliance is to make practical engagement with anti-trafficking ministry more straightforward for churches. To that end, as projects become available the Alliance will advertise volunteer opportunities to partner churches. The Alliance will serve as the matchmaker between the volunteer team from your church and project opportunities. Historical Perspective William Wilberforce is one of the best know abolitionists in history. During the African slave trade he was hugely influential in stopping the slave trade in England. The movie Amazing Grace tells the remarkable story of his efforts. Yet, even this great abolitionist did not try to bring about change on His own. He worked with many other advocates for change and was largely successful because of his ability to persuade others to his cause. To follow in his footsteps is to pursue freedom together. 3

7 Funding Many of the projects that the Alliance will pursue will also provide the opportunity for financial investment. These projects could take many forms including expanding after-care facilities, hosting educational events, or providing supplies for victim care immediately after rescue. There are two primary ways that the Alliance will meet these needs. As mentioned above the project and strategic partners will have money designated to fund anti-trafficking projects. As projects become available churches will have the opportunity to donate toward the need. In addition, strategic partners have committed to giving directly to the Freedom Church Alliance. A portion of these funds will go to the operating costs that the Alliance has in organizing projects, maintaining the network, and representing the church to the city. However, a large portion of the money the Alliance receives will go directly toward projects. The Alliance will serve as a place where churches can more easily pool their resources to take on more and larger projects. About this Guide Every church is in a different place with regard to their involvement in fighting sex trafficking. The rest of this guide is intended to help a church that has no experience in addressing sex trafficking to move to a point of active engagement. If your church already has some experience with this ministry, then not all parts of this guide may be as useful. However, we still recommend working through each section as it may offer new perspectives or resources. This guide is built around the primary aspects of our strategy. Part 1 outlines how to go about collaborating with the Alliance. Part 2 is a basic guide to educating yourself and your congregation about sex trafficking. Part 3 discusses ways of pursing engagement in the fight against sex trafficking. 4

8 Collaborate Step 1: Forming a Team You need a team! This is probably the step that is the easiest to overlook. In our passion and desire to see change, we want to jump into action without taking time to lay a good foundation. This section will outline how to go about forming a team at your church. Why form a team? Imagine you are playing for the Houston Texans in a playoff match. However, rather than going as a team you decide to go it alone. It is game time, and you now are standing on the field with the entire defense of the opposing team standing against you. That would be far easier than trying to tackle the issue of human sex trafficking alone. Human sex trafficking is a large and complicated issue. It involves economics, politics, and the stark realities of human sin. It involves spiritual warfare and facing our own sin and brokenness in the process. It will overwhelm you, and at times you will feel like the efforts are hopeless. Nonetheless, the Freedom Church Alliance is committed to the belief that we have the ability to make a real and lasting difference, but we are as committed to believe that to make a real and lasting difference we must take on this evil together! Who should I ask? First begin by praying that God would raise up others in your congregation to work alongside you. As you are considering who to ask there are some important attributes that can be summarized with the acronym F.A.I.T.H. As you read these, who from your congregation comes to mind? Also take some time to be self-reflective about these attributes as we all have room to grow in our service and leadership. 5

9 F - Faithful Look for people who have demonstrated faithfulness to God and faithfulness to their commitments. A - Available Try to find individuals who have time to put into your team. Getting a team started is time consuming and requires dedication. That being said, don t be too quick to judge that someone is too busy. Do your best to find available people, but also don t fall into the trap of quickly saying no for someone else. I - Interested Who in your congregation has shown interest in addressing sex trafficking? If no one comes to mind also think about who has shown interest in engaging with justice issues and mercy ministry in your church. T - Teachable We all have a lot to learn about successfully engaging in the fight against sex trafficking. Look for people who are humble enough to be teachable. People who already think they have all the answers will likely be a roadblock to your team. H - Healthy Spiritually To fight sex trafficking is to enter into some of the darkest places in our city. We must take seriously that we do not wrestle against flesh and blood but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places (Ephesians 6:12). With this in mind look for people who are in a place of spiritual health. Do they have good disciplines of following after the Lord, and do they demonstrate a steady walk with Him? With regard to being spiritually healthy it is also important to consider areas of temptation. People who struggle with pornography or are easily tempted into sexual sin, or people who have a history of sexual sin should approach this ministry with great care. They may not be a 6

10 good fit for some aspects of fighting against sex trafficking. All of these areas of temptation can be healed through the blood of Jesus, and a person may be spiritually healthy enough to participate in this ministry despite their history. Nonetheless, please carefully and prayerfully consider the spiritual needs of potential members of the team. Step 1.A Find a co-champion When Jesus sent out the disciples, he sent them out two by two. This allowed them to share experiences, commiserate and support each other in the tasks to which Jesus had called them. Similarly look for another leader who can serve as a co-champion. For as in one body we have many members, and the members do not all have the same function, so we, though many, are one body in Christ, and individually members one of another. Having gifts that differ according to the grace given to us, let us use them: if prophecy, in proportion to our faith; if service, in our serving; the one who teaches, in his teaching; the one who exhorts, in his exhortation; the one who contributes, in generosity; the one who leads, with zeal; the one who does acts of mercy, with cheerfulness. Romans 12:4-8 Depending on your church it may be appropriate to approach church leadership (step 2) before building the rest of your team. However, it is probably wise to have a co-champion who can work with you as you begin the process of approaching church leadership. Step 1.B Build a team of 4-5 As mentioned previously, it may be appropriate to complete step 2: approaching church leadership before building the rest of your team. However, whenever you do this, look to recruit 4-5 additional people who can serve as a core group. This core group will help you seek to educate and engage your congregation. They will be involved in casting vision, communication, prayer and helping find the unique giftings your members can bring to the fight against sex trafficking. 7

11 Collaborate Step 2: Approaching Church Leadership The Approach As you approach the leadership of your church there are a few things to keep in mind. Church boards and paid staff naturally have to divide their time and attention over a wide range of issues and ministries. This may be stating the obvious, but your church leadership will not have the same level of intense focus on addressing sex trafficking as will you and your team. When you approach leadership you should be prepared to: Educate the leadership on the problem of sex trafficking in Houston Explain the Alliance Explain the commitment levels within the Alliance Demonstrate a clear plan of next steps Ask for what you need Educating Church Leadership It is likely that the leaders and pastors of your church do not know much about the problem of sex trafficking. While there is much more visibility to the issue than there used to be, many still do not understand the severity of the problem. With that in mind, anticipate Historical Perspective Frederick Douglass was one of the most well know and influential African- American abolitionists. Douglass was a slave himself until he was able to escape after several failed attempts. He wrote of his time in slavery in several autobiographies. After obtaining his freedom Douglass became a preacher and abolitionist. Renown as a great orator, Douglass helped bolster the fight for emancipation and suffrage. In the face of the horrors of slavery, horrors that he himself endured, Frederick Douglass refused to let things stay as they were. helping the leadership of your church understand the problem of sex trafficking in Houston. Part 2 of this guide has resources you can use to help to educate the leadership of your church. 8

12 Be patient and persevere with the leadership of your church. They may not immediately fully comprehend the problem, or they may have reservations about making anti-sex trafficking a ministry focus. Remember that you also had to go through the process of learning and growing in your passion to fight modern slavery. Approach your leadership and congregation in a spirit of grace and patience and not one of judgement and condemnation. Explain the Alliance and Levels of Partnership The mission, vision, strategy and two levels of partnership were introduced in the first part of this guide. Hopefully this will give you all you need to be able to adequately explain the Alliance. However, if you would like help or have additional questions, the board and staff of the Freedom Church Alliance can offer assistance. What to Ask For Put on then, as God s chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassionate hearts,kindness, humility, meekness, and patience, bearing with one another and, if one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other; as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive. And above all these put on love, whichbinds everything together in perfect harmony. And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body. And be thankful. Colossians 3:12-15 As you approach church leadership you should be prepared to ask for what you need to get an anti-sex trafficking ministry off to a strong start. This may be a new experience for you, and you may have some trepidation about asking for anything from your church. If that is the case we invite you to take some boldness from the story of Nehemiah. Nehemiah 2:1-8 recounts the story of Nehemiah s audience with King Artaxerxes. God had called Nehemiah to rebuild the walls of Jerusalem, and to do so Nehemiah had to make an incredible request of the king. Since he was the king s cupbearer, he first had to ask for several months off work. He also had to ask for all of the building materials for the walls of the city and his own home. 9

13 He asked this of a pagan king who was the head of a government that had previously shown great resistance to seeing Jerusalem rebuilt. Yet the king gave Nehemiah all that he needed for the good hand of my God was upon me (Nehemiah 2:8). Some things that you may want to consider asking for: Permission Ask for the blessing and support of church leadership. Financial Support Ask for the money you will need to begin doing projects and supporting anti-sex trafficking ministries around Houston. You may want to have a tentative budget ready, so you can support your request with some details. Most churches have processes setup for requesting funds or having money distributed. Ask your leadership about these processes. Prayer Support Ask your church leaders to pray for you and your team. If it is appropriate ask for time in your worship service for the entire congregation to pray for the efforts of the anti-sex trafficking team. Meeting Space Ask for a regular place to meet and plan. Communication One of the biggest hurdles to engaging a congregation is communication. Find out from your church leaders what avenues of communication are available to you. Where can you advertise events? What kind of forum would be appropriate to begin educating the congregation? Board Setup Since your team will likely be involved in ministry planning and utilizing church funds, your church leadership may ask you to have a charter or statement of how your team will operate. Find out what your board requires of teams at your church. 10

14 Collaborate Step 3: Partnering in the Alliance How Does my Church Become a Part of the Alliance? If your church has decided to become a part of the Alliance, then you can communicate your interest using the contact page at the Alliance website: Someone from the church mobilization team will follow up with you to walk you through the application process to become a part of the alliance. Why an application process? The alliance has set up an application process for a couple of reasons. It gives us the opportunity to get to know you and your church better. The Alliance will have a chance to assess how we can help your church fully integrate with the fight against sex trafficking in Houston. It assures sound theological alignment between your church and the Alliance. As a part of the process your church will be asked to join with us in affirming several doctrines that we believe are essential for the unity of the faith. For a summary of our beliefs, please visit our website at: Educate Step 4: Learn About Sex Trafficking The Present Reality of Slavery For many of us, when we hear the word slavery we think of it as something of the past. Slavery was what we read in our history books. There was a war about it, and now we as a country have moved beyond slavery. We have heard rumors perhaps that slavery still persists in some parts of the world, but certainly it must be a dying institution. Yet that perception is far from the truth. 11

15 In reality, there are more slaves in the world today than in any point in history. In a speech given to the United Nations in 2003, President Bush brought to light the crisis that Each year 800, ,000 human beings are bought, sold, or forced across the world s borders. 1 Because of the underground nature of slavery it is difficult to get exact numbers on the crisis, but the number is over 27 million. This includes many forms of slavery including forced child labor, bonded slavery, and sex slavery. 2 These numbers alone are reason enough for action, but what is even more grieving is that this problem is much closer to home than we might imagine. According to Children at Risk Trafficking in persons is among the most lucrative criminal enterprises in existence today, and Texas is a hub for this form of modern-day slavery. The U.S. Department of Justice identified the I-10 corridor as the #1 human trafficking route in the U.S. with as many as 1 in 4 victims passing through Houston. 3 There have been 957 suspected victims and 1,057 suspected human trafficking incidents reported by Texas-based reporting agencies to federal databases since Batstone,David; Not For Sale, Harper Collins, 2007, pg 3. 2 Batstone,David; Not For Sale, Harper Collins, 2007, pg Assessing the Threat of Human Trafficking in Texas, Texas Department of Public Safety, April pg 2. 12

16 Historical Perspective The poem at the beginning of this guide was writen by a remarkable woman named Hannah More. She was a writer, poet, and social reformer in England. She used her clever wit to counter the social ills of her day. A contemporary and friend of William Wilberforce Hannah became a vocal opponent to the slave trade. Her voice and writing helped give a public voice to the abolition movement. Hannah is a prime example of someone who helped fight slavery through persuasion using the gifts God had given her. One of the primary forms of slavery occurring in our city is sex slavery. Studies have shown that sex trafficking is one of the fastest growing criminal enterprises. What is even more tragic is that victims are often the target at very young ages. The average age when girls become victims of prostitution is between 12 and 14. Traffickers target those who are vulnerable like illegal aliens, juvenile runaways, and those who feel socially isolated. They are kept in slavery through various forms of monetary, emotional, and physical coercion. 5 Houston is not immune to this problem, and the large sex industry in Houston is a magnet for sex traffickers. In 2012 Mayor Annise Parker formed a task force to address the issue of sex trafficking in Houston. 6 The suburbs of Houston are also beginning to realize the presence of sex trafficking. In January of 2015, Fort Bend County recognized that their criminal justice system and social services were not adequate to deal with the growing problem of sex slavery, and they followed the City of Houston in creating a task force to begin addressing the problem. Online sex classifieds in the Katy and Sugar Land areas bear witness to the presence of sex slavery and trafficking of minors in our area. Police have learned to look for descriptions like baby doll, low mileage, and new in town to describe minors being sold for sex. 7 Local governments are waking up to the nightmare of sex trafficking. If the church is to be the hands and feet of Jesus in our city, we also must rise from our slumber. 5 Assessing the Threat of Human Trafficking in Texas, Texas Department of Public Safety, April pg a02&cmpid=twitter-premium 13

17 Educate Step 5: Educate Your Church How to Educate Your Church If your church does not have an existing anti-sex trafficking ministry, then you will likely need to help educate your church on the problem of sex trafficking. Thankfully there are a wide range of resources at your disposal. Below are some ideas on how to introduce your church to the problem of sex trafficking. Freedom Sunday Many churches host a yearly freedom Sunday. This is a Sunday dedicated to raising awareness about the problem of modern slavery. Activities on this Sunday could include inviting local anti-trafficking ministries to present, prayers for victims and traffickers, or a special offering for anti-trafficking work. Movie Nights Books and Studies There have been several excellent films released within the last five years that powerfully bring to light the problem of sex trafficking. Consider hosting a movie night with one of these films: Nefarious: Merchant of Souls Call + Response Not for Sale: The Return of the Global Slave Trade and How We Can Fight It by David Batstone The Slave Next Door: Human Trafficking and Slavery in America Today by Kevin Bales 14

18 Your Circle of Contact Don t underestimate the power of educating those who are closest to you in your church through conversation. Educating your church is not just about events and large gestures. In fact it is likely that your personal passion will be more compelling than any event or movie. Social Media Bring the issue of sex trafficking to light through your contacts in social media. Post stories and articles that you run across. Follow the Alliance or other anti-trafficking organizations on Facebook and Twitter and share what you find helpful. As you are educating yourself, share what you are learning. Drag sex trafficking into the light through every medium you can. Engage Step 6: Choose a Strategic Focus As has been said in several places in this guide, the issue of sex trafficking is multifaceted and complex. There is no one organization that can take on every aspect, nor is there any one church that can address every issue. Yet this complexity is also where we find opportunity for churches to craft a focused anti-sex trafficking ministry that uniquely fits its passions, abilities, and callings. Below are some things to consider when developing a strategic focus. Alliance Focuses The Freedom Church Alliance has recognized three areas where churches have the largest potential for impact. Prayer / Awareness Sex trafficking in our city and in our world is too large for the church to conquer. If sex trafficking is going to end, then it will end because God has intervened in a might way. One of the primary ways that the church can engage in this issue is by interceding before God. We must pray for the law enforcement doing rescue. We must pray for the people currently enslaved in the sex industry. We must pray for the Johns who buy sex to try and fill a spiritual need in themselves. We must pray for the pimps who have so given themselves over to sin that they could sell a human being. We must pray for the partner organizations and churches that are engaged in the fight. Prayer is the foundation on which any efforts to end sex trafficking must be built. 15

19 Prevention / Education Section 2 addressed educating yourself and your congregation. However, the importance of ending sex-trafficking needs to be much more broadly understood. One potential focus for a church would be educating the larger city about the issue of sex trafficking. This also provides a unique opportunity to demonstrate how the claims and person of Jesus Christ are consistent with abolition and necessary for restoration of those who have been enslaved. Education is also an important form of prevention. Sex trafficking persists because there is a demand. Educating your congregation about sexual sin and the tie between pornography and sex slavery can be powerful steps of prevention. After-care For people coming out of the sex industry the path back to any kind of normalcy is long and hard. There is a great need for churches to step up and help provide safe places where these men and women can heal. God is in the business of restoring what has been lost and making new what has been broken. We have the opportunity to participate with Him in that restoration. There are many ways to be involved in after care. Some involve helping organizations who have made after care their focus. There is also a need for church communities to make their church a welcoming environment for someone with a broken background. But let justice roll down like waters, and righteousness like an ever flowing stream. Amos 5:24 (ESV) Engage Step 7: Participate in Projects There are many opportunities to engage in the fight against sex trafficking in Houston. The Alliance will maintain a list of current projects on our website, join/projects 16

20 For More Information If you have a tip on a potential trafficking situation, please call the National Human Trafficking Hotline: