Introduction: The Plant Church as a New Concept in the Christian Religion
Background: The Concept of Volunteering
Although the principle of volunteering is rather basic and is supposed to be inherent to all churches, not every religious institution follows it completely. Despite the fact that altruism is supposed to make the foundation of the Christian religion, most churches overlook volunteering as an essential component of their operations. As a result, their performance is not as efficient in terms of promoting the spiritual well-being of the community as it should be.
The phenomenon of volunteering is typically defined as the willingness to assist those in need in the context of the Christian religion. In other words, volunteering is based on the traditional set of Christian values, which promote mutual assistance and support among the members of a particular community.
In other words, the connection between religion and volunteering is so strong that the two concepts can be viewed as interrelated: “This similarity indicates that the relation between religion and volunteering goes deeper than the empirically demonstrated positive correlation between religion and volunteering and that the perspective of religion can contribute to shedding some light on volunteering as a social phenomenon.”
However, the specified principles based on the philosophy of virtue ethics may seem abandoned in the global environment, which can be defined as extremely competitive and, therefore, making one focus on one’s personal needs instead of the well-being of others and the needs of the community). Herein the significance of creating the project that will help the representatives of the Christian community to return to the Christian values, in general, and the significance of the family ties, in particular, lies.
Plant Church Definition
The lack of volunteering clearly is one of the major problems of the contemporary Christianity. Herein the significance of Plant Church lies. The specified organization is supposed to be based on volunteering; more importantly, the Plant Church will incorporate the principle of volunteering into the community. In other words, it will plant the seeds of altruism, social and religious activity, and, therefore, volunteering in the community in question.
The concept of the Plant Church can be defined as the foundation for developing the qualities that the modern members of the parish lack so desperately. Particularly, the significance of the issues such as the family values and the Christian morality is going to be reinforced with the help of the Plant Church.
The specified organization is aimed at establishing the concept of compassion, cooperation and bonding among the members of the community. Specifically, the issue regarding the family values will be addressed by the plant Church. The church leaders will make sure that the principles of spiritual and individual growth proclaimed by the Church as the foundation for progress should be followed by every family that the parish is represented by.
It is essential that the significance of family ties should be reinforced and that the specified changes should occur on a family level; thus, the key principles of the Plant Church can be promoted efficiently and the ideas of volunteering and sharing can be accepted in a faster manner. Due to the natural bonding, which the members of a family typically have, the promotion of the values in question will occur much faster and in a more efficient way than it would otherwise.
How Planting Church is Going to Affect the Community
As it has been stressed above, the lack of volunteering as the willingness to support fellow church members and share the Christian spirit with the people around can be deemed as one of the major problems of Christianity nowadays. Therefore, it is expected that the introduction of the concept volunteering and the establishment of the Plant Church in the target area will lead to an increase in the social and spiritual activity rates among the target denizens of the population.
The Plant Church will promote the traditional Christian values updating them so that they could meet the needs of the contemporary society; as a result, it is expected that the Plant Church will trigger an increase in the spirituality rates among the members of the target community.
Moreover, as the church expands to reach the global environment, it may help Christians all over the world embrace the concept of volunteering as the foundation for helping those in need and promoting true Christian values. Moreover, the community members will be able to experience bonding with their family members, which will lead to the creation of premises for consistent spiritual growth..
Rationale: Emphasizing the Significance of Volunteering
Volunteering as a Part and Parcel of the Church’s Ethics
The rationale for promoting the project in question may seem quite obvious; however, the actual implications of the Plant Church development are rather deep and rooted in the specifics of the contemporary interpretation of religion and spirituality. On the one hand, the necessity to increase the number of followers and shed light on the significance of Christianity as religion is the foundation for creating the church.
However, a deeper introspect on the issue in question will reveal that the contemporary society does not thrive on the principles of compassion, and other elements of virtue ethics as it should according to the key Biblical postulates.
In other words, the significance of the notions such as sharing, altruism, support for each other, being generous with time and money, etc. As soon as the members of the parish recall that it is important for Christian people to look out for each other, it will become possible to reinforce the rest of the Christian morals among them and, therefore, start building a strong yet modern community that values the Christian beliefs and follows the word of God.
Threat of Persistence to the Christian Community
On the one hand, following the old Christian traditions and maintaining integrity among the members of the Christian community is essential to the overall well-being of its members, as it helps make the community stronger by creating the behavioral pattern that all members of the church may comply with.
On the other hand, the lack of novelty and development, as well as no change in the number of the parish members is likely to affect the Christian churches in a very negative way. Specifically, fewer people will conform to the basic principles of Christianity, while most believers may fail to understand how to reconcile the traditional Christian values with the norms and standards of the changing world.
Moreover, the creation of the global environment, where numerous viewpoints and opinions mix, has opened a range of opportunities for discussions and the acceptance of new tendencies and ideas, which the followers of the Christian religion may have problems with when viewing the specified ideas from the perspective of their own concept of Christianity.
Herein the need to plant the concepts of Christianity among the members of the contemporary world lies. It is important that people be able to identify the threats that the modern world exposes them to and the tests that it has for their faith.
By encouraging people to learn more about Christianity and understanding the true meaning of faith, the Plant Church is likely to address the problem in question in a very efficient manner, therefore, enhancing the true Christian values in the community and helping believers reconcile with the realities of the 21st century.
The Concept of Planting as the Basis for Promoting Well-being
In addition to the reinforcement of the true Christian values in the community and promoting the concepts of the Christian faith in the environment of the 21st century, the project in question is guided by the rationale that concerns the well-being of people.
In other words, by creating the Plant Church and promote the above-mentioned concepts of volunteering, altruism, and cooperation among the target denizens of the population, one is likely to enhance the significance of the specified values in the community and, thus, strengthen the ties among its members.
Moreover, in contrast to other methods of reinforcing the significance of the Christian religion, planting cannot be viewed as aggressive due to its nature and the emphasis on the family values as opposed to the societal outcomes of the Christian values acceptance.
Specific and Realistic Goals to Be Accomplished
Promoting Christianity and the Christian Virtues
As it has been stressed above, the reinforcement of the Christian values, their update in accordance with the realities of the 21st century, and their further promotion among the target denizens of the population are the primary goals of the Plant Church.
The goal in question can be achieved by spreading the concept of Christianity among the members of the community with the help of volunteers. Particularly, the importance of maintaining strong family ties and the connection between the family members should be encouraged as the basis for the development of a strong and happy community.
Introducing the Concept of Volunteering to the Christian Religion
Although the phenomenon of volunteering is not entirely new to the Christianity, most of its postulates seem to have been forgotten by now, as the environment of the 21st century does not invite the concepts of sharing, replacing it with competition.
Nevertheless, the idea of volunteering as a part of assisting the members of the community can and should be planted in the minds of the people in question, which is the goal of the Plant Church. As a result, more people will be able to embrace the Christian values such as altruism, togetherness, and the importance of family ties.
Consistent Improvement as the Basis for the Church’s Evolution
There is no need to stress that progress is inevitable for any organization that wishes to retain its members and attract new audiences. Therefore, the Christian Church needs to change as well by embracing new ideas and incorporating them into its framework. Thus, setting the course for consistent improvement and making sure that the members of the church understand its importance is the third and the final goal of the Plant Church.
Persons Responsible for the Change: Distributing Responsibilities
The Leader and Their Role in the Plant Church Project
Naturally, the specified changes cannot be carried out without a strong leader is at the helm of the Plant Church. Herein the key challenge lies; the leader must adopt the strategy that will encourage the members of the parish change their attitude towards the idea of Christian values and include the phenomenon of volunteering in it. The promotion of the specified change can be considered the key role of the Plant Church leader. In addition, the leader will have to coordinate the actions of the participants involved in the volunteering process.
The Significance of the Parish Members’ Role
While some of the members will be involved in the volunteering work directly, most of the members of the parish will have to provide support to the former. Particularly, the preachers will have to reinforce the significance of the Christian values, particularly, the connection to the family members and the significance of the virtue ethics.
More importantly, the preachers will have to focus on promoting a contemporary interpretation of the Biblical values, thus, allowing people to accept them and integrate them into their behavioral patterns and frameworks of interacting with the family members.
Volunteers and Recruiters
The volunteers will constitute a certain amount of the church members; however, it is expected that a large number а volunteers will come from other members of the community. In addition, the volunteers will help raise awareness concerning the significance of family values and spiritual support of the community members.
Thus, the basic principles that the Plant Church is going to get across to its target population will be conveyed to the target members of the population in a very efficient and understandable manner. As a result, the need to create a group of recruiters, who will promote the idea of volunteering among the target population and encourage people to volunteer in the name of the Christian beliefs, lies.
Materials Needed: What It Takes to Make a Difference
Financial Resources
It is desirable that the number of financial resources used for volunteering should be reduced to the minimum, as the rest of the domains that require financial support are nonetheless, if not more, important. For instance, the charity issues will require a substantial amount of money to support the poor members of the community. Therefore, it is expected that the total amount of financial resources required for the mission in question will not exceed $1,000.
Human Resources
The specified type of resources, in its turn, is going to be quite ample. It is expected that at least 59% of the members of the parish will be involved in recruiting the new members of the church and, therefore, enhancing the significance of volunteering among the target audience.
Other Materials Required
Apart from the above-mentioned resources, the church will also need the tools that will help raise awareness about its activities. Consequently, it will be required to incorporate the resources of modern media in the framework of the Plant Church’s operations. Specifically, the promotion of the organization in the modern media such as social networks should be viewed as a possibility.
Timeline for the Goals Completion: Keeping up the Pace
Basic Timeline Organization
The process of creating the church and establishing it in the community might take some time. Therefore, the church leaders must be patient if they want to achieve tangible results.
Key Steps to Be Accomplished
To make sure that the goals of the church are met, one must reinforce the significance of the key values and set the basic priorities straight. In addition, each member of the church must be assigned with their roles and responsibilities. Finally, the resources at the organization’s disposal must be used wisely and to the advantage of the participants involved.
First, the essential postulates of the virtue ethics must be incorporated into the framework of the organization along with the Biblical ones. Particularly, the significance of family values has to be emphasized. Afterward, the strategy for conveying the message to the target population has to be identified. Then, the message must be spread using not only the traditional tools but also modern media. Finally, the evaluation of the results must be carried out.
Deadlines to Meet
It is assumed that the process of establishing the church and training the volunteers so that they could acquire the necessary skills is going to take an impressive amount of time. Therefore, the members of the organization must be very patient for it to bring some results. Although it is assumed that the first tangible outcomes are going to emerge a year after the introduction of the organization to the local members of the population, there might be a number of obstacles to overcome, which may delay the establishment of the church.
Nevertheless, it is essential that the participants should meet the deadlines set in the schedule. Particularly, the planning process is expected to end in 1–2 months, while the process of recruitment may take up to two weeks. The stage involving raising awareness about the church among the members of the community, in its turn, may take approximately three months.
It should be noted, though, that the latter depends on the number of people and the area that the church is going to embrace. While it is essential to cater to the needs of the members of the local neighborhood at present, the Plant church may need expansion to the statewide area in the future. Moreover, in case of a successful completion of the statewide expansion, the Church may need to continue growing on a global level. As a result, new deadlines will have to be created.
Determining the Completion of the Project
Goals Accomplishment: Check
To make sure that the goals set by the organization are accomplished in a proper manner, one will have to identify the goals set and make sure that they have been achieved. In other words, the increase in the participation rates of the community members as well as the newcomers combined with the rise in the rates of Christian values acceptance among the community members.
Particularly, more people will engage in the volunteering practice without expecting financial incentives as the key outcome and accepting the spiritual reward in the form of bonding with the members of the community instead.
The identification of the goals reached by the church leader and the people involved can be carried out by comparing the spirituality and well-being rates among the members of the community prior to the creation of the Plant Church and a month after the process of volunteering and promoting the Christian values. Once the changes can be deemed as positive and all members of the community start realizing the significance of volunteering to promote the concept of Christian values, the project can be considered complete.
Implications of Changes: Analysis
The success of the changes carried out in the designated community can be measured by comparing the number of Christian believers and the active members of the Christian community prior to the establishment of the Plant Church and as of its performance a year after.
More importantly, it is expected that the members of the church and the volunteers will realize that, although not getting money for their job, they are still rewarded in a very meaningful and plentiful way. Particularly, the church members will realize that the appreciation of the community members and the strong ties that they develop as they engage in volunteering are the best reward that they can get for their efforts.
The appreciation of the support that the volunteers and the rest of the Christian people involved in the project receive from each other and the people involved in the project is supposed to trigger the development of a set of values that allow distinguishing a true Christian, i.e., the importance of the emotional support and the spiritual connection that the members of the parish develop as the volunteering work progresses.
Indeed, as Anderson and Fox specify, it is hardly believable that any of the churchgoers is likely to work for free: “Usually they are not lying to you, even if they aren’t telling you the primary reason why they are declining. We all have our own private catalog of truthful, ready-made, polite reasons to decline.”
However, the goal of the project is not to make people work and give them nothing in reward; instead, the project is aimed at helping people reconsider their value and priorities, realizing that the support and appreciation that they receive from their fellow church goers is just as, if not, more, important as the monetary reward.
Results Evaluation
As it has been stressed above, the implications of the Plant Church’s volunteering activity can be evaluated by comparing the current state of the target population’s spiritual and emotional well-being to the one that will be attained after the project is completed. The results can be evaluated by carrying out a combination of qualitative and quantitative analysis.
Specifically, the rates of well-being among the target denizens of the population can be quantified by considering the statistical data such as the crime rates in the community, the poverty issues, the instances of domestic violence, etc. The specified information will help check whether the Plant Church volunteers will have been able to plant the seeds of the Christian virtues among the target population and whether the specified concepts will have altered the behavioral patterns of the people of the community.
As far as the qualitative analysis is concerned, the evaluation of the changes in the spirituality rates among the parish members and the community residents can be assessed by carrying out a series of surveys on the subject matter among the specified demographics.
Particularly, a questionnaire addressing the essential Christian values and helping identify whether the significance of these values has been raised in the community can be designed. Thus, detailed information regarding the effects of the Plant Church members’ activities can be retrieved for the further analysis and the location of the course of actions to be taken.
It would be wrong to assume that the principles promoted by the Plant Church will be accepted easily and with complete readiness by the target members of the population. The willingness o the volunteers, however, cannot be viewed as something that can be forced; quite on the contrary, it is literally impossible to force people to improve ethically and spiritually.
The process of personal growth, be it targeted at the enhancement of the moral principles or the reconsideration of one’s religious beliefs, must start with the acknowledgement of the change by the person that it occurs to; otherwise, no strategies will have any tangible effect. Therefore, it will be pointless to make the members of the community accept the designated change.
Instead, the members of the parish and the Plant Church should consider providing guidance to the specified denizens of the population by creating the model of a desirable behavior and showing that, by accepting the specified patterns, people will be able to become happy.
If some members of the community will not agree with the policies of the Plant Church, they will still be able to see the effort that went into its organization, the strength of the ethical principles that it is based on, and the positive effects that it has on people and their relationships with their family members. Consequently, the plant Church members will receive enough support and gain a number of followers among the designated population.
Conclusion: The Plant Church as a New Step Forward in Developing a Religious Community
Significance of the Plant Church
Seeing that the Plant Church is bound to help redesign not only the community but also the way in which its members perceive the traditional Christian values, it can be assumed that the Plant Church is going to have a huge effect on the community.
The significance of the Plant Church, therefore, is going to be rather high, as it will help not only recruit new members by promoting the Christian values but also reinforce the importance thereof among the church members so that people could reconsider their current behavioral patterns and consider changing them to reach the new level of spirituality.
In other words, the creation of the Plant Church will help literally plant the seeds of the Christina ethics in the members of the parish and the people who can possibly become the new members of the church, therefore, improving the life in the community considerably. More importantly, the Plant Church will help its participants view the concept of volunteering from a different perspective.
Finally, the significance of connection between the family members will be emphasized with the help of the efforts made by the Plant Church members. Seeing that the family issues are the primary cause of the spiritual confusion, it can be assumed that the specified change will cause a spur of spiritual growth among the target population.
Volunteering as the Basis for the Christian Community Development
The above-mentioned reconsideration of the principles of volunteering and sharing is another crucial implication of the Plant Church’s operations. Specifically, the fact that people will be able to view the emotional support and the gratitude of the community members as the reward for their actions instead of the monetary reward can be deemed as a crucial step forward.
It is important that people should realize that no good deed should be left unappreciated and unrewarded; however, it is also imperative to let them understand that the acknowledgement of these efforts with the help of tangible incentives is a crucial part of the volunteering practice that helps sustain the process of volunteering and keep the members active and enthusiastic.
Expected Outcomes and Implications
It is expected that the volunteering process is bound to return quite fruitful results and trigger a massive increase in the number of churchgoers.
Apart from promoting Christianity to the target population successfully, the Plant Church is bound to contribute to a large increase in the number of people attending the church and taking active part in the lives of the community members. In other words, it is assumed that the volunteering practice will help reinforce the participation rates among the church members and will promote involvement in the issues related to the community.
Particularly, the changes that the Plant Church is going to inspire will concern the shift of the focus from personal issues to the problems of the community. Once based on the understanding of the fact that the public acknowledgment of their efforts and the personal gratitude of the parish members can be deemed as an essential reward for their contribution, the Christian members of the population are bound to become more invested in the community affairs.
Bibliography
Anderson, Leith, and Jill Fox. The Volunteer Church: Mobilizing Your Congregation for Growth and Effectiveness. Grand Rapids, MI: Harper Collins, 2015.
Hustinx, Lesley, Johan Von Essen, Jacques Haers, and Sara Mels. Religion and Volunteering: Complex, Contested and Ambiguous Relationships. Berlin: Springer, 2014.