​As a Christian ministry, we believe in the local church and want to see our local congregations equipped for ministry to our neighborhoods. In particular, there has often been a disconnect between many low-income individuals and churches who desire to serve "the needy." Too often, we end up treating these individuals as projects for our charity rather than neighbors made in the image of God.

​

COM exists as a resource for our local congregations to think through these issues and how the local church can be truly missional among our lower-income neighbors. Here are a few ways we'd love to partner with your church:

• Invite a COM staff member to teach or lead a training in your church around effective poverty alleviation

• Encourage your church members to spend time volunteering at COM so they have interactions with those living in poverty

• If your church helps with financial assistance, consider linking them up with our Pathways office and requiring case management or budgeting as part of your application process.

• Have a church member take our "Faith & Finances" Ally training to serve in one of our "Faith & Finances" cohorts as a mentor to one of our neighbors.

• If you're located in a neighborhood, work with COM to learn more about "Asset Based Community Development" and to partner with us to implement effective outreach strategies.