The short version of our ministry's Mission Statement is "Repairing Homes and Hearts as Churches Serve Together". The second part of that statement is very important to us because we believe serving together (assuming common essential core beliefs) is a strategic way to advance the Kingdom. Why?

• Church teams begin to see each other serving in the community and realize they are not alone in their concerns. Relationships are established between teams.
• Church teams become “iron sharpening iron” (Proverbs 27:17), recognizing that each church has individual gifts that contribute to the whole Body.
• The community has the opportunity to observe what the followers of Jesus are doing to bless them, leading them to realize that the Church is an indispensible part of the community.
• Movements similar to Unite! are strengthened at a grass roots ministry level. Pastors and leaders pray and plan together to address other common concerns.
• Pastors are encouraged to connect with other pastors as they realize their Home Repair Teams are serving together.
• Combined church efforts reflect Christ more visibly than smaller, single church efforts.
• Working together reflects the unity we read about in Ephesians 4.

What about you? Do you have experience working across multiple churches and/or denominations? What has been your experience? If you've had some good successes, let us know and we'll share your story, if appropriate.

Depending on the size and complexity of the ministry, groups may wish to maintain a set of tools or rely upon volunteers to bring their own. For a list of recommended tools, see the "Suggested Tool List"¨ below. If volunteers are expected to bring their own tools, they should be made aware of this need at the time of their recruitment. Any promise by the ministry to replace personal tools that are broken or stolen during a home repair project should also be made known.

We suggest each team member bring with him/her the following: 

• Hammer
• Pair of work gloves
• Pencil
• Eye protection, dust mask
• Nail apron

Additional useful tools to have access to:

• Tape measure
• Screwdrivers (Phillips and straight, manual and/or electric)
• Chisels
• Utility knife
• Adjustable pliers, needle-nose pliers
• Wire cutter
• Flashlight
• Painting tools - 4" brush, roller & paint pan, masking tape, scraper, drop cloths, spackle, sandpaper
• Speed square and team framing square
• Chalk line
• A selection of nails and screws
• Putty knives
• Adjustable wrenches
• Circular saw
• Variable speed/reversible drill, drill bits, screwdriver bits
• WD-40 or equivalent
• Sawhorse set and plywood tabletop
• Ladders (both A-frame and extension)
• Hand saw, wrecking bar, pry bar, level
• Extension cords and two prong adopter
• Clean-up supplies (trash bage, paper towels, hand cleanser, etc.)
• Ice chest full of water, sport drinks, soda

Plus any other tools specific to the project undertaken.

The purpose of the local church home repairs team is to serve hurting people, as well as support agencies, organizations, and non-profit ministries who serve the needy in their community, and to demonstrate the love of Jesus Christ to them by first addressing a physical need: that of home maintenance and repairs.

Any homeowner knows that there never seems to be enough time for all of the home repairs and maintenance a house requires. For most of us, this is an overwhelming but attainable job. For many widows, single moms, elderly people, disabled people, and non-profit ministries, this is an impossible job due to lack of funds, skills, and/or knowledge. The local church home repairs team exists to meet this need.

The goal of the team is to address a physical need while showing those they serve Jesus, the Master Carpenter, whose “home repairs” never break or wear out, and to connect them when possible to other ministries within a local church and the Christian community as a whole.

Is your church considering or open to home repair as an outreach or mercy ministry? Or are you in the process of organizing? One of the most important steps in setting up your home repair team is determining how you will be organized. Over the next couple days, we will be sharing with you some descriptions of positions within a home repair team. This model represents a fairly sophisticated team, and is just one way of staffing, but our hope is that it's helpful in starting your service ministry or optimizing the team that you have in place already.

If you want this information in a complete document, download the PDF file. More information like this is available by signing up on the web site (no charge).

Part I - Leadership Team Member

Your Home Repairs leadership team should meet at least monthly to:

● Discuss new projects
● Review status of open projects
● Set goals & direction for the ministry
● Assign project responsibilities

In addition, for each project handled by your ministry, a leadership team member is specifically assigned to the project. When the project is assigned, the leadership team member is responsible for:

● Managing the project if there is no Project Leader (PL) - the Project Leader position will be discussed in more detail in a future blog
● Obtaining a list of volunteers and insuring they are contacted
● Coordinating with the Project Leader and the Project Coordinator (PC) to establish a date for the project (see PC role information below)
● Insuring that the status of the project is maintained in the Home Repairs Database (reporting project & volunteer information)
● Assisting in scoping the project & making sure that your ministry coordinates with the homeowner

A home repair team, in the most rudimentary form, needs very few things:

1. A couple of people who want to use their knowledge and skills in construction-related ministry
2. A project or several projects requiring volunteers
3. A method of funding materials

Anything larger than "a couple of guys" requires some level of organization or things can get chaotic quickly. At that point, you will need to:

4. Identify a team leader
5. Determine a method of distributing information to the volunteer team (meeting, email, website, etc.)
6. Develop a plan to distribute information to supporters and let potential "clients" know about the ministry
7. Create a database or tracking mechanism for projects and volunteers
8. Build a volunteer pool over time and a plan to manage and develop your volunteers
9. Establish guidelines for carrying out the ministry need, including safety, types of projects the team can/cannot handle, scope, financial need of clients, etc.
10. Foster communication between the team and church leadership so that all are kept abreast of the ministry development and progress
11. Develop an accountability system to ensure that the spiritual aspect of serving on a home repairs team is being included, and so that there is proper follow up and quality control for completing projects.

Want more information on starting, finding projects, how to pay for projects and more? We can help! Register on our site today at no charge!

Churches are trying to get the most outreach impact they can from available resources, but there’s a tricky issue – available resource. On top of that, we know we have limited hours in a day and can feel it - palpably. Churches have to be smart and strategic in the Kingdom work they do to be good and faithful stewards of what God has given them.

So here’s the punchline. For this opportunity, you may not need to think about starting a new ministry. Your church may already be sitting on top of one that already exists (or at least has the potential to exist) in your church! Think about this. Who’s the guy you call or would call if you had a widow in your church with a leaky faucet? Who is always helping out when something breaks or needs to get built. Does a face or two spring to mind? Odds are pretty good that this person may not be formally plugged in with a ministry and has trouble figuring out where and how to serve. Why wouldn’t you want that guy reaching out to more people in your congregation or your community? Maybe it’s time to turn ‘em loose!

And you do that by starting a home repair ministry. A home repair ministry is an opportunity for your church to love on and serve your widows, single moms, elderly and disabled members, and to serve these same groups out in your community. In fact, once your team learns how to get referrals you may find what our Executive Director describes as a very odd phenomonon. People in your comumnity inviting your Christ-followers into their homes. How's that for an outreach opportunity? Cool, huh?

You’re probably thinking that this sounds good, but let’s get real, staff and ministry leaders don’t have time to throw at another ad hoc thing. The beauty of a home repairs ministry is that it’s designed to be lay-led. Past receiving the occasional update, staff doesn’t have to get further involved unless they want to.

If you’re looking for some guidance on how to get started, we have a library of content including ministry vision, how to get started, how and where to get referrals, project management, volunteer management and more. We like to think of it as a home repair ministry “in a box”. Get a Sneak Peek of what's available!

We also provide access to a network of churches with home repair ministries (right now mainly in Atlanta, but starting to spread nationally). Will you join us? We do not charge for the site (but you can make a donation if you are able). Check out what you get from Home Repairs Ministries

You can also click “Contact Us” near the bottom of this webpage to directly contact us with questions you might have.

Suggestions for a Local Short-Term Home Repair Mission Trip

So how do you start looking for your short-term mission trip opportunity? Here are some ideas to get you started:

• Contact your local or county senior services agency volunteers coordinator to see what they know needs volunteers.

• Contact Dept. of Family and Children’s Services (or whatever it is called near you) to see whether they know of a low-income family fostering children and in need of home repair help. This is especially needed where there are teens being fostered.

• Contact agencies that help people with disabilities to see if they can direct you to a need.

• Are there single mothers in your church network (members and their extended families and neighbors) whose homes need attention but cannot pay for maintenance?

• Has there been a localized disaster, e.g. a flood or tornado that swept through a neighborhood (though it may not officially be a declared emergency, see how those in the path feel about it)? Contact your county or state Emergency Management Agency to see whom to contact about helping.

• Inner-city/low-income neighborhood church leaders often know of someone in their congregation who needs help. Use the opportunity to serve alongside other Christ-followers.

• Make sure that you have a waiver to cover accidents and your team. Also, make sure that your team members are insured!

So How Do I Start a Home Repairs Team?

Now that you’ve got a project, how do you start a team and what do you need? We’ve created a website – www.homerepairs.org – where we have collected the resources that can help you start up your own home repairs ministry at your church. You’ll find articles and forms that will take you through all phases of starting and running a ministry, a blog with posts from the front-lines of the ministry, a forum to ask and answer your tough questions (coming soon) and a list of churches by area to help you partner with other like-minded Christians. Sign up today and get your short term mission or youth trip ready for the summer!

Are you considering or looking for a short-term mission opportunity for your church or family but concerned about high gas prices and travel costs in an uncertain economy? Well, we’d like to suggest an opportunity that is in your own backyard and that’s cheaper and closer than a short-term mission trip out-of-state. Put together some tool guys (or gals) with some available time (youth and retired people are ideal) and reach out to a widow, single mothers, or an elderly or disabled homeowner in your own community - for Christ!

Maybe you are not sure you are ready to start a home repairs ministry team or know how to start a ministry. It may be easier than you think! You and a friend with some tools may be able to help an elderly person with some minor repairs or help a widow straighten her yard. Unlike a "traditional" short-term mission trip, a local home repairs project or tow won't take months to plan and thousands of dollars. You may even get your church or a couple friends and family to cover your material expenses if the person you are helping can't afford the materials you will use.

You Are Needed

There are a growing number of low-income homeowners: widows, single mothers, the elderly and disabled, who have homes but not the means to provide for basic or emergency repairs, which puts them at risk for injury, the inability to get out of or use their home and even homelessness due to foreclosure and condemnation. Community non-profits (another group you might consider serving, as they can help hundreds of families a month), which provide critical services to these same groups, face similar issues with their facilities in a down economy. These folks may be in your community (which provides an excellent opportunity to present the gospel to them in deed and Word), or they may be in your own church.

Do you know how much men with tools and a heart for serving Christ are needed? According to a survey by the National Foundation for Credit Counseling, 64% of Americans don't have enough cash on hand to handle a $1,000 emergency expense*. A 2007 study (pre-economic and housing crash) shows that one-third of surveyed homeowners faced a repair they could not afford*.> And for the vulnerable people groups we look to serve, doing the repairs themselves is just not an option.

Friday we will post Part Two, which will show you some ideas on how to find a short-term home repairs mission opportunity and how you can start your own team.

* - Source - August 17, 2011 blog

Five marks of an impactful ministry and why a home repairs ministry is one. Please make sure that your speakers are not muted.

Click the logo image above to watch a short video.

In June, we are travelling to the Presbyterian Church in America (PCA) General Assembly, this year in Louisville, Kentucky, to promote the ministry and network with church leaders. On this trip, we will also be co-sponsoring a mercy ministry project called “Sheds of Hope”, in Henryville, Indiana, 35 miles north of Louisville to help those whose lives were turned upside-down by a tornado this spring.  When your house is terribly damaged or gone, you need a place to put your “stuff”. Sheds of Hope are inexpensive units that can be built on-site or constructed off-site and transported to a disaster area where most needed. And most importantly, they come with the hope-filled message of the Gospel.

We will be partnering with the PCA’s Mission to North America ministry. The often overwhelming needs of those caught in disaster/emergency situations provides the need for a partnership between MNA’s Disaster Response ministry and churches with home repairs/disaster response teams ready to deploy. Our ministry provides materials to help churches start those teams and help them begin serving the community. At the General Assembly, we hope to show PCA leaders the benefits to starting their own church teams and have them take information back to interested people in their congregations. Starting such a team provides several things for a church:

• A way for the church to serve its own widows and others who own homes and are not able to afford a contractor to make repairs or make the repairs themselves
• A mechanism to respond to situations where people in the community are begging Christians to come to their homes to help (an opportunity for the church to offer temporal, as well as eternal, help as they “love their neighbor as themselves” in deed and Word)
• An opportunity to engage handy men and women from their congregation who can find themselves somewhat marginalized, relative to church-based ministry, because they don’t sing in the choir, keep the nursery, or teach Sunday school
• The opportunity for Christ-centered churches to serve together and represent Christ as one body to their communities
• Connection and unity at a grassroots level for a denominations’ churches within a city or community as church teams join together for larger projects
• The mechanism for churches to respond to disasters and be the love of Christ to the devastated, as they respond to calls for help from organizations such as MNA and others.

Our website provides the information that churches need to start teams – they’ll find a library of information about starting and operating a home repairs team. There is currently a Blog, and we’ll be launching a Forum where questions can be asked and answers provided by experienced people.

So, who do you call on if you want to start a team? In conversations we have had with church leaders, the question we ask is, “Who is the person you would call when one of your widows needs something repaired?”  That is potentially the person who needs to be challenged with engaging others and if not him, probably knows who might have such an interest.  Two guys, a bag of tools, and an SUV can constitute a home repairs team.  That’s a disaster response team that can grow as the Lord provides vision and skills.