Church challenges and innovations aren’t unique

I serve a church that hosts three free clinics that serve the community where the church is located. It’s a unique call in many ways – serving as both the pastor of the congregation as well as the executive director of the health ministries. It’s an urban setting in a highly economically challenged section of Harrisburg, in Allison Hill. There are many other challenges for the people who live in this community.

Yesterday on my way in to the church, I was a stop light in my car waiting for the light to change. There was a man with a sign at the corner. He was homeless and looking for some help. He motioned to me to put my window down so he could ask a question. I obliged. He didn’t ask for money, but rather for food. I gave him part of the lunch I had brought with me. There’s not a whole I can do, but I do what I can. I gave him not only some food, but also an acknowledgement of his humanity. And reminded me of my own. I need that and so does he.

Parking for the church is primarily along the street and I pulled up where I normally park. It is well known that there is prostitution occurring in these streets. One of the ladies came walking my way, who I greeted and said good morning. She could see I wasn’t interested in her services, and she complimented the color of my car instead. I thanked her and wished her well and safety for the day. I said a prayer for her on my way into the church. There’s not much I can do, but I do what I can. I hope that awfully boring normal interaction of pleasantries was a moment relief for her – a short interaction with a man who wasn’t interested in objectifying her or using or abusing her. I hope for just a moment that she could see her own humanity. It certainly reminded me of my own. I need that and so does she.

During the day I encountered an addict who was clearly on something and not doing well. I convinced them to go with me down to the clinic to get checked out. I hope that for just a moment this person saw that someone was not mad at them, but rather cared about their safety and wellbeing. There’s not much I can do, but I do what I can. The interaction certainly reminded me of my own limitations and yet we are all valuable by just existing. I need that reminder from time to time and so does the other person.

And while these are all urban examples, they are not unique just to urban settings. Homelessness occurs in a variety of settings – urban, suburban, rural. It’s just that homelessness looks different in each of these settings. Prostitution isn’t just an urban challenge either. It’s part of a larger evil of human trafficking that takes on a variety of forms depending on where it is taking place. And addiction is certainly not confined to urban settings. There’s plenty of addictions out there – and addiction doesn’t care where you are or what your socio-economic situation is.

I attended a conference for free clinics this week. It was a wonderful conference with great speakers, time to network with people who run clinics and work in clinics, and catch up with some folks I know.

We had a fabulous keynote speaker – Dr. Mark B. Stephens. Dr. Stephens is an accomplished physician, veteran, professor, and innovator. He’s really a remarkable man. He talked about the shortage and the coming challenges of health care in northern Pennsylvania – there is already a lack of physicians in these rural areas and there is a going to a slew of retirements in that region which is going to make it more challenging in the next 5-10 years.

After his talk, I mentioned to him that what I found amazing is that his talk could very easily be the shortage of pastors and access to churches in those same areas – there’s already a shortage and we’re in the midst of a slew of retirements. I imagine this same challenge isn’t just in health care or religion, but in other areas as well.

The innovation he talked about for health care got me thinking. He labeled it the tailgate model. There are three parts. There’s the hub. This is head quarters of sorts. It’s brick and mortar. It’s the location people know to go to in order to receive medical services. This could be a clinic that people know about. It’s well stocked with supplies and staff.

From the hub comes spokes or bases. These are mobile units that are connected to the hubs, but head out to set up outposts where there are smaller communities with limited access to care. Sometimes it’s because of distance and transportation challenges. People know to find these bases in specific locations. These could as simple as barber shops in urban settings for example. There are limited supplies and staff, but still a presence. The supplies are more targeted to the needs around the base.

From the bases, there is a platoon. These are medical professionals who head out from the bases and work on foot reaching people where they are. They go to people who can’t get out. These are staff who are only carrying a bag of supplies with absolute necessities, since they have to carry them. And they are often working on foot.

I found this model to be fascinating. And it made so much sense. And I think there’s a model for churches to think about and try as well.

The hub is like a brick and mortar church. People know what it is. It’s well staffed and supplied. The church has this down. But the real opportunity lies in the base and platoon aspects.

Can you imagine a church sending out the equivalent of mobile units to various community locations – targeted locations. They would be intentional about who went and what they were focused on doing in the locations. They aren’t doing the work on their own, but rather are connected to the hub. There could be multiple bases connected to a hub – all intentionally focused on a specific mission/project/location.

And from the base, there could be platoons who go out to people who are limited in their mobility. These are people who aren’t carrying much. They have a singular focus. They aren’t doing it on their own. Rather, they are connected to the base, along with any other platoons out doing the work.

So what might this look like in a practical example? Imagine a church (hub) who feels they are called to feed people. Feeding people isn’t just about the physical sense of food. People need to be fed in other ways too – spiritual, community, and more. They could either partner with a food pantry or host a food pantry in their location. People know to come to the location on specific days. Because they do this, they can partner with other organizations to provide additional services for their guests. And because they are a church, they can do more than just feed people’s stomachs – they can feed their souls too. Maybe they offer a worship opportunity around the time of food distribution, or give an opportunity for people to pray with volunteers, or host a bible study, etc.

And they recognize that they aren’t getting to everyone. So they decide to take up the tailgate model. From the hub, they set up mobile bases. Maybe these are temporary food distribution points around the region – a library, a school, a barber shop, etc. There are more limited options of what is available and fewer people to help, but still plenty of opportunity for conversation and building relationships. The teams working the hubs have contact information for other services to connect people with. In addition, they can bring whatever spiritual healing the community has need of – maybe it’s dinner church, or prayer time, or Bible study.

But there are still people who aren’t being reached. That’s what you get to the platoon – people connected to the base who go out from the mobile unit to people in their homes. These platoons are literally carrying good news with them to people who are not capable of better mobility. They only bring what they can carry with them. It’s not as much, but they also bring love, care, empathy, concern, and more. They focus on seeing the individual person and spending time with them, building relationship with them. Maybe there is time for prayer, discussion over a meal, specific help with something. Maybe they cook together and share the meal they just made. These are the people who metaphorically get their hands dirty with direct action. And they report back to the base with who they are visiting and what the needs and joys are. And those bases report back to the hub with the same information.

None of this is exactly new. But the church hasn’t always been intentional with how to goes out either though. The tailgate model is just that – a model. We are well past the age in which there is “one” model for the church. It’s a model worth considering.

What would this model look like in your context?