Creating Collective Impact Beyond the Classroom Through the Social Change Model

In every classroom, there is a leader: the teacher. What does it mean to be a Christian leader in the classroom? Throughout Jesus’ ministry, He demonstrated a genuine servanthood approach toward humanity, especially people who were marginalized, disadvantaged, and disenfranchised from society: the poor, the sick, the unclean—all those considered outcasts or regarded as sinful by people who felt they were better than others. Jesus’ transformative leadership expanded the kingdom of God to places, people, and cultures that some had never considered God to be interested in.

This is the reason why ministry begins with who—the God who loves us and those whom God brings to our classrooms that we are supposed to love.¹ Community outreach ministry is not about what and how; it is about seeking God’s kingdom and righteousness first (Matthew 6:33). Therefore, the fundamental question is this: Are we the people God calls us to be? Are we faithful expressions of the kingdom of God in our homes, neighborhoods, schools, churches, communities, and the world—tangible, recognizable, and visible?

Community outreach ministry is not about building bigger churches or educational institutions; instead, it is about being in communion with God and one another, as God intended. As we fulfill God’s missional engagement intentionally and sustainably, the church’s growth through all of its auxiliary entities will be the byproduct of being faithful to God’s calling—a sign of faithful expression of the kingdom of God. As Ellen White wrote:

“Christ’s method alone will give true success in reaching the people. The Saviour mingled with men as one who desired their good. He showed His sympathy for them, ministered to their needs, and won their confidence. Then He bade them, ‘Follow Me.’” ²

As we follow God’s inspiration and instruction—to minister to people’s physical, mental, social, and spiritual needs—the good news of salvation and the love of God will be shared through life-on-life evangelism and service. For the Christian educator, this is even more so. The development of the whole being equips the student to live in this world and for eternity: “True education means more than pursuing a certain course of study. It has to do with the whole person, and with the whole period of existence possible to human beings. It is the harmonious development of the physical, the mental, and the spiritual powers.” ³ God requires a total life commitment from those who would be His followers. Christians cannot divorce the teachings of Jesus from the method of Jesus and yet expect the results He achieved.

Creating Collective Impact Through Wholistic Community Engagement

Committed disciples can exemplify the principles of servant leadership through social innovation, effectively breaking down barriers that may exist between the church, school, and local communities. Christian social innovators who order their lives around missionary purpose and who believe they are responsible for fulfilling the Great Commission must measure their effectiveness and the collective impact of their ministry beyond the walls of their church or educational institution by asking the following questions:

• How is our dependability—are we doing what we say we will do?
• How is our timeliness—are we doing it when we say we will do it, or at the appropriate time for the most effective results?
• How is our empathy—are we helping with careful attention to the needs of the community? Are we providing opportunities for input into what is needed?
• What is our tangible evidence—are we doing our services in ways that offer the communities opportunities to verify or respond to whether their needs have been met?⁴

Dependability, timeliness, empathy, and tangible evidence are essential to creating a collective impact. John Kania and Mark Kramer define collective impact through a five-condition framework, which, when implemented, can help solve the most complex issues facing communities and organizations. Together, these conditions produce true alignment and lead to powerful results (see Box 1).

Having a common agenda, data that are measured consistently and then shared, mutual activities, continuous communication, and strong stakeholder support are critical elements. This is especially so when we incorporate a wholistic community engagement strategy that utilizes the resources in the community, church, and school. And, together, work toward active, engaged partnerships.

One example of this is the South Side Health and Vitality Studies (SSHVS)⁵ conducted by the research and evaluation arm of the University of Chicago Urban Health Initiative. SSHVS developed a model to (1) identify community priorities, (2) track community assets, (3) leverage community assets, (4) conduct research using both formative and summative evaluation, and (5) use that information to generate new knowledge that can be used to reset priorities.

Rather than focus on the challenges facing complex urban communities, such as the high cost of living, corruption in government, gang activities, illegal drugs, poor public education, homelessness, and so on, these frameworks and models help organizations and institutions focus on community assets by asking: What are the biggest assets in our community? What are the most important needs in our community? What are some of the important needs that have not been met? Who are the other social innovators in our community that we should partner with? These questions are also appropriate when working in under-resourced rural communities, where there are increasingly high rates of opioid and marijuana production and drug use, aging infrastructure, poor education facilities, and limited access to healthcare.⁶

By adopting the asset-based community engagement strategy and collective impact framework, churches, schools, and community organizations can involve community members as vital participants in the community outreach engagement strategy. We must change the questions. When we change them, we will change our way of thinking, which will change the course of our methods—our way of working. And then we will have better results—better at being human, better reflections of God’s love. And, as individuals, as disciples of Christ, and collectively as a community of believers, better at developing and engaging with God’s missional purpose.

Instead of asking, “How do we attract people to what we are doing?” we should ask, “What is God up to right now, right here, in our neighborhood?” Instead of “How do we develop church members?” we should ask “How do we develop followers of Jesus?” “What are the ways we need to change in order to engage the people in our community who no longer consider church or God a part of their lives?” It is surprising how difficult these questions are for many faith-based organizations to answer. But if creating social healing is important for us, it is essential to envision and describe exactly what changes we seek.⁷

• What will we invest?
• What problem will we address?
• What steps will we take?
• How will we measure success?
• How can we increase the impact of our projects?

Christ’s earthly work was a commitment to the community, a matter of building relationships. We must establish a faithful presence of God in our communities until Christ returns, which requires that we revisit and accept the potential need to reframe the purpose of our existence by asking the following questions:

• Why are we here?
• What is our institution’s reason for existing?
• What does success mean to us?
• What would it take for us to be able to say, “Because of our investments, the world is a better place”?

Wholistic Classroom Engagement Through Service Learning

An example of creating collective impact through wholistic community engagement in and beyond the classroom is service learning. Tania Mitchell presents four levels of engagement⁸: (1) service: the act of helping without expectation of something in return; (2) learning: the acquisition of knowledge; (3) service-learning: combining an act of service with learning, and (4) critical service learning: using the information learned to bring about change within the community.

• Service is cleaning up a riverbank by picking up trash.
• Learning is sitting in a science classroom looking through a microscope at water samples the students collected from the riverbank that they cleaned.
• Service learning is students taking samples from local water sources, analyzing the samples, documenting the results, and presenting the scientific information to a local pollution-control agency.
• Critical service learning is science students creating public-service announcements to raise awareness of the human impact on water quality in order to change community attitudes and behaviors.

Mitchell believes that critical service learning is a distinct subset of service learning. It is a fourth dimension that includes activism, where the institutions become the voice for the voiceless. It examines the issues of power, privilege, and oppression. It questions the hidden biases and assumptions of race, class, and gender. It works to change the social and economic system to achieve equity and justice. It requires that the church and school become defenders of people who cannot defend themselves.

The Social Change Model (SCM)

The Social Change Model (SCM) of leadership development is the most applied leadership theory in collegiate leadership development programs.⁹ The SCM approaches leadership as “a purposeful, collaborative, values-based process that results in positive social change.”¹⁰ It is the critical discipleship-development model needed for churches and educational institutions to be deliberately developmental organizations. ¹¹ Teachers, as leaders within the classroom and community, have a critical role to play. The SCM model has seven distinctive elements referred to as the five C’s: consciousness of self, congruence, commitment, collaboration, common purpose, controversy with civility, and citizenship (see Box 2). Together, these seven elements drive change. Judson University professor Keith Krispin Jr. asserts, “Though this model does not emerge from a Christian setting, the focus on values, collaboration, common purpose, and citizenship certainly resonate with biblical understandings of Christian community.”¹² The model was built upon the following assumptions. Christian leadership is:

• socially responsible; it impacts change on behalf of others.
• collaborative.
• a process, not a position.
• inclusive and accessible to all people.
• values-based.
• involved in the community and engaged in service.¹³

Change, then, is the ability to adapt to constantly evolving environments and situations while maintaining the core functions of the group; it is the value “hub” that gives meaning to the seven C’s and is the goal of the creative process of leadership—to make a better world and better society for oneself and others. And this process is for everyone. According to Astin and Astin:

“[A leader is] one who is able to effect positive change for the betterment of others, the community, and society. All people, in other words, are potential leaders. Moreover, the process of leadership cannot be described simply in terms of the behavior of an individual; rather, leadership involves collaborative relationships that lead to collective action grounded in the shared values of people who work together to effect positive change.” ¹⁴

This model is an essential component of personal development in both leader development and leadership development. The term “leader development” is directed toward individuals and seeks to expand their capacity to be effective in leadership roles and processes.¹⁵ The term “leadership development” is “the expansion of the organization’s capacity to enact the basic leadership tasks needed for collective work.”¹⁶

Leader development is directed toward cultivating the character traits of integrity, determination, transparency, passion, and humility in an individual. Leadership development expands a leader’s organizational and managerial ability to establish direction, motivate and inspire people, plan, solve problems, budget, organize, etc. Within the Seventh-day Adventist Church and Adventist education, we must invest in both leader development and leadership development.

When we develop the first three C’s—consciousness of self, congruence, and commitment—we enhance leader development, which expands an individual’s capacity to develop the characteristics of a leader. The next three C’s—collaboration, common purpose, and controversy with civility— enhance leadership development and expand organizational capacity. This allows the individual to become more influential within an organization (such as a church or educational institution) and globally, as a citizen of the world.

The SCM is also connected to the four elements of critical consciousness development, presented by Susan Cipolle¹⁷: self-awareness, awareness of others, awareness of social issues, and the ethics of service.

1. Self-awareness involves developing a deeper understanding of self. It means clearly understanding one’s level of privilege, his or her values, role in society, and responsibility to others.

2. Awareness of others involves developing a broader perspective of others. Within an educational context, it means that carefully, intentionally guided classroom experiences offer opportunities to collaborate with a variety of groups from different backgrounds in the community. Students move out of their comfort zones and become aware of injustice and inequity. Instead of conducting inwardly focused events, they begin to explore the opportunities to serve outside the walls of the institution. As they interact with community members, they begin to hear personal stories and community challenges. Ideally, through these interactions, they begin to see community members as people, precious souls belonging to God, instead of projects or statistics. Becoming more aware of others will allow them to break down walls and become less judgmental and more compassionate toward others.

3. Awareness of social issues involves developing a broader perspective of social issues. As educators intentionally create opportunities for students to learn about social, economic, and political issues, they will collectively begin to engage in solution-focused constructive services and community engagements.

4. Ethics of service involves developing an awareness of one’s potential to make a change. This is the essence of discipleship, wherein disciples attract other disciples through positive service experiences, engaging their feelings of competency and efficacy as difference-makers. Students who have developed a clear sense of their values are more likely to live in accordance with their beliefs as disciples.

Research shows that academic and civic engagement increases when students take leadership in planning and directing service-learning experiences.¹⁸ In addition, when students are given opportunities to voice their opinions and make presentations, their public speaking and leadership skills improve as they begin to see their role as change agents. ¹⁹ During such experiences, teachers should consider using directives when they need to provide specific directions, offer emotional support, and engage in participative decision-making as consultants within the team.

For example, classroom experiences might include volunteering at a homeless shelter. To implement the critical consciousness of SCM, Susan Cipolle²⁰ suggests the following questions be discussed as students participate in this experience:

• Knowledge: What were your first impressions of the shelter?
• Comprehension: How was this shelter similar to or different from what you expected?
• Analysis: What parts of the experience have been the most challenging to you?
• Synthesis: What have you personally learned about yourself from this service?
• Evaluation: What ideas do you have to help the situation of homelessness?

Why is all this necessary? Because the missional movement is about deliberately becoming developmental organizations—developing and equipping disciples who will make disciples of others.

Creating collective impact opportunities using the social change model allows students to develop several types of critical leadership skills. Robert Katz²¹ identifies three categories of the taxonomy of skills that all participants of a deliberately developmental institution must understand and develop: technical, interpersonal, and conceptual skills:

• Technical skills: Know the methods, processes, procedures, and techniques for conducting a specialized activity, and possess the ability to use tools and equipment relevant to that activity. This also includes having the ability to accomplish tasks, utilize resources effectively, and maintain orderly and reliable operational processes. The leader should know as much about the technical aspects of his or her responsibilities as possible. Perhaps the most important aspects of technical leadership skills are making decisions and managing information. A good knowledge base about your organization’s aspects is necessary to assess each situation and help guide your team to the best outcomes.
• Interpersonal skills: Understand human behavior and how people interact on an interpersonal level, and develop an awareness of the feelings, attitudes, and motives of others from what they say and do. Communicate clearly and effectively and establish effective and cooperative relationships. Interpersonal skills help students develop positive relationships as they learn to lead. This includes improving relationships between themselves and their service-experience supervisors and other volunteers. Relationship skills are critical to the success of organizational growth. It is important to understand how and why people behave the way they do—and then implement positive motivational methods to guide them in achieving the mission.
• Conceptual skills: Develop analytical skills in order to think logically, formulate concepts, and connect ideas and concepts. Leaders should consistently think of themselves as teaching leaders, which means they must also be learning leaders. This includes cultivating the ability to generate creative ideas and solutions for problems. In addition, conceptual leadership includes the ability to analyze programs, predict problems, identify changes that may be necessary, and recognize opportunities.

The church and educational institutions must become developmental organizations that equip and educate disciples through intentional, provisional, and sustainable discipleship and personal development. To do this, they must create a culture and environment where individuals can learn to improve their self-efficacy as difference-makers for the kingdom of God. When the church and its institutions collaboratively engage with community members in meaningful critical consciousness service learning and social change, we can connect people socially and spiritually inside and outside our ecclesiastical and academic organizations.

Conclusion: Intentional Change

Christian transformational leadership development through the social-change model is about equipping and developing disciples for the kingdom of God. Its development must be intentional and sustainable.

The social-change model approaches leadership-followership development as a “purposeful, collaborative, values-based process that results in positive social change”²² and emphasizes two core principles of transformation leadership development. First, leadership is inherently tied to social responsibility and manifested in creating change for the common good. Second, the model is predicated on increasing individuals’ levels of self-knowledge and capacity (leader development) to work collaboratively with others (leadership development). Third, leader and leadership development recognize the essential value of followership and empower and equip followers, those who support the leader's work through collaboration and engaged support.

The church and its educational institutions must become consciously deliberate about equipping and educating disciples by providing intentional and sustain­able personal development. We need to create a culture and environment in which individuals learn to improve their self-efficacy as difference-makers for the kingdom of God. This can be done through meaningful service learning and engagement in social change experiences such as volunteering, environmental care, and work with refugees and development agencies. Active learning experiences in the classroom can help students make meaningful connections between service and learning through experiences such as intentional reflection activities, debriefing discussions, and active feedback.

Transformational Christian leadership development through the social change model should be about first seeking God’s kingdom and righteousness (Matthew 6:33). Therefore, once again, the fundamental question is: Are we the people God calls us to be? Are we faithful, tangible, recognizable, and visible expressions of the kingdom of God in our homes, neighborhoods, schools, communities, and the world? Ultimately, ministry begins not with what or how but with who—the God who loves us and those whom He sends us to love.

This article has been peer reviewed.

Sung K. Kwon

Sung K. Kwon, PhD, DMin, is an Associate Professor of Leadership and Director of the MA Leadership in Social Innovation concentration in the School of Leadership at Andrews University (Berrien Springs, Michigan, U.S.A.). An ordained minister of the Seventh-day Adventist Church, he served as the Executive Director of Adventist Community Services (ACS) at the North American Division in Columbia, Maryland, U.S.A. for more than 20 years, Executive Director of the Good Neighbor House (Dayton, Ohio, U.S.A.), and Vice President and President of the North American Association of Community Services Directors (NAACSD). Dr. Kwon holds a BA in Theology from Washington Adventist University (Takoma Park, Maryland), a Master’s degree in Public Administration from Wright State University (Dayton, Ohio), a PhD in Leadership from the School of Leadership at Andrews University, a DMin in Urban Ministry from the Seventh-day Adventist Theological Seminary at Andrews University, and was awarded a Milton Murray Foundation Fellowship for Harvard Business School Executive Education. He serves as a Chaplain (Major) and National Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) Council Member for the Civil Air Patrol, U.S. Air Force Auxiliary. Dr. Kwon's book, Burst the Bubble: Finding Your Passion for Community Outreach, published by Pacific Press, is a compelling read that delves into the importance of community service and engagement.