Who are you?  Small town? Conservative area? Small MCC? Well, know this...small can be powerful!

Who are you?  Mid-size MCC? Moderate, mainstream city? You can do great things!

You have gathered together and prayed about what your MCC needs to be doing - you have asked all the questions! You've chosen a project, and you now know exactly what you want to do and why you need to do it. so...

2. Formulate a rationale clearly stating the reasons why  we can and must do it.  Your arguments should explain our involvement in terms that resonate with people of faith.  It should also be stated in terms of social justice arguments, basic human decency, the social contract, love of families and children, etc.  This mobilizes and motivates volunteers across a wider spectrum and helps to neutralize nay-sayers and critics.  Be ready to clearly articulate the who, what, when, where and why of your proposed action.

3. Assign oversight of any project or ministry task to someone with personal passion and interest in the project…someone with good organizational skills and a history of follow-through.

4. Ask your Organizer (by whatever title you use for them) to begin recruiting people with a passion for your project (people such as activists, writers, artists, speakers, etc.). Help them to identify and recruit volunteers who have a passion for what you are doing and assign them areas of supervision and/or specific tasks with accountability and deadlines.  You can find them through signups OR by a poll or survey which offers people the opportunity to identify their personal passions and interests and their individual skills and gifts.  Be sure also to offer everybody else a way in which they can participate.

5. Plan a special Worship Service where you will articulate a vision to the congregation of what a powerhouse your MCC can be if you leverage the gifts God has placed among you, and pursue and accomplish this task or project. Introduce the person(s) you have appointed to manage the project. Use this opportunity to identify and recruit additional volunteers if needed.

6.  Don’t restrict your search to MCCers.  Asking for volunteers from every community group is an excellent strategy.  Offer them lots of encouragement and public credit for their involvement, and they will harness the resources and contacts of their organization to help you achieve success.

7.  MCC and the media...a true symbiotic relationship. You need them; They need you!  MCC is not  called to "hide our light under a bushel!"  Find a media hook to hang it on…promote your project in ways that will capture public interest and attract FREE media coverage.  You need an angle to capture the attention of local media.  (NOTE:  “hook” and “angle” are not bad words in this context.)  Brain-storm this with the creative people around you.  Develop a theme for a media hook that emphasizes why MCC is uniquely qualified for this ministry or project.

8. Don’t go it alone!  Leverage your strength by partnering with others. You can increase your effective strength tremendously in any project simply by inviting like-minded people to join you. Identify local companies, organizations, and individuals who might be willing to co-sponsor with you.  ASK them to make commitments to underwrite promotional materials and publicity, and other costs/expenses as needed. Develop and maintain a consistent strategy for relationship-building in your local community. The importance of networking (building and nurturing of community relationships) cannot be overstated; it is vital to success in your church projects, and a key factor in church growth.

9.  If your project has any kind of social service angle (so many projects do), approach local politicians and legislators and ASK them to help you in some way.  Remind them how easy it is for them to at least be supportive of what you are doing; find out if there may be any grant funds or other assistance available. If it feels appropriate, send information to all your community groups and clergy associations, and personally call those you know and ask them for a commitment to help in some way (co-sponsor, attend and/or participate. Sometimes other churches would like to see something done, but they lack the staff or venue, or expertise to do it themselves. Don't be too surprised if they are willing to co-sponsor a given project with you.

Special tip: always be sure to acknowledge participation of other groups, and give them lead roles  in whatever you're doing. Be sure to include this information in all of your media releases.

10. Tell the world about it! You can get a lot of FREE publicity, and better, fuller coverage by local media, if you consider what is attractive to them.  Think about photographers and TV cameras and what kind of pictures they like to capture.  Here are a few ideas (feel free to use these and/or develop more of your own).

11. Be ready to show everybody you contact a specific objective and time frame for what you are planning.  Have a plan for regular ongoing updates on your progress and a follow-up plan for thanking and reporting. Stay in touch with your core volunteers, and keep everybody informed of every small success. (Email is God's gift for this!)

12.  Now that you know what you’re doing and when and where you’re doing it, be constant and consistent about spreading the word...get your story out there!  Remember that everyone you approach for help is a potential town-crier  with a sphere of influence.  ASK them to help you get the word out.  ASK every business and organization you approach to give you space on their Bulletin Board or an announcement in their newsletter or monthly mailing. Use your church's website to explain and promote what you're doing, ASK all the writers, bloggers, people with websites, and assorted other computer mavens (including ChatRoom and Bulletin Board devotees) in your congregation to help you get the word out.  They love to do this!

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God bless your church and your justice-driven ministry to all of God's people!