Strengths- Provides services to those in need
- Helps people cope with their present circumstances
- Good in crisis situations
- Good for building new contacts
- Possibility of working with other agencies where there are common goals
- More scope for overt Christian ethos and values
- Clearly identifies the church or group of churches taking action
| Strengths
- Tackles issues that directly affects people’s lives e.g. social, political, economic.
- Organises local people to tackle the issues together
- Is more responsive to ‘real’ local needs
- Helps people work together for improvement of quality of life in the community.
| Strengths- Draws its agenda from people’s immediate experiences and needs, not from the perception of need by others
- Helps people recognise their own and their communities resources and use them to the common good.
- Enables people to take increased control over their own lives and to participate in the making of decisions which affect them
- Provides possibility of long term change in the community
- Builds long term links and trust with local agencies as people are not just working to their own agenda.
- Can incorporate Community Provision (usually by local people or controlled by them) and Community Campaigning
- Helps by focusing on community relations
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Drawbacks
- Tends to focus on effects rather then the roots causes of the problems
- Can create over dependence on the helper
- Can leave the cause of problems unaffected
| Drawbacks
- Sometimes focussed on tasks to be done and particular issues rather than individual community needs.
- Can be short term e.g. a campaign about a particular issue which brings change to the lives of local people but is not followed up adequately.
- Possible dilution of Christian ethos and values
| Drawbacks- Issues can arise around how much overt Christian influence can be exercised over a project as well as questions of partnership with non Christians.
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