Master of Transformational Development
Community Development
Although this semester is the final chapter in my academic ‘Master of Transformational Development’ journey at Eastern College Australia, it marks a transition in the unfolding journey of personal and professional transformation that will continue long after graduation. In continuity with Romans 12:1-2, throughout this journey I have quite literally been “transformed by the renewing of [my] mind,” spiritually, culturally, and intellectually, which has affirmed “God’s good, pleasing and perfect will” through my calling as a Salvation Army Officer to serve in a cross-cultural context and awakened within me a deeper self-awareness and sense of God’s providence in this space. The application of this transformative journey to my mission and ministry over the past three years cannot be overstated, as it has contributed significantly to the growth and development of The Salvation Army in the Solomon Islands.
As I embark on my research paper for this final subject – ‘Community Development’ – I am aware that development is also an ongoing process of transformation towards a preferred or desired state of well-being. Unfortunately, in much of the western world, a state of well-being has become defined by the pursuit of more at the detriment of the symbiotic relationships that sustain us. In contrast, the process of framing my research topic within a Melanesian understanding of ‘shalom’ has revealed that community well-being in a Pacific context has more to do with maintaining right relationships than accumulating wealth or establishing programs and projects. The richness of the term ‘shalom’ is captured well by the Melanesian terms ‘gutpela sindaun’ (PNG) and ‘stap gud’ (SI), describing fullness of life, no conflict or division, peaceful existence, love and joy in community (community well-being), holistic well-being. It is noteworthy, the lack of material wealth or modernisation expressed by these definitions. It is going to be a fascinating journey of discovery to explore how these cultural definitions influence village aspirations for development at a grassroots level and how this compares or contrasts with national and foreign development agendas.
It is the relational dimension of well-being that has spoken into my journey of personal transformation throughout this course of study while leading the growth and development of The Salvation Army in the Solomon Islands. Reflecting back on an Executive Leadership Development Program I completed a number of years ago, I recall an assessment of leadership blind spots, identifying that the gap between my stimulus and response to be very quick, which can be a real asset leading in a crisis. However, it can be somewhat of a barrier in facilitating local participation and teamwork in any leadership or community development context, which requires much more attention to the process than results. Process is the space where relationships are nurtured or neglected! It doesn’t matter how much material benefit community development promises if it doesn’t nurture holistic relationships within and between communities, with the environment and with the Creator. As a product of a results-driven culture, with a task-oriented personality and a default disposition towards problem solving, lingering too long in the messiness of process is not my natural or preferred leadership habitat. However, I find myself as an unwitting actor in some divine comedy frequently dwelling in this space in my current vocational context. And when that space creates what I consider to be unnecessary drama, I also find myself trying to change the script. Yet, it is in the state of process that a mutual transformation is actually taking place. With a growing self-awareness and appreciation for the value of process, along with the intrinsic and inviolable nature of relationships for human flourishing and community development, I am becoming a much more willing actor in the ‘dramedy’. Though, I must confess that this is very much a work in progress!
It is no mistake, then, that Asset-Based Community Development (ABCD) “stresses a ‘relationship driven’ strategy that works on building and rebuilding relationships within and among community groups” (Kretzmann & McKnight, 1993). This strategy is foundational to my research methodology and is reshaping the way I evaluate and manage existing mission development projects initiated by The Salvation Army. I am looking forward to how the results of my research will inform the process of future community engagement in villages where we are nurturing mission and ministry partnerships.
“In all my prayers for all of you, I always pray with joy because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now, being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.” (Philippians 1:4-6)
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