NBA Board Affirms New Ministries of Compassion and Care

by NBA Cares

St. Louis, MO: February 11, 2013 – The Board of Trustees of the National Benevolent Association (NBA) of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) affirmed strategic plans for the creation and development of new NBA ministry programs. The Board met January 31 to February 2, 2013, in Jacksonville, Florida.

“For the past two years, the staff and board of the NBA have been engaging in dialogue with many Disciples across the life of the church. From these conversations, several key points became clear. Disciples need and want a general ministry committed to health, wellness, and addressing the social needs of our Disciples communities. These specific ministry areas make sense for the NBA focus, given our history and desire to honor the NBA legacy. It is through collaborative partnerships with Disciples that we seek to live into our new vision,” said Chair of the Board of Trustees, Rev. Belva Brown Jordan.

Over the next three years, the NBA will work to nurture and develop ministry programs centered on three missional areas–supporting collaborative partnerships between Disciples- related providers of service and care; partnering with a wide variety of Disciples to inspire and connect food and hunger related ministries; nurturing spiritual care and wellness in communities of need. These missional areas are grounded in the NBA mission statement:

Following God’s call, the National Benevolent Association exists to inspire and connect the people and ministries of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ), to accompany one another in the creation of communities of compassion and care and to advocate for the well-being of humanity.

“As NBA moves to focus on these missional areas, we do so with a new organizational model. NBA no longer owns buildings and manages care services. Rather, NBA is about partnering and supporting Disciples as they seek to compassionately care for diverse communities–children and families, older adults, people with disabilities, veterans and their families, the incarcerated, the hungry, those impoverished and with limited voice and visibility ,” reflects David Lundeen, NBA Vice President of Mission and Ministry.

“Indeed, the ministries of the NBA today are deeply rooted in relational partnerships, where we can support and strengthen the outreach and care already happening across the life of the Disciples church,” comments Rev. Rebecca Hale, NBA Vice President of Mission and Ministry.

In addition to affirming missional areas for future NBA ministry programs, the Board voted to approve a strategic plan for the NBA that included key strategies for program development and the evaluation and improvement of organizational operations. NBA will feature and highlight these emerging collaborative ministries and missional areas at the General Assembly of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) in Orlando, Florida (July 13 through July 17, 2013).

The NBA Board of Trustees also met with and shared a meal with members of the board of directors for Florida Christian Center and the board of directors for Florida Christian Apartments and Sundale Manor Apartments, both are older- adult, affordable housing communities in the historic Murray Hill neighborhood of Jacksonville, Florida.