Holism [f. Gr. whole + -ISM] —
A term coined by Gen. J. C. Smuts (1870–1950) to designate the tendency in nature to produce wholes (i.e., bodies or organisms) from the ordered grouping of unit structures. So holist. Cf. HOLISTIC a.

Holistic
a. Of or pertaining to holism; characterized by the tendency to perceive or produce wholes. Cf. HOLISM. (Oxford English Dictionary)

Churches practicing holistic ministry may be found anywhere. In decades-old edifices in the middle of city blocks or anchoring corners in urban centers; in modest brick buildings in suburban neighborhoods and strip malls; and in prefabricated structures dotting the rural fields of every state. They comprise congregations of a few tens to a few thousands. They are representative of many denominations. Their worship services range from noisy, energetic, and dynamic to quiet, subdued, and peaceful. Their faith practices are assorted, their creeds diverse, their theologies disparate and distinct. Though very different, they have much in common. The lights of their centers are often on late, people come and go at all hours, and cars frequently dot their parking lots long after most people are at home. Many church congregations are largely inactive during the week, but not those engaged in holistic ministry. Visit any one of their churches on a weekday, and you will hear the quiet hum of purpose: telephones ringing, computer keyboards clicking, and voices in vigorous conversation. People will be moving with purpose up and down the corridors. Open a door and you may find anything from a child daycare center to a job fair in progress to someone being suited with clothes for a job interview. Behind another door may be an AIDS support group, a step program for folks trying to abandon an addiction, or an “English to Speakers of Other Languages” class for immigrants. In another room one may be surprised to find representatives from different traditions—Catholic, Presbyterian, Anglican, Methodist, Baptist—meeting to discuss their joint, ecumenical food-for-the-poor program or night shelter for the homeless; their cooperative effort to help provide transitional housing for immigrant families; their workforce reentry training program; or their combined strategy for promoting local, state, and national political engagement with issues of justice and peace. These are just some of the activities of holistic churches.

The increasingly accepted term for the situation when doing church (following the rituals and traditions) and being church (living as a community of faith, practicing acts of love, tolerance, mercy, forgiveness, healing, and grace, etc.) leads to a functionality that transcends both is holism. A holistic ministry church is not one that feels limited to the care and welfare of its members and friends alone, but one that responds, as best it can, to the needs of the wider community—primarily, its local community. The congregation of a holistic ministry church takes literally the call to “go into all the world,” and interprets “preaching” the gospel as living the gospel, literally being the good news to those in need. As a result, holistic congregations are deeply involved in their communities, especially among those marginalized by society—the poor, the hungry, the homeless, those subject to injustices, and those slave to addiction, for example. Sometimes holistic churches work alone, sometimes in ecumenical relationships. All are united in purpose—and that purpose is to be a foreshadowing of the kingdom of God by living the gospel in their community.

Holistic ministry, a concept increasingly embraced by congregations, is not an entirely new idea. Once upon a time, the majority of American churches fondly embraced and practiced local mission, but as the dynamos of trade, industry, and commerce made increasing demands for the time of Christian citizenry, mission work both local and distant became increasingly accomplished secondhand through individuals and organizations supported by the financial donations of congregations. More recently, however, there has been a progressive realization by individuals within the church that being Christian means a return to personal involvement in the work of ministry and further that such involvement brings with it a deep sense of spiritual fulfillment. As a result, many in church leadership are being pressured by their constituents to develop community ministries, and many churches are seeking guidance as to how to successfully engage in holistic ministry. As a result they—and their congregations—have questions: What is the nature of contemporary society, and why is it not as “religious” as it used to be? What do people mean when they say they are “spiritual” but not “religious”? How can a congregation best connect with the youth of today? How does a congregation begin holistic ministry? What opportunities does it provide? What makes holistic ministry congregations “tick”? How do congregations survive the rigors of constantly being “in mission”? What is the best way to identify a pressing community ministry? How does a church get its members involved? What are the limits of holistic ministry for a given congregation? Of all the texts that contain strategies for church growth and community engagement, which one is most likely to result in the best outcome—for the church and for the community?

I set out to discover answers to these and many similar questions in undertaking a study among a group of churches in Atlanta, Georgia. The study itself is described in chapter 7: the results—distilled from the dissertation resulting from the study—are presented in chapter 10 as ideas, suggestions, and cautions to church leaders and congregations seeking advice on truly becoming salt to their communities and light to the world.1