Advancing sustainable solutions to material poverty through church missions.
The North American Church is losing ground in attendance, influence, credibility and virtually every other category that really matters. In this day and age, many see the church as the hope of the world only as it “proves” itself in practical ways that touch the everyday needs of everyday people. But that’s not a cry for more traditional forms of charity or the missionary model of the past 200 years. Instead, thoughtful people, from Millennials to Boomers, are looking for churches that have moved from simply doing good things to solving real problems in lasting ways. Churches that invest in this kind of mission work become more helpful in lifting people out of poverty and better partners to ministries on the frontlines. They also become more relevant and credible to their community, more fulfilling to both pastor and people, and more appealing to those on the margins looking for a reason to attend a church.
Our mission is to help churches reframe their missions and charitable work around sustainable solutions and create room for business-minded people who can help that happen. Our annual SATtalks and other resources highlight some of the most innovative churches and faith-based ministries around the world working to move missions in this direction. We do this because the Church needs the stories of early pioneers and innovators to inspire and help us see what could be!
Tom Bassford, Founder/President | Significant Matters & SATtalks
Prove It! | by Tom Bassford
The church in North America is losing ground in attendance, influence, credibility and virtually every other category that really matters. It’s becoming increasingly apparent that, if the Church really wants to be the hope [...]
$50,000 Gift to Launch the 3.0 Fund!
Investing charitable dollars in for-profit businesses to help the poor. Significant Matters is excited to announce the formation of the 3.0 Fund. Many churches and especially the business-minded people of those churches are coming to see [...]
A Thing To Be Done | by Tom Bassford
“But remember: if prayer be anything at all, it is a thing to be done.” George MacDonald Sooner or later even the most reluctant among us finds a use for prayer. Scrooge found his [...]
Pastors, Between a Rock and a Hard Place | by Tom Bassford
Dear Pastors, in many ways we are genuinely between a rock and a hard place. According to poll after poll the church in America is losing ground in attendance, influence, credibility and virtually every [...]
The Calculus of Compassion – An Overview
A Changing World Learning in every area of life is a building proposition. We build on foundational knowledge and experience an ever deepening and more sophisticated understanding of things, both intellectually and practically. First we [...]
Redemptive Entanglement
Sustainable change through collaboration only happens when both those who help and those who are helped see their work together not so much as a transaction bound by timelines but as a relationship worthy of [...]