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Phil Miglioratti interviewed Stan Dobbs of
Apartment Life
Phil ~ Give us a quick background to what gave
birth to the Apartment Life ministry.
Stan ~ I worked in the computer industry for many years before sensing a call to
full-time ministry. During seminary I got exposed to the idea of apartment
ministry while on staff at First Baptist Church in Euless (D/FW area) and
immediately fell in love with it. For city-reachers apartments are absolutely
strategic. While about half the population of our major cities live in
apartments - less than 5% are connected to a church (compared to 35% of
homeowners). What was most interesting was that the apartment industry
desperately needed help with the human side of their business. Most apartment
owners do a good job operating the apartments but have difficulty with meeting
the deeper needs of residents. Hence the average resident turnover in the
industry is about 75%. We saw an amazing opportunity to meet a business need and
at the same time position Christians in apartment communities to minister to
residents, share the gospel and connect residents to the church.
Phil ~ What is the mission of Apartment Life?
Stan ~ Our vision is Christian Outreach for Every Apartment Community. We
empower local churches to more effectively reach their surrounding apartment
communities.
Phil ~ God has given you a unique strategy -
Tell us how it works?
Stan ~ Apartment Life partners with apartment owners and local churches to place
Christian teams (married couple/family or two single adults) into apartment
communities to help owners create a sense of community and care for residents.
These "CARES Teams" receive a rent-free apartment and do things that flow
naturally out of the Christian life - welcoming new residents, planning social
events, and caring for residents and staff. CARES Teams become the hub of
community life, and these relationships form the foundation for sharing the
gospel and connecting residents to church.
After seven years of growth, documented spiritual results, mature church and
apartment industry partnerships, and a proven financial model, God has
positioned Apartment Life to help churches and city-reachers penetrate the vast
apartment communities across the country with the gospel. Over 60,000 people
have been impacted for Christ to date - and Apartment Life is just scratching
the surface of the spiritual potential!
Phil ~ How can a city movement, such as Loving
Our Communities to Christ, employ the Apartment Life strategy?
Stan ~ Apartment Life is actively seeking partnership opportunities to expand
into new cities. Using a type of "franchise" model, a city movement could adopt
Apartment Life as one of their foundational strategies. Because Apartment Life
has an integrated business model which covers our costs, the main local
investment required is to supply leadership.
Phil ~ Talk about:
Stan ~
- The role of Prayer Apartment Life ministry ... Each CARES team enlists
at least 10 prayer partners who commit to pray regularly for them and their
community. Each month these prayer partners get specific prayer request
reports from the CARES team. We set aside one Friday morning each month for
ministry-wide prayer to cover our staff, CARES teams and the residents we
serve.
- The opportunities to Care and Share ... The power of the ministry is
that CARES teams are privileged to be at the center of community life. They
are the first to welcome newcomers, plan all social events, and provide
support in time of need. The opportunities to care and share flow naturally
yet intentionally out of their life in community. CARES teams submit
spiritual reports each month that highlight spiritual victories.
- Church Planting? The CARES Program is totally synergistic with church
planting and we have had many planters serve as CARES Teams. CARES provides
church planters with two distinct benefits: 1) a platform to organically and
quickly develop a large number of new relationships in the community and 2)
rent-free housing. Several planters have commented that they have been able
to quickly develop relationships with a large number of unchurched neighbors
by serving in CARES.
- Cost to the local leadership team Each city supplies their own
leadership which would be their main investment in launching Apartment Life.
Each apartment community and CARES Team pay Apartment Life a monthly fee
which cover our costs.
Phil ~ How can an LC2City explore a partnership
with Apartment Life?
Stan ~ We are excited about the potential to partner with LC2C city reaching
movements to accelerate their efforts using the Apartment Life model. Anyone
interested in discussing a partnership can email Kiley Haught at
kileyhaught@apartmentlife.org
or call 877.785.2963
Phil ~ Stan, please write a prayer for the
people in apartment communities across our nation - one we will pray along with
you ...
Stan ~ Lord would you continue to grant us wisdom and favor as we seek to be
faithful to your call to empower the Church to reach apartment communities with
the gospel. Protect us from sin that can distract and from the good that may
keep us from the best. Give us your eyes and heart to how best to partner with
your Body to be more effective in unity.