Three Key "I's": Inform, Inspire, Instill

     A few weeks ago, at the Christian Community Development Association conference in Indianapolis, I heard a school district administrator from an urban district talking about how his district evaluates potential community partnerships. He said that they look at three I's: inform, inspire, instill. Essentially each one of these words is the basis for a question:

• How will this relationship inform what the schools do?
• How will this relationship inspire students to achieve and excel?
• What will this partnership instill in our schools and children?

     I thought that these were excellent questions for a school district to be asking about potential community partnerships whether they be with businesses, churches or other non-profit organizations, other governmental entities, or colleges and universities. I think that these questions are also relevant for churches when asked in reverse:

• How will our relationship with the schools inform what we do as a church?
• How will this relationship inspire our church members to serve the community?
• What will this partnership instill in our congregation? (i.e., How will it shape us?)

     The bottom line is that I think this is a great framework for churches to use to look at what they expect to give and receive by connecting with a local school. A genuine friendship always changes both parties involved. When a church chooses to engage with a school, it will have an impact on the school. Therefore this school administrator is very wise in creating a framework for thinking about the potential positive impact. It is wise for a church to consider what it can offer a school in the way of informing, inspiring, and instilling. Then the church can highlight those benefits when talking with administrators who are less-than-open-minded about church-state issues. And it is also a good idea to realize that a partnership will affect the church and to consider how this will be true.