A New Chapter for the Social Ministry Workshop

Головна Блог A New Chapter for the Social Ministry Workshop

We are delighted to share an important milestone in the development of our Social Ministry Workshop program. This year, we launched the tenth cohort of the program—yet for the first time, the training took place not in Kyiv, but in the city of Dnipro.

For many years, most of our trainings in social initiative development were held on the UETS campus in Kyiv. Teams from various regions would travel to us, learn together, and design projects tailored to their communities. Over time, this approach has contributed to the birth or growth of around sixty social ministries across Ukraine—initiatives that respond to real needs with compassion, creativity, and Christian service.

But we began to ask a new question:

What if we brought the entire workshop to one specific city and trained the churches there together?

And this year, it finally happened.

Eight teams from different churches and ministries across Dnipro gathered simultaneously to learn, dream, and develop social projects for their city. This local format offers a unique dynamic: not only does each team strengthen its own ministry, but they also have the opportunity to build partnerships, share resources, and foster long-term cooperation across church communities. We look forward with great anticipation to seeing how this concentrated learning environment will influence the development of social initiatives within Dnipro in the coming months.

Participating Churches and Ministries

The following churches and ministries took part in the workshop:

A children’s day center — Dnipro Christian Church
A youth space for teenagers — Aliya Messianic Congregation
An educational space for teens — Way Home Church
Youth ministry — Lion of Judah Church
Children’s ministry — God’s Ark Church
Youth theater — Source of Life Church
A children’s day center — Light Church
A warming center for people in crisis — Light Church
A rehabilitation and recovery center for veterans — Father’s House Church

What Teams Worked On

During the first training module, the teams:

analyzed the social context of their city;
identified the needs of their target audience;
formed the mission, vision, and core values of their ministries;
outlined the structure and logic of their social projects.

This collaborative learning became possible thanks to the support and coordination of the Dnipro Pastors’ Council, which for many years has united churches, leaders, and ministries to serve the city together.

Looking Ahead

We are grateful for the opportunity to equip church leaders with the knowledge and practical skills they need to develop strong, sustainable social ministries in their cities and districts.