STEP: Home Repair Assistance - A Guide to Strengthening Communities One Home at a Time
Written for Pastors as one booklet in a series of community initiatives
A Guide to Strengthening Communities One Home at a Time by Dr. Honeycutt offers a practical and deeply relational approach for launching a volunteer-powered ministry that repairs homes and restores hope. Built on the proven STEP framework, this guide walks pastors and local leaders through every phase of turning willing hearts into working hands.
The STEP framework-Spark Curiosity, Tailor the Approach, Emphasize Trust, and Pursue Impact-guides the process from initial vision to a sustainable ministry rooted in collaboration, compassion, and clarity. Each of the 12 steps within the phases helps foster trust, set expectations, and build a ministry that reflects the unique needs and gifts of the congregation.
But this isn't just a handyman program.
Home Repair Assistance initiatives are quiet acts of love-focused, relational, and dignified. Teams might replace a door, fix a railing, or patch a leaking roof, but every task becomes a spiritual bridge when done with care and prayer. This ministry offers neighbors practical support and visible compassion while deepening the church's mission to serve without fanfare or strings attached.
The guide includes optional safety protocols, facilitation tools, and real-life planning prompts that can scale to fit your church's size and skill level-from a casual Saturday crew to a well-coordinated multi-team effort. The tone is always invitational, not prescriptive, with a structure that's trustworthy but flexible.
You'll also find powerful tools to help your team grow spiritually as they serve-modeling vulnerability, sharing responsibility, and celebrating not only what's done, but who they're becoming together. Whether you're starting from scratch or expanding an existing outreach, this booklet equips you to lead with grace and finish with strength.
Proverbs 24:3 (NIV) says,
"By wisdom a house is built, and through understanding it is established."
This scripture captures the heart of Home Repair Assistance-offering more than repairs. It builds understanding, stability, and the kind of community where Christ's love is visible through every nail, prayer, and handshake.