Public money is often involved in CED, but not always. Jobs Partnership, begun in Raleigh, NC, and now in 15 or more states, offers a way for Christians to help build productive lives and communities. Men and women who enroll receive 12 weeks of two kinds of training. The first, provided by Christian volunteers, deals with attitudes about life, family, self, and God. The second is more traditional job readiness training conducted at a community college.
Graduation leads to a jobs center which lists openings in companies that believe in the program.
Only jobs paying above minimum wage, with benefits and futures, are accepted. Equipping someone to get and keep a job is an act of justice. Another form of ministry that serves both justice and community development is youth mentoring. This may help a young person stay in school and eventually get a good job. The more important objective is to give children and teenagers an opportunity to discover their assets and potential, to think of themselves as valuable sons and daughters of God, and to realize that Christian persons and churches care about them.