The Urban Ministries Center might also serve as a partner with the newly-formed NorthPark Church of the Nazarene, a church plant recently begun by PLNC faculty members, Ron Benefiel and John Wright. The other key objective of the LoveWorks Center is to incorporate a service element into the education of PLNC students. Academic departments would work through the LoveWorks Center to add a service dimension to their curriculum. Religion and sociology would be among the first academic areas to utilize the Center, followed by the health care and education departments. Eventually other disciplines would be encouraged to add service-learning to their curriculum.
Service is what kicks learning into high gear.
The growth and development of the LoveWorks Center has recently led to it being recognized by the Church of the Nazarene as a more formalized compassionate ministry organization, such as Heart to Heart International or Nazarene Compassionate Ministries.