The theological principle underpinning this thesis is the Incarnation. The church is called to reflect an incarnational ministry of Jesus Christ, to move beyond its walls to partner with local public institutions for the common good of the people within that community. This call operates out ofthe New Testament's principle of loving God and our neighbor. One of the significant institutions in any community, particularly as viewed by a predominately African American church, is the local school, especially 'at risk' schools. Churches can enter a partnership with schools to enhance the quality of education for those students, thus enhancing the good of one's neighbor. While partnering with the school, however, the church should periodically assess its presence with school stafT, parents and students. Those in the partnership benefit from this process, by having their desires and felt needs clarified. This testing could happen by interviews with the leadership of both organizations focused on two issues. First, what are the needs of the school? Second, what are the resources of the church to respond to these needs? The church leadership should review the data to determine where the findings may be leading. The significance of the thesis is that it provides a window of understanding of how the Church's presence influences the partnership.
