The term ‘community development’ is associated with a variety of different meanings. For some people, community development is the strengthening of the economy. Others think community development is all about providing people with top-quality academic opportunities. While some believe community, development encircles the concept of spiritual rejuvenation or building social capital. 

None of these believes wrong, but they all are incomplete. Community development is not just confined to building an economy, social capital, or providing educational opportunities; instead, it is a combination of all these factors. To strengthen weak communities in highly vulnerable or susceptible nations, adopting a holistic approach is the only solution. 

While there are hundreds of non-profit organizations across the world that are making efforts to help communities around the world to stand on their feet, there are only a few who are succeeding in their goal. Not all these organizations are taking up the right approach, and that is why their efforts only provide temporary solutions. 

There is one non-profit organization that is serving its true purpose, which is to help communities prosper and establish a prominent standing on an international level. Developing Our World, founded by Reverend Miguel Torneire, is one of those few organizations that have taken up the approach of holistic community development. 

Founded in 2018, this organization works with a mission to empower individuals and create leaders from within a weak community. The philosophy of this organization is “to put holistic community development into practice."

Miguel Torneire, born in Nilópolis, a city in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, on February 17, 1979, believed in the service community since he was just a child. After his mother, Eugenia Schulz Torneire, died of appendicitis in 1982, and his father, Jesuino Luiz Torneire, started another family, Miguel and his brother, André, were sent to their grandparents’ home. 

Arthur Schulz Sobrinho and Argentina Eller Schulz, Miguel’s grandparents, were devout Christians and were dedicated to the Lord. They were firm advocates of service to the community, and this is what instilled in him the sense of giving back to the community and developed an interest in Christian faith. 

To further his understanding of Christianity and service to the community, Miguel went to Instituto Concórdia de São Paulo – ICSP to begin his Bachelor’s of Divinity in the year 1997. Two years later, he joined Seminario Concordia in Buenos Aires in 1999. Miguel returned to ICSP two years later and then completed his degree at Seminário Concórdia de São Leopoldo in 2003. His time at ICSP strengthened his views about service to the community and even helped with his vision of Developing Our World. It was this institute that helped Miguel develop his missiology of “holistic community development,” and understand its true meaning.

After spending several years in Guatemala as a pastor and completing his education, Miguel was ready to establish his non-profit organization with “holistic community development,” with its foundation. On May 23, 2018, Developing Our World was founded in Missouri. The primary purpose of this organization was to address the societal issues that weak communities have to deal with daily. 

Miguel is a firm believer that every community stands on the basic factors, including social, economic, physical, and educational. It is due to this reason the team of Developing Our World works to launch processes that address each of these factors. 

The organization functions on a collaborative and creative strategy that helps in addressing all elements that are necessary for a community to thrive. It works on the concept that holistic community development begins from a grassroots level and works on a bottom-up approach. All processes launched by Miguel’s charitable organization are directed towards the creation of a safe environment that is driven by factors such as trust and respect. 

Developing Our World is an organization that has been established to create a space for dialogue. It helped communities by creating a new, equitable, just, and sustainable vision. To address the needs of the struggling communities and its people, Miguel Torneire visits rural parts of the world to understand the primary problems of the people.  

Unlike all other non-profit organizations, Developing Our World is working to empower the individual community members. The processes train the community members and equip them with the required skills through which they can contribute to the well-being of their community. The service of this community is not confined to monetary donation funds but to provide solutions that bring long-term benefits to the weak and poor parts of the world. 

Moreover, this organization is developed to eliminate the root of the societal problems that prevent a community from gaining a stable ground and prominent identity on the global stage. It trains not only the members of the community but also the outsiders who have a passion for making things better in this world. 

Developing Our World offers its services in countries including Guatemala, Nicaragua, Colombia, Argentina, Brazil, Malawi, Uganda, and Bangladesh. The processes that the company offers include Rural Leader’s Training Program, Nurses, Public Health Volunteers, and Mid-Wives Training Program, Teachers Training Program, and Sponsor a Teacher Program. Other processes that are aiding the organization’s holistic community development approach includes Sponsor a Leader Program, Small Loans Program. 

Developing Our World’s unique approach to holistic community development makes it one of the world’s most trusted non-profit organizations. Miguel himself leads mission trips across rural parts of the world to better understand the ways his organization can help make the lives of the struggling people better. 

Miguel Torneire was born and raised in Nilópolis, Rio de Janeiro. He was baptized on April 29, 1979, at the Igreja Evangélica Luterana Cristo Rei in Itaguaí, and his faith was confirmed on December 26, 1993, in the same church. 

After being introduced to the concept of service to community the Christian faith, he decided to complete his Bachelor’s in Divinity. It was during this time; he developed his missiology of “holistic community development.” 

He went to Argentina in 1999, where he served as a member of Iglesia Evangélica Luterana La Concórdia. In December of 2000, he joined Parroquia Emanuel in Hipólito Yrigoyen till March of 2001. During these three months, he did his pre-vicariate. Miguel returned to Brazil in March 2001 and did another pre-vicariate at Igreja Evangélica Luterana Ebenézer. The next year he did his vicariate as at Comunidade Evangélica Luterana Concórdia in São Leopoldo.

In 2003, he went to Universidade Luterana do Brasil – ULBRA to acquire his second bachelor’s degree in Theology. While he was completing his degree, he was ordained on April 25, 2004, after which he left to take the position of Pastor at Iglesia Evangélica Luterana El Divino Salvador, Zacapa, Guatemala. He spent four years in the country and even got to take the position of resident missionary. During this time, he visited prisons and designed a campaign for feeding the hungry, equipped leaders for missions and serve the community. He also worked with short-term teams from the Central American Lutheran Mission Society – CALMS. He worked for Biblical Equipping and building homes for poor people with these teams, and also joined the CALMS team in Belize.

Miguel was invited to work at CALMS in 2009, and he accepted the offer and moved to the United States. He became a non-resident missionary, and during this time, he completed his Bachelor’s in Theology, which he started in 2003. While serving as the Missionary-at-Large and Director for Central America, he was fortunate enough to work under Reverend Doctor Steve Hughey, an individual with more than 45 years of experience in the mission field. Miguel led strategic short-term mission teams and oversaw the work in Guatemala. He then completed his Masters of Arts in Christian Outreach at Concordia University in St. Paul, MN. At present, Miguel serves as Assistant Pastor at Gethsemane Church in Tempe, AZ, and the Vacancy Pastor at Trinity Lutheran Church in Centralia, IL.

Miguel's extensive experience as a pastor and a strong academic background in Christianity has helped him carry forward the mission of his non-profit organization, Developing Our World. It is one of those few organizations that understand the true meaning of community development and has adopted a unique holistic approach to help struggling nations stand on their feet.