DALLAS (ABP) — For some Christians, listening to the news is like hearing a prayer list.
More than 2 million people displaced in Sudan. More than 1.5 million Iraqi children left homeless. Residents of Louisiana still rebuilding two years after hurricanes Rita and Katrina.
Nearly every story is a reminder of pain and suffering. And many Christians believe God uses them to call people to serve others.
An increasing number of Christians are responding to global issues, noting biblical calls for such action. They commonly cite the passage Luke 4:18-19 — when Jesus announced the inauguration of his public ministry by quoting an Old Testament passage about good news for the poor. They also point to Micah 6:8 and other verses that call for compassion toward the poor and the need for God's people to seek justice.
The call to social justice particularly appeals to young evangelicals. According to a 2006 Cone Inc. survey of people born between 1975 and 1985, 72 percent had educated others on social or environmental issues, 63 percent volunteered time toward social or environmental causes, and 64 percent donated money to such causes.
The interest in social causes among many Christians is increasing, said Rob Sellers, a professor of missions at Hardin-Simmons University in Abilene, Texas.
“It seems that the kind of mission projects and trips that interest and excite both students and older Christians are those that offer the opportunity actually to do something to address people's needs,” he said. “I don't hear as often about evangelistic teams going somewhere as I do about construction teams, medical teams, literacy teams, or other groups going to do hands-on social ministry. I hope that this seeming trend represents a growing awareness that Christians must respond to people's holistic needs and not just to their spiritual needs.”
Some churches adopt African villages. Others sponsor children in developing countries. Still others dig wells to provide clean water.
Churches often work together through non-denominational organizations (such as World Vision and Samaritan's Purse) and agencies with denominational roots (such as Buckner International) that can help coordinate the efforts of multiple groups in a strategic manner.
Ron Sider, president of Evangelicals for Social Action, believes evangelical engagement in social issues sends a clear message about what it means to be a Christian. And that message may result in more people becoming Christians.
“I think if evangelicals were more concerned about the poor and more concerned about the environment, the secular world would be more open to hearing our message,” he said.
Making an impact is difficult, but it's possible if a church is focused for a long-term effort. Steve Seaberry, partnerships director for the Baptist General Convention of Texas, encourages churches to enter at least a three-year partnership when working on social causes.
Bob Roberts, pastor of Northwood Church in Keller, Texas, said it takes at least 30 years to make a significant impact in any particular area. And a commitment of that duration requires the cause to remain in front of the congregation. Members must be inspired to continue serving. The congregation must provide a way for all members to participate in the partnership — through education, trips, giving money or donating items.
“Even for a progressive congregation like ours, there's a lot of education yet to be done about social justice,” said Mark Wingfield, associate pastor of Wilshire Baptist Church in Dallas. “We have not arrived. Many of the people from Wilshire who have traveled to Kenya will tell you that trip changed their perspective of the world.”
But even if a congregation remains behind the effort, some members are going to be called to service in other places.
Sellers said the tension between a focused effort and allowing individuals to follow God's calling is a healthy one. The key is to involve as many people as possible.
Taking on social causes also can create a bit of missiological tension within a congregation. When discussing mission work, some socially conscious Christians tend to emphasize Mathew 25, saying God wants Christians to meet human needs. Other Christians focus on the evangelistic Great Commission in Matthew 28, in which Christ commands his followers to go make disciples.
Ideally, Sellers said, congregations will find opportunities to provide humanitarian aid and share the gospel. If that's not possible, the tangible aid sends an unspoken message about the people providing it.
“I believe that if a church were to go into a poor African village, for example, and drill a deep well to provide clean water so that babies didn't die of dysentery, but never got the opportunity to talk about Jesus as Living Water, that they would still be carrying out God's mission,” he said.
Others, like the BGCT's Seaberry, stress the importance of giving a verbal message. Although there are some situations where open mass evangelism is not possible, he said sharing the gospel is imperative.
“Do you mention Christ?” he asked. “If not, what makes you different from a Muslim group? What makes you any different from the United Nations?”
If a church works through the tension, remains committed to the effort, and sees it through a long-term partnership, it must be realistic about a possible impact, Sellers said. A church is not going to put an end to a significant issue like human trafficking by itself. But it can change the lives of a select group.
“Yes, a church can take on a social cause, even a huge one, and still make a difference for individual needy people whose lives they touch,” he said. “The expectations should be realistic. Churches should not think that their one- or two-week project in a given country will change grave injustices that are a consequence of a long history of systemic evil in that place.
But that effort can help a poor congregation or a select group of individuals and open the eyes of American Christians who return as eyewitnesses to injustice, Sellers added.
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— This story is part of a series on the biblical passage of Luke 4.