A Sign of the Church’s Success

The debate over government funding of faith-based social ministries has raised again the issue of government help to the poor and needy. In that debate, one occasionally hears that government is involved in social ministries only because the church failed to do its job. That is, the church failed to help the poor, feed the hungry and care for the sick. Government had to step in. If the church did its job, the reasoning goes, then government could get out of the business of providing a “safety net” for society’s less fortunate and leave it to the church.

There is no disagreeing with the conclusion that the church should be involved in caring for the poor and needy. Jesus’ own words in Matthew 25 make that clear. Those who cared for the needs of their brothers and sisters were invited into God’s presence, according to the teaching. Those who ignored the needs were cast out into utter darkness.

Through the centuries, Christians have understood Jesus’ words. They understood the words built on the Jewish teaching that God cared for the less fortunate — the widow, the orphan, the infirmed. They understood that God was a God of righteousness, of justice, of mercy, of love. They understood that God wanted His people, as well as society, to reflect those values.

With such a heritage, it is not surprising that people of faith have been at the forefront of almost every major social reform in the modern western world. Both in Europe and in the United States, the impetus for medical care came from the church. It was from the church that movements to reform child labor laws grew. Causes ranging from prison reform to public schools to temperance all trace their beginnings back to Christians empowered by commitment to biblical teachings.

Today that heritage continues. Churches and church organizations provide assistance of every description. Food banks, clothes closets, job training, teams to care for AIDS patients, medical and dental clinics, rescue missions, housing programs, drug rehabilitation efforts, prison ministries — the list of ministries is almost endless. Some programs focus on prevention; others on recovery.

Despite the best efforts of churches and church-based organizations, problems continue to grow. The problems are systemic. Much church-based ministry is particular. That is, it focuses on one place. Volunteers, the backbone of church ministry, are driven by caring hearts. They deal with particular people in particular places at particular times. Few develop the expertise that allows them to think and act globally about social problems, be they world hunger or prison ministry.

Volunteers also have a life cycle. They work hard for a while but then need a recovery time. Social needs cannot be put on hold while volunteers regroup. Social problems demand constant attention. They demand experts who understand the varied dynamics of the problems. They demand people who give their lives to addressing the issues. They demand social structures that go beyond the ability of the church to construct. They demand resources that outstrip the fiscal resources of the church. They always have.

That is why every major social welfare movement started in the church eventually turned to government to incorporate the gains the movement made. Government’s role is to form structures that reflect values society determines to embrace. The church championed public education, but it was government that formed the schools. The church spoke out against abuses of children in mills and factories, but it was government that adopted child labor laws. The church teaches the evils of alcohol, but it is government that sets the standards for sale and consumption.

Government’s involvement in caring for the needy is not because the church failed. The government is involved in caring for the needy because the church succeeded. The power of the biblical message preached by the church was heard. It is still being heard. God cares for the less fortunate. So should society.

Yes, there is much the church can do in social ministries. The effectiveness of faith-based programs that address the spiritual dimension of the human spirit usually outstrips the purely secular approach that treats people as if there is no spiritual dimension. But the church can never be the only force addressing society’s woes. Government has a role to play in social ministries that cannot be fulfilled by any other source.

The church must speak God’s message to the heart and conscience of society. In word and deed the message must be proclaimed. But it is government that must create structures to reflect the values society embraces in response to that message.

Government’s continued involvement in social ministries is and will remain a sign of the church’s success in living out God’s care for the less fortunate.