Editor’s Note: This article was written by Taylor Cain who serves as the associate pastor at First Baptist Church in Sylvan Hills and Bible teacher at Abundant Life Christian Academy. He lives in Sherwood, AR. He earned an MDiv and a M.A. in Biblical Counseling at Midwestern Baptist Theological Seminary. He is married to Callie, and they have three daughters.
“So then, as we have opportunity, let us do good to everyone, and especially to those who are of the household of faith.” Galatians 6:10
Churches should be one of the greatest centers in their community regarding meeting needs. However, if a church does not have a plan in place to care for the needs of its community, the generosity of its members may be divided out irresponsibly. Also, the benevolence of the church may be drained by serving the community and never reaching the care of their own. The good sought by the church can be taken for granted. Unless a church is proactive in determining how their benevolence is done, they might be taken advantage of. In Mark 14:7, Jesus tells us, “The poor you will always have with you.” It is up to us how we steward the funds given to the poor in our community.
Establishing an organized system may allow a church to do more ministry. Here is a look into how our church cares for the needs of church members and for the needs of our community.
Prioritize Doing Good to Those in the Fellowship
Member care and caring for the needs of your community should not be put at odds. However, the Scriptures command the body of believers to place more urgent attention on the care of those within “the household of faith.” According to the context in Galatians 6, the household of faith is the committed body of baptized believers. Paul has listed instructions for how the brothers and sisters in the church should care for its needs. When he instructs in verse 10, he has a particular people in mind who should be obeying. He also identifies those who should be receiving the good that ought to be done: the household of faith. Church, we are instructed to first and foremost place the needs of those who have committed to Christ and His church. This doesn’t mean we are responsible for the church right down the street or on the other side of town. Paul has in mind a local body of believers who regularly assemble for the worship of God and the display of His gospel. 1 John 3:17 puts his stamp of approval on this Scriptural principle of caring for others, “But if anyone has the world’s goods and sees his brother in need, yet closes his heart against him, how does God’s love abide in him?”
The Christian must care for others. Otherwise, it is appropriate to question whether God’s love has been shown to him. God’s generosity in sending His begotten Son should stir us up to offer our possessions freely to those in need, especially within the body of Christ. Consider opening your bank account app and checking to see if your finances are doing good to those you love and care for who are right before you. Those who sing across the aisle from you during the Sunday morning service or who serve next to you in your church’s food pantry. These believers are the very people God calls you to care for primarily. Do the concerns of fellow church members bother you or are you keeping a wide-open ear to their needs?
Remember to Do Good to Those in Your Community
A church that desires to make known the gospel of Jesus Christ in their community will not ignore the physical needs of those in the community. Churches should seek out the best ways they can meet needs within their community from adopting a Christian pregnancy center, carrying food to a local food pantry, or encouraging church members to give unused children’s clothing items to foster care agencies.
Our Lord was known for caring not only for the physical needs of those who walked with Him but also for those who were in His path. He gave sight to the blind, provided food for hungry travelers, and comforted friends when their brother died. We ought to follow His example doing good to those who share the same zip code as us. The temptation to coast as a church is real. The temptation to allow ministry to be done in someone else’s neighborhood, across state lines, or internationally is often more appealing than serving locally. However, Jesus was a local caretaker. He was aware of the physical needs of the cities He traveled through.
What physical needs do you see in your community that your church can be proactive to meet? What physical needs are within your neighborhood? Create a plan to meet with members of your household of faith. Like Jesus, we must be observant and aware of the needs within our community. Providing physical needs should lead to a conversation about how the gospel can meet the ultimate needs of the people within our cities.
Consider Creating Two Funds in Your Church’s Yearly Budget for Benevolence
Our church has two funds to offer benevolence to those in need. We have a fund that serves the needs of our church members. This fund is designated giving by our church members. We encourage giving towards this fund from the pulpit and have the poor often included in our corporate prayers during Sunday morning services. We want to remind our congregation of the reality that the poor live among us. As the Apostle Paul brings to our mind in Philippians 2, “Each of you should look not to only your own interests, but also to the interests of others.” The poor should have our hearts. Our churches should be proactive in being good stewards of the generosity of their members in providing for the needs within their community.
Through the initiative of our current pastor when he took the pastorate here eighteen years ago, the church established a fund to meet the physical needs of our city. Every time we gather to observe the Lord’s Supper, we take up an offering at the end of the service that goes towards caring for the physical needs of our community.
An important part of being good stewards of these funds is how our church secretary handles requests of needs. Every time a request comes in for an electricity bill that needs to be paid, a gas tank that needs to be filled up, or a vehicle that needs repaired, it is logged so that we will know who we have helped and how we have helped. We limit our giving towards those who request benevolence to once per year. We also require them to provide identification and two pastors must sign off on the request as it is being fulfilled. This protects our church by not being bombarded by numerous requests. It also assures our members that their giving is not being recklessly spent. We want to be wise and be mindful of our church members’ cheerful generosity, as well as honor God in how we care for those with physical needs.
Has your church implemented a system to care for the needs of your own members and your community’s physical needs? Consider doing that today and see how God is glorified in your care for others!