Church-based community development
In his book Generous Justice (Vida Nova, 2013), Tim Keller states:
- “What I do know is that if I’m not worried about the poor.
- If my church doesn’t care about the poor.
- It’s perverse.
- “.
Jesse Johnson, who writes an article for The Cripplegate blog, has a somewhat different perspective. He writes:
?? the important point is that nowhere does the Bible order the church to take care of the world’s poor, reduce social poverty rates, or care for homeless people in our community. There are no verses that command this, and some even oppose this practice.
The question of the Church’s role in culture, especially with regard to the relationship to the problems of social justice and the ministry of mercy, arises in various parts of Christianity and has been addressed in several blogs, articles and books by men like Mark Dever. , John Piper, Tim Keller and Kevin DeYoung, among others.
My intention in this article is to raise the issue of the role of the church when it relates to a poor community, which, in my opinion, is another matter than a ministry to reach the poor and oppressed. Among them are two totally different proposals, despite the remoteness of what is written and spoken, visiting many churches in the UNITED Kingdom and other countries, I was not trampled to death by the mass of poor people attending their services. Nor have I found many leaders of the periphery and poor environments. The development of leaders in the UK is a predominantly middle-class activity.
I am not, like many, trying to build a church with a heart inclined towards the poor, I seek to build a church of God worshippers on an impoverished periphery, it is a little more complex!I broadly agree with Jesse (and others) to understand that the commandments to love the poor and care for the widow, among others, are primarily (but not exclusively) for the benefit of the Christian community. It expresses, I believe, the concern related to the excessive emphasis placed on the needs of the poor:
“I make an observation: when the money goes to the distribution of soup, it is not destined for missions. To protect themselves from this, the Church is never commanded to show compassion for the poor as a means of expanding the kingdom. In other words, you owe the gospel to the poor Jesus died to buy them the privilege of listening to the testimony of his death and resurrection (1 Timothy 2:6).
Mark Dever is even more direct on this topic
“As a congregation, we are not obligated to take responsibility for the physical needs of the community of unbelievers around us. We have a responsibility to care for the needs of the members of our congregation (Matthew 25: 34-40; Acts 6: 1-6; Galatians 6: 2, 10; James 2: 15-16; 1 John 3: 17-19 ) and even within the church there are specifications (eg, 2 Thess. 3:10; 1 Tim. 5: 3-16). Paul’s advice to Timothy (1 Timothy 5: 3-16) about widows to care for seems to indicate that the list includes Christian widows. One qualification appears to be the lack of an alternative source of livelihood. Therefore, the instruction given to family members to care for those in need first, whenever possible, shows the kind of prioritization that enabled families, even non-believers, to provide food to the church that they don’t need to (1 Timothy 5:16). ). From this we can conclude that any support that may come from outside the church (for example, the state) should take precedence over church resources, thus freeing up church resources to be used in another area.
You could not agree more on the financial aspect of social action and/or community development (as defined by you). At Niddrie, we are not concerned about the distribution of financial resources (although we have an interest-free lending initiative for extreme emergencies for members and non-members). People here generally do not lack resources and the state, when present, is in many ways an obstacle to, rather than promoting, community development. In fact, our concern has even less to do with changes in the social structures around us and more about (1) opportunities for evangelization and (2) the problems of discipleship. Let me use our bike project as an example of what I mean.
Niddrie has a big problem with stolen bikes. Combine that with a healthy interest in sports in our community. In a middle-class area with an established youth job and a strong Christian foundation, Bible studies may be an option. Here they are not. Therefore, we have the opportunity to connect with people who would never walk through the door of Sunday service, attend an evangelistic event, or meet a Christian in some other way. Our project then serves as a vehicle (its ultimate goal) for evangelization. A young man can then be saved and spend time in the workshop fixing his bicycle while being disciplined by a member of our team. Talking about the Bible is a consequence. Turns out our vehicle comes with extras. Crime is decreasing (not massively, but it has this effect). Fewer bicycles are stolen in and around the church. Local police send us their seized bikes for us to use when we report the theft of our bikes. The local school uses our project to motivate children with learning difficulties. Etc. There are other additional gains. All are secondary to the primacy of the gospel, but they are not negligible in the area of community development and justice. Most of our actions, projects and ideas have the same type of additional earnings in different areas and in different segments of the periphery. So what do we call it?
Once again, let’s go back to Dever’s assertion that helping those in need is primarily an internal church task and is great for the church. But what about the people in the community that we see on the periphery every day?They may not become members, but they are certainly part of our lives. We certainly have a biblical responsibility to them, don’t we?Let us remember what Galatians 6:10 says: “As long as we have the opportunity, let us do good to all, but especially to those of the family of faith. “Many retired pastors will focus on the last three words as proof of Dever’s position, but the Text seems to indicate that everyone, whether members or not, should be helped.
I agree, the answer to the problem of sin in our community (your greatest need) is salvation through Christ, but sooner or later discipleship begins. Yes, we can strengthen their Christology and biblical doctrine, but we will always have to help them deal with abusive relationships, sexual dysfunction, drug threats, mental health problems and more. It’s about loving them and, if possible, trying to love them. help them in a practical way to alleviate some of the (often) problems created by themselves. We can’t even imagine addressing all the causes of their problems. We just don’t have the time, even though we were inclined to do it. That!
Reformed churches in the UK have generally worked with a separatist mentality on the periphery (if they have). Many have followed the path of “The Word Alone”. This has left us with serious problems facing generations of shepherds. I want to continue this article and see some key issues and why I think the local church should be the center of changes on the periphery, as well as why we started. 20 schematics.
By: Mez McConnel. © 2013 20Seemas. Original: Keys to progress in the housing project (1)
Translation: Fabio Luciano Review: Yago Martins © 2016 Faithful Ministério All rights reserved. Website: MinistryFiel. com. br. Original: Gospel on the periphery?Principle 6: Community Development
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