EDITORIAL: Economic woes, ministry challenges

Marv Knox

image_pdfimage_print

People are worried about the economy.

That’s not news. You’ve known—and most likely shared—that concern for exactly two years, at least. That’s when Wall Street melted down the drain and took almost everyone’s retirement plans with it. That’s when the job market plummeted. It’s when “For Sale” signs started popping up like ragweed in neighborhoods across the nation.

Editor Marv Knox

The Barna Group documented the depth and breadth of that concern in a recent survey of U.S. adults. Researchers asked Americans to name the most important issues our nation’s leaders should address. They cited about 40 items, ranging from environmental protection, to morality, health care, national security, education, international relations, lifestyle, government corruption, constitutional rights, oil dependency and the role of government. But the runaway first-place answer was the economy.

Almost everyone—98 percent—said they are concerned about economic issues. No. 1 is jobs, both creating them and helping people without work. Then other similar worries followed in close order—financial hardship, national debt, the recession and taxes.

Americans’ economic woes and/or worries precipitated an unprecedented response, the Barna Group noted in an online report. Pollsters asked open-ended questions, for which a vast array of answers is possible. But this time, almost every respondent honed in on the economy.

“It is unusual when asking an open-ended question to generate a response that is as universal (i.e., economic recovery) as did this one,” the report said. “Compared to past instances when we have asked such an open-ended question about critical issues, we have never before seen such unanimity around a particular issue. … Nothing else matters as much to Americans right now. There are occasional, short-lived distractions from people’s economic concerns—such as the Gulf oil spill—but until the economy gets on better footing, it is likely to remain people’s primary preoccupation.”

This should provide an object lesson for Christians. And, in fact, one congregation illustrates the power of meeting human needs. 12Stone Church in suburban Atlanta has been named the nation’s fastest-growing congregation by Outreach magazine. Last year, it grew by 30 percent and added 2,226 weekly participants. One of its major emphases is ministry to single mothers and their children. At Christmas, the church donated gifts mothers could give to their children, as well as $50 so moms could give something to another single mother. Another time, the church gave a minivan to a family with a special-needs child. Along the way, the church has developed a reputation for loving people who are hurting.

Of course, bigger is not necessarily better. And we must be careful that we don’t seduce people financially and tally numbers, not changed lives. But still, a strong reputation for compassion and practical service goes a long way toward earning the right to talk to folks about the welfare of their souls. When they know we care for the needs of their bodies, they’re more likely to allow us to tend to their spirits as well.

Texas Baptists got it right with our Texas Hope 2010 emphasis, which combined spreading the gospel with feeding hungry people. Next, we embark upon Hope 1:8, which challenges us to minister near and far. Barna research shows people are more inclined to believe us when we say we love them and want what’s best for them if we demonstrate commitment to the needs they can see—such as jobs, groceries, rent and utilities in these hard, hard times.


Sign up for our weekly edition and get all our headlines in your inbox on Thursdays


The beautiful part of this is it’s local, practical and scalable. Whether it’s a Sunday school class or an entire church, we can team up to help folks hurting in this economy. And we can demonstrate Jesus’ love so they can’t ignore it.

Marv Knox is editor of the Baptist Standard. Visit his FaithWorks blog.

 

 


We seek to connect God’s story and God’s people around the world. To learn more about God’s story, click here.

Send comments and feedback to Eric Black, our editor. For comments to be published, please specify “letter to the editor.” Maximum length for publication is 300 words.

More from Baptist Standard