Does your church have a Christian Life Concerns committee? You may call it by a different name – Community Impact Team, CIA for Christians in Action, Salt and Light committee, or any other name that implies your group is involved in the public square. I submit that every church and association needs to have a committee addressing today’s issues. Your group can be as active as your pastor and leadership will allow. I advise all committees to work with your church leadership to avoid any misunderstanding.
Joe MackIssues that need to be addressed cry out from headlines and magazine covers every day. God expects each of us to respond locally or globally to the needs of his children. Having a committed team helps changed people change the world. This group can help other believers grow spiritually and help disciple newer church members.
Most social action teams find space in a high-traffic area to place a table or provide a bulletin board. The materials offered should be current, relate to your community or the state, and be colorful and inviting. You might ask adult Sunday school teachers if they would distribute information you provide. Some groups sponsor voter registration and host guest speakers. Your team might even place relevant books in the church and/or library.
Our Baptist Faith and Message states: “All Christians are under obligation to seek to make the will of Christ supreme in our own lives and in human society. In the spirit of Christ, Christians should oppose racism, every form of greed, selfishness and vice, and all forms of sexual immorality, including adultery, homosexuality and pornography. We should work to provide for the orphaned, the needy, the abused, the aged, the helpless, and the sick. We should speak on behalf of the unborn and contend for the sanctity of all human life from conception to natural death. Every Christian should seek to bring industry, government and society as a whole under the sway of the principles of righteousness, truth, and brotherly love.”
If you’ve thought about getting more involved but teaching or music isn’t your talent, we would be honored to help nurture a committee at your church. Call the Office of Public Policy at 800-723-7242 or 803-765-0030, or e-mail janetclonts@scbaptist.org for more information.