“So on one hand, as a pastor, you want your church to be a safe place, on the other hand, you recognize that ministry is messy and hard. Learning to live in that tension is so important.”
As a church in one of the wealthiest suburbs in the US, Jay Strother, the Senior Pastor at Brentwood Baptist Church in Brentwood, Tenn., knows his community is often “buffered” from certain forms of need and brokenness. But as the congregation has leaned into loving their neighbors in foster care, moving toward needs that feel unfamiliar and even unsettling, they’ve experienced transformation themselves.
By embracing the challenge and disruption that foster care and adoption ministry can bring, rather than staying in their comfort zone, they’ve seen and experienced new facets of the Kingdom of God.
As Jay puts it, “It’s a constant tension and a battle. But everything that’s worth doing in the Kingdom is a constant tension and a battle.”
“The key is faithfulness. The outcomes are always up to God.”
The Pure Religion Project is a focused initiative inspired by the members of the Christian Alliance for Orphans and the broader CAFO community, designed to help churches live out the “pure religion” described in James 1:27 and invited throughout Scripture. Through world-class resources, supportive community and ongoing connection and coaching, The Pure Religion Project at CAFO wants to help you lead your church with assurance, hope and the help you need.
