Pastor and author David Platt has seen over and over again that moving toward vulnerable children and families refines churches in beautiful ways because there’s an inseparable relationship between transformation — the holiness God desires for his people — and mission.
“This is the character of Jesus,” Platt shares. “This is who Jesus is … I really believe that a local church will miss out on conformity to the image of Christ if we’re not caring for vulnerable children in need.”
But entering into the world of foster care and adoption isn’t a task for just a few select families within a congregation. It’s a collective calling, with people across a church playing their unique parts.
At Platt’s church, he says they talk all the time “ … about how this is not going to be easy, but you’re not going to be alone at any point. Obviously, you’re going to have God with you, and we, as the body of Christ, are going to be with you on those low days, on those moments where you don’t know if you can go on. You’ve got brothers and sisters holding you up.”
And in that collective work, we become more like Jesus, “not by running from need in the world, but by running to need in the world.”
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The Pure Religion Project, CAFO’s church ministry initiative, aims to inspire and equip God’s people to live out the “pure religion” described in the book of James and invited throughout Scripture through resources, supportive community and ongoing connection and coaching.
