In my role, I have the privilege of seeing people in countless communities show up on behalf of kids and families with profound creativity and impact.
I’ve met business owners who use their shop, store, restaurant or services to bless and serve families, children and ministries in their communities.
I know of a group of elderly women who write and mail letters to foster and adoptive families in their city expressing gratitude for them, praying for them and reminding them they are loved.
I’ve seen retired men spend their time mentoring teenage boys living in group homes, taking them fishing, teaching them how to change the oil on a car and walking them through how to budget.
I’ve seen volunteers donate cars to provide reliable transportation for single moms, walk with them through job searches, and babysit their kids while they take classes to pursue a different path than the generational cycles handed down to them.
I’ve seen small groups of people rally around foster families in their church by providing meals, babysitting and other tangible forms of support that help ease the burden of everyday tasks so parents can give more focused attention to the kids in their home who need connection and healing.
I’ve seen families joyfully disrupt their norm by opening their homes and their hearts to children who need a safe and soft place to land for a few days, a few years or an entire lifetime.
I’ve seen people ask the hard questions about what leads to family vulnerability and jump in further upstream to provide support and stability to the families most at risk of separation downstream.
I’ve seen the Body of Christ thrive and flourish for the sake of kids and families, not by all doing the same thing, but by everyone finding and doing their unique something!
God gives unique gifts to unique individuals
The imagery of a human body is consistently used throughout Scripture to illustrate the identity and activity of the Church. It shows how the people of God relate to one another and function together. Some are hands and some are feet. Some are fingers and some are toes. Some eyes and some ears.
In the Body of Christ, we’re not all called to do the same thing, and no one can do everything. But everyone is created to do something.
God gives unique gifts to unique individuals, not for their own good but for the good of the whole body (1 Corinthians 12:4-7). These roles are established not based on rank, as if one person’s position is more important than another, but on the premise that when each member fulfills their responsibility, the whole body will function better for it.
God gives the collective Body a communal mission
Scripture always portrays the proper functioning of the people of God to fulfill the purposes of God in communal terms, not individualistic ones.
While one role may be more visible and another more subtle, both operate on a cooperative level of equal codependence. If even one seemingly “small” part suffers, like a stubbed toe, it affects the larger whole, like bringing a grown man to his knees in pain. Likewise, when one part fulfills its role, like a hand holding a fork, the larger whole benefits, like a mouth chewing and a stomach being satisfied (1 Corinthians 12:26).
Ultimately, the proper functioning of the body of Christ in fulfilling the mission of God is dependent upon each individual member being aware of and obedient to the designated role God has assigned them.
When we fulfill our role, the whole Body benefits — and therefore our neighbors do, too. When we don’t, the whole Body suffers — and so do our neighbors.
What it means for your congregation and community
Specifically, as we look at how the cooperative efforts of the Body of Christ work themselves out in caring for vulnerable children and families, we find the same premise to hold true: everyone can do something. We all have a role to play — some more visible, some more subtle — all of equal importance in serving the cause of children and families in need.
Recent data shows that one of the largest barriers to foster care engagement for US adults is not necessarily an unwillingness to get involved in supporting foster care and adoption initiatives, but rather a sense that they have nothing meaningful to offer that could make an impact in this space.
Scripture speaks directly to this point of friction so many in our congregations and communities deeply feel and helps to reframe our perspectives from:
“Do I have anything meaningful to offer?”
to
“What unique resources, experiences, opportunities, passions or perspectives has God given me and how might He want to use those through me to serve and bless others?”
Or, in short, “What unique part of the Body am I?”
Unique functions, same purpose. All equally important.
A proper view of ourselves in light of a proper understanding of the theology of the Body of Christ results in a shift of perspective, from “Am I supposed to get involved?” to “How am I supposed to get involved?” It’s a slightly different question with drastically different implications.
As we work to engage people in our churches and communities in the call to care for vulnerable children and families, one of the most powerful opportunities we have is to invite them into the expansive, creative and empowering journey of discovering and doing what their unique something might be.
-Jason Johnson is the National Director of Church Engagement & Mobilization for CAFO.
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Have you heard?! We recently released the updated Everyone Can Do Something!
This resource is uniquely designed to help churches, ministries and organizations build strategies and infrastructures for people to find and do their something. In the newly expanded third edition, you’ll discover the principles you need to take the next best steps for your church and your ministry along with fresh content, powerful stories and additional resources.
