Churches In Action: The Answer To A Broken World?Sample

Our Intended Role

The story of the good Samaritan, with its different characters, mirrors our own community, and ourselves as God’s people.

The traveler represents all those who, for whatever reason, find themselves crushed or threatened by particular situations and powerless to help themselves. Looking at our communities, this might cause us to think of those who are unemployed, trapped in addiction, indebted to loan sharks; those exploited sexually or in other ways, or the mentally ill. Without the intervention of others, they have no hope of things improving for them. 

The robbers represent those forces in our society which threaten, impoverish and keep people from achieving their God-ordained potential. And the religious people (the priest and the Levite), rather too uncomfortably, resemble the church. 

In Luke 10:25-29, the lawyer asks Jesus what God might expect of him in terms of serving others, essentially wanting to know what is the least he can get away. He is something of a “holier than thou” person who assumes that spiritual depth consists of knowing a great deal about God and His ways, as opposed to loving the least and the lost.

The Samaritan models for us what it truly means to obey God by showing compassion, by putting himself out for someone unlike him. He takes time to attend to the wounded man and was willing to use his resources to meet his needs. Likewise, the church is called to build a relationship with the community, discern its needs, and deploy its resources towards meeting those needs. 

The innkeeper represents those in the wider community who may not share the same compassion but who for whatever reason are willing to provide resources towards a common aim. This may, in our context, call to mind local business people, nonprofits, or community groups, all with whom we are called to seek active partnership.

This active partnership is what inspires our Church & Community Transformation program. Through CCT, churches encourage and empower citizens to identify the needs of their community, then mobilize their own resources to address them. 

We believe in following Jesus where the need is greatest, working through local churches to unlock people's potential, and helping them to discover that the answer to poverty lies within themselves. People all over the world are joining in this mission through prayer, support, and advocacy. You can join the movement, too. 

Sign up to pray with us here.