Light to the Community

The place where we live is certainly where God intends for us to do ministry; perhaps around us are divine appointments, people to whom we can share the love of Jesus. In Acts 16, we can find these words:
9 And a vision appeared to Paul in the night. A man of Macedonia stood and pleaded with him, saying, "Come over to Macedonia and help us."
10 Now after he had seen the vision, immediately we sought to go to Macedonia, concluding that the Lord had called us to preach the gospel to them.
11 Therefore, sailing from Troas, we ran a straight course to Samothrace, and the next day came to Neapolis,
12 and from there to Philippi, which is the foremost city of that part of Macedonia, a colony. And we were staying in that city for some days.

Paul was called to go to Macedonia, and a variety of cities on His journeys.  He recognized the direction of the Spirit and was dedicated to fulfilling what God had called Him to do.  The place where we live does represent a mission field - in the context of Acts 1, in which Jesus referred to being a witness in Jerusalem, adjacent areas: Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth, we can be reminded that there is spiritual business to take care of here at home.

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I really desire to see churches be a light to their communities, providing not only spiritual teaching and encouragement, but ministering to mental and physical needs, as well. We can recognize that God has placed us in certain locales to be used on Him. Acts 17 states:
24 God, who made the world and everything in it, since He is Lord of heaven and earth, does not dwell in temples made with hands.
25 Nor is He worshiped with men's hands, as though He needed anything, since He gives to all life, breath, and all things.
26 And He has made from one blood every nation of men to dwell on all the face of the earth, and has determined their preappointed times and the boundaries of their dwellings,
27 so that they should seek the Lord, in the hope that they might grope for Him and find Him, though He is not far from each one of us...

There are some interesting statistics that are reported on the Barna Group website. The summary of a recent survey says that, "...recent Barna research shows that, except for one major area of concern, adults residing in metro areas don’t see the church as responsible for addressing community issues."

The website notes:

While metro residents see much of the good work done by local churches, they don’t feel that churches should solely or even primarily carry the burden of helping their communities. The Church is seen as one piece of the puzzle.

When asked about the institutions in a community that are "responsible" to create meaningful change, 75% of respondents said, "Local government."  Slightly less of those who are "churched" had that reaction.  And, we recognize that government does have a role and responsibility to bring that change that could be described as "meaningful."  There's a drop-off after than, with just under half of those surveyed saying that families can bring about that sort of change.

But, you have to scroll down quite a bit to find the perception of the faith element: 22% said that "Religious organizations" are responsible, and 18% said that "Christian churches" were.  Respondents who identified as "churched" viewed those categories significantly higher: 40% and 37%, respectively. 

The Barna Group survey summary went on to say:

Across the board, Christian churches and religious organizations are not the first groups that city dwellers think of as well suited to address a range of issues. While churched adults are slightly more inclined to feel churches and religious organizations could create meaningful change or tackle key concerns, they still favor the experience and leadership of other political or civil bodies.

One standout, however, is that metro residents both inside and outside the Church think Christian churches are well positioned to address the problem of loneliness. This finding is notable, both for highlighting the top issue locals entrust to churches and as a sign of common ground in perceptions among the churched and unchurched.

But even then, only 28% of churched and 17% of unchurched people viewed the Church as a conduit through which loneliness could be addressed.  Far less - 10% or less in both categories - saw that the Church has a role in addressing racism, homelessness, community building, and hunger.  In fact, less than 5% of unchurched individuals saw that the Church could play a role in addressing those issues.

So, we have to ask a very important question: what are we doing here?  Certainly, we are called to live our lives to the glory of God and to shine the light of Christ.  That includes sharing our faith - but part of that is getting involved in addressing needs around us - in a variety of areas.  This survey doesn't necessarily show the Church is not addressing those areas, but very few seem to see it.  Could mean they're not looking for it.  But, all in all, people do not see the Church in a holistic manner - our love for others, when it is being shown, is apparently not getting people's attention. 

There will be things done in secret, no doubt, that will touch a life or a family in a profound way and no one outside of the recipient and provider will know.  And, we certainly shouldn't do good works just to be seen.  But, if our hearts are right and we are leveraging the unique position that we have, churches should be very visible in showing the love of Jesus.  Some will not see, but I think we should be involved in works that create a buzz, that cause people to talk about matters of faith - a tangible faith that shows the presence of God through us.