By Paul Golden
Do Christians realize that adoption is truly a special opportunity for believers to affirm and demonstrate the sanctity of life to an unsaved world? Sadly, and for a variety of reasons, many Christians do not seriously consider adopting. Churches can and should play a crucial role in encouraging their members to “look after orphans … in their distress” (James 1:27, NIV).
Here are some specific ideas on how to become an adoption-friendly church.
For many of us it was never about fear. We wore masks. We social-distanced. We avoided gatherings. We encouraged people to consider participating in Sunday school and worship over Zoom or Facebook Live. We respected the officials who—for better or worse, correct or incorrect—made the tough calls and closed businesses, limited gatherings, and recommended or required masks.
We were not “afraid.”
We didn’t choose “fear instead of faith” and certainly didn’t choose “fear instead of science.”
“The Good: Two-Thirds of Churched Adults Feel “Encouraged” After Worship Services….The Bad: Half of Churched Adults Feel “Disappointed” After Church at Least Sometimes” - Barna
“Forbearance is more than a nicety we extend to fellow church members when convenient. It’s a moral responsibility: we are called to clothe ourselves with the virtue of “bearing with one another” in fidelity to Christ (Eph. 4:2; Col. 3:13; cf. Rom. 15:1).” - 9 Marks
“Most churchgoers experienced some type of back-and-forth with the availability of in-person services. For 3 in 10 (31%), in-person services stopped at their church for a short period of time and have since resumed. Another 22% say in-person services were halted for much of the year but have resumed.” - LifeWay
“At some point after post-lockdown onset, I noticed that the less I saw people, the less I wanted to see people. I just got comfortable like a hobbit.” - WORLD
“One of the trends I’ve noticed when it comes to matters of faith deconstruction is that many of those who talk about their deconstructions have deconstructed from the worst parts of Christian subculture, and rightfully so.” - LifeWay
“The church as a gas station—where you fill up your spiritual gas tank when you’re running low… The church as a movie theater—a place that offers entertainment… The church as a drug store—where you can fill the prescription that will deal with your pain… The church as a big box retailer—the place that offers the best products in a clean and safe environment for you and your family” - Colin Smith
“Since most of us don’t know anyone who was alive in 1919, it’s easy to feel like we’ve never been here before. And yet, a brief look into the not too distant past shows that in some ways, this is nothing new. Specifically, the church in America has been here before and emerged stronger on the other side, which raises the question: How did that happen?” - F&T
“…what if our critics are more right than we like to admit? What if hypocrisy and a spirit that is anything but Christlike typifies the Church’s behavior these days?” - Robin Shumacher
