Matthew 28:19

These two events happened to me this month.

Over the years I became friends with an elderly couple who attend church. They are honest, loving Christians who sincerely try to live according to God’s commands. They’re the kind of people everyone loves and wants to be around. But both have been struggling with health issues. Their health problems have become critical; they are now house-bound. The wife, a serious heart patient herself, has difficulty caring for her husband who is terminal. How does the church help? They don’t. Except for a couple of uncomfortable telephone calls from friends offering prayer, they were left on their own. No one brought food, even though cooking meals is a major problem for them. No offers of help whatsoever.

There is also a widow living near me who is 88 years old. She is spry and energetic, but beginning to show serious signs of dementia. Her son and her grandson both live nearby, but are useless. She refuses to call them when she needs help because, “They’re busy and won’t help.” (Her exact words).

This woman has also been a pillar of support in a small local church. Her monthly donation goes a long way to keeping this little church alive. She stopped attending a couple of months ago due to memory problems; she simply cannot remember which day is Sunday. The response from her church? Crickets! Nothing! No calls, no visits, no offers to drive, nothing.

Previously I completed some research on church mission/vision statements. What I found was not surprising. The Most common bible verse included in mission statements by far is Matthew 28:19:*

Yet Jesus instructions to Peter, the pillar of his assembly, was clear. “Feed my sheep; Feed my lambs.” These are pretty clear instructions. This is what God wanted from his assembly. Early church history proves that is exactly what they did.

Why do so many churches, and especially evangelicals, focus so exclusively on missions? Every person who walks into a church, goes there because they are hungry, needing to be fed. Spiritual, emotional, physical, or social food. When people’s needs are ignored, that church has failed. Sending a donation to the local downtown food bank does not meet Yeshua’s command. Thousands for outreach and growth; nothing for support. No wonder church attendance is dropping so rapidly.

Make no mistake, seeking the lost is the duty of all Christians, but that is not the mission of church. Feeding is.


*See: https://helpfulprofessor.com (et.al)

It is due to multiple factors. People are more isolated. Also, with both men and women working nowadays, they barely have time to cook for themselves. People do not want to become too committed to take care of someone long term. Full time housewives or retirees may be in a better position to help with offering meals, as I believe this was more common in the past. Food is also more expensive. Every church really should have a ministry of dedicated people to take care of visiting and helping the needy. If the effort is more organized, it might be more successful.

These two events happened to me this month.

Over the years I became friends with an elderly couple who attend church. They are honest, loving Christians who sincerely try to live according to God’s commands. They’re the kind of people everyone loves and wants to be around. But both have been struggling with health issues. Their health problems have become critical; they are now house-bound. The wife, a serious heart patient herself, has difficulty caring for her husband who is terminal. How does the church help? They don’t. Except for a couple of uncomfortable telephone calls from friends offering prayer, they were left on their own. No one brought food, even though cooking meals is a major problem for them. No offers of help whatsoever.

There is also a widow living near me who is 88 years old. She is spry and energetic, but beginning to show serious signs of dementia. Her son and her grandson both live nearby, but are useless. She refuses to call them when she needs help because, “They’re busy and won’t help.” (Her exact words).

This woman has also been a pillar of support in a small local church. Her monthly donation goes a long way to keeping this little church alive. She stopped attending a couple of months ago due to memory problems; she simply cannot remember which day is Sunday. The response from her church? Crickets! Nothing! No calls, no visits, no offers to drive, nothing.

Previously I completed some research on church mission/vision statements. What I found was not surprising. The Most common bible verse included in mission statements by far is Matthew 28:19:*

Yet Jesus instructions to Peter, the pillar of his assembly, was clear. “Feed my sheep; Feed my lambs.” These are pretty clear instructions. This is what God wanted from his assembly. Early church history proves that is exactly what they did.

Why do so many churches, and especially evangelicals, focus so exclusively on missions? Every person who walks into a church, goes there because they are hungry, needing to be fed. Spiritual, emotional, physical, or social food. When people’s needs are ignored, that church has failed. Sending a donation to the local downtown food bank does not meet Yeshua’s command. Thousands for outreach and growth; nothing for support. No wonder church attendance is dropping so rapidly.

Make no mistake, seeking the lost is the duty of all Christians, but that is not the mission of church. Feeding is.


*See: https://helpfulprofessor.com (et.al)

These two events happened to me this month.

Over the years I became friends with an elderly couple who attend church. They are honest, loving Christians who sincerely try to live according to God’s commands. They’re the kind of people everyone loves and wants to be around. But both have been struggling with health issues. Their health problems have become critical; they are now house-bound. The wife, a serious heart patient herself, has difficulty caring for her husband who is terminal. How does the church help? They don’t. Except for a couple of uncomfortable telephone calls from friends offering prayer, they were left on their own. No one brought food, even though cooking meals is a major problem for them. No offers of help whatsoever.

There is also a widow living near me who is 88 years old. She is spry and energetic, but beginning to show serious signs of dementia. Her son and her grandson both live nearby, but are useless. She refuses to call them when she needs help because, “They’re busy and won’t help.” (Her exact words).

This woman has also been a pillar of support in a small local church. Her monthly donation goes a long way to keeping this little church alive. She stopped attending a couple of months ago due to memory problems; she simply cannot remember which day is Sunday. The response from her church? Crickets! Nothing! No calls, no visits, no offers to drive, nothing.

Previously I completed some research on church mission/vision statements. What I found was not surprising. The Most common bible verse included in mission statements by far is Matthew 28:19:*

Yet Jesus instructions to Peter, the pillar of his assembly, was clear. “Feed my sheep; Feed my lambs.” These are pretty clear instructions. This is what God wanted from his assembly. Early church history proves that is exactly what they did.

Why do so many churches, and especially evangelicals, focus so exclusively on missions? Every person who walks into a church, goes there because they are hungry, needing to be fed. Spiritual, emotional, physical, or social food. When people’s needs are ignored, that church has failed. Sending a donation to the local downtown food bank does not meet Yeshua’s command. Thousands for outreach and growth; nothing for support. No wonder church attendance is dropping so rapidly.

Make no mistake, seeking the lost is the duty of all Christians, but that is not the mission of church. Feeding is.


*See: https://helpfulprofessor.com (et.al)

Why do so many churches, and especially evangelicals, focus so exclusively on missions?