4 high-impact ways your church can serve the poor

Since its earliest days, the church has been known for bringing good news to the poor—not only through the gospel message but also by caring for people’s physical needs. In the first centuries, the church was so zealous in caring for those who were weak, poor, or abandoned that they earned a public reputation for it.

While many Christians continue to answer that call, from a broader perspective, the church now seems relegated to a supporting role. In dollar terms, the current federal spending of $31,000opens in a new tab per American in poverty far surpasses anything our benevolence committees could ever hope to muster. Perhaps that’s why only 14 percentopens in a new tab of evangelicals see poverty alleviation as primarily the church’s responsibility, while 55 percent view it as mostly the government’s job.

The Gospel Coalition

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