12 Step Program...

Step One

Claim the Theology of Compassion

Faith-based nonprofits are the result of the conviction inherent in individuals to take ministry from within the walls of the church to the surrounding communities. This conviction, however, must be anchored in an interpretation of biblical injunctions and ethos that demands a response to injustice, marginalization, inequity, and neglect. In other words, a theology of compassion must be articulated and embraced.

The reason a person engages in social ministry is very important. The love of humanity is not sufficient motivation. The primary motive should be grateful obedience to the will of God.

The Old Testament spoke of righteousness, justice, mercy, and love, while the New Testament, through the teachings of Christ and his followers, demonstrated the context of social ministry as the cornerstone of practical Christianity demonstrated in physical circumstances.

Tom Nees, in his book Compassion Evangelism: Meeting Human Need, best proposes a working definition of balance in ministry. He states, "Compassionate Ministries is an organized effort to fulfill Luke 6:36-'Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful,' extending God's compassion in deeds of kindness and justice. It is also the bread of life for the hungry hearts. Compassionate ministry is truly biblical when it extends forgiveness and grace, even as it touches people at the point of their physical and temporal needs. Likewise, evangelism as commonly understood is true to the gospel only when it is as sensitive to physical and temporal distress as to a hungry heart."

Compassionate ministry. . .

is rooted and grounded in God's love for all persons.
recognizes and supports the worth, dignity and integrity of the individual.
offers the kind of help a person can use in his or her own situation.
shows concern for the whole person.
is committed to quality service.
is a primary function of the Church.
is aggressive.
As Christians, we are called to be agents of divine care in the world. We initiate ministries of compassion because we have covenanted to be bearers of God's care to the society of which we are a part. Theologically, then, a Compassionate Ministry Center, because it is integrated in that world, must provide the community certain alternatives:
The character of the God who has acted to bring the community into existence created the CMC.
The God who has formed it rules the community of God's people. Therefore divine values take precedence over social norms, customs, and mores.
The alternative values presented by the CMC calls into question what society values and practices.
The CMC offers the culture and community an option to live before God in a constant relationship to freedom.
This call to freedom is also a call to faith in the God whose liberating actions are embodied in the people of God.
Suggestions for Further Reading

Brown, Robert McAfee. Speaking of Christianity: Practical Compassion, Social Justice, and Other Wonders. Westminster John Knox Press, 1997.

Brueggeman, Walter. The Prophetic Imagination. Fortress Press, 1978.

Kysar, Robert. Called to Care: Biblical Images for Social Ministry. Fortress Press, 1991.

Nouwen, Henri J.M. Compassion: A Reflection on Christian Life. Image Books, 1983.

Sapp, Gary L., editor. Compassionate Ministry. Religious Education Press, 1993.

Thurman, Howard. Jesus and the Disinherited. Beacon Press, 1996.

Yoder, John Howard. The Politics of Jesus, 2nd. Edition, Eerdmans Publishing, 1994.