What is God's Calling For Social Concerns Engagement?
God calls his church to two principles: Mercy and Justice, which form the bedrock of the Social Concerns Ministry. This is summed up by His prophet Micah: “He has showed you, O man, what is good. And what does the LORD require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God.” (Micah 6:8). To explain further what this charter means by Mercy and Justice, we refer to His scriptures to us.
Mercy - God calls Christians to serve those who are in physical and material need, regardless of cause. We draw on the following New Testament scriptures as justification for our calling:
- Jesus’s Parable of the Good Samaritan (Luke 10:25-37)
- Apostle Paul’s exhortations (Galatians 2:9-10)
- James’ exhortations (James 1:26-27)
We also see this principle in the Old Testament when:
- God lays down his decrees to Israel, his nation, to be generous and to care for the poor (Deuteronomy 15)
- God speaks to his people of the values that are at the core of his heart (Isaiah 58: 6-10)
Justice – God calls Christians to correct social and economic injustices in the societies in which we live. In the Old Testament we see God’s concern for social and economic justice highlighted by:
- The laws God lays down for his representative nation Israel (Leviticus 25, Deuteronomy 15)
- The punishment proclaimed against Israel for their disobedience in those areas (Amos 5:7-17)
- The exhortation for His people to fight for the cause of those who are oppressed (Isaiah 1:17)
Through these passages we see God’s call for Christians to fight injustice and to correct social and economic sins. Ultimately, our actions are a part of the Christian calling to “love your neighbor as yourself” (Mark 12:28-34).
What is the Purpose of the Social Concerns Ministry
With this dual calling in mind, the purpose of the CBCGB Social Concerns Ministry is two-fold:
- To educate about the physical and material needs of the world and the social injustices that exist within the world, so that we may be empowered to do God’s work effectively.
- To encourage the congregation to serve the physical and material needs of the world’s needy and to correct injustice, so that we become the manifestation of Christ’s hands and feet in the world.
We do this work in conjunction with other ministries within CBCGB, so that we address both the physical and spiritual needs of people, mirroring Christ’s earthly ministry.
What is the Purpose of the SCM Fund
CBCGB recognizes that financial resources are needed to fulfill the goals of the ministry, so the Board of Elders authorizes the Social Concerns Ministry to establish a SCM Fund and grants the ministry permission to solicit funds from the general CBCGB congregation.
The fund will be used for the following two purposes, listed in order of priority:
- Activity Support: The fund will be used to fund activities undertaken by CBCGB in the areas of mercy and justice.
- Charitable Giving: The fund will be used to donate to external organizations which further God’s causes of mercy and justice.