More, Better, Faster...for Kids!

We spent Monday in San Antonio, TX with Paul Pennington and some other dear friends of the World Orphans ministry. Paul serves in a joint role as the Chairman of the Christian Alliance for Orphans and Director of FamilyLife’s Hope for Orphans. After we described the ‘new’ World Orphans to him, Paul responded by saying that it gave him ‘goose bumps.’ Our church-to-church focus resonates greatly with what the Alliance cherishes and wishes to promote amongst its constituent members and greater audience.

Paul’s heart concerning the rescue of 150 million orphans was summed up in a single statement:

"More, better, faster...for kids."

Such a statement conveys that the Church in the west currently isn’t doing enough - not enough people are involved; not enough children are being rescued. It also implies that the Church (and parachurch) isn’t doing it effectively or fast enough - time and resources are being wasted; children are literally dying due to our lack of efficiency and urgency.

We spend time and money reinventing the wheel. We spend time and money building infrastructures from scratch, in isolation and duplication. We focus on ‘logo and egos’ instead of seeking partnership.

I want to again encourage all my colleagues in orphan care ministry to use the base infrastructure and ministry distribution system that is already in place, already staffed with vocational ministers and volunteers, already overseen by godly governance structures, already positioned within the communities where the children are being orphaned and abandoned. I’m talking about the local church. Use the local indigenous church!

Local indigenous churches around the world meet all these criteria above...and more.

Want to see more kids rescued in better ways in a more expedient manner?

There are thousands of churches in the midst of huge orphan populations = more kids rescued

These churches are compassionate communities of believers with a variety of abilities, experiences and spiritual giftings = better care

These churches are already there and have basic infrastructure and staff in place that need complementing and equipping = faster rescue.

"More, better, faster...for kids."

Comments

[Scott]

Convicting to say the least: more, better, faster - for kids.

[Marcello]

that's the way to do it!

[micheal vinson]

great summation of how the Church is the answer. Now that we know what the answer is, lets start applying it.
mv

[Carl Holmes]

I truly believe that is where much of the strength we here at Compassion International have, it is because we partner with local churches only. No building orphanages, no bringing in highly degreed workers from the west, just us proping up a local church, providing resources and education to make it a little better on pooor children around the world. It is a simple formula, and it works!