Much of this blog has been dedicated to parsing data about the American church, especially as it struggles to maintain its Christian witness effectively in the changing culture of the United States. In the process of reviewing this material, a key point I often make is the extent to which the various forms of the church seem out-of-step with both those who are already in local congregations and with those who are most likely to consider the Christian faith.

In making these claims, it is critical to remember that the church in the United States, and even in the West more generally, is not representative of the church as it exists globally. As Philip Jenkins pointed out in The Next Christendom (3rd ed, 2011), the median person who is a Christian in the world today is a poor woman in Africa or Latin America. And, while the church in the West struggles to demonstrate why it is meaningful to people around it, the church in the rest of the world has concrete examples of how it benefits those in the regions where it serves.

Devex, a media organization that covers the work of international development, determined that it needed to dedicate a portion of its website to address the role of Faith and Development. There it collects reports and opinions that speak to how religious leaders and communities are engaged in humanitarian work around the world.

This is a relatively new area of research for me, though there are Christian organizations and journals that have long studied the role of Christian mission related to humanitarian aid, especially in the form of medical missions. I was amazed to learn that anywhere from 20-70% of medical services found in Low and Middle Income Countries is provided through Faith Based Organizations. This is according to a study done by the Christian Connections for International Health, a forum for Christians working in global health.

Why are we unaware of these efforts? According to the article reporting on this, there are multiple reasons:

1. Religious medical operations are often highly localized, meaning that they are often in very rural places, far from the population centers. This geographical isolation makes them difficult to track.
2. The people being served are often marginalized in the larger culture, so they already are absent from the public discourse. The fact that someone is caring for them is easily overlooked because the culture was not concerned for them at the outset.
3. The facilities are not always traditional mission hospitals, but are local religious centers or places of worship that double as locations where a variety of public health services can be offered. This makes them difficult to “count” as part of the nation’s medical care.

Religious leaders do more than just provide set locations for medical services. They also are trusted in the community and can make a difference by visiting people door-to-door in order to explain public health concerns and simple ways people might avoid contracting or spreading diseases. There are articles that address the enormous difference religious leaders made in promoting personal hygiene, dealing with mental health, and helping minimize the impact of COVID-19.

More than this, a growing number of voices are calling on governmental and non-governmental bodies that are involved with humanitarian aid work to take faith seriously. In much of the world, local faith communities have the trust, support, and reach needed to bring a message of good news: that God has made a way for people to share in greater well-being. This is not a diluted version of the gospel message for Christians, but a portion of it. Jesus offers abundant life, and, as his own ministry demonstrated, part of that is healing, community, and restoration in this life. All of this points to the Kingdom of God that will come in fullness one day. For now, they are signs that the Kingdom is overcoming the powers of illness, decay, and death.

Of course, the religious leaders offering this support to development are not just Christians. That is no problem. As Jesus said, “those who are not against you are with you.” That is not to say that we are in agreement about all things into eternity. But, insofar as we are all sharing part of the abundant life of Jesus through caring for people in this world, we are for each other.

So, the next time someone asks why the church seems so out-of-touch, share about the concrete witness of God’s goodness that the church is providing around the world. It is so impressive that even the governments and NGOs are certain that the church makes the world a better and healthier place for the poor.