Mobilizing Your Church Into Effective Mercy Ministry


	Mercy ministry can be of various intensities, and various sizes and depths. It can be personal, relatively small in scope or effort. It can be very large, and even impersonal. There are many resources that a local church can use. The local church should not allow itself to be taken out of direct action in ministry to the poor. The local church must be a player because it is God’s organization, it is one of the most grass roots of organizations. The church is also one of the most holistic of organizations (ministering to people in the fullness of their needs).
	Churches can protect their prerogatives while being allies, partners, or merely co-belligerents with other organizations. It can create dependent or independent ministries to carry out works of mercy. This requires wisdom and skill, but there are many models of church based, and church connected, ministries to learn from.
	Church members can create, join, supervise, any number of para-church ministries. They can pursue employment in various social service or government agencies and work unto the Lord in those settings. They can follow through on their commitments to the poor and the oppressed through political involvement by letting a Biblical world and life view direct them in their thinking and actions.