Our church is regaining its heritage of concern and care for the poor and disenfranchised as emphasized by Dr. Bresee, who felt called to “the neglected quarters of the cities,” and committed to “caring for the poor, comforting the dying.” (The Los Angeles First Church of the Nazarene 1895 Mission Statement) With over 1,200 Good Samaritan churches, close to 200 Compassionate Ministry Centers, and an effective Nazarene Disaster Response system, the Church of the Nazarene is developing a noteworthy reputation for being compassionate. We are so closely associated with the term “compassion” that most of the results of a web search return with some connection to “Nazarene.”

But while our capacity to give has grown, poverty, even within the United States, has increased. According to Census Bureau data, 12.5% of the population was poor in 2003, up from 12.1% in 2002. That means about 1.3 million more people in the U.S. became poor. In all, 35.9 million people, including 12.9 million children, lived below the federal threshold for poverty. (Bread for the World Institute www.bread.org) It is such an overwhelming statistic that we could quote the first part of Deuteronomy 15:11, “For the poor will never cease to be in the land,” as a lament of hopelessness. Is it possible for the church to impact poverty? Do we only provide scripture, a tract and a prayer? Do we respond just with compassion, giving food and clothing away? Or is the church – Are We – called to be a prophetic voice that challenges a self-centered world, as we call people to faith in Jesus Christ?

I believe there is an underlying philosophy that prevents us from participating in activities that could reduce and possibly eliminate poverty. “The poor exist due to their own mistakes, sins and bad decisions” philosophy reduces our responsibility to create change and limits our response to an occasional handout. We assume the poor “need Christ,” when often they have more of Christ than we could ever obtain. Although poverty can be a result of personal choice, scripture never identifies the poor with sin or as “sinners.”

Not a single one of the 136 passages that mention the poor, identify them as sinners and only three (3 out of 136) suggest poverty to be the result of personal choice (Proverbs 10:4, 20:13, 21:17). Most of the other 133 Old and New Testament passages that speak of the poor, blame poverty on the rulers, authorities and unjust systems, while calling the rich & the righteous to care for, supplement (Proverbs 29:7) and seek justice (Psalm 140:12) on behalf of the poor. “Abundant food is in the fallow ground of the poor, But it is swept away by injustice.” (Proverbs 13:23) Old Testament passages provide evidence for the existence of injustice in our world and release the poor from retribution “…the poor hears no rebuke.” (Proverbs 13:7)

So if we are called to seek justice on behalf of the poor rather than just providing a meal, where do we start? Jesus had an uncommon and radical approach to helping those in need. He asked people what they wanted? Then he provided their desire as a demonstration of God’s incredible love. Noted author and Urban Minister, Robert Linthicum commented to a group of urban pastors. “We ask people in the city what they need, and they say, “living wage jobs,” so we start a soup kitchen, food pantry and clothes closet. We return and ask the same question, “What do you need?” They reply, “living wage jobs,” so we open a youth center. We, again ask their need and they again reply, “living wage jobs.”

Bread for the World Institute states, “Just providing food seldom gets to the roots of hunger. In the United States, food pantries provide urgently needed help. But food assistance is less important to overcoming hunger than job opportunities. Empowering people, providing them with opportunities or helping them cultivate an awareness of what they can do to improve their lives, is one of the most important ways of overcoming hunger and poverty.”

The challenge is for the church to ask the questions: Why are there so many poor among us, and how can we effect change? We have a mission of giving the gospel, “good news,” to the poor. Are we willing to do it with just 13 compassion or Just Compassion?

by Dan Soliday
Coordinator, Nazarene Compassionate Ministries USA/Canada