Strengthen the Churches

I had a dream in September 2021. I was in a meeting with a handful of vibrant young adults. They had just graduated from either high school or college. They not only had a sense of possibility as their lives lay before them, but they also had a sense of responsibility. One of them asked me, “How do we invest back into Alabama?” I knew they loved the state that had raised them, and they want to use their time well, investing into their communities. It’s likely they would become leaders within local governments or members of important social committees.

I liked this question so much that I got the whole group’s attention and repeated it, preparing them to hear my response. I then answered, “Strengthen the churches.” I went on to summarize a key idea from Ben Shapiro, describing how the “social fabric” is not held together by government institutions, but by the churches. I also explained that if they asked current community leaders the same question, those leaders would give the same response as me.

As the dream is ending, I’m about to give them practical action steps, calling them to volunteer in their churches by signing up for a team. I know that if they do this, it’s a strategy that will not only strengthen Alabama, but any state or community to which God calls them. As I am about to tell them this, the dream ends.

I wanted to share this dream with you because it captures a simple truth that many have forgotten: Strong churches create strong communities. When marriages and families are built upon the word of God, then people inevitably become healthy, responsible, proactive citizens. When people are a part of a faith-centric community, every area of their lives grows strong, thus strengthening society as a whole.

Many characterize America as a post-Christian society. In doing so, they view the church as a private institution, only relevant to people with private religious beliefs. They do not see the church as playing any serious role in the public world, beyond an occasional charitable deed for the poor. However, when you rip church out of American life, you rip the heart out of American life. Everything else starts to decay. A government program will not fix what God intended the church to solve.

If you re-read the Book of Acts, you may be surprised at how often this idea shows up. Most of my life, I’ve envisioned Paul, the apostle, exclusively as a pioneering missionary. As a child, I would study the maps in the back of my Bible that charted his travels. While Paul certainly pioneered missions, that’s not all he did. Strengthening churches was one of his most frequent activities. Once a church was planted, he would then spend his time and energy “strengthening the souls of the disciples” (see Acts 14:22; 15:41; 18:23). Furthermore, when Paul was not on a missionary expedition, he was an active part of his home church in Antioch, serving on a team alongside other leaders (see Acts 15:35; 13:1). What is the application for us?

If we want communities in America to grow stronger, it’s not enough to inspire personal achievement within our young people. It’s not enough to call them to pioneer something in the career field of their choice. Nor is it enough to call them to civic responsibility alone. We must call them to spiritual responsibility. Investing time, energy, and resources into Christian community produces long-term results. Without it, government agencies and social institutions may look like a functioning body, but they have no heart. Eventually, they will collapse.