Should the Church Take Final Responsibility for Believers in Need?

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The short answer to the question, “Should the Church Take Final Responsibility for Believers in Need?” is yes. Scripture teaches this truth in many places, both by example (i.e., Acts 2:45; 4:34; 6:1-6) and by teaching (1 Timothy 5:3-6; 1 John 3:16-18; Titus 3:14).

But if the church is to take final responsibility for believers in need, then what does taking final responsibility really mean? What kind of liability is the church assuming for those with long term needs in its midst? Is taking final responsibility for these people the same as taking total responsibility for them?

What taking final responsibility means is that the church acts as an overseer for the normal social systems that should be in place to provide for those believers who have needs they themselves cannot meet. If one of those social systems fails, the church then offers itself as support in its place.

The social systems we are talking about are the family and extended family of the believer in need, then available charities, and finally, government resources. The church does not step in and take the place of these resources as a first resort. That would be taking total responsibility. Rather, the church checks to make sure these resources are functioning on behalf of the person in need.

This checking function is what Paul was doing in 1 Timothy 5:16 when he wrote: “If any woman who is a believer has widows in her family, she should help them and not let the church be burdened with them, so that the church can help those widows who are really in need” (New International Version). Should these resources fail, the church itself assumes the financial support for the needy believer, i.e. those widows who are really in need.

A prime example of the church stepping in when the family wouldn’t is Jesus on the cross assigning the care of Mary to John: “When Jesus saw his mother there, and the disciple whom he loved standing nearby, he said to his mother, ‘Dear woman, here is your son, and to the disciple, Here is your mother.’ From that time on, the disciple took her into his own home.” John 19:26-27 (New International Version). Jesus had other brothers and sisters (Mark 6:3). But entrusting to them the care of his mother at this time would not have been appropriate.

Your men’s team ministry is acting as an agent of the church and, as such, is overseeing the care of your care receivers. By taking final responsibility, you are offering your church as a guarantee that, should other resources fail, the church itself will be there for him or her.

This post first appeared in Doing Good Well, Thirty Daily Meditations on Developing a Biblical and Focused Discipline of Good Works, by Herb Reese and in NewCommandment.org.

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