Letter to a Church Member: James 1:27 and Orphanages

Introduction

My friend, I appreciate and value your heart for orphans, for Jesus Himself cared for those in need and commanded His disciples to do the same (Matt. 25:35-40). Likewise, James, as you have pointed out, admonishes his audience: “Religion that is pure and undefiled before God the Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their affliction, and to keep oneself unstained from the world” (Jas 1:27).¹ While I share in your concern for the vulnerable, I cannot agree with you that these admonitions necessitate that our local church establishes an orphanage. Rather, I believe James 1:27 demonstrates that Christians must care for and “visit orphans” (emphasis mine) instead of housing them in an orphanage. In the remainder of this letter, I will do my best to demonstrate that, as faithful Christians, we can care for those in need without resorting to radical extremes that can severely complicate our ministry.

The Problem: Orphanages as a Necessity

Aside from the fact that James 1:27 does not specify that we are to open an orphanage, there are several problems and complications with a ‘necessary orphanage.’ While orphanages are a necessary element of society, a ‘necessary orphanage’ established and facilitated by our church is not sustainable and does not align with our philosophy of ministry. On page 191 of the book Church in Hard Places: How the Local Church Brings Life to the Poor and Needy, authors McConnell and McKinley say, “There is a temptation… to take Jesus’s portrait of extreme discipleship and seek to obey it in extreme ways.” When we hear of the vulnerability and sad reality of the children without parents in our community, it is natural to think of the most extreme answer: “We must open an orphanage to care for these individuals.” While such an answer sees sacrificial love as the answer, it is not wise sacrificial love. A fully developed benevolence ministry of our church in the form of an orphanage would most definitely keep us from being faithful with our time and money in other, equally important ways.

The Solution: Visiting and Caring for Orphans

If a ‘necessary orphanage’ is not the answer, then what does genuine care for orphans look like? I do not doubt you are thinking of this question, and it is the right question to wonder, for caring for the poor and needy truly aligns with the heart of Christ and the Christian mission of preaching the Gospel to the world.

There are several practical ways we can care for orphans, and I would love to discuss these with you in more detail. First, we can facilitate donations to existing children’s homes or orphanages, even setting up a gift offering collected during our Sunday service. Second, we can partner with local agencies to visit these children, offering them meals, tutoring, and Bible studies. The possibilities with such sessions truly are endless. Third, we can support the house parents of these ministries through various means, including offering wise counsel, providing gifts, and simply making ourselves available to them. Finally, although this is more within the jurisdiction of our individual families rather than our corporate body, we can encourage our congregants to consider adoption. All of these tasks would sufficiently satisfy the admonition to care for those in need, and we would do any of these joyfully.

Conclusion

While orphanages are a necessity for the needy, they are not a mandatory element of this church’s ministry. Instead, our church must participate in these ministries, whether directly or indirectly, but never through ownership or establishment. We must be wise with our time and money so that we can meet as many needs as possible, all while preaching the Good News.

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Footnotes

1. Unless otherwise specified, all Scripture references in this letter are to the English Standard Version (Wheaton, IL: Crossway, 2016). ↩