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Family, Church and Community Caring for the Needy
Roy Erwin
Liberty University, Criminology
SOCI201: Social Problems
Jill Keller
May 19, 2025
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Family, Church and Community Caring for the Needy
Communities rely predominantly on churches, families, and community agencies for
support for the homeless, aged, victimized by family violence, and child abuse. The plan
established in the Bible explicitly prioritizes the family, then the church, and lastly, the
community (1 Timothy 5:8; Galatians 6:10). Families within my community work hard to assist
one another but are prevented from doing so geographically or through financial pressure. The
church attempts to make an overture among members, and community agencies offer spotty
support. This is a situation based upon cultural values regarding independence, which can cut
off support for vulnerable persons when it is most needed.
Families form the foundation for ministering to the poor, as suggested by the Bible (1
Timothy 5:8). In my community, numerous adult children opt to care for aging parents or special
needs children first, giving preference to this vocation. Our contemporary social structures,
however, work to separate families with distance, weakening the traditional extended family
system. Increased individualism requires adults to be self-sustaining and reduce reliance on
members within the family. This cultural trend encourages the family to provide for every need.
Functionalism considers the family as a social institution that creates stability, but economic
stress and mobility erode this function, prompting outside provision to bridge gaps.
The churches provide the secondary level of care, supplementing efforts on the part of
the family (Galatians 6:10). The churches I attend provide food banks, counseling, and the
provision of shelter, but they are typically only for members. This may reduce the impact of
outreach and be contrary to biblical requirements for universal compassion (James 1:27).
Churches also have limited coordination or awareness of other community agencies, further
reducing effective impact. From a conflict theory perspective, this restricted availability can
reinforce social boundaries. Symbolic interactionism gives an account of how churches establish
group identity, which has the negative impact of excluding needy individuals who belong to the
congregation but are outside it.
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Community agencies are the third level and provide professional intervention through
the provision of shelters, counseling, and legal advice. Present in my community are numerous
nonprofits targeting homelessness and intimate-partner violence, but there is a little
coordination between churches and households (Thurman et al., 2021). There is poor
communication between the groups, and thus fractured care, and people fall through gaps.
Functionalism would argue structural resources need to be coordinated or cooperating to help
the vulnerable groups for society to function effectively. Conflict theory would argue structural
resource disparities and more affluent groups than other groups. Symbolic interactionism would
explain the way by which stigma against certain needy groups determines acceptance or
provision of help, perpetuating isolation.
Existing practice shows high effort but deficits to carry out the purpose of the biblical
model. Families provide one-off help but cannot solve complex issues on an individual basis.
Churches have the will but lack the bringing together and coordination. Agencies within the
community have the know-how but are afflicted by fragmentation and disparity (Henslin, 2020).
A networked partnership that enables the family, makes churches' resources available to all for
free, and aligns the provision of services together within communities peacefully would better
serve the poor. This partnership would be responsive to biblical principles to serve all, and not
simply one's own, according to Galatians 6:10 and "doing good to all people."
What succeeds in my community is the strong family commitment to support kin
through financial and emotional support despite adversity. Churches excel at enlisting
volunteers and at establishing caring environments for members. Professional support during
times of crisis is offered through community programs. What is missing is communication and
coordination between the agencies, which lessens the impact of the system overall. Some
potential changes are interagency collaborations, outreach by churches to the non-members,
and community training in caregiving roles. These practices would implement biblical
compassion and effective coordination, leading to an extended, inclusive support system.
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The biblical model prioritizes the responsibility to family first: “If anyone does not
provide for his relatives… he has denied the faith” (1 Timothy 5:8). The church is instructed to
“do good to all people, especially to those who belong to the family of believers” (Galatians
6:10), addressing internal and external compassion. James 1:27 emphasizes provision for
“orphans and widows in their distress." All three verses teach us the ideal roles and encourage
broader outreach. In my program for outreach at my church, the ministries are directed at
homeless individuals but disproportionately help members, demonstrating the practice-
scripture tension.
Sociological theory explains the workings within the Biblical system of care. Symbolic
interactionism highlights common meaning, demonstrating the way the family and the church
establish identity through caregiving roles. Functionalist theory is the underpinning for the
hierarchical system of care, consisting of the family, church, and community as interconnected
institutions bringing stability to society. Conflict theory exposes resource inequalities and power
systems that limit care accessibility, and the most vulnerable are excluded. Together, the
theories explain why gaps exist and provide avenues for improvement for meeting biblical care
requirements. Care for the poor within my community is an unequal and collective effort on the
part of family, churches, and community organizations. Conformity to biblical instruction entails
strengthening support within the family, increased provision by the church in an inclusive and
integrated way, and concerted provision by the community. Sociological examination pinpoints
structural and cultural barriers to be overcome. Increased coordination and commitment to
being merciful to everyone can help the community create a more equitable and effective
support program, better attesting to the biblical framework for care.
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References
Henslin, J. M. (2020). Sociology: a down-to-earth approach. Pearson.
Holy Bible, New International Version. (2011). 1 Timothy 5:8; Galatians 6:10; James 1:27.
Thurman, W., Moczygemba, L. R., Welton-Arndt, L., Kim, E., Hudzik, A., Corley, K., &
Tormey, K. (2021). Faith-based Health and Social Services for People Experiencing
Homelessness in the United States: A Scoping Review of the Literature. Journal of health
care for the poor and underserved, 32(4), 1698–1719.
https://doi.org/10.1353/hpu.2021.0160
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