Faith-Based Communities: Meeting the Needs of Children in Foster Care

Children in Foster Care: Cause for Concern

“Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress” (James 1:27).  Scripture clearly and repeatedly exhorts Christians to care for the fatherless.  Yet, many children in our world still lack loving homes.  In the U.S. alone, more than 127,000 children currently wait to be adopted from the foster care system.  This crisis presents the Church an amazing opportunity to obey Christ’s command to care for orphans by providing loving families to children in foster care through adoption. 

While the shear number of children in foster care appears daunting, there are actually three places of worship in the U.S. for each child who is waiting to be adopted.  In other words, if just one person from each church adopted a child from foster care, we would provide all waiting orphans with homes – three times over.  Faith-based communities DO have the people and resources necessary to address the foster care crisis.  The challenge remains, however, to mobilize churches to help meet the needs of waiting children.  Fortunately, national coalitions, state faith-based initiatives, and local churches are embracing adoption as a cause for Christ.

The National Movement

The national push for adoption awareness and involvement has been facilitated by the work of several Christian organizations.  Focus on the Family, FamilyLife’s Hope for Orphans, and Shaohannah’s Hope have served as primary players in spreading the pro-adoption message.  Through their “Cry of the Orphan” awareness campaign, these organizations are mobilizing Christians to adopt newborn infants, children from foster care, and orphans from overseas.  In 2007 alone, the Cry of the Orphan campaign touched 19 million people with the message that they have a personal, God-given responsibility to care for orphans. 

The Christian Alliance for Orphans (CAFO), a coalition of Christian child advocacy groups and churches, has also played a significant role in the national movement to encourage adoption by the Christian community.  With its annual summit conferences, CAFO is training and connecting adoption ministries and further spreading awareness about the needs of orphans.  And, by coordinating the resources and efforts of various adoption organizations, the Alliance is strategically working to maximize orphan care efforts. 

Focus on the Family’s own Orphan Care Initiative was begun in 2006 to inspire, equip, and engage the body of Christ to adopt orphans.  The Orphan Care program specifically works to mobilize churches as the prime vehicle to place children with loving families.  As such, the Initiative challenges local churches to inform their members about adoption and to provide a variety of support services for those members who choose to adopt.  The Orphan Care Initiative also raises awareness of the plight of orphans, encourages Christians to pray for orphans and to financially support adoption ministries, and provides resources for those looking to adopt. 

Recognizing the valuable work of religious organizations, the White House Office of Faith Based and Community Initiatives has promoted partnerships between government and faith-based groups that facilitate adoption.  In 2007, the Office even sent an official letter of support and endorsement for the Cry of the Orphans campaign.  Also, the federal government has increasingly provided financial grants to support the work of religious organizations that encourage adoptions from foster care.  In example, Bethany Christian Services, a private, faith-based adoption and family service agency, is committed to successful partnerships with government child welfare departments.  The agency receives millions of dollars a year in grants from federal, state and local governments, and successfully places more than a thousand children each year. 

State Faith-Based Initiatives

Several states have started their own faith-based initiatives to promote church involvement in adoption.  Some states provide grants to ministries or organizations that encourage churchgoers to adopt children in foster care.  Other states have established partnership programs between government and religious organizations in order to facilitate adoption recruitment from faith communities.  Still other states, while not directly funding religious groups, make agreements with faith-based organizations that allow them to recruit and train adoptive parents for children waiting in foster care. 

•  Colorado’s Project 1.27 facilitates adoptions between Christians in Colorado churches and children waiting in the state foster care system.  The initiative has agreements with Colorado counties to recruit and train foster and adoptive parents but does not receive government reimbursement for this work.  Project 1.27’s goal is to place all of Colorado’s children who are waiting in foster care into permanent homes by 2014.

• Florida’s 4KIDS of South Florida provides multiple services to meet the needs of children in foster care.  This grassroots, faith-based foster-care ministry identifies, trains, and licenses foster families; places children who have been removed from their homes in foster families or temporary shelters; advises and supports foster parents who desire to adopt their foster children; and provides long term residential support to young adults who are “aging out” of foster care.  In 2002, 4KIDS began “Churches United for Foster Care,” an organization that now facilitates the involvement of more than one hundred churches and faith-based providers who are committed to caring for orphans in South Florida.

• Hawaii’s Families for Waiting Keiki program was initiated in 2006 to recruit, train, and support families from faith-based communities who are willing to adopt difficult to place children from foster care.  Two Christian organizations and Hawaii’s Department of Human Services have partnered to accomplish this goal.  Hope INC and Hawaii Family Forum work together to recruit and prepare potential adoptive families from local churches, and the Department of Human Services funds this effort. 

• Missouri’s One Heart Family Ministry recruits, trains, and supports Christian families who are interested in adopting children from foster care or serving as foster parents.  The ministry recruits adoptive parents from faith based communities, provides state foster care and adoption training, helps parents complete the adoption process, and supports adoptive and foster families through a variety of services.  

• Texas’ Congregations Helping in Love and Dedication (CHILD) program promotes church involvement in foster care.  Through the program, recruiters work to train and certify church members as foster and adoptive parents, with the goal of preparing at least two families per congregation.  Each congregation is also encouraged to develop support services for its foster and adoptive families.  The state of Texas spent $500,000 in 2007 to encourage churchgoers to adopt and care for children in foster care.

Local Congregations Act

Finally, local congregations are taking up the charge to encourage adoption.  Individual churches have both a unique responsibility and an amazing opportunity to mobilize Christians to address the foster care crisis, and many are providing creative ways for their members to get involved.  In order to help meet tangible adoption-related needs, churches can provide information, offer support services, and/or start their own adoption ministries. 

First, churches should inform their members about the pressing needs of children in foster care.  Congregations can raise awareness through adoption weekends, sermons, bulletin articles, or announcements.  Twenty percent of Americans turn to their place of worship for information about foster care adoption.[1]  Hence, churches must be prepared to answer the questions of families that are looking to adopt. 

Second, churches should provide support services for those adoptive families in their community.  Congregations can offer respite child care services; food, clothing, and transportation; reduced tuition for day care; tutoring and after-school programs; enrichment activities; and financial assistance.  Children in foster care often have special physical, mental, emotional, and/or developmental needs, which can be extremely taxing on adoptive parents.  Churches have a unique opportunity to help provide adoptive families the extra financial, emotional, spiritual, and practical support needed to meet the challenges they face.

Third, churches should consider launching their own adoption ministries.  Local congregations possess a strategic opportunity to help locate and equip adoptive families within a child’s own community.  Church ministries might offer support services for at-risk families and children in their neighborhood, highlight the needs of children in foster care in the community, or help local families complete the adoption process.  Also, churches might start adoption prayer circles and adoption support groups. 

How You Can Help Meet Children’s Needs

In acknowledging Christ’s command to care for orphans, the Church is mobilizing to address the foster care crisis.  National coalitions, state faith-based initiatives, and local churches are working to provide permanent families for needy children.  Though many children in foster care are waiting for permanent homes, even more Christians have loving homes to offer.  Those interested in personal involvement with this worthy cause might consider:

• Adopting a child from foster care
• Supporting those church members who have adopted children
• Praying for adoption ministries
• Giving financially to adoption organizations
• Encouraging churches to promote adoption 

For more information:

• Focus on the Family’s Orphan Care Mobilize Your Church site 
• Bennett Chapel Family Ministry’s “Saving a Generation” site