By Lonnie Wilkey
Editor, Baptist and Reflector
Editor’s Note: You can listen to Joe Sorah discuss compassion ministry during Episode 2 of Radio B&R, the official news podcast of the Tennessee Baptist Mission Board.
BRENTWOOD — Compassion ministries involve much more than just caring about people, says Joe Sorah, compassion ministries specialist for the Tennessee Baptist Mission Board.
“All kinds of secular organizations care about people,” Sorah observed. What differentiates secular organizations from churches is the “ministry” component, he said.
“Ministry means that I want to introduce them to Jesus Christ. I want to help them grow in their faith, helping them to reach the place in their life where they can introduce others to Jesus Christ.”
Sorah likes to quote compassion ministry guru Charles Roesel (a retired pastor from Florida): “A church that ministers to hurting people will never lack for an audience.”
That is especially true in Tennessee.
Sorah estimated that out of the six million people who live in Tennessee, “realistically one out of every six people that you meet live in poverty. Eighteen percent have incomes below the poverty line.”
Sorah added that Tennessee ranks 45th in overall poverty rates. “Twenty-six percent of our children grow up in families with poverty.
“It is widespread. The needs are all across Tennessee,” he observed.
The model for compassion ministry is found in Luke 4:18-19, Sorah said. Jesus says, “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me because He hath appointed me to preach the gospel to the poor; He hath sent me to heal the brokenhearted. …”
“When you hear Jesus talk about the kind of ministry He was called to, then it is natural to assume that His followers also would be involved in that kind of ministry,” Sorah said. “And, it begins with those in poverty.”
Sorah also noted there is no shortage of “brokenhearted” people in the state. “What breaks hearts? It is things such as death, divorce, abuse, and the list can go on. We have ministries and churches in Tennessee that are seeking to minister to people in these types of situations,” he said.
He noted there are churches in Tennessee that excel in compassion ministries by providing grief support groups, divorce support groups, groups for people facing addictions, and more. “A lot of our churches are doing those kinds of things. That’s compassion ministry. That’s caring about people whose hearts are breaking.”
Sorah is convinced that compassion ministry can impact the local church.
He cited statistics that show that some churches did not reach anyone with the gospel the previous year. “Could it be because we are only caring for ourselves and only caring about those under our own roof?” Sorah asked.
“If we will open our eyes to see hurting people and start ministering to those people, opportunities will open up to share the gospel,” he said.
When churches reach out to hurting people in their communities, it will impact evangelism and it will help to revitalize the church, Sorah said. “When we start getting outside the walls of our churches and seeing people in need, it will change our churches and how we look at things.”
Sorah also noted that churches that offer compassion ministries are more likely to reach younger families and couples. “The younger generation wants to be involved in social ministry,” he observed. “And if we fail to involve them in our churches, they will go find other avenues in which to serve.”
For churches that do not have compassion ministries, Sorah said the first place to start is prayer. “We have to ask, ‘God, what is it you want us to do?’”
He encouraged churches to look within their membership. “Maybe God has sent you someone who has a passion to end human trafficking or someone who has a passion to care for people who are hurting from a recent divorce. That could be a place to start,” he suggested.
Sorah also suggested that churches look at what other churches are doing. “You don’t have to reinvent the wheel. Learn from them.”
The TBMB specialist noted that he once asked Roesel if he could only start one ministry to begin with, what would it be? Surprisingly, Roesel suggested that churches do not start with a clothes closet or food pantry, he said.
Roesel said it would be best to offer a support group because it gives you the opportunity to spend time with people. “The more time we spend with them, the more evangelistically effective it is,” Sorah said.
Regardless of what ministry a church chooses, “don’t just care for people. Share the gospel through it.”
For more information about compassion ministry, contact Sorah at jsorah@tnbaptist.org or call 423-895-1418.