Being the Church in a Recession

We have been blessed in Texas with a robust economy in good times and a resilient economy in times when the rest of country is struggling economically. Still, people are moving into the state at high levels and businesses are struggling. There are communities dependent upon government contracts when the Federal budget is being redistributed. The result of this is employment numbers are declining. People are looking for jobs. The challenge for the unemployed to find employment is growing, and some economists say economic struggle will continue for years to come.

So what can the church do? An even better question is, what can the church be to their communities in a time when circumstances threaten to turn lives upside down? In one of the ubiquitous blue boxes in the Economist (Feb 20-26, 2010), a short two column piece appeared, addressing this very issue. Here is some of what this secular publication observed.

The church can be a gathering place. Many congregations across the country are providing both spiritual and professional counseling for people who have lost their jobs. They come together in prayer and praise, they network or fellowship, they highlight people who have recently become employed. For those who have been unemployed for the longest period of time, congregations hand out gas cards and gift cards to help them travel to where they need to go and to prepare for an interview. One lay leader said, "We believe that God should be a part of the job search." Then they break out into workshop sessions.

In these workshops they review their resume` writing and learn how to construct an “elevator pitch” for why an employer should hire them. (An elevator pitch is a statement the length of the time it takes for an elevator to reach the selected floor. Not a bad idea to develop for a witness statement as well.)

An interesting component to this growing activity across the country is that the goal is not to add members to the congregation. Indeed, there is a great deal of anxiety and even hopelessness in the ranks of the unemployed. The church can certainly address fear, but opening the doors of a congregation for job searchers unconditionally (without the call to join the congregation) reduces anxiety for those unfamiliar with the church culture and encourages people to become acquainted with principled, hard-working members of the body of Christ.

Such attention to the community may not be forgotten when a job is secured. Still, a cup of cold water given without qualification serves the kingdom of Christ very well.