Frequently Asked Questions about Sheltering Church Ministry:

What is the Sheltering Church Ministry?

The Sheltering Church Ministry (SCM) is an opportunity for local, evangelical churches to minister to the needs of women facing crisis pregnancies. These women need the love and understanding that only the family of God - those who have been redeemed by a loving and caring Savior - can provide. The SCM gives the local church this opportunity in a unique and viable way.

The ministry accepts these women unconditionally, as Christ accepts each one of us in our sinful condition. In cooperation with an existing pregnancy care center (PCC), it offers women alternatives to abortion through various means of assistance and care. If no PCC exists in your area and your church would like to establish one, BFL can help direct your efforts. The ministry has a number of goals.

• to terminate the crisis for a woman, so she will not feel the need to terminate her pregnancy.

• to share the gospel message of forgiveness and transformation

• to train new believers in godliness

The extent of help made available depends entirely on how much the local church chooses to become involved or is able to offer in respect to its resources and abilities. The church can begin its sheltering ministry at any stage. This allows the ministry to grow as the church becomes more comfortable in what it is able to provide and as the Lord opens the doors to additional opportunities.
 

Why have a Sheltering Church Ministry?

Spiritually, the Church is a refuge from sin and a place of eternal security in Jesus Christ. Reaching out to others unconditionally reflects what God did for us spiritually through Jesus Christ. The Word of God instructs us to "love your neighbor as yourself." Historically, the Church has provided refuge to the unwanted, the poor, and social outcasts. It was the Church that first established hospitals and orphanages - not the state. The Body of Christ recognized its responsibility to be "salt and light" - to combat the world's attitude of unconcern and selfishness toward the weak and needy.

The SCM is a visible testimony of "salt and light" in a festering and darkened world. It seeks to stem the tide of sin that threatens to destroy our culture. It stands as a beacon of hope to women in crisis, guiding them to a safe refuge, a shelter against life's raging storms.
 

How does the Sheltering Church Ministry operate?

The SCM combines the ministry skills of laypeople and the resources of the local body and makes them available to women in crisis. Networking between Bible-centered churches and evangelistic pregnancy care centers assures that a woman in crisis will be able to obtain as much help as possible.

Baptists for Life will work with churches and PCCs to help establish an initial contact. We will continue to exist as a source of information and help in the church's effort to be a supportive and guiding pro-life testimony in their community.

Involvement for churches may include the following (see our Membership Skills Survey for other suggestions):

• Encouraging members to volunteer at a PCC

• Financially supporting a PCC or providing material aid on a regular basis

• Inviting the director of an area PCC to speak during a church service

• Observing Sanctity of Human Life Sunday, preaching pro-life messages, and teaching pro-life curriculum

• Broadening the outreach of an area PCC by referring clients and/or offering transportation where needed

• Mentoring a PCC client, teaching life skills, or discipling a new believer

To develop a concerted sense of mission among the SCM churches, BFL will publish an SCM Email Newsletter to keep participating churches informed on the Sheltering Church Ministry and to serve as a forum for the exchange of ideas and encouragement.
 

Which churches are part of the Sheltering Church Ministry?

Since the goal of the Sheltering Church Ministry is spiritual, as well as physical, it is important that participating churches be in doctrinal agreement with our Statement of Faith. This will assure an effective partnership.

Participation in the Sheltering Ministry doesn't depend on church size. That is one aspect of this ministry that makes it so workable.  Each church is able to determine the extent of its involvement as it best fits its congregation's profile.
 

How do we get started as a Sheltering Church?

It is important to involve individuals who have a heart and passion for this work. Not everyone, however, will be involved at the same level. For instance, there may be some individuals who possess special skills that would only be used occasionally as the need arises. This could include medical and legal professionals, counselors, business people (i.e. employers), accountants, etc.

The first step toward involvement in this ministry is obtaining the Sheltering Church Ministry manual. This information is essential to determine what your local church will be able to offer as part of the ministry's outreach.

The manual will instruct the church how to organize the information it compiles and develop the basic structure for a successful sheltering program. After determining the areas of expertise represented in your church, these individuals can be approached to see if they would be willing to volunteer their skills on an as-needed basis to the Sheltering Ministry.

A community services survey, included in the manual, will help determine the social services available in the community that would be helpful in meeting the needs of women in crisis. These services are usually free or on an availability-to-pay basis. Although the purpose of the Sheltering Church Ministry is to offer compassionate Christian help, tax-supported social services, where applicable, are beneficial in meeting some of these needs.

Once this is completed, the church would indicate to BFL their willingness to become a Sheltering Church. If necessary, we can help connect the church to a BFL-associated PCC located nearby (Google Map). BFL will also add the church to their email SCM List, a source for helpful information and encouraging news.


How will women in need know that we are a Sheltering Church?

Since this ministry is a positive outreach to benefit the community, it lends itself well to good publicity. Include information about SCM on your church website and provide links to area PCCs.

To reach women in crisis, the church should place an ad in the "Abortion Alternatives" section of the telephone book yellow pages.

News releases to the local media can be written and tailored for each church. For those churches that have radio programs or are able to secure radio time, you can develop 15- and/or 30-second radio spots. It may be possible to obtain free radio exposure as a "public service announcement."

A news release detailing your involvement as a Sheltering Church may also result in a newspaper article. The unique visible involvement of the local church in ministering to women in this manner makes for positive community relations and possibly favorable newspaper coverage.
 

Conclusion

Many women are tempted by abortion because they feel there is no place to go for help, no other choice to make. Pregnancy care centers can offer these women the help they need but there are too few of these resources available. However, there are tens of thousands of local churches across the country that can ease this burden by becoming a Sheltering Church.

If not the Church, then who? The world offers only despair and deception to the woman in crisis. The Church has the truth of the word of God as its foundational basis. It should be the first place an individual looks for help. We must regain that trust. We must offer that hope. The Sheltering Church Ministry is one way to start.
 

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