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According to the Word of God, the money that's in the church is not the money that's in the bank account of the church. It's the money in all our wallets, in all our bank accounts. It's all the assets and resources we have. There is nothing that can't be done by the church.

3. The church actually cares about people in need. We can't help caring because we are followers of Jesus. You may remember the bracelets and bumper stickers that said WWJD—What Would Jesus Do? That's what Jesus' followers ask themselves. I know what he would do. He would do today just what he did when he walked this earth.

Four Gospels in the New Testament tell us that he went out among people. He met them at their point of need. He loved them and he helped them with all their needs, whatever they were, and not just their spiritual needs.

I know as well as anybody else that the church doesn't help so well as Jesus did. However, the church does do it. Go anywhere in the world, including the United States, take any town where Christians live, and ask yourself what the church is doing. You will find that they are caring for people in need. If they aren't, they feel bad about it.

4. The church brings spiritual as well as physical transformation. If you deal with needy people, you find out quickly that their needs are not met simply by writing a check. Their lives need transformation at every level. Only the church has the gospel, which can bring salvation and change lives for eternity. Only the church can direct people to Jesus, who can save them now and forever.

5. The church is filled with people who are called and gifted to serve.Ephesians 2:10 says, "For we are God's workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do." That is our reason for being. The question isn't whether you should do good works or not. It is, "God, what good works do you have planned for me to do?"

The church is full of people who are ready to make a difference through service. They have the gifts needed, and there is work for them to do. All that remains is mobilization.

Recently I met with two pastors from one of our largest churches. I asked them, "What is your church doing for local missions?"

They told me about their budget. They give to the Rescue Mission, to Evangel Home, and to a food ministry.

"No, no," I said. "That's not what I'm asking. It's important that you give money to those organizations. They need your support. What I'm asking is, what is your church doing to help your people become local missionaries?"

They pastor a huge church with a concern for foreign missions. They both sat there, silent. They had no structure for their church members to become missionaries in their own community.

The past couple of years saw a publishing phenomenon, Rick Warren's The Purpose-Driven Life. Literally millions of people read it. Now, presumably, they understand that their purpose in life is wrapped up in the Great Commission and the Great Commandment. My concern is that most of their churches don't offer them much structure to help them fulfill their God-given purpose. Without a structure, I fear that their discovery of purpose will be short-lived.

Traditionally, when Christians discover a need they start a new program. Either they do it within their own church, or they go outside their church and launch a new organization. In Fresno, we lean on a model that uses the organizations and church structures that already exist. It's simple: the Love in the Name of Christ (Love INC) model, which is a network of churches using a clearinghouse to serve their city together.

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January 2005, Vol. 49, No. 1