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Russell Moore, president of the Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission, the public-policy arm of the Southern Baptist Convention (SBC), believes the church has a responsibility to help unemployed people secure financial stability.
“In my early twenties, I was without a job for a few months, and was shaken by that. Up until then, I had worked every day since I was 15, and had always thought of myself as an ‘overachiever,'” he shares on his blog.
What got Moore through that difficult time was an anonymous donor from a church, who would send him money every month until he got back on his feet. Later, he found out that the checks came from an elderly couple he had known all of his life.
“They never said a word,” he says. “The checks were, for me, about more than making ends meet. They were a sign that someone believed in me; someone thought I had a future, and they were just holding the rope for me until then.”
But Moore says his past struggle sounds very trivial compared to the unemployment woes faced by people today. A lot of people don’t have jobs, or have jobs but are fearful of losing them at any time, or have jobs but don’t earn enough to pay for mortgages and fully support their families.
The church can help these individuals, says Moore, by acknowledging the threat of unemployment. “Take this into account, and speak directly to those who have lost their jobs, or who fear they may very soon. This doesn’t ‘solve’ the problem, but it communicates that this is a burden for the whole Body to bear together,” he says.
Next, the church has to deal with the unemployed’s identity crisis. Oftentimes, men who are unemployed feel a sense of confusion about who they are, and they feel insecure about their worth. Because the unemployed have a keen desire for approval, a kind word from a religious leader can significantly boost their outlook.
The church also needs to equip unemployed men and women for spiritual warfare. One’s unemployment status can attract a lot of temptation to commit sin. “A man who sees his masculinity tied up with his paycheck or his work title may find, when it’s gone, that he seeks to find masculinity in other places,” says Moore. “He may be tempted toward pornography or an affair that might promise the illusion of his carefree youth.”
The church can also choose to provide economic support. Moore explains the support need not be monetary since it is more about “putting people with resources.” Maybe people from the church can temporarily help shoulder the cost of groceries for a family whose breadwinner suddenly faces unemployment, Moore says.
Lastly, the church can choose to open up ministry opportunities for the jobless. “Sometimes unemployment is a pivotal time for unexpected growth. A person may realise that he has gifts or callings he never knew he had, or never felt the freedom to explore. Our message to those facing unemployment is that the lack of a job need not mean idleness,” says Moore.
