P r a g u e – The European Baptist Federation (EBF) is seeking to encourage the more than 13,000 churches in their 58 member unions to take on greater responsibility for society. Twenty eight participants from 20 EBF member Unions met from January 11-14 in Prague on the premises of the International Baptist Theological Seminary (IBTS) for a conference on “Church and Social Responsibility”. In his Bible studies and lectures, Otniel Bunaciu (Bucharest), president of the Romanian Baptist Union, emphasised the need for a holistic approach. The building of the Kingdom of God is not a matter of obeying only the Great Commission given by Jesus Christ, but also the Great Commandment to love one’s neighbour. He challenged those churches that have chosen the preaching of the Gospel only, leaving out practical love for neighbour. The Bible is clear about God’s desire for such actions. However, Christians must not act out of a feeling of duty, but rather must be motivated by God’s love for people. According to Bunaciu, such social actions must not be seen as a means of gaining new members, but rather they must be done for their own value. Therefore, the building of the Kingdom of God includes a continuing theological reflection in the churches, the preaching of the good news, as well as practical actions of love for neighbour.

Development expert Ruben Das of the mission agency Canadian Baptist Ministries gave numerous practical tips for beginning charitable projects. The goal is not the new project in itself, but rather a sustainable positive change in the living conditions of those people who are to be helped: “We must first discover where the problem lies.” To do that, one can either do one’s own research or make use of information from local governments.

Conference participants, who shared information with each other about such projects in their home countries, were impressed by the charitable works in the Spanish Baptist Union. They had created their own aid agency to help in coordination, giving them a legal umbrella for all of these projects. This makes it possible for even small churches to open a soup kitchen, for example. These projects enjoy such a good reputation locally that many there help out, who otherwise have no contact with the church. Not only that, but with the help of this structure, the Spanish Baptist Union has been able to be helpful in bigger catastrophes, such as the earthquake in Haiti two years ago.

The Executive Director of the Romanian Project Ruth, Mihai Ciopasiu (Bucharest) warned that even successful projects can be endangered. His project cares for children from poor families, providing comprehensive care in the form of tutoring, parenting and nutrition programs. The more professionally the project is carried out, the greater the danger that the project will move out of the everyday life of the local church and become independent. That is why Project Ruth is currently seeking to strengthen cooperation with local churches in the Bucharest area.