In mid-2017, I joined the question/answer site Quora, and quickly developed a readership of over 80,000, answering questions primarily about Jesus Christ, the Church and my homeland of Canada.  One question particularly intrigued me:

“Do atheists donate their time to society to help others like the Church does?”

One atheist stated that he believed they were an asset to society in general, but they don’t have missionaries, unlike the Church, because they “don’t spend time proselytizing”.  That really bugged me, for the Church of Jesus Christ has done more for the world in general than simply preach at it – in fact, I say without hesitation that there is no institution on planet Earth, founded in the last several thousand years, that has had the global impact of the Church of Jesus Christ.  Godless goons can argue with me, and certainly, Church history has had its share of forgettable (and some shamefully unforgettable) moments, but one would be a fool to argue that the Church has not had a positive influence overall on the world.

I wrote the following comment to the atheists’ answer, listing the ministries and services to the general public that I know at least some Christian somewhere in the world has provided or is providing today.  Apologies in advance – this list was just off the top of my head, so I’m sure I missed a lot.  I also include a previous answer to a question about what the contribution of the Christian church has been to our society over the last millennium.  Your comments are welcome – particularly if I have missed something substantial.

Check Out The Entire Series

The Glorious Church #2 – Influencing The Ages
The Glorious Church #3 – Against All Odds

The influence of atheism and atheists around the world cannot compare to the influence of the Christian Church worldwide, in virtually all nations, in any century in the last 2,000 years – and unlike the few hundred million that choose to not believe in God at all, those who follow Jesus Christ number more than 2.2 billion around the world – over 30% of humanity.  Add to that the international impact of the hundreds of millions of saints of God that have already passed on to their heavenly reward in the past 2,000 years, and you can get a bit of a sense of why the global Church of Jesus Christ in 2018 is very much alive and well.

Going forward, the  legacy of the Church of Jesus Christ today and beyond will not be singularly defined by the horrific actions of evil pedophile priests, nor by the antics of today’s name-it-and-claim-it, personality-based life-coaches portraying themselves as church pastors (whose hairdos are only surpassed in size by their houses), nor by the mistrust, financial wounding and reputation damage fostered by the 1980s televangelist scandals.  (See the rest of this series:

The Glorious Church #2 – Influencing The Ages

The Glorious Church #3 – Against All Oddlatest article:  “The Church: Offensive Voracity… and Overcoming Veracity” – how the Church survived the great nightmares of the past, created a few of its own… and why it is STILL an unstoppable force for good in the world).  No matter what internal or external forces have sought its harm or destruction, the overall core message of the Church remains.  In 2018, it is alive and well around the world.

THE GLOBAL CHURCH

In 2007, the last time we compiled world data, it was reported by the Traveling Team, quoting Frontier Harvest Ministries, which tracks the ministry of the worldwide Church, that there were 4.19 million full-time Christian workers, with 95% working within the Christian world. That means that over 200,000 of them are working in nations where they are possibly in danger of persecution or even death just for helping there.

According to the same site mentioned above, Christians gave over $700 billion to the ongoing work of the Church worldwide, and our total annual income in the Church is estimated to be over $42 trillion.  The Church has roughly 3,000 times the financial resources and 9,000 times the manpower needed to finish the Great Commission.

And missionaries do not just “proselytize” – that’s a generalization either based on a narrative of being useless, or a cop out on knowing the facts. In fact, Church workers around the world:

• Feed the hunger.  Thirsty Ground
• Provide comfort to those who are grieving a loss.  GriefShare 
• Run programs providing presents to children at Christmas who are less fortunate.  Union Gospel Mission
• Clothe those who are needy.  NightShift Street Ministries
• Teach people how to farm, fish and raise livestock for food.  Redeeming the Dirt
• Provide medical care.  Christian Medical and Dental Associations
• Assist in disaster management and crises.  Joseph’s Way
• Offer lawn care, snow removal service.  Family First Ministries Church of God in Christ
• Protect the unborn.  Operation Rescue
• Ministries to those with leprosy.  The Leprosy Mission
• Provide winter clothing for people who can’t afford it.  Lifepath Christian Ministries
• Run programs rescuing prostitutes off the street.  After Hours Ministry
• Assist homeless people with general life skills help.  Good Samaritan Ministry
• Run drop-in programs for people who are lonely.  Night Light Canada
• Run ministries to college students.  Campus Crusade For Christ
• Develop new immigrant programs to make the transitions smoother.  Catholic Charities of New York
• Build and donate homes to families in need. Habitat for Humanity
• Have outreach programs for lonely international students.  The Navigators
• Provide useful skills and operate halfway houses for current and former prisoners. Christian Recovery Houses
• Operate young mother homes.  YoungLife
• Help new entrepreneurs develop business planning and management skills.  The Dream Project
• Help business and other leaders to develop stronger management/leadership skills.  Greenleaf Center for Servant Leadership
• Develop micro-business financing circles.  Hope International Christian Micro Loans
• Assist women to get an education.  Convoy of Hope
• Offer free eyeglasses and eye care.  Global Eyeglass Ministry
• Operate social service agencies through local churches.  Jubilee Consortium
• Offer transportation programs to the shut-ins, elderly, ill and handicapped.  Harvest Transit
• Visit seniors residences to bring comfort and company to residents.  Faithful Friends
• Provide dental care.  Bellevue Baptist Church Mobile Dental Clinic
• Volunteer as hospital chaplains.  Billy Graham Rapid Response
• Assist with AIDS and other end-of-life hospice care.  House of Hesed
• Run food banks.  Daily Bread Food Bank
• Provide pet services for lonely individuals.  Canines for Christ Therapy Dog Ministry
• Offer food delivery programs for the sick and shut-ins.  Christian Food Mission
• Offer makeup and hair styling services to young poor women looking for a job.  Ministry of Beauty
• Run mobile or fixed-location libraries for local residents.  Lifeway
• Assist with tutoring programs for students who need assistance.  Lakewood United Methodist Church
• Offer Big Brother/Big Sister-type programs for youth in single parent homes.  Bethel Evangelical Baptist Church
• Help people write resumes.  Christian Career Center
• Operate homeless shelters.  Salvation Army
• Minister to people through music in public.  March for Jesus
• Donate toys and other items of interest to children around the world.  Samaritan’s Purse Shoebox Appeal
• Operate child sponsorship programs worldwide.  Samaritan’s Purse, World Vision
• Minister to prisoners either in-person or with letter-writing programs.  Prison Fellowship
• Minister to families of veterans and those serving their country overseas.  Campus Crusade Military
• Operate community gardens.  Central Christian Church
• Reach out to those who are deaf.  Silent Blessings Deaf Ministries
• 
• Have ministries for the blind.  Christian Blind Mission
• Teach English as a Second Language classes around the world.  Presbyterian Church in America
• Reach out to victims of human trafficking.  My Refuge House
• Minister to widows and orphans.  Man Up And G
• Knit and crochet items for those in need.  Saddleback Church
• Minister through visual arts in exhibitions, shows, galleries, etc.  Christians In The Visual Arts
• Develop video resources for Christian and non-Christian alike.  Worship House Meda
• Hold quilting bees for college students, new mothers, etc.  Memorial Lutheran Church
• Throw baby and wedding showers for those who have few relatives/friends in the area.  Lifeway
• Reach out through various social media platforms to share the message of Christ.  Global Media Outreach
• Providing free shoes to those who need them.  Samaritan’s Feet
• Operate new baby ministries and training courses for new parents.  Journey of Faith Church
• Hold seminars for married couples.  FamilyLife’s Weekend To Remember
• Shoreline and highway clean-up programs.  All Saints Church – Adopt A Highway Clean-up
• Help with handyman services for those who can’t do it themselves.  Devine Hands Handyman Services
• Offer landscaping services.  Christian Landscape Company
• Offer tax preparation services.  Surrey Alliance Church
• Offer will and estate planning services.  Christian Stewardship Services
• Offer seminars on financial freedom, debt reduction, etc.  Institute in Basic Life Principles
• Volunteer as school crossing guards.  Anglican Diocese of New Westminster
• Offer specific ministries to teach men how to be better husbands, fathers and leaders.  Promise Keepers, Full Gospel Business Men’s Fellowship International
• Offer women’s ministries and seminars, with specific emphasis on women.  Women of Faith
• Offer conferences for the entire family to grow in their relationships together.  Mega Fest
• Offer pre-marital counseling services.  His High Places Christian Marital Counseling
• Run job training programs and assist with finding employment.  Christian HELP Employment & Resource Center
• Provide family counselling services.  Faithful Counseling
• Run drug and alcohol treatment facilities.  Teen Challenge
• Help build clean water wells.  Life Today
• Ministries to help build the entire family in their faith.  Focus on the Family
• Operate medical ships that can travel to any disaster site and set up a clinic system.  Mercy Ships
• Build and operate schools for kindergarten through to Bible College age students. Vancouver Christian School
• Build and operate hospitals.  Christian Hospital
• Build and operate places of worship around the world.  Oasis World Ministries
• Lobby governments on behalf of issues important to the Church, such as abortion, euthanasia, etc.  American Christian Lobbyists Association
• Providing legal aid to those who can’t afford it. Christian Legal Aid
• Provide education and religious television programming worldwide.  Daystar Television Network, Trinity Broadcasting Network
• Assist some cultures to develop written languages and print the Bible.  International Bible Society
• Run environmental protection programs.  Evangelical Environmental Network
• Care for abused animals.  Christian Animal Rights Effort
• Help children and teens in crisis.  Third Way Center
• Run battered women’s shelters.  Tranquility House
• Operate soup kitchens.  Holy Apostles Soup Kitchen
• Offer suicide hotline numbers.  Love Lines
• Offer sports programs for kids.  Christian Athletes
• Provide education and religious radio programming worldwide.  Far Eastern Broadcasting
• Provide education and religious online programming worldwide   Christianity.com
• Provide educational and religious printed materials worldwide   World Christian Resources
• Run children’s summer programs and camps  Circle Square Ranch
• Adoption and foster care programs.  Bethany Christian Services
• Provide emergency supplies delivery around the world as needed  International Rescue Committee

And with 2.2 billion believers around the world, most of which are inspired to do something for God wherever they are, this list will never stop growing.  Where would the world be without the Church?  Someday they will find out, and it will be the worst day in world history.  And it will soon be upon us.  Accept Christ as your Saviour today – click the link at the bottom of this page – “God’s Got A Plan For You”, which will take you to a 5-minute video explaining what you must do to be sure you are ready to meet God face to face.

I urge you to Do it now – God promises only TODAY AND ETERNITY.

By  Shawn J., Founder,
Calling Out Community
Posted: February 8, 2018
[God’s Got A Plan For You!]