CEO David Melber: Everyone can do something: The Body of Christ and foster care!

If you've ever read 1 Corinthians 12:12–27, you know Paul paints a pretty clear picture: the Church is like a body—one body, many parts. Each part is important. Each part has a role. And none of them work in isolation. That's true for spiritual gifts, it's true for ministry, and it's especially true when it comes to caring for vulnerable children.

The needs within foster care are big, but the Church is big. What if we really believed that every single person in the Body of Christ had a part to play in caring for kids who come from hard places? What if we stopped thinking of foster care as something only certain "called" people do and instead saw it as a mission we all share? Each doing our part.

In 1 Corinthians 12, Paul reminds us that no part of the body can say to another, "I don't need you." The eye cannot avoid the hand. The head can't pretend that the feet aren't important. Why? Because they're all connected. Each one matters. That's the heart behind this passage, and it's also the heart of the foster care movement within the Church.

Foster care isn't just about foster parents. It's about wraparound support. It's about prayer, providing meals, offering childcare, donating supplies, mentoring teens, supporting biological families, encouraging caseworkers, and a dozen other things that help foster families stay afloat and the children feel safe.

One of the biggest misconceptions in the Church is that only adults—typically married—can engage in foster care. But that's simply not true. In the body of Christ, there is no "retirement" from being useful and no age requirement to start serving in some capacity.

Are you in school or college? You can collect supplies, babysit, or tutor foster children in care. Are you a young adult figuring out your path? You can mentor a teen aging out of foster care. Are you a grandparent? You've got time, wisdom, and probably an amazing cookie recipe—share them with a foster family that needs encouragement.

Every season of life has something unique to offer. No role is too small. In fact, sometimes, the most unexpected acts of service make the biggest impact. Paul says that the parts of the body that seem weaker are actually indispensable. That means the contributions we might overlook—or disqualify ourselves from—could be the very ones God uses to bring healing to a child or hope to a weary parent.

When someone says, "I'm not called to foster," it can feel like an easy out. But let's look at this through Paul's metaphor. What if the eye said, "I'm not called to be a hand, so I'll just sit this one out." That wouldn't make any sense. The eye is still needed. The hand can't do it all. And the body suffers when one part is disengaged.

Foster care is too heavy a burden for individuals to carry alone. But when the Church operates like a body—each part doing its job, each member showing up in their unique way—that's when things start to change. This doesn't mean everyone will open their home to foster. But it does mean everyone can open their heart to be involved somehow.

It might be a prayer ministry. It might be offering practical help once a month. It might be speaking up about foster care needs to your church. It might be starting a support group or simply checking in on a foster family regularly.

Sometimes, we over complicate what it means to "help." We think if we can't do everything, we shouldn't do anything. But that's just not how the body of Christ is designed to work. You may not be the mouthpiece at the microphone, but maybe you're the hands organizing donations. You may not be fostering a child, but maybe you're the ears that listen when a foster parent needs a friend. You may not be the feet going to court hearings, but maybe you're the heart that prays faithfully for reunification.

In foster care, consistency matters more than perfection. Kids who've experienced trauma don't need superheroes—they need safe, steady people. They need a body of believers who care enough to show up again and again in small, meaningful ways.

This is what foster care needs. It needs the whole Church—not just a few families, but a whole community—not just the "qualified," but every willing heart. Because together, we can be the body that offers healing to broken stories, hope to struggling families, and a home—even if temporary—to children who need to know they matter and they are loved.

So, wherever you are, whatever stage of life you're in, ask God this simple question: "What's my part?" Then trust that your piece of the puzzle—however big or small—can be exactly what someone else needs.

At Baptist Children's Homes, we want to come alongside you and your church to help you find your spot!

Because in the body of Christ, everyone can do something.

Written by  David Melber, Chief Executive Officer