5 Things Pastors Need to Know About

Pregnancy Centers
Struggling to know how to address abortion, many pastors decide to ignore it
altogether. Yet getting engaged is not as difficult as one might think.

I personally know many pastors who have distanced themselves from the pro-
life issue. Struggling to know how to address the issue, they decide to ignore it
altogether. Yet getting engaged is often not as difficult as many pastors might
think. A great first step is to reach out to your local pregnancy center and initiate
a relationship. I guarantee pastors will be encouraged by the great faith of the
women and men that serve at these centers. So here are five things pastors
should know about pregnancy centers:

1. The Local Care Net Affiliate and Your Church Share A Strategic
Mission:

An often overlooked mission field that is ripe for harvest is found at your local
pregnancy center (PC). Many pastors pray earnestly for God to seek and save the
lost in their communities, yet overlook this strategic missional
opportunity. Consider this statistic: since 2008 over 1.8 million people heard the
Gospel in a Care Net pregnancy center. Jesus said the harvest is plentiful and the
workers are few. Who wouldn’t want to be part of the great and glorious work of
sharing the Gospel and providing ongoing discipleship to those choosing life,
which is, after all, the work of the church?
 2. Your Church Needs to Think Bigger

Think more than money. When you think of “helping” at a pregnancy center,
think beyond a baby bottle or diaper drive. PCs need graphic designers,
photographers, and IT specialists. They need administrators and interior
designers to assist with creative concepts within their centers. Do you have a
gifted worship team? Host a night of worship and prayer where you pray
specifically for the issue of life and your local center. Are you an influential
leader in your community? Consider networking and building connections on
your local center’s behalf. While traditional methods of partnership are good and
needed, there is another level of partnership with the local church that can
maximize the impact that these pregnancy centers are having in your
community.

3. Pregnancy Centers Need the Church.

Every parachurch ministry is birthed from the Word. PCs almost always exist
because of a conviction from the Word of God that every life begins at
conception, is worthy of protection, is created in the image of God and deserves a
right to life. I have traveled the country and met with directors of PCs and a
resounding refrain has been a desire for more pastors to boldly preach and teach
the truth of the Word as it pertains to the issue of life and abortion. And for those
who think directors of PRCs are single issue Christians, I would point you to the
words of very influential pastors who would affirm the need for powerful gospel
preaching on the issue of abortion (Check out: voxproject.org/watch). When the
conscience of your community is awakened by the Word, there is no telling what
powerful Gospel impact your congregation can make. Preach the truth with
grace and radical compassion and call your people to engage on this vitally
important issue.

4. Only Christ’s Church Can Turn the Tide of Abortion in Our Nation

There are approximately 2,500 pregnancy centers nationally and 350,000

churches. The largest player in the pro-life movement is you and the
congregation of your church. Currently, PCs are doing the hard work of saving
lives on the front lines, but if we are ever going to see an end to abortion, it will
happen when the church awakens to her calling to stand for justice and the glory
of God for every single life. PCs are limited in their abilities due to sheer
numbers. What might happen if the church awoke and began doing the heavy
lifting of caring for those new mothers and fathers? What might it look like if the
church saw the issue of unwanted pregnancies as an issue of discipleship and
evangelism, instead of social services? If you are interested in implementing a
new pro-life ministry in your church, Care Net has developed a first-of-its-kind
church curriculum that facilitates training lay persons in the church to respond
to those facing an unplanned or unwanted pregnancy in your church and
community. (Check out: https://www.care-net.org/about-the-church-
initiative).

5. The Church Must Learn the Truth About Pregnancy Centers

Do you know the director of your local pregnancy center? They would love to
meet you! Take the initiative to go and meet the staff of your local PC. Go and
take a tour and familiarize yourself with the ministry. Have your church staff and
lay leaders bring lunch one day, or offer to pray regularly for the ministry. Move
beyond an email and become a real person and a real friend to your local PC. To
find your local PC go to: https://www.care-net.org/find-a-pregnancy-center

Despite the longstanding work of pregnancy centers in thousands of

communities across North America, there is a great deal of misinformation and
misunderstanding about what pregnancy centers actually do. Unfortunately,
much of the information the public sees about pregnancy centers is produced by
entities whose very goal is to misinform the public about them.

So check out Care Net’s report, “The Truth About Crisis Pregnancy Centers”, that
provides factual information, understanding, and context. Be equipped to share
these truths with those in your sphere of influence so that they can be fully
informed about the types of services and support pregnancy centers provide and
can then decide how to best support them as they stand for life.

https://www.care-
net.org/hubfs/Downloads/The_Truth_About_Crisis_Pregnancy_Centers.pdf?hsCtaTracking=a0
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Mark serves as the Pastoral Consultant for Making Life Disciples. In 2014, he
founded the Vox Project. Mark was a church planter in the Washington DC area,
and served as a pastor in various roles for over ten years, before moving to
Louisville, KY. Mark and his wife Jaime are members of Sojourn Community
Church. http://www.voxproject.org/