Why does advocacy matter to the church?
In almost every community around the world, you will find a local church. This is why working through local churches is at the heart of how we work to transform communities, but also plays a vital role in challenging the root causes of poverty.
It is part of the mission of the church to speak out against injustice, support people living in poverty, hold those in power to account, and encourage people to speak out for themselves.
Our understanding of this mission is rooted in Jesus’ command to love our neighbours as ourselves (Mark 12:31). Love for our global neighbours can look like providing help during an emergency or working alongside communities to build a better future.
Local churches often understand the needs of their community better than anyone else, and so they can play a number of strategic roles in advocacy work:
- Churches can mobilise large numbers of people to pray and take action
- Churches have credibility with many national governments and can be a trusted voice on moral issues
- Churches can link to wider networks
When issues of injustice are causing harm to people, love involves taking action to put things right and working to change systems, laws and attitudes.