This past Monday, Denver’s City Council greenlit three contracts with The Salvation Army totaling just over $19 million to operate the city’s largest homeless shelters – Stone Creek, Tamarac Family Center, and The Aspen – to continue serving up to 1,800 of our most vulnerable neighbors each night, including at least 300 children . This is the government stepping into a role born out of necessity, yet it begs the question: should state coffers be the primary reservoir of compassion, or are believers called to be the hands and feet of Christ in this crisis?
Biblical Mandate: The Church, Not the State
Jesus didn’t say, “Whatever you did for those housed by Caesar, you did for me.” He said, “Whatever you did for the least of these … you did for me” (Matt. 25:40). This isn’t a suggestion for Policy Committee; it’s a personal charge to every follower of Christ to bear one another’s burdens (Gal. 6:2). Where government programs can provide shelter (and not very efficiently, either), the church must provide relationship—radical hospitality that mirrors the welcome of our Savior. A society that thinks $19 million in contracts will solve homelessness is mistaking a band-aid for a heartbeat; the state can offer shelter, but only the bride of Christ can proclaim, “You have a Father in heaven who cares for you”.
The Vacuum of Faith and the Rise of Big Government
As churches shrink in attendance and bite the dust of indifference, a vacuum forms—and nature abhors a vacuum. Into that emptiness waltzes Big Government, armed with spreadsheets, contracts, and bureaucratic rubbers stamps. But bureaucracy can never replicate the messy, gut-wrenching love of Christ breaking bread at someone’s bedside, praying over their brokenness, and pointing them to the Healer. When we outsource mercy ministries, we outsource hope itself. The Denver Gazette reports that city officials themselves grudgingly admit The Salvation Army struggles under “the sheer volume” of need—a volume that churches once managed through deacons’ funds and potluck dinners .
The Tension of Good Government vs. Ultimate Authority
The Bible affirms legitimate government; Romans 13:1–7 calls us to submit to rulers as God’s servants for good. Yet “good” here carries a limit: government ministers justice, not grace. It doesn’t “visit the fatherless and the widow”; that commission belongs first to Christ’s body (Isa. 1:17; James 1:27). When the City Council votes to pour millions into shelters, they do well to protect life and safety—yet they step into territory God reserved for His church: personal reconciliation, spiritual renewal, and community restoration. If you want the government to stop spending millions and stay in its own lane, then the body of Christ needs to step up!
A Call to the Body: Local Action, Gospel Compassion
What if Denver’s 300+ congregations took up the gauntlet? If every Christ-follower adopted one homeless person—inviting them to church, offering job training, providing Christ-centered counseling—the vacuum would collapse. That isn’t naive; it’s obedient. Scripture repeatedly pictures the church as an alternative polis (“city on a hill,” Matt. 5:14), a network of loving, accountable households. Churches must partner with agencies like The Salvation Army to address physical needs but refuse to let government become the primary caregiver.
From Contract to Kingdom
Contracts like the City’s $19 million deal are like applying a bandage to a hemorrhage—they slow bleeding but don’t heal the wound. The Kingdom of God, however, targets root issues: sin’s despair, loneliness, and shame. When churches reclaim mercy ministry, they proclaim a deeper cure: “I was hungry … and you gave me food; I was naked … and you clothed me,” not because government demanded it, but because Christ compelled it (Matt. 25:35–36). The present crisis in Colorado is real—and so is our opportunity. Stop expecting the government to do your job! Let the Church rise, reclaim its mandate, and demonstrate that caring for “the least” was never meant to be outsourced.
Action Steps for Churches and Believers
- Adopt a Shelter: Partner with a local shelter to provide volunteers, Bible studies, and mentoring.
- Form Mercy Teams: Build teams dedicated to meeting with homeless neighbors weekly.
- Fund Compassion Projects: Allocate a percentage of church budgets to emergency relief funds.
- Preach the Gospel: Emphasize Christ’s call to personal, costly compassion in sermons and small groups.
- Advocate Wisely: Support policies that protect life and safety, while calling the church back to its primary role.
Government has its place, but it was never designed to bear the full weight of compassion. The Church, enlivened by the Spirit and obedient to Christ’s mandate, is the true hope for Denver’s homeless—and for every city.
