Called to Care for Widows

By Crossway

Photo by Sincerely Media on Unsplash

Check out an excerpt from Carol's recent interview based on her new book The Undistracted Widow:

How are churches doing in ministering to widows? Where are they lacking?

Churches seem focused, like our culture, on youth. Ministry to older people is a low priority if a priority at all. While it is common to hear a lot about the church’s obligation to nuclear families or to orphans, how many times do you hear about concern for widows that leads to intentional ministry to them? Somehow we’ve overlooked the clear and consistent message in the Scriptures that God has deep concern not only for orphans and other vulnerable persons among us but certainly also for widows. I sometimes get the sense that because a fair number of widows and other older people live in retirement communities and because many have pensions and government support that the church assumes all of their needs are being met. But that is a misguided assumption.

As individual Christians how can we best minister to widows? How should the church specifically minister to widows?

The best way to help a widow is to get to know her well and to minister the "one another’s" of the New Testament to her. Include her as part of your family. Don’t assume anything – check it out with her.

Those in church leadership who are responsible for the care of members need to respectfully and sensitively ask if she needs financial help. Find out if and how family members are in contact with her and if they are caring for her. If they seem to be neglectful, explore with them what they think their role is in caring for her.

If she resides in a nursing home or retirement community, she is still the church’s responsibility. Be sure to visit on a regular basis and find out how she is being cared for. Ask her questions about the care and services provided. Make sure the staff knows that you look in on her on a consistent and frequent basis.

Any faithful widow left truly alone is the church’s responsibility. The church must be her advocate so that she is not abused and neglected.

Taken from Called to Care for Widows by Crossway, Copyright © October 25, 2010. Used by permission of Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers, Wheaton, IL 60187, www.crossway.org