Theology of Congregational Care
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in the church was given to others outside the church as well. In his article in Christian History and Biography, Princeton University sociologist Rodney Stark cites records indicating that in the years AD 165 and AD 251 two great plagues swept the Roman Empire. Each plague killed one-third of the empire’s population, and with each plague, the believers impressed their community with their willingness to serve. Stark writes: The willingness of Christians to care for others was put on dramatic public display when two plagues swept the empire, one beginning in 165 and the second in 251. Mortality rates climbed higher than 30 percent. Pagans tried to avoid all contact with the afflicted, often casting the still-living into the gutters. Christians, on the other hand, nursed the sick, even though some believers died doing so.4 With believers so active in meeting the needs of nonbelievers, no wonder verse 47 ends with the affirming statement, “And the Lord added to the church daily those who were being saved.� Being Handy to God Pastor, missionary, and author Tom Elliff often tells of his experience with his grandfather and the sobering lesson he learned about being handy to God.