by Mike Vanek
Mention the words inner city and within seconds the mind will conjure up a plethora of images and issues that characterize the inner-city environment. One of the most pervasive and overwhelming issues confronting inner-city church-planting ministry is that of addiction, and specifically substance abuse. The city is littered with the signs of it, and the ministry is challenged by the behaviors of those enslaved by it. Substance abuse, after all, does not exist in a vacuum. It begins for a reason, albeit curiosity, peer pressure, an effort to cope with some life issue, an attempt to fill a void, or simply to earn an income. The resulting addiction, however, no longer stands as a symptom of the real issue, but rather as the issue itself, ready to propagate its own offspring of issues. Over time, those caught in the snares of addiction well-learn how to manipulate both people and situations to get what they want and, at any given time, so desperately need.
You may be wondering how this relates to the difficulty of inner-city ministry. In considering the biblical example of the compassion of Christ, it seems obvious that compassion ministries and churches would want to model Christ’s compassion to those they serve. However, blend with that compassion the desire to not enable the addict’s manipulative behavior in the process and you quickly discover a very real dilemma in ministering to many people in the inner city: how do I simultaneously show the love of Christ to the sinner (which hopefully will lead to genuine conversion in that life) while not perpetuating the sin of addiction in the same life? Recently a man pleaded for money to rent a room due to an eviction. When the offer was made to pay the rent directly to the landlord, the man replied “forget it” and ran out the door. It became obvious that he merely wanted the money, not the room. Soon after, we learned that the man is a known cocaine addict. It is clear that we need discernment and wisdom.
If that is not complicated enough, add to it the factors of an urban population characterized by poverty and need, along with a geographical location characterized by transience, and the result is a level of difficulty in ministry that rivals any other ministry field in the world.
By comparison, the conversions come rather easily as inner-city people are often drawn to compassion ministries and churches in a time of personal crisis. Crisis often leads to a “conversion.” However, the greater challenge follows that initial decision. Ongoing discipleship and a consistent walk are difficult in a place where the imminent crisis rules the day (i.e. when the crisis is past, the decision is forgotten), where people live in the literal moment (i.e. following whatever whim or philosophy most appealing at that specific moment in time), and where the only consistent thing is inconsistency (i.e. people may be available and willing at the outset, but unavailable and/or unwilling thereafter due to a relapse, an arrest, or a physical move from the area).
The situation, however, is not all doom and gloom. The obvious need for Christ and the Great Commission both assure us that the inner cities of America cannot be forgotten. While the inner city may be a difficult, frustrating, and at times discouraging place to serve Christ, that does not negate the fact that the inner cities of America are filled with people who are lost and in need of Christ. There are success stories, like Robert who, through the Lord’s help, overcame his bondage to addiction and recently became the first deacon of Faith Baptist Community Church. And Liz, a church member with nine years of sobriety, who was just accepted into a college program to become a substance-abuse counselor! That is why we go despite the difficulty … so that Christ might be proclaimed, people might be changed, and His name glorified through their transformed lives!
Mike and his wife, Sherri, serve at Faith Baptist Community Center in Cleveland, Ohio. To learn more about this ministry, visit www.freehope.org/