Water and the Gospel

Christian Identify in the Water Industry

 

Of  the more than 90 primarily US-based non-profit clean water organizations we have identified, more than 45 claim a Christian identity either by virtue of their Biblical motivation, public Christian identity, an intentional goal of communicating the love of Jesus and/or meeting spiritual as well as physical needs.

 

We will be interviewing heads of Christian clean water organizations to give them a chance to articulate their mission, their operational strategies as well as how their Christian identity manifests itself in their work, and we plan to either summarize these interviews or give you the option to listen to it as an audio file.

 

While this process is just now getting under way, we are finding that one set of Christian organizations is focused exclusively or primarily on meeting people’s physical needs, their physical thirst as it were, while a second category seeks to meet physical and spiritual thirst. 

 

Physical Thirst

 

These organizations seem to fall into three broad categories:

 

Biblical motivation:  motivated by passages such as the Isaiah 41:17-18 “When the poor and needy seek water, I will open rivers on the bare heights, and fountains in the midst of the valleys; I will make the wilderness a pool of water, and the dry land springs of water”and Isaiah 58:6-10 with a focus on letting the oppressed go free or Matthew 25:35 “I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink.”   but they do not call attention to their Christian identity among the people they serve.

Christian identity:  are content to be known as Christian organizations among the communities they serve, sometimes stating that their service is motivated by their Christian identity, while discouraging overt Christian witness by staff.

 

Non-proselytizing Christian service: as the title suggests, these organizations clearly state that their intention is to serve in the name of Christ but are clear that their purpose is not to make converts.  Such an identity may be important in countries where Christianity is not the majority religion and it can enable organizations to access government funds which often come with restrictions against proselytizing.

 

Physical and Spiritual Thirst

 

For those that see water as a means of meeting physical and spiritual thirst there is no lack of Biblical motivation.  Passages such as Psalms 42:2 “My soul thirsts for God, for the living God” (ESV), or Mt 5:6 “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied” or Jn 4:14 “but whoever drinks of the water that I will give him will never be thirsty forever” specifically describe our spiritual longings as a thirst, and water provides a unique opportunity to fulfill the Great Commandment to love your neighbor as yourself (Mark 12:29-31) together with the Great Commission to go and make disciples of all nations (Mt 28:19).

 

Each organization in this category has unique views on the relative importance of meeting physical and spiritual needs through the vehicle of clean water.  Some are primarily focused on the Great Commission, on spreading the gospel and planting churches and find that water can provide opportunities to do this effectively.  Others view meeting physical and spiritual needs as integral parts of Christian service, and often find that the combination of word and deed is particularly effective.

 

Rather than reduce the variety of approaches into several categories, we look forward to sharing our interviews of clean water ministry leaders with you in order that you may learn from their perspectives and discover the organizations whose approaches match your own heart.

 

Whatever their position on the Great Commandment to Great Commission spectrum, the organizations we have talked to carefully adapt their approach for each context.  In Muslim communities the emphasis may be on establishing long term relationships of mutual respect and trust which can lead to very natural and low-key opportunities to share one’s faith.  In other contexts water may provide an opportunity for the local church to establish a long term relationship with a community while in some places it may be appropriate to show the Jesus film.  The organizations we have talked to operate very differently in each context, often tailoring their approach to what is appropriate and effective in each community.

 

 

What would you include in this list?  How have you seen Water and the Gospel combined?