How churches around the world are responding to HIV/AIDS

As your church works to minister to those affected and infected by HIV/AIDS, you can learn from churches around the world engaged in similar ministry. Below you’ll find an excerpt from the executive summary of a research report called “The Contribution of Christian Congregations to the Battle with HIV/AIDS at the Community Level.” Stan Nussbaum, staff missiologist for GMI Research Services in Colorado Springs, Colo., prepared this report for the Summer Mission Briefing at the Oxford Centre for Mission Studies, which was held June 7-9, 2005. The report includes research from seven countries: Honduras, India, Kenya, Nigeria, Peru, Zambia, and Zimbabwe.

To access the whole report, click on the link at the end of the summary.

“I have never prayed more about a research report than I have about this one because I have never done a report in which lives, thousands upon thousands of them, were literally at stake.” Stan Nussbaum, editor, The Contribution of Christian Congregations to the Battle with HIV/AIDS at the Community Level

This report examines what local Christian¹ congregations are already doing to meet HIV/AIDS needs in their communities and how their contribution could be increased. We are writing primarily for those who are not HIV/AIDS specialists, particularly leaders of churches and other faith-based organizations; however, our findings also have some relevance for specialists in Christian and secular groups, including governments. We believe their interaction with Christian congregations is an important growth area in the ongoing HIV/AIDS battle.

The workers and congregations studied are clearly making a number of substantial contributions in all three aspects of the battle against HIV/AIDS – prevention, care/treatment, and mitigation. Much of this care occurs as part of existing church programs, such as youth ministry and women’s groups, yet much of it is also extended to people who are not members or attendees. The majority of the work is done by volunteers, not paid staff.

Though congregational and secular agendas overlap to a considerable degree, congregations are contributing several key things which secular groups either cannot do or choose not to do. Five of these are the sheer number of volunteers, the communication networks such as denominations, the provision of a face-to-face community of peer support and positive peer pressure, a high touch style of ministry marked by resilience and joy, and prayer with and for the infected and affected. Besides this, the churches have a message of hope beyond death and a way of filling each remaining day of life with meaning.

If the congregational contribution to the battle is to increase, congregations will need to overcome the internal challenge of turning their superficial members into deep, genuine followers of the Messiah – Jesus. They must recognize that involvement in HIV/AIDS ministry is a natural outgrowth of the central purpose of congregations, representing the Messiah in the community.

They also need to overcome the external challenge of developing closer working relationships with FBOs [Faith-Based Organizations] and secular groups including governments. There is openness on all sides to improving these relationships, though there are still tensions such as the debate about condoms. The congregations can benefit from the expertise of the secular groups and also be more widely used as delivery networks for some of the resources of the secular groups if appropriate structures and connections could be used as middlemen.

We conclude, “Christian congregations must more effectively provide what they are specially or even uniquely positioned to contribute, and they must also cultivate better connections with groups Christian and secular that work at national or international levels.”