First of all, if you're pregnant and considering an abortion we understand how scared or trapped you feel. We understand you don't want to take the life of your child but you also can't imagine having him or her either. We get that. But in the end, we know no one wants to have an abortion and live the rest of their life in agony over what they've done. Many of us have made that mistake and know what it's like. That's why we want you to slow down and hear this. We're here for you. If you choose life, the people and organizations in our network will be there for you and your child as long as you need us. 9 months or 19 years. We hope it's for a lifetime. 

We also understand the Church has gotten the reputation we only care that the child is born and then will back away once they are. We want you to know the churches, people and organizations in our network aren't like that. We believe God has called us to do whatever it takes to give you, your child and hopefully the father, the abundant life Jesus spoke of.(John 10:10)  Any definition of an "abundant life" would include a family that would protect, provide for and love that mother and child. That was His design and desire for each of us and why He provided that for His son in that "unplanned" pregnancy. What that means is, if you choose to keep your child, we won't let you struggle on your own. We will come alongside all involved in such a way that gives you what you really want, a life of dignity and righteousness, a life where your sense of belonging and purpose is restored. That means we will help significantly with housing, nutrition and childcare, all within the circle of our church family. In short, we will bear your burdens with you. Again, not just for nine months. It means we'll be here for you...ALWAYS.

75% of the millions of women who've had abortions were living at or below the poverty line.* When asked in a survey why they chose to have an abortion one of the most common reasons they gave was their "inability to afford raising a child." 

These parents need to know they won't be alone. If God's people would publicly pledge and follow through on what He has always called us to do for the widow, the orphan, the poor and sojourner** we believe we could alter a great many outcomes.  However, this won't be easy. Fair or not, the current perception of the church is we only care that the child is born and then will back away once they are. So, even if your church is already doing this, the fact is they don't know it. This perception could be preventing many from turning to us in their hour of need. Imagine the number of lives we could forever alter if they did. Your church, clinic, small group or related service publicly pledging on this network helps change this perception.

*(See section "Who has abortions?" on this page.)

**Zechariah 7:10, Leviticus 19:9-10, Deuteronomy 24:19-22, Deuteronomy 26:12-13, Psalm 68:5, Psalm 146:7-9, Deuteronomy 10:17-19, Deuteronomy 27:19, Proverbs 14:31, Proverbs 19:17, Leviticus 24:22, Proverbs 31:8,9, Isaiah 1:12-17, Isaiah 58:6,7, Luke 4:18, Matthew 25:31-46, Acts 4:32-37, James 1:27, James 2:14-18

Your pledge finally puts our pro-life clinics in a position of influence instead of weakness. When they can tell parents there are churches, health clinics, small groups and non-profits nearby who want to come alongside them to love, serve and support them, it gives our clinics a persuasive bargaining chip.

The bottom line is, launching thousands of pro-life clinics and passing dozens of abortion restrictive laws as important as they've been were never going to be enough to persuade young women and men living at or below the poverty line to keep their child. What does work is the pledge and the tangible expression of a compassionate, sacrificial, networked body of believers willing and able to come around the family for a lifetime.

Why haven’t we been able to change our culture on abortion? If the church has been known for anything historically it’s that wherever we’ve spread, we’ve always been a culture changing force. What if we’ve been missing something? What if passing abortion restrictive legislation, launching thousands of pro-life clinics and related non-profits, as important as they’ve been, weren’t completely what God wanted from us or for these moms? What if we’ve stopped short in completing the circle of care God wanted from us? What if this hasn’t worked because our offers of bottles and blankets and brochures that list numerous non-profits, entities not designed for their long-term care, are things that can’t deliver what these moms long for...what God made them for? 

See, God never intended for us to save the life of a child only to let them struggle on their own. That’s because, for Him, it’s not just about life, it’s about the abundant life. It’s why He not only pursues and redeems; it’s why He also restores. That’s why what does work, what persuades moms time and again, is the pledge of a caring, Christ-centered community proactively coming alongside them in a redemptive, restorative way, not just for nine months, but for a lifetime. This pledge persuades moms because it calls to something deep within all of us created in the image of God. We all have an innate longing to be reconciled to the One we were made for...to live lives of transcendent meaning and purpose, to have our dignity and value reclaimed, to move forward in the story God has written for our lives. Ultimately, it’s a longing to have our sense of belonging restored and that can only happen within the long-term, inherently restorative community God designed for us...The Church. That’s how God has always used us to change lives and ultimately…how we’ve changed the culture.

But when we omit this step, when our clinicians, sidewalk counselors, etc can’t effectively connect these moms and dads to the community God designed for their shepherding, sanctification and restoration, we fail to complete the circle of care God has called us to and cyclical, generational suffering and destruction ensue.

Therefore, if we want to change the culture, if we want to make abortion not just illegal but unthinkable, it means the success criteria we judge ourselves by must include how effectively we connect these families to a long-term, transformative, caring community of Christ followers. To learn about an effective strategy on how to do this, read our Completing the Circle of Care Guide.

It may surprise you to hear that a recent study by Care-Net found that 54% of the approximate one million women in the U.S. who have abortions consider themselves Christian. Even more telling is that 40% of these women had attended church at least once in the last month. These statistics are forcing us to ask ourselves, "Why aren't our people turning to us?".

For too long our pulpits have been relatively silent on the issue of abortion. For many, abortion is viewed as a political or human rights issue and therefore tangential to the message of the gospel. For others, they're unwilling to talk about it for they're very aware of the statistics above and fear re-opening old wounds of their members. However, the silence inadvertently communicates to our members that this is something to be kept private, that this is a sin beyond forgiveness. Or, our lack of engagement with the issue can unintentionally communicate "we don't care or we don't know where to stand on the issue". What if we changed that?

Imagine the dent we could make in the number of abortions each year if we at the very least effectively addressed the issue within our own walls. Imagine if your church pledged to show compassion and care to those who found themselves in an unintended pregnancy. Imagine if our members came to see the church as a safe place to confess our sins, past and present and ask for help. Joining our network will give your church an opportunity to hit the "reset" button and respond in a gospel centric, comprehensive way.

If you're asking us if we realize people are sinful and some will seek to exploit this then yes, we are aware. People will try and "work the system". Being taken advantage of is a valid concern as resources are limited. 

However, we'd rather risk being taken advantage of then risk losing the opportunity to save the life of a child and care for all involved in the manner God has called us to. Ultimately, do we really have a choice? When the stakes are this high we must take risks. We must have faith that the Lord, through the power of the Holy Spirt working through us and in these families, has the power to change hearts. Furthermore, this is yet another reason for this network. If churches would build relationships with other local, like-minded churches in the network and start dialoguing over who they're helping, it would help alleviate abuse.

The kind of shepherding, discipleship and care that produces life change necessitates a long-term relationship and therefore isn't something we can continue to delegate solely to para-church and non-profit organizations. They weren't designed for that. In fact, in some cases, a struggling family's over reliance on them can create the type of relationship that hinders their transition to the life God desires for them within a local body of believers. 

The church therefore needs to ensure there are and if not build effective, transitionary bridges for families that go between the non-profits we support and our churches, because regular communing membership and involvement in a local body is where they will ultimately find the support structures necessary to experience restoration, dignity, righteousness, purpose, maturity...the abundant life. In addition, those in our network have access to an information hub where they can learn about and share best practices on how to help families make a healthy transition.