The faith community can address domestic violence, crime, and poverty issues by living out/expressing the love of God to the people in those situations or circumstances. From the leaders of the households to the leaders in the community outside of the church, people should be made aware through teachings, through witnessing, and experiencing the love of God from the body of Christ.
Most people are not violent by choice, but because of their upbringing. Most of the people who are raised in a household or family are competing to exert power over the other to prove who is always right, or who has the most control. And mostly in situations where men are violent, it’s usually a result of trying to scare their partner with the assumption that for somebody to love you, they need to fear you, and this could come in many forms being Physical abuse, Sexual abuse, emotional abuse, Financial abuse, and Vebal abuse. Not giving your partner or your children space to have a healthy relationship with you, not giving them room to give consent, and also shutting them out from contributing towards the choices or decisions for the future of their home.
With women who abuse their partners, the common case is with them financially providing or earning more than their partner or they are the only source of income in the house or they come from a household of independence and submission and giving is not taught but entitlement is highlighted due to Feminism and this leaves no room for them to allow someone in their life to lead them.
Most committed crimes are committed by people who felt neglected and rejected by the community, most of those who are smart and were potential graduates didn’t have enough support and resources to finish their studies, including those who grew up in poor backgrounds. The children struggle because their parents have no knowledge or information on how to work hard and contribute towards their children’s academics, gifts, and skills. Most of them believe there’s no future in going to school due to a lot of people who have graduated and have not found jobs but ended up homeless, some resolving to substance abuse, and some having to start their own markets or businesses to get something to eat and to be able to buy clothing for survival.
The lack of knowledge/information and education in the community contributes a lot to the struggles and the mentality, and perspective of the community that one lives in, most people are suffering because they are living the hand to mouth life, which automatically puts them on survival mentality, leading them to compete with people they could potentially partner with to grow their market. And with this is a mindset of the world, the perfect loophole/opportunity for the church/faith community to step in presents itself.
The faith community serves as the hope left in the world because the number one dependence in the faith community is on God, and secondly, the relationship that God requires of His people—assisting with counselling to help them heal from past trauma, reflecting also on societal beliefs and the negative impact they have had on one’s life in comparison with the guide on healthy living from a biblical point of view.
Love and respect (1 Corinthians 13:4 and Ephesians 5:25), treating others with Kindness (Luke 6:31, and Ephesians 4:32), Seeking help and support (Galatians 6:2 and James 5:16), looking at God’s heart for justice (Proverbs 31:8 and Psalm 9:9), Restoration and healing (Psalm 147:3 and Isaiah 61:1). And this particular order, the Faith community would have to apply these scriptures.
The church and the gospel are already out there for the world to hear about, but no consistency from the church to living it out, whether in presentation through experience or expression through conviction and compassion. The church needs to understand that not everybody has the foundation they have, and therefore none of it should be held onto oneself, especially when Jesus made sure to live out the gospel as much as He taught the scriptures.
The main solutions or focus from the church is to have discipleship/ mentorship programs and start the people from a young age, by visiting schools and doing street ministry, consistently solidifying a trust relationship between the Faith community and the world. Encouraging healthy masculinity and modeling family leadership in a biblical context through Faith community marriages, teaching about the many forms of communication through sermons and one-on-one conversations, applying biblical principles to educate and empower those with little to no access to education about entrepreneurship, and workshops.
The faith community can also create safe spaces by working with government-led initiatives on mental health and social needs through the involvement of government officials, the police department, lawyers, social workers, psychologists, teachers, and many more. Getting them to be more involved in meeting all the needs in the community, especially assessing from an observation or analysis of a child’s life or behavioural patterns.