Social Welfare in Two Local Baptist Churches in Ghana

A key defining feature, which distinguishes Christian believers from those who make empty profession of faith, according to Jesus is the practical exhibition of brotherly love for one another. Jesus expects all His followers to make the provision of social welfare shortfalls of individuals a priority. The first church understood this expectation of Jesus and made the provision of the social welfare needs of its members a prime concern. The book of Acts suggests that the first believers made provision for social welfare needs of their members a major priority. The members of the first church in the second century similarly took bold steps to ensure social welfare shortfalls of members are met. This study, undertaken in a modern cosmopolitan area in Ghana, compared how the modern church understood this requirement of Jesus. The study showed that in the two Baptist Churches, even though provision for social welfare of members may not be as comprehensive as in the early church, the churches had quite effective ways of discovering social welfare needs of members and had also made effective provisions for addressing the welfare shortfalls once discovered.