Partnering with the Local Church
Release from poverty doesn’t happen overnight. But at Compassion, we believe that real change begins with people who are already present in the communities we serve.
Instead of building a child sponsorship program from the outside, Compassion partners with local churches who are deeply rooted in their communities. These churches understand the challenges children and their families face because they serve them and the community, and they’re committed to making a difference.
Compassion comes alongside these churches with training, funding and curriculum, so they’re equipped to expand and deepen their impact while remaining aligned to local needs.
Child Development Centers
Through each partnership, churches open child development centers — spaces where children can learn, grow and thrive with consistent care. Each church chooses a project director who oversees a team that implements every aspect of the program. Center staff are committed to helping children develop into all God intended.
At Compassion centers, children and their families are known by name, encouraged through challenges and reminded of their identity in Christ. Here, children receive practical care from nutritious meals and education to safe water and an introduction to the Gospel.
Our Focus on Holistic Child Development
Compassion’s child sponsorship program cares for all of a child’s needs–because poverty doesn’t just impact one aspect of a child’s life. At their local Compassion center, children are supported as they grow:
Spiritually through the love of Jesus.
Physically through nutrition and healthcare.
Mentally through education and tutoring.
Socially through relationships and community.
Emotionally through encouragement and guidance.
We don’t simply provide one-time aid. Partnering with the local church means we’re in it for the long-haul helping children escape the grips of poverty and thrive beyond it.
Support at Every Stage
Many of our local partner churches begin care at the earliest stages of development. From support for expectant mothers that promotes healthy pregnancies, to home visits from staff to help new moms and babies thrive in the first year.
But support doesn’t stop once a child reaches their first birthday. As children grow, they attend activities at their local child development center. Staff lead children in activities that help them grow holistically. Here, kids are known by name and staff walk alongside them in challenges at school and at home.
As children enter adolescence, Compassion’s support grows with them through:
Tutoring and academic help.
Vocational training.
Life skills and leadership development.
Guidance for healthy relationships and decision-making.
Support at every stage is intentional – equipping children to thrive all the way into adulthood.
Strengthening Families and Communities
At Compassion, we know that lasting change includes the entire family. That’s why churches also invest in parents and caregivers by offering:
Parenting support and education.
Literacy and job skills training.
Resources to improve financial stability.
Churches also respond to challenges in the community. Whether it’s access to clean water, medical care or emergency or disaster relief, Compassion works alongside church partners to remove barriers that hold children back.
Lasting Impact
What makes Compassion’s program so effective is that it’s built for the long-term. The local church isn’t a temporary solution – they’re trusted pillars in their communities. Through every challenge and season, they’re a steady presence sharing the lasting hope found in Jesus.
Read the Full Video Transcript:
How Does Compassion International Help Kids?
This transcript reflects the spoken content of the video and is provided for accessibility and reference.
Compassion International is working around the world to release children from poverty in Jesus' name. But how exactly does it work? Well, come along with me and I will show you.
To begin with, we love Jesus. We love the church. And we love children. Everything we do flows from there.
Compassion builds relationships with churches who are already ministering to families living in poverty. The staff and volunteers at these churches know the needs in their community because they live there, too. They see what children in their neighborhoods are facing, and they want to make a difference just like you and I.
Compassion staff get to know these churches. We sit down with them to understand their vision, talk about the ways we can work together, and see how Compassion can come alongside them and complement what they are already doing. We offer training, financial resources, and curriculum to help expand and deepen their impact in the community.
Partnership means there is collaboration. Churches receive the curriculum and adapt it to fit their context, accounting for local needs.
These partner churches reach out to families in their communities, inviting children to be part of what we call a child development center. Each church chooses a project director who is responsible for planning and overseeing a team of helpers who implement every part of the program. They are committed to helping children develop holistically as God intended.
[Music]
So activities at the center are designed to encourage physical, mental, social, emotional, and spiritual growth. The program is integrated, meaning the church receives support to walk with children as they grow.
Many of these churches start at the earliest stages of development, coming alongside pregnant moms to help them have a healthy pregnancy and delivery. Staff from the center visit new moms and caregivers in their homes to answer questions and offer ideas to help them and their babies thrive.
Home visits continue as infants grow into toddlers. As children get older, they attend activities at the child development center.
Staff and tutors there lead children through lessons and activities that help them grow holistically. They get to know children personally, helping them through challenges at school and at home. As children grow into adolescence and youth, they learn skills that will help them be successful in life, like time management, how to have healthy relationships, and vocational skills.
Churches also support parents and caregivers to improve stability at home. They may offer classes that promote literacy, healthy discipline, and skills to earn an income.
Churches also identify specific problems that are hindering child development and work with Compassion on solutions like sourcing clean water, providing mosquito nets, vaccines, building latrines and constructing classrooms at the church.
When children in the program face urgent medical needs or their communities are affected by disaster, the church responds. During the 2020 COVID-19 pandemic, church partners around the world delivered food to the families who could not work during the quarantine.
Compassion provides encouragement and financial support so our church partners can be salt and light during these critical times. Interventions like these — and, in fact, all community activities — vary from church to church because children face unique challenges in each community.
Over time, as each partnership grows, churches are encouraged to explore local resources and begin developing a plan for self-sufficiency.
The beautiful thing about partnering with the local church is that they have roots in their community. When challenges arise, like a disaster or health crisis, the church is already there identifying needs and working to bring relief, recovery and healing — all while carrying the greatest message of eternal hope in Jesus.
Throughout this journey, Compassion invites supporters to connect with what these churches are doing by investing in children's holistic development, financially and relationally.
Together, we are a team that surrounds these children and youth. Every voice that speaks value into their lives matters.
The church is vital. They are the heart of the community and messengers of the gospel.
Compassion partners with more than 8,000 churches worldwide. Our missions intersect by God's design. He invites and empowers each of us to play a role.
So, what is your role?
We invite you to join these churches as they help children become all that God created them to be.
Thank you so much for coming to see our project. God bless you all.