Faith & Reflection | The Anchored Pen

“Go ye therefore, and teach all nations…” — Matthew 28:19 (KJV)

Have you ever wondered whether we have become so comfortable inside our church walls that we have forgotten why the church exists?

Recently, I was reminded of an important lesson about ministry, mission, and the invisible fences we sometimes build around our faith.

As a Seventh-day Adventist, I believe deeply in the health message entrusted to our church. I believe in whole-person wellness—caring for the physical, mental, social, and spiritual needs of individuals. But I have also come to believe that this message was never intended to remain exclusively within our denomination.

When I began sharing the CREATION Life program beyond the Adventist community, my purpose was simple: to reach people where they are.

Not everyone will enter an Adventist church. Not everyone shares our beliefs. Yet everyone experiences illness, stress, grief, loneliness, and the need for hope.

Does that make them any less deserving of the message we have been called to share?

I think not.

Interestingly, this outreach began with a vision that was initially presented within an Adventist church. Eventually, the opportunity to serve expanded beyond denominational boundaries. What might have appeared to be a change in location became an opportunity to reach people who might otherwise never experience this ministry.

And that raises a question worth considering:

Have we sometimes confused protecting our identity with fulfilling our mission?

Jesus did not limit His ministry to those who belonged to a particular religious community. He spoke with the Samaritan woman, touched those considered unclean, ate with those others rejected, and extended compassion to people on the margins of society.

He crossed boundaries—not to compromise truth, but to demonstrate love.

The Good Samaritan did not stop to ask whether the wounded man belonged to the right congregation. He saw a need and responded with compassion.

Perhaps that is one of the greatest lessons for the church today.

Our doctrines matter. Our identity matters. Our institutions have an important role. But none of these should become barriers to serving those outside our fellowship.

The effectiveness of ministry should not be measured only by how many people enter our churches, but also by how many lives are touched because we were willing to leave them.

Sometimes the most meaningful ministry happens in a community center, a school, a food pantry, a homeless shelter, or another congregation.

We do not have to abandon our faith to serve beyond our denomination. In fact, doing so may be one of the clearest expressions of that faith.

The church was never called to be a private club for the comfortable, but a place of refuge, healing, and hope for the hurting.

I remain grateful for the foundation my Adventist faith has given me. It continues to shape my commitment to health education, compassionate service, and community outreach.

But I refuse to believe that the blessings of that message should stop at a denominational fence.

Perhaps the question we should ask is not, “Are they one of us?”

Perhaps it should be, “How can we serve them?”

Because when the fence becomes bigger than the mission, we risk losing sight of the very people Jesus called us to reach.

Faith Reflection

John 13:35 (KJV): “By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another.”

The world should recognize our faith not merely by the name on our church buildings, but by the love demonstrated through our actions.

Remember Today

The mission is bigger than the fence. God’s love was never meant to stop at the church door.

May we never become so concerned about who belongs inside that we forget those waiting for hope outside.

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Dr. Jennifer C. Benjamin

The Anchored Pen — Writing with Faith, Healing with Hope.