Churches Sponsor Homes

Loving Shepherd Ministries' Homes of Hope program is transforming the lives of orphans around the world by placing them in permanent, Christian families who raise the children as their own.  We are continually looking for U.S. church congregations who see the value in placing children directly into Christian families as opposed to institutional orphanages.

We currently have opportunities for U.S. church congregations to provide monthly support to an existing Home of Hope and/or build and support a new Home of Hope.  Both options are critical for the long-term care and discipleship of the children being served.

Frequently asked questions include:

What Role Will Our Church Play?

Our desire is to see your church share in the construction and operation of one or more Homes of Hope - allowing us to serve even more children. We also desire that your church would become a prayer partner for LSM and its sponsored Homes of Hope(s) and that your congregation would relationally align itself with its Home of Hope(s) in order to provide encouragement and vision to the children.

We envision your church raising the capital dollars for a Home of Hope ($50,000) as well as providing for the ongoing operations (about $2,500/month). There are several options for raising the money necessary for the ongoing operations of the Home of Hope. Here are two potential options that could work well in the context of an LSM/local church partnership:

1. Recruiting monthly supporters from the congregation to cover the operating costs. These monthly supporters are called Hands of the Shepherd. To operate a Home of Hope, it would take 100 monthly supporters providing $25/month to cover the operating cost. Hands of the Shepherd donors will receive regular updates and information from LSM.
2. Taking an annual collection to cover the operating costs. The annual cost of operations is app. $30,000. LSM will work with your local church to provide any necessary materials to make the collection successful and meaningful.

If another arrangement is preferable, we are certainly open to discussing. Partial sponsorships are available.

How Does My Church Benefit from this Partnership?

Your church will reap the spiritual blessings of partnering with God in carrying out His heart for the fatherless. These spiritual blessings include:

1. Unity in the church. Partnering with a Home of Hope will bring the church together in a unified purpose and deepen the already existing sense of being a community called to serve God together.
2. Experiencing the joys of giving. By seeing the direct and powerful results of their generous giving, church members experience the joy of giving and develop a greater resolution to invest in Kingdom purposes.
3. Global vision and exposure. Church members will gain invaluable exposure to the difficult plight of so many people around the world. This exposure provides powerful perspective to show how blessed we are here in America, which reduces the American sense of “entitlement” and generates gratitude. This applies to adults as well as to children.
4. Witness to community. In an age of scandal, practicing “pure and undefiled” religion by caring for the fatherless provides an authentic witness to the church’s calling to care for “the least, the last, the lost and the lonely.” It reflects the Good News of Jesus Christ to a skeptical world in a way that is beyond reproach.
5. Service opportunities. LSM and your church will explore various service opportunities in Haiti for your congregants. These options may include your church members or youth conducting a VBS in Haiti for the children living at the Home of Hope and in the surrounding areas.
6. Fulfill Biblical mandate. Finally, your church benefits by strategically partnering with LSM because the partnership will help your church carry out its Biblical mandate to care for “the fatherless.” Over 40 times in the Old and New Testaments, God commands His people to care for the fatherless. By partnering with LSM to fulfill this Kingdom-mandate, your church will draw closer into the Father-heart of God.

How Does LSM Benefit from this Partnership?

LSM will be able to serve more children through our Homes of Hope program. We will also gain a committed prayer partner and advocate for the children we serve.

How will your organization strive to build and maintain a relationship with our church and track the progress or our partnership?

1. We will provide regular and relevant information to your church. This may include reports, multimedia footage,  letters from children, etc.  We would also be available for a regular meeting with key leaders in the church.
2. We will arrange a regular trip to visit the Home of Hope(s) for a pastor or a team of key church leaders. If there is interest in additional trips (a VBS team or youth group team), we can explore these options as well.

What steps does your organization take to ensure the highest level of financial integrity? How will we process conflicts that may develop within our partnership?

We work with key local leaders whom we can trust and with whom we have a long and trusted relationship. In the case of Haiti (where our work is the most intensive), we are additionally sending an American couple to live in-country to provide ongoing oversight of the homes ensuring  yet another level of financial accountability. They will make regular visits to all of our Homes of Hope and will have administrative oversight of the finances in Haiti.

Organizationally, we are members of the Evangelical Counsel of Financial Accountability (ECFA), which ensures the highest level of Christian stewardship.

If conflicts arise, we would follow the Scriptural principle of “being quick to listen and slow to speak.” Key leaders from your church would meet with leaders of LSM at the earliest hint of conflict. Because LSM will be communicating regularly with your church, problems should be resolved quickly. Your church will always have the freedom to express a concern or issue.

How long will this proposed partnership agreement last? What will be the evaluation process at the conclusion of this partnership agreement?

Our desire is to see this partnership deepen and strengthen over time. There is no particular time limit. We do envision a regular (perhaps annual or bi-annual) review of the partnership to make sure that all parties involved are satisfied and fulfilled.

To further explore the opportunity for your church to sponsor a Home, email Joe Gerber at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .