One Church’s Commitment to Serving Foster Families

When Pastor Kyle stepped in as lead pastor of Cartersville First Baptist Church (CFBC), he was joining a staff and church body already committed to foster care ministry. Six years later, that ministry has only grown under Kyle and his staff.

“Our church’s connection with foster ministry preceded me,” Kyle explained. “It was really in the culture of our church going years back and through several families being involved in [fostering].”

As lead pastor, Kyle was prayerfully considering ways to expand this part of CFBC’s outreach.

“I was super excited about that being in our church, and I just wanted to see that grow and expand and see God lead even more people to be involved in it,” he said. “I was open to an opportunity should God open that door to encourage and give some more infrastructure and support to championing that.”

While in this season of waiting and praying, God brought Families 4 Families to the church, turning a Sunday visit into a growing partnership that’s flourishing today.

Kyle knows that serving the foster care community takes all of us! CFBC’s staff and congregation brought the passion for foster care ministry, while Families 4 Families provided important experience and knowledge to help the church build their program CFBC Fosters.

“We’re not experts as pastors in how to be involved in [foster care] necessarily, but there are people who are experts. We can bring in the right people to help mobilize this ministry, and the church doesn’t have to come up with all of the training and all of the tools,” Kyle shared. 

With Families 4 Families’ help, CFBC has been able to build upon the church’s heart for foster care by establishing support systems for foster families and recruiting other church members to help. 

“We’ve got some infrastructure in our church now with our lay people to help support our foster families, raise awareness and do training to encourage and support,” Kyle explained.

“It’s been cool to see how Sunday school classes have adopted foster families, to see how our deacon body has taken on foster ministry within its umbrella of responsibilities. It’s been cool to see how people on staff have taken on foster care, to see how church members have stepped up to volunteer.”

CFBC’s associate pastor and his wife, Steven and Heather James, were one of the many families to answer the call to fostering.

“They stepped into foster care ministry as a result of us connecting with Families 4 Families,” Kyle said. “It’s special because our church has watched with more familiarity because of his leadership role.”

Because of this church’s commitment to foster care, CFBC Fosters has grown into a community of close to 80 foster parents, foster children and bio children who encourage one another on their foster care journeys while also receiving support from the rest of the church body.

Pastor Kyle hopes that other churches that aren’t developing their foster care outreach will start. 

“I don’t think it’s optional for the Church; I think it’s a mandate,” he said. “The heart of God is clear in Scripture that [foster care] is something we can’t ignore.”

For churches that don’t know where to start, Kyle knows partners like Families 4 Families are ready and willing to bridge the knowledge gap and provide meaningful support. 

“I think pastors need to realize they can just be a cheerleader and a champion and let the experts come in and provide information. Let God call people to it as He will and let people say, ‘yes,’” he explained. 

“I really believe that God is calling us to further faithfulness in this as one of the ways the world will see the love of Christ.”