Religious organizations have always served those in need and worked for social justice. In the mosque, for example, the collection box has two slots—one for donations to support the operation of the mosque and another for donations designated for the poor. A basic tenet of Islam is that helping others is actually a gift given to the giver.

Though prominently involved in the civil rights movement and other justice issues of the 1960s and '70s, congregations shifted their focus inward through the 1980s and '90s, addressing systematic issues such as declining numbers of worshippers, building renovations, and finances. What kind of congregation is needed to sustain involvement in meaningful work for social transformation, particularly when many churches and synagogues do not do this particularly well?

Some congregations define the everyday work of its members as mission work. Others expand the traditional idea of mission—serving those in need, welcoming strangers, taking political stands and evangelizing—to include work done in partnership with service agencies, social and economic justice advocates, and faith-based government initiatives.

Mission work may address the systemic conditions that lead to the needs in the first place. A traditional interpretation of mission celebrates the good Samaritan helping the man dying in the ditch. Today’s interpretation would relieve the suffering of the man, but would also do something to change the circumstances that first led to his being in the ditch.

Some bring mission closer to home, focusing on offering hospitality to newcomers or seekers in their congregations. Others believe that well-equipped congregants will address mission needs by discovering their own calling and passion. These congregations focus on education and worship that deepens faith and supports personal discernment.