The Family Foundation is excited to announce the launch of the Church Ambassador Network here in our Commonwealth. The mission of the Church Ambassador Network is to inspire the Church to engage government for the advancement of God’s Kingdom. This mission is primarily accomplished by connecting the shepherds of God’s church (pastors) with the shepherds of government (elected officials).
Both the church and the government are institutions that God Himself has established. It is clear from Scripture, that God established government for our good and for a righteous purpose. Romans 13:4 details the role of Government and its role is to protect the citizens who are under it and allow them to flourish and prosper. Also in Romans 13:4, Paul clearly indicates that government is to restrain and punish evil. The government was established by God, in summary, to simply “promote good” and “restrain evil” in our society.
Just like the church, the government has a shepherd as well. In the Bible, monarchy was the overwhelming form of civil government. The shepherd in the monarchies found in Scripture was the King. However, in modern-day America, our form of government allows for many elected officials at the local, state, and federal levels. These elected officials are the shepherds of our government here in the United States.
Although these two God-ordained institutions, the church and government, have different and independent roles, they are not intended to be mutually exclusive. Both the church and the government are designed by God to complement each other, not ignore one another.
The church is equipped in a specific way, like no other institution, to provide solutions to personal and community problems that the government cannot adequately solve.
Thus, the partnership between the church and government is one that is desperately needed for the flourishing of communities throughout Kentucky. To facilitate the partnership between the church and government the Church Ambassador Network will facilitate meetings between pastors and elected officials at our Capitol. Each meeting will start with Scripture, a short devotional, a time of fellowship, and end with prayer. The intent of these meetings is twofold. First, the desire is that government leaders will wholly see who they are in Christ. They are shepherds in the government to help fulfill the divine purpose of government which is to “promote good” and “restrain evil” in our society. Second, it is an aim that government leaders would see the church as a primary resource and partner to address the needs of the people they represent.
It is truly the desire, hope, and prayer of the Church Ambassador Network of Kentucky to be a tool of the Lord to help facilitate Christ-centered transformation through shepherd-to-shepherd relationships. The Church Ambassador Network of Kentucky is truly in a position to help fill our Capitol with the Lord’s teaching, point government leaders to Christ, and help partnerships to grow between pastors and elected officials to address problems facing our communities. I look forward, with great expectation, to all that the Lord will do through the Church Ambassador Network of Kentucky for the advancement of God’s kingdom.
William Baxter Boyd is the Director of The Family Foundation’s Church Ambassador Network.
Baxter graduated from Boyce College in Louisville, KY with a B.A. in Biblical and Theological Studies. He received his Master of Divinity (M.Div.) from the Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary and is currently finishing his Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) degree from the Midwestern Baptist Theological Seminary.
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