Redemptive Care is not an Event but a Way of Living

Redemptive Care is more than acts of kindness or charity; it is a deliberate participation in God’s missio Dei, the mission of God to redeem and restore humanity and creation (Colossians 1:19-20). It recognizes that every act of care—whether addressing physical, emotional, or social needs—has the potential to reflect God’s redemptive heart. Unlike secular caregiving, Redemptive Care is anchored in the belief that true transformation occurs through Jesus Christ, addressing not only immediate needs but also the deeper spiritual brokenness of the human soul. Redemptive Care is a holistic approach to caregiving that views acts of care as participation in God’s redemptive work in the world. This approach aligns with the biblical narrative of God’s desire to reconcile all things to Himself (2 Corinthians 5:18-19), inviting every believer to join in this mission.

Redemptive Care is not a program but a lifestyle—a way of embodying the gospel in everyday interactions. It integrates word and deed, ensuring that acts of service are accompanied by the verbal proclamation of the gospel, which serves as the catalyst for true spiritual transformation. In a religiously diverse world, this holistic approach requires cultural sensitivity, humility, and a commitment to communicating Christ’s love in ways that resonate across cultural and religious boundaries.

 

The Missio Dei: God’s Mission and Your Role

The missio Dei—Latin for “the mission of God”—is the theological foundation of Redemptive Care. Scripture reveals God as a missionary God who sends and is sent: the Father sends the Son (John 3:16), the Father and Son send the Spirit (John 14:26), and the Triune God sends believers into the world (John 20:21). As Francis DuBose notes, “God is a missionary God who sends a missionary church.” This sending is not reserved for clergy or missionaries but is the calling of every believer to participate in God’s redemptive work wherever they are.

Your role in the missio Dei is unique, shaped by the personal missional strengths God has given you. These strengths, as identified through tools like the Missionality Survey, reflect how God has designed you to engage in His mission. Whether through leadership, compassion, advocacy, or cultural creation, your gifts are not random but divinely appointed for redemptive purposes. In a world where Christianity is one voice among many, understanding your missional strengths equips you to live out your faith authentically and effectively.

 

The Missional Strengths Survey: Discovering How God Designed You

The Missional Strengths Survey is a powerful tool designed to help you uncover your unique missional strengths, enabling you to align your life with God’s redemptive mission. This biblically-based self-assessment, which takes less than 20 minutes, provides a personalized MISSIONALITY Research Report that details how God has shaped you, the leadership roles you’re suited for, and how you can serve your community. As the survey explains, “God created you and shaped you to participate in His mission in the world. Knowing how you are shaped by God enables you to find your true purpose and passion.”

The survey identifies 15 missional strengths, categorized into three biblical areas: leadership patterns (e.g., apostolic, prophetic, evangelistic), mission purposes (e.g., multiplication, ethics, service), and lifework passions (e.g., redemptive care, community care, creation care). For example, someone with a strength in equitable care may be gifted in protecting the defenseless or advocating for justice, while someone with a strength in evangelistic proclamation excels in sharing the gospel verbally. By understanding your unique blend of strengths, you can discern how to engage in Redemptive Care in ways that are both effective and fulfilling.

 

The Spiritual Need for Redemptive Care

The human soul, created in God’s image (Genesis 1:27), is marred by sin, resulting in a profound need for redemption. The soul’s “spiritual anatomy” encompasses a corrupted image, a wounded will, disordered desires, darkened understanding, and fractured relationships with God, self, others, and creation. This brokenness is not merely individual but corporate, forming what some theologians describe as a “confederacy of sinful desires” that interlocks with systemic and cultural sins. For instance, greed can fuel exploitation, which deepens poverty by concentrating wealth and resources in the hands of a few while the majority struggle to meet their basic needs, when then creates cycles of despair that resist simple solutions.

Redemptive Care addresses this holistic brokenness by offering care that points to Christ’s transformative power. It recognizes that the soul cannot heal itself (Ephesians 2:1-5) and requires the external intervention of Christ’s atoning work (Titus 3:4-5). By integrating acts of care with gospel proclamation, Redemptive Care meets immediate needs while addressing the eternal need for reconciliation with God. As Paul writes, “If anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation” (2 Corinthians 5:17), underscoring the identity transformation that only Christ can provide.

 

Redemptive Care in a Religiously Diverse World

In today’s religiously pluralistic world, Redemptive Care must navigate diverse worldviews, from traditional religions like Hinduism and Islam to the growing population of “nones” who claim no religious affiliation. The Department of World Religions at Missional University emphasizes equipping believers to engage these diverse traditions by understanding their belief systems and finding points of contact for gospel proclamation. This requires cultural exegesis—reading cultures with the same care as Scripture to discern values, narratives, and resistance points.

For example, in shame-based cultures, spiritual brokenness may manifest as a loss of honor, while in guilt-based cultures, it may appear as moral failure. Redemptive Care adapts to these cultural nuances, offering care that resonates with local expressions of need while proclaiming the universal truth of salvation through Christ. Paul’s approach in Athens (Acts 17:22-31) models this, as he engaged the Athenian worldview, affirming points of truth while challenging their idolatry with the gospel.

Digital engagement is another critical arena. With the rise of the internet, believers can connect with “nones” through social media, blogs, and online communities. SEO-optimized content can amplify reach, ensuring that gospel-centered messages appear in search results. For instance, writing blog posts with keywords like “redemptive care,” “missional strengths,” or “God’s mission” can draw seekers to content that points to Christ.

 

Verbal Gospel Proclamation: The Catalyst for Transformation

While Redemptive Care addresses holistic needs, verbal gospel proclamation is its indispensable core. The verbal sharing of the salvation message through Jesus Christ gives ultimate meaning and context to acts of care. Acts of service, while valuable, cannot convey the specific truth of salvation through Christ alone (John 14:6). The Great Commission (Matthew 28:19-20) mandates explicit teaching about Jesus, making proclamation a non-negotiable aspect of the missio Dei.

This proclamation must be culturally sensitive yet uncompromising. Paul’s model of “worldview translation” (Acts 17) shows how to communicate the gospel in ways that engage cultural assumptions without diluting its truth. For example, in a postmodern context that values authenticity, sharing personal stories of Christ’s transformative power can resonate deeply. In traditional religious contexts, finding common ground—such as shared values of justice or community—can open doors for gospel conversations.

 

Expressions of Redemptive Care

Redemptive Care manifests in diverse ways, each reflecting a facet of God’s redemptive work. Here are key expressions and how your missional strengths can align with them:

Interreligious Dialogue

Engaging adherents of other faiths requires cultural humility and a prophetic edge. If your missional strengths include teaching or representation, you might excel in building bridges through respectful dialogue, affirming shared values while clearly articulating Christ’s unique role as Savior. The Pentecost pattern (Acts 2) shows God’s affirmation of cultural diversity, guiding believers to communicate the gospel in culturally resonant ways.

Reconciliation Work

In a world marked by racial, ethnic, and cultural divisions, Redemptive Care includes reconciliation efforts. The Department of Ethnic & Reconciliation Studies at Missional University equips believers to address these divisions through gospel-centered witness. If your strengths include equitable care or compassion care, you might be called to mediate conflicts, advocate for justice, or foster healing in communities wounded by historical injustices.

Cultural Creation

Creating cultural expressions—art, music, literature—that reflect God’s beauty and truth is a powerful form of Redemptive Care. If your strengths include culture care, you can produce works that challenge sinful cultural narratives and point to Christ’s redemption. For example, a musician might compose songs that weave gospel themes into local musical traditions, resonating with cultural identities while proclaiming truth.

Digital Engagement

The “nones” are often reached through digital platforms. If your strengths include evangelistic proclamation or multiplication, you can leverage blogs, videos, or social media to share the gospel. SEO strategies, such as using keywords, ensure your content reaches those searching for meaning.

Compassion Care

Serving the disadvantaged—whether through feeding the hungry, caring for the sick, or advocating for the oppressed—is a tangible expression of Redemptive Care. If your strengths include compassion care or service, you might find purpose in meeting practical needs while sharing the hope of Christ. Jesus’ ministry, which combined healing with preaching (Matthew 9:35), models this integration.

 

Addressing Corporate Sin

Sin is not just personal but corporate, forming interlocking systems that perpetuate injustice and brokenness. This as an “ecology of evil,” where greed, exploitation, and despair reinforce one another. Redemptive Care confronts these systems through prophetic imagination (Walter Brueggemann), envisioning God’s intended order and creating “ecologies of grace” through coordinated virtuous practices.

For example, addressing systemic poverty might involve not only providing food but also advocating for economic justice and sharing the gospel to transform worldviews that normalize exploitation. If your strengths include ethics or redemptive care, you might be called to challenge unjust systems while offering Christ-centered alternatives.

 

Practical Steps to Discover Your Redemptive Calling

1. Take the Missionality Survey: This free tool reveals your unique missional strengths, helping you understand how God has designed you for His mission. The MISSIONALITY Research Report (for a small fee) provides actionable insights for applying your strengths in your community.
2. Engage in Cultural Exegesis: Study your cultural context—its values, narratives, and resistance points—to identify opportunities for Redemptive Care. Resources from Missional University’s Department of Cultural Studies can guide you.
3. Practice Word and Deed: Combine acts of service with verbal gospel proclamation. For example, volunteer at a local shelter and share your faith through conversations that point to Christ’s love.
4. Join Intercultural Communities: Seek out diverse faith communities that model mutual transformation, reflecting the Pentecost pattern of unity in diversity (Acts 2).
5. Leverage Digital Platforms: Create SEO-optimized content to reach the “nones” or those of other faiths. Use keywords to enhance visibility.
6. Pray for Discernment: Ask the Holy Spirit to guide you in aligning your strengths with God’s mission, trusting His power to work through you (John 16:13).

 

The Eternal Perspective of Redemptive Care

While Redemptive Care addresses temporal needs, its ultimate aim is eternal—reconciling people, society, and creation to God through Christ. As Revelation 7:9-10 envisions, God’s redemptive work culminates in a multitude from every nation, tribe, and language worshiping before His throne. Your role in this mission is not peripheral but essential, as your unique strengths contribute to this God’s ongoing, global work of redemption.

By integrating acts of care with gospel proclamation, you participate in God’s comprehensive plan to restore all things. Whether through interreligious dialogue, reconciliation, cultural creation, or digital engagement, your missional strengths are God’s gift to a world in need. As you step into your redemptive calling, you embody the truth that “the Word became flesh and dwelt among us” (John 1:14), bringing Christ’s light to a religiously diverse world.

 

Sources

• Watke, Curt. Redemptive Care and the Missio Dei: An Intercultural Framework. Missional University.
• Missional International. “15 Missional Strengths.” https://missional.international.[accessed, 19 May 2025]
• Missional International. “Missionality.” https://missional.international.[accessed, 19 May 2025]
• Missional University. “Mission, Vision, Values.” https://missional.university.[accessed, 19 May 2025]
• DuBose, Francis. God Who Sends: A Fresh Quest for Biblical Mission. Broadman, 1983.