Did you know that there are roughly 130,000 children that are waiting for adoption in the United States today? These children have had their parental rights terminated and living in temporary situation (either a temporary foster family or group home). Legally they are wards of the State with no parents but the government. You can adopt these children at no cost! In fact, in most States, you will receive a monthly stipend.
Every child in America (in the world) should have a permanent family. There is no excuse for this! So, what would it take to find each of these kids a family? To start off, I broke down the numbers by Southern Baptist Churches (they were the easiest to find figures for – as I have time I will add up all the other evangelical denominations – my initial count is roughly 170,213). But, just counting Southern Baptist churches the results and ratios are very powerful. There are roughly 40,000 Southern Baptist Churches in the US. If every church committed to 3 children, every child would be cared for. In 11 States all it would take is 1 church committing to 1 child. Again, that is just counting the SBC!
Will you please 1) Look at the numbers below, and 2) pray with me that God would move in an unprecendented way among His church to see that every one of these children (every number is a child!) have a permanent home. And in the case of the children represented below who are 16-17 years old and about to age out of the system, pray that they would have a family who would commit to care for them when they are left on their own in a couple months or a year.
For the full chart with all 50 States click here to download in pdf.
The ABBA Fund Blog 
Thank you for this! Very practical and convicting way to visualize the true state of things.
Our family is currently in the process of seeking an adoption through the state. These figures are convicting. I certainly do think more Christians should prayerfully consider adoption.
I am so thankful for your blog! I love how you balance out the attention needed to focus on Foster-adoption/foster care and international adoption…We just adopted from foster care and plan on adopting more as long as God allows…We are just now learning all the truths and beauty behind what adoption stands for and it’s motivated us to not stop! How dare we sit in our comfortable recliners while we have room for at least two more orphans in our home?? Your blog has been a sweet encouragement with solid biblical truths and mostly the boldness you have, in love, of this critical need for the church to step up…
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I can’t speak for other states, but here in Mississippi the system is openly biased against Bible believing Christian families. I have a good friend who was in a higher end position with the Dept of Human Services who was working for reform from within the system. He resigned in protest at the beginning of 2008 because of some regulations that were passed that he said would make it “impossible” (in his letter to me) for families like ours ( many children, homeschooling, Biblical discipline, openly Christian) to adopt through the state.
We are left with the option of lying about our beliefs (thus denying Christ before men) or taking adoption through the state off the table.
If this is true in one of the most heavily churched states in the country, I imagine it is true in some other states as well. (?)
I don’t even know where to begin, but this system does not need to be reformed, it needs to be replaced.
** I do not mean to imply that everyone who works in the system is corrupt or anti-Christian. The social worker that did our homestudy for our first adoption & who will do the update for the one we’re praying for now works full time for the state Dept of Health & part time doing homestudies for a Christian adoption agency. She loves the Lord, wants what’s best for the children, & has been kind, honest & helpful
However, here in our state the system itself is geared towards getting & keeping as many children in government foster care as possible. In fact, funding is directly tied to how many kids are in the system. And, a significant percentage of the people that control who gets adopted, who gets to foster, etc have a worldview & presuppostitions that are decidedly anti-bibilcal & anti-christian. Even more have a buearacratic mindset that slows progress & frustrates efforts to help.
Brother, I am not saying this to discourage you or be pessimistic (I’m a Calvinist AND post-mil, for crying out loud. Pessimism is not an option 🙂 ).
I just want to be realistic in facing the problem. We have 150 million orphans, millions of abortions, and kids trapped in foster care (and a host of other social ills) because we have become so thoroughly anti-child, anti-life, anti-biblical, & anti-Christ in our thinking & actions that we do not even recognize it anymore.
We must be just as thorough in our repentance & reformation.
Keep STRIVING. Keep LOVING. Keep SERVING the most helpless. Keep CHALLENGING & calling CHRISTIAN FAMILIES to do the same.
Our King has conquered. He sits on His victorious throne. His arm has not been shortened !
It really is that simple, isn’t it? I will join you in prayer that these children will find a permanent family – love, commitment, and hope – forever.
As a Canadian, I wonder what the statistics are here….?
keep challenging us!
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Dear Jason,
Thanks for running the numbers. A few years I ago, God placed the desire to adopt on my heart and a desire to find families for all of the waiting children. Everyone deserves a family. This numbers in this post show it is possible.
Thanks,
Kevin
These numbers spurred me on to look more closely at adoption, specifically at bethany christian services on the web.
I learned that many of the things I “knew” about adoption were not true.
My wife and I are now walking through the process of preparing to adopt. We are also sharing what we learn with others. We are intending to adopt an older child in our state.
James 1:27 means a whole lot more to me today.
Mike, Thank you for sharing this! I’ll pray with you and your wife as you step out in adoption. Thanks for spreading the word to others as well. Blessings, Jason
Jason Kovacs jason@abbafund.org
How do you go about adopting a child at no cost? I’ve always heard that it costs thousands of dollars to adopt. The only time I’ve heard of getting a monthly stipend is when someone has been a foster parent, and then the kids don’t get to stay with them permanently 😦 One family I know tried to adopt some kids but the older kids lied about some things and they all ended up getting removed from the home. It was very hard on the foster parents and extended family as they had had them for a year and gotten rather attached.
This is indeed powerful! Thank you for sharing. This word must get out!!
me and my husband trided everything we could to adopt from the state.children who are in foster care.and dont belive it when they say you dont need to be rich or have afancy home thats a lie.they denided us on the basis of our income and our home.we are not rich but we are by no means poverty stricken we finacally suported my little neice for 5 yrs until my sister got married and wanted her back. our home is no mansion but is not a falling down peice of crap and its paid for. so dont tell me its easy to adopt
I concur that more Christians need to adopt, and I also sometimes scratch my head when I find out a couple spend 40 thousand dollars to adopt a Russian orphan when kids in the US foster care system just wait and wait. That said, there is a whole lot of red tape to getting those kids. My husband and I have been trying to adopt a waiting child from foster care and have put in applications in over a dozen children. We have been turned down for all and are thinking of quitting the process. It also seems to be that this is the reason so many people will spend the 20+ thousand dollars to adopt a child rather than have state workers tell you that you cant adopt a 2 year old because they are too close in age to your 4 year old.