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Faith in Action: The Heart of Christian Foster Care

I’m writing this as a Christian, a conservative, and a foster parent. Our family said “yes” to Christian foster care because Scripture is unambiguous about God’s heart for the vulnerable.…

I’m writing this as a Christian, a conservative, and a foster parent. Our family said “yes” to Christian foster care because Scripture is unambiguous about God’s heart for the vulnerable. But saying yes also plunged us into a system with a complicated history, evolving laws, and daily realities that don’t fit on a bumper sticker. Therefore, I want to share where foster care came from, where it stands today, why it matters for believers, and specific ways you can serve birth parents, foster parents, caseworkers, and—most of all—the kids.

Christian foster care family praying together for children in need.

Where Foster Care Came From (and What Came Before It)

Long before “foster care” existed, American cities relied on orphanages and charitable societies. In 1806, Elizabeth Schuyler (Eliza) Hamilton, Isabella Graham, and Joanna Bethune helped found New York’s Orphan Asylum Society—today known as Graham Windham—to care for children who had lost parents. That organization still serves families more than two centuries later, a living link between early Christian charity and today’s child-serving agencies. Graham+1. In addition, You can read more about how Christian principles shaped America’s values in our related post about the constitution here.

As a result, reformers like Charles Loring Brace believed children would thrive better with families than in institutions. Through the Children’s Aid Society, he launched the “Orphan Train” movement (1850s–1920s), placing tens of thousands of children with families across the country—a forerunner to modern foster family care. The methods were imperfect by today’s standards, but the conviction—that children need families—shaped what came next. Children’s Aid+2Social Welfare History Project+2

How Foster Care Works Today (and Why Adoption Isn’t the First Goal)

Lawmakers shaped modern foster care to pursue permanency for every child, reflecting the belief that family stability matters most. First and foremost, the goal is almost always reunification—returning children safely to their birth families after parents receive services, treatment, and time to remedy the issues that led to removal. Federal law requires agencies to make “reasonable efforts” to preserve or reunify families unless a court finds such efforts would be futile or unsafe (e.g., severe aggravated circumstances). Only when reunification is not possible do courts typically pivot to adoption or guardianship. Child Welfare Information Gateway+2Child Welfare Information Gateway+2

That’s why adoption is not the default. Ultimately, it is usually the last stop in the permanency hierarchy—pursued only after parental rights are terminated or surrendered and the court determines adoption serves the child’s best interest. Child Welfare Information Gateway

The Numbers: How Many Kids Are in Care vs. Waiting to Be Adopted?

On any given day, well over 300,000 children live in U.S. foster care. A much smaller subset is legally free/eligible for adoption (often after parental rights have been terminated). Recent snapshots put this “waiting” group a little above 100,000, while total children in care are in the mid-to-upper 300,000s—meaning most children in foster care are not currently approved for adoption and are working toward reunification or another permanency plan. ccainstitute.org

For more detailed, official data and annual trends, see the U.S. Children’s Bureau’s AFCARS (Adoption and Foster Care Analysis and Reporting System) site, which publishes national counts, exits, and permanency outcomes. Administration for Children and Families+1

Bottom line: the majority of children in foster care are not on an adoption track today; only a subset is legally free and “waiting.”

Where Faith Meets the Work

As a foster parent, I’ve learned that foster care is less about a system and more about people—birth moms doing the hard work of recovery, dads learning a new way to father, kids shouldering more than most adults, and caseworkers carrying impossible caseloads. My conservative convictions say government can’t do what families and churches are called to do, and my Christian convictions say we’re commanded to visit the orphan and the widow in their distress. Both together mean the Church has to show up.

Why It Matters for Christians

Practical Ways to Support Everyone in the Story

For the Birth Parents (Bio Parents)

Helping Foster Parents

For Caseworkers

For Kids in Care

Foster Care and Adoption: How They Relate

When reunification isn’t possible, adoption becomes a path to permanency. But remember: the policy priority is to attempt to restore a safe birth home first. Only after the court terminates parental rights—or the parent voluntarily relinquishes—does adoption move forward. That’s why you’ll see far fewer children “waiting” for adoption than the total in care at any given time. Child Welfare Information Gateway+2Child Welfare Information Gateway+2

If your family is called to adopt from foster care, praise God—kids absolutely need permanent, loving homes. But if your family is called to foster, hold adoption loosely: love fully, advocate fiercely, and be ready to celebrate safe reunification when it happens.

The Long Thread from Eliza Hamilton to Today

From Eliza Hamilton’s orphan asylum to Charles Loring Brace’s family placements to the modern focus on reunification and permanency, America has been learning—sometimes painfully—how to care for vulnerable children in families whenever possible. That through-line is a very Christian idea: God “sets the lonely in families,” and He makes the Church a family for those who need one. Graham+1

A Call to the Church

Not everyone will foster or adopt. But every church can stand in the gap:

If you’re wondering whether you can handle the heartbreak, you’re asking the right question. The answer isn’t that you’re strong enough—it’s that God’s grace is sufficient, and these kids are worth every ounce of love we can give.

Sources & Further Reading