President Trump and First Lady Melania Trump recently signed an Executive Order focused on strengthening the U.S. child welfare system and expanding opportunities for children, families and youth transitioning out of foster care. This Executive Order directly confronts the narrative the Biden Administration tried to cement: that people of faith are unwelcome in government-led social welfare initiatives.
For thousands of years, the Church has been a beacon of service, selflessness and compassion. The data is undeniable — Christians are simply more inclined to help. People of faith are more likely to foster, adopt, give and volunteer. But what happens when those most willing to serve are rejected because those in power disagree with their beliefs?
Unfortunately, this isn’t hypothetical — we’re watching this happen in real time.
Couples who opened their homes to vulnerable children have been pushed out of the foster care system. And this pattern stretches far beyond child welfare. Doctors and nurses are pressured to violate their religious convictions. Pastors are told to avoid biblical teaching or affirm unbiblical principles. Counselors in many states cannot even share their biblical beliefs with clients who want to hear them because the government has declared those beliefs unacceptable.
The pressure to abandon our faith is real, aggressive and widespread.
But the heroes of our faith did not cave to this pressure, and neither should we. Nehemiah refused to stop rebuilding the wall despite relentless pressure. The Maccabees were executed for refusing to abandon God’s law. The disciples were martyred rather than compromise their allegiance to Christ. While believers around the world still face violent persecution today, we have the privilege of living in a nation where we can use our voices.
This is why elections matter.
The Biden Administration repeatedly signaled hostility toward people of Christian faith. Now, we have an administration that is openly championing faith-driven service and correcting the damage done. If Donald Trump had not won the election, this Executive Order would likely never have existed, or it would have further pushed Christians out of foster care.
This Executive Order should serve as a clarion call to believers: now is the moment to step up and serve in the child welfare system. Not only because President Trump and the First Lady have cleared a path for us to serve with our convictions intact, but because God Himself calls us to this work.
As the president and executive director of Lifeline Children’s Services, the largest Evangelical adoption agency in the U.S., I have seen the contrast firsthand. During President Trump’s first term, I was invited to three different White House faith initiatives focused on strengthening child welfare, and I’ve already been invited twice more this term. During the Biden Administration, not a single faith-based meeting was convened. The difference is unmistakable.
Section Four of this Executive Order explicitly affirms the importance of federal partnership with faith communities. This alone marks a drastic and welcome reversal, one that opens the door for meaningful change for vulnerable children.
God is clearly moving. But we cannot depend on systems or political cycles alone. There is an urgent need for more believers willing to step into foster care, adoption and family restoration. Faith-based organizations have the infrastructure, programs, and expertise, but we need men and women transformed by the gospel who will put that faith into action.
God guides us through Scripture, through sermons, through the encouragement and correction of others. Why would He not also work through political leaders, even in their humanity, to accomplish His purposes?
The Gospel brings light into the darkest corners of society. My prayer is that thousands will see this Executive Order as an invitation, a launching pad into a life of service for vulnerable children and families. May we be faithful to answer the call.
Herbie Newell is the President of Lifeline Children’s Services, the largest Evangelical Christian adoption agency in the United States. The organization serves vulnerable children and families through private domestic and international adoption, family restoration, and pregnancy counseling. Herbie is also the author of Image Bearers: Shifting from Pro-Birth to Pro-Life.
