Care Net

Analyst Comments [ Back to top ]

Care Net listed by MinistryWatch.com as a 2011 Shining Light ‘Top 30’ Exemplary Ministry.

This ministry is called a ‘Shining Light’ because it is indeed a model of letting their light shine before men, and God is to be glorified in what they are doing. Consequently, we are shining a figurative light on them so that donors may be aware of their good deeds.

Believers are recognizable by their fruit, which includes the services they perform for Him and for others. We see a glimpse of His light and glory in this ministry and if you do too, you should feel very good about giving to it; however, only you can decide for yourself with confidence if a ministry shares your values and with your giving plan.

Inclusion as a Shining Light does not mean it is perfect. No ministry is perfect and any that look long and hard enough may find areas for improvement; as no doubt most legitimate ministries are aware of areas to improve and have their own to-do list for improvement. As far as MinistryWatch.com’s assessment, given the criteria that we followed, this ministry rose among the top.

Identifying a diversity of the best ministries is challenging given the selfless work that so many do for the cause of Christ. MinistryWatch.com’s assessment looked at the following seven areas when considering those to make the list: (1) Transparency, (2) Truth Claims, (3) Values/ Worldview, (4) Sectors/Functions, (5) Resourcefulness, (6) Red Flag Issues, (7) Counsel with others.

A fuller explanation of our evaluation criteria is on the front page of MinistryWatch.com. As is evident, we looked at many factors and as such, a high Financial Efficiency Rating was not a requirement of inclusion on this list, although most do have good ratings. Many factors were reviewed and strengths in other areas can offset weakness in financial efficiency when determining whether a ministry should be of interest to donors seeking to be good stewards of their giving. A foundational premise was to shine a figurative light on those ministries that were "Christian" more than in name only. Ministries were chosen that were not just marketing to Christians as a market segment for "Christian donor money", but ministries that had theological underpinnings and Biblical values that determined their actions. Organizations that relied more on a secular motivation and means were excluded as well as those “ministries” that seem to view the organization as their own vehicle as a business to make money rather than a love to maximize ministry to others and to let their light shine for the glory of God.

MinistryWatch.com desires to see overall giving to Biblical Christian values increase and as such we developed this format to highlight those ministries which are exemplary. This ministry is an outstanding example when we consider it through the lens of Philippians 4:8 and weigh and take account of those ministries that are excellent and worthy of praise.

====================================

MinistryWatch.com’s Take

There is a non-profit network of pro-life pregnancy centers across North America called Care Net, offering free pregnancy testing, peer counseling, post abortion support, and additional practical support services to singles and couples facing the uncertainty – even trauma – of unexpected or unplanned pregnancy. A 24-hour toll free help-line, print and TV advertising, and available legal counsel help to introduce a supportive environment wherein important decisions can be made without fear concerning taking pregnancy to term.

Most help needed
Care Net’s driving emphasis is women in need in all stages of pregnancy referral, including adoption and post abortion complications. Care Net asserts that the overwhelming reasons for abortion issue from fear and anxiety about some uncertain aspect of the pregnancy or impending parental responsibility. In response, Care Net posts answers to common questions about abortion on the Care Net website, including statistical graphics representing mothers’ age, marital status, ethnic distribution and incidence of multiple siblings. Information is also available concerning abortion complications and mortality, links between abortion and breast cancer, methods of reporting post viability and abortion related deaths, and broad ranging legal implications of abortion issues.

Support for the long term
Post abortion counseling is a vital area of support provided by Care Net, and is essential to treatment of Post Abortion Stress (PAS). Factors predisposing a wide-ranging syndrome of emotional trauma and prolonged adjustment difficulty are identified, with recommended treatment modalities. The complex and often overlooked effects of PAS upon men are also discussed, with symptoms similar to those women suffer including denial, protracted grieving, avoidance of intimacy, sexual dysfunction, rage, loneliness and depression, with suggested treatment responses.

"Just say no," best bet
Care Net recommends abstinence,

• as a preventative for unplanned teen and unwed pregnancy – surveys indicate 78% of teens responding said "teens should not be sexually active..., two thirds said they would not tell a sibling to have sex while still a teenager," ...63% wish they had waited;
• as a curb against unwanted pregnancy and needless abortions – recent reports indicate 52% of teens are still sexually inexperienced; teen pregnancy, birth and abortion rates dropped in the ‘90s;
• as a preventative for STD’s – 15.3 million new STD diagnoses annually, notwithstanding modern sexual freedom enhancements;
• as reasonable and responsible – in harmony with broadly accepted norms of morality and social responsibility

Motivated by desire to provide support and counsel to those traumatized by unplanned pregnancy and abortion, with its numerous and far-reaching complications, Care Net offers a network of vital services dealing with one of society’s darkest dilemmas, the compassionate disposition of its unborn.

Support commitment
Financial contributors to Care Net may access graphics on the website illustrating revenues, costs and allocation of program funds, as well as an open letter pledging integrity with the use of donor dollars. Care Net is a member of the Evangelical Council for Financial Accountability (ECFA), and is a supporter of accountability and financial disclosure. Online donations are encouraged, with forms available, as well as tax advisories. Membership is invited to develop new pregnancy resource centers, with offers of training, marketing advice, legal counsel, advertising and client referrals.

Bits and Pieces
Begun in 1975 as the Christian Action Council, Care Net is today the parent group for about 800 pregnancy care centers throughout the US and Canada, making it the largest in North America, perhaps in the entire world. Co-founded by Theology professor Harold O. J. Brown with the encouragement of Billy Graham and Francis Schaeffer, Care Net offers pro-life alternatives to single women and couples facing unplanned pregnancy. It is headquartered in Sterling, Va.

Simple, sensible, traditional Christianity
Care Net plainly finds its motivating impetus in the traditional values of Biblical Christianity. Explicitly evangelistic themes are notably absent, however, from the service’s website, giving way to broad expressions of personal empathy and individual crisis support. These continues to be central themes in Care Net’s regional conferences and national advertising, emphasizing the premise that guardianship of the unborn is endemic to humane sensibilities and is not merely the province of sectarian political ideology or even religious tradition.

Moral clarity
While the stance of Care Net as an organization is not immediately clear on all doctrinal issues, the position of board chair and Christian writer-social commentator, Susan Olasky on life-issues has never been obscure. Additionally, MinistryWatch.com interviews of Care Net President and CEO Kurt Entsminger reveals a leader uncompromisingly committed to proclaiming the Gospel message and the hope only it offers to the clients of pregnancy resource centers. What is equally unclouded is Care Net’s determined commitment to the crisis of life-issues facing America, and a veritable holocaust of apathy which has helped to veil the clinical disposal of unborn persons behind deliberately impersonal rhetoric, contrived rationale and systematic, at times even defiant, falsehood. For this reason, abortion rights activist groups have targeted Care Net, slandering their centers as "fake clinics," and generally seeking to undermine their effectiveness. In this climate, the network doggedly continues to define and legitimize the abortion issue as a human rights crisis, with time abiding moral implications for every member of society, from the least to the greatest.