As the executive director of Lutheran Partners in Global Ministry (LPGM), I've spent the better part of a decade working to provide access to quality education to people at the margins, especially women and girls. While our organization doesn't receive USAID (or any government) funding, I feel compelled to speak out about the funding freeze of this important institution and what it means for global stability and our Christian calling to care for our neighbors. I’m also cognizant of the very real possibility that reduced funding from the US government may increase the requests for support that LPGM receives.

The impact of USAID's initiatives reaches around the world, transforming lives in ways that rarely make headlines but that profoundly affect human lives, dignity and community stability. Let me share three examples that illustrate what's at stake.

LPGM began our ministry in partnership with the Lutheran Church in the Central African Republic (CAR). CAR faces a multitude of challenges that have left a significant portion of its population living in poverty. One of the main challenges is political instability, with multiple coups and ongoing violence. This instability has led to a breakdown in the rule of law, a lack of access to basic services, and significant displacement of populations.

In 2023 alone, USAID provided over $100 million in humanitarian assistance to CAR[source]. This assistance provides a baseline of stability that keeps millions of people afloat. When people don’t have enough to eat, when they lack the basic resources needed to survive, they’re far more likely to engage in violence and warfare, and far less likely to stay in school. The complex humanitarian crisis that has percolated for decades in CAR is bound to get worse, which means the women and girls who are at the heart of LPGM’s mission are even less likely to stay in school.

Education is a long-term investment in the future, as people who receive quality education as children are able to significantly earn more and invest in their families and communities.

Likewise, in Tanzania, USAID’s Jifunze Uelewe (“Learn to Understand”) program invested over $10 million in 2023. This investment impacts 1.4 million children in grades 1 to 4, helping address real challenges of overcrowded classrooms, high student-teacher ratios, and early dropout rates for girls across Tanzania.

Finally, in Guatemala, USAID funding is working to address the root causes of migration, investing in local livelihood opportunities, especially for indigenous people, women and youth. It’s also investing in education, helping to improve the basic reading, writing, math and other skills that students need to thrive in their own communities.

As a Lutheran Christian, I find myself returning to Jesus's parable of the Good Samaritan when thinking about these issues. When asked "Who is my neighbor?" Jesus deliberately chose to tell a story about someone from a different ethnic and religious background – someone who would have been considered an "other" by his audience. The message was clear: our obligation to love our neighbor knows no national boundaries, no ethnic distinctions, and no religious barriers.

This brings me to a troubling trend I've observed in recent political discourse. Some voices, claiming to speak for Christian values, have promoted an "America First" ideology that directly contradicts Jesus's teaching about who our neighbors are. They twist scripture to justify pulling back from global engagement and closing our hearts to those in need beyond our borders.

But this narrow interpretation betrays the radical inclusivity of Jesus's message. When we read in Genesis that all people are created in God's image (imago Dei), it doesn't come with footnotes excluding certain nationalities or passport holders. The Lutheran understanding of vocation – that we are called to serve God by serving our neighbor – has always been global in scope.

Martin Luther himself was a strong advocate for education, seeing it as essential to human dignity and societal flourishing. He wrote that "the welfare of a city consists not alone in gathering great treasures and providing solid walls, beautiful buildings, and a goodly supply of guns and armor. …But a city’s best and highest welfare, safety and strength consist in its having many able, learned, wise, honorable and wellbred citizens."[source] This vision extends beyond borders – every child, whether in CAR or Guatemala, deserves the chance to learn and grow. Some have said that the entirety of Luther’s writings about grace—law & gospel—can be summarized by the phrase “God doesn’t need your good works; but your neighbor does.”

The proposed USAID cuts represent more than just a budget decision. They represent a moral choice about how we view our role in the world and our responsibility to our global neighbors.

Those pushing for these cuts often speak of Christian values while advocating for policies that would abandon the vulnerable. But true Christian values call us to a more expansive vision of community and care. As Luther reminded us, faith is active in love, and love knows no borders.

Our organization will continue its work regardless of USAID funding levels. But I worry deeply about the communities we serve and the millions more who depend on American assistance. In CAR, Tanzania and Guatemala alone, USAID's education programs provide vital support to millions of children and youth. These aren't just statistics – they're human beings created in God's image, worthy of dignity and care.

The question before us isn't just about budget numbers. It's about who we are as a nation and, for those of us who are Christian, how we understand our calling to love our neighbors. Jesus's answer was clear. Now it's our turn to respond.

What You Can Do

1. Call or write to your senator or representative and let them know you oppose the stop work order at USAID and believe that it’s our Christian responsibility to care for our neighbors all around the world, especially those who are most vulnerable.
2. Sign the petition at change.org to Stop the USAID Stop Work Order
3. Donate to organizations who are either directly funded by USAID, or who may need to increase their support to fill gaps left by this order. Recommendations include:
   1. Global Refuge: Since 1939, Global Refuge (formerly known as Lutheran Immigration and Refugee Service) has provided welcome and hope to more than three quarters of a million refugees. They are transforming lives and empowering New Americans with support and resources to begin anew.
   2. Global Health Ministries: an independent Lutheran nonprofit (501c3) established in 1987 that specializes in capacity-building for Lutheran health systems in under-resourced countries, serving some of the most vulnerable people in the world.
   3. Lutheran World Relief (Corus International): Founded by Lutherans in the US at the end of World War II, grounded in Lutheran theology and building on decades of experience, LWR tackles global poverty by helping people adapt to the challenges that threaten their livelihoods and well-being.
   4. Lutheran Partners in Global Ministry: LPGM provides access to quality education for people at the margins—especially women and girls. We work together with global partners to listen, respond, and bear witness to local needs and priorities.

What others are saying

• Is This the End of USAID? | Christianity Today
• Charities reeling from USAid freeze warn of ‘life or death’ effects | The Guardian
• Statement on Disruptions Related to the Federal Funding Freeze on Behalf of Lutheran Social Ministries | Lutheran Services in America
• The World's Richest Men Take on the World's Poorest Children | Nicholas Kristof, The New York Times

The Rev. Daniel Ruth has been the executive director of Lutheran Partners in Global Ministry (LPGM) since 2017, and is an ordained minister in the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA). Prior to coming to LPGM, he worked at Lutheran World Relief. LPGM is an independent, pan-Lutheran 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization and does not receive any money from the US government.