Leading evangelical Christians are preaching a new message to the faithful, asking them to open their hearts, and homes, to the options of adoption and foster care. While most church leaders are not retreating from their traditional stance against abortion and same-sex adoption, the move could prompt many of the estimated 65 million evangelicals in the U.S. to take in children in need of permanent or foster homes, according to this recent article.

The movement has already born fruit in Colorado, where a coalition of 75 churches has assisted with 23 adoptions for churchgoers over the past two years, with two dozen more adoptions waiting for finalization. "Many of these parents had not thought about coming forward to take children from the child-welfare system,€VbCrLf said Sharen Ford, a supervisor with the Colorado Division of Child Welfare Services. "It was the furthest thing from their minds,€VbCrLf until their pastors promoted the idea and they heard from state caseworkers who shared photos of children waiting for homes, she said.

Denver-based Project 1.27 is another successful program. The group's name derives from a James 1:27 passage to "look after orphans and widows in their distress,€VbCrLf and it has played a role in finding families for 47 foster children and assisted with 21 permanent adoptions, according to this AP article.

Christian media outlets are expected to heavily promote the issue in the coming months by airing stories and ads in favor of adoption and foster, while tens of thousands of pastors are being asked to preach about the issue and set up support groups for parishioners considering adoption and foster care. While critics may question the church's motives, it is clear the movement could make great strides towards housing many of the 115,000 children awaiting adoption.