Join Todd Unzicker and Andrew Hopper as they discuss the theological connection between believers’ spiritual adoption in Christ and the call to care for the orphan. Discover how your church can grow from “guilt-driven” ministry to become a community of “rope holders” for the vulnerable and the families caring for them.


In this episode, Todd Unzicker sits down with Andrew Hopper, pastor of Mercy Hill Church, to discuss his new book, “Chosen: Building Your Family the Way God Builds His.” Hopper shares his personal journey as an adoptive father and explains why adoption should never be a “litmus test” for the faith, but rather a response to the gospel. They explore the theological framework of being “chosen” by God and how that reality should naturally overflow into a church’s mission to care for vulnerable children.

Listen as they offer practical encouragement and unpack different ways local church members and N.C. Baptists can act as “rope holders” — the vital support system of believers who sustain adoptive and foster families. Whether through financial generosity, providing child care or offering relational support, Hopper and Unzicker emphasize that every member of the local church has a role to play. By partnering with initiatives like Every Child, a ministry of the Baptist Children’s Homes of North Carolina, churches of all sizes can move toward a sustainable, mission-focused vision where children in North Carolina have a gospel-centered home.

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Podcast highlights:

  • “What I hear you saying is not the question of, are we called to the adoption of children, but how are we called?” (05:43)
  • “Rope holding …  is as unique as the people who are being called to it in some ways. Every adoptive family is totally different. Some of them, for example, have family close by. That was not my story. But if you have family close by, then a rope holder for you looks different. You have a lot of people that are already stepping into the gap for you. We didn’t. Our family needed the extended family of sort of aunt-, uncle-, grandparent-type figures that were more local. And our families are awesome. They’re just a long way away.” (06:16)
  • “We have churches all over Guilford County that are doing different things, which is awesome. You don’t have to chase this, but there are probably a lot of churches that may have people in their congregation that would be adoption minded. This would be an easy way to get involved … hoping it’s going to spark sort of the ‘why.’” (11:44)
  • “There are 11,000 kids in the foster care system in North Carolina. Well, there are 3,400 N.C. Baptist churches. What if we could eradicate child homelessness? What if every one of those 11,000 children had a home that loved Jesus, that demonstrated and declared the hope that we have in Jesus? And we do that through what we call our partnership with the Baptist Children’s Homes, the Every Child Initiative. But to help every child, it takes every church.” (14:20)
  • Learn more about Hopper’s new book, “Chosen: Building Your Family the Way God Builds His,” at andrewphopper.com/chosen. Download the first chapter and order your own copy.
  • Explore how your local church can make an impact and bring help, hope and the love of Jesus to vulnerable children and families across North Carolina at www.every-child.org.

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