Jimmy Moore has been appointed director of church strengthening and support at the Christian Alliance for Orphans (CAFO), a McLean, Virginia-based nonprofit uniting 290 organizations and a global network of churches to care for vulnerable children and families. Moore specifically aims to leverage technology to help churches better engage in orphan care.
In his new role, Moore will contribute to CAFO’s Pure Religion Project and More Than Enough initiatives. These efforts focus on increasing engagement in foster care, adoption, mentoring, and family strengthening within the U.S., alongside CAFO’s global ministry.
CAFO President Jedd Medefind praised Moore’s appointment. “His marvelous gifts, professional skills, personal experiences, and vibrant faith add such vitality and strength to the CAFO team. Most of all, we’re all looking forward to the immense good he’ll bring to local churches near and far, ultimately to see God’s people more fully and fruitfully reflecting His love for vulnerable children and families.”
Commenting to Christian Daily International, Moore said he is currently in talks with the ministry’s leadership about specific plans “to address what churches across the U.S. find most frequently cumbersome and coming up with strategies to help address them.”
He noted that while churches are actively supporting orphans, they often face significant challenges. “Orphans aging out of care, the ever-increasing number of orphans with higher acuity of needs that are in care, kinship placement without proper training that leads to burnout, fear of taking in relatives/fictive kin or simply exploring what trauma model of care the church should adopt,” he said.
Churches are sometimes “spread too thin,” he added, and emphasized that CAFO’s mission includes partnering with churches to better address these challenges.
“CAFO wants to walk beside them in this journey of taking care of ‘the least of these’,” Moore said. But commented that “churches must take a deep look inside their community first and then explore what can be done beyond their community.”
Leveraging technology in orphan care
Moore highlighted the importance of modern technology in facilitating orphan care and church engagement. “A one-stop-shop website or app could be transformative,” he said.
CAFO could provide information on common questions and issues, such as how to diffuse an irate foster child, what to expect in interracial, international, or transcultural adoptions, or a simple 15 to 30 minute introduction to “what to expect when fostering for the first time” video.
“The advancement in technology enables us to teach techniques from a distance and reach people more effectively,” Moore explained.
Moore previously served as president and CEO of The Children’s Home of Lubbock, overseeing foster care, adoption, residential care, and counseling services. His professional background includes roles as a high school principal, basketball coach, and university athletic director.
A native of Morton, Texas, Moore graduated from Lubbock Christian University on a basketball scholarship. He and his wife Shelley have been married for 36 years and have two children, Jada and Jalen, and five grandchildren.
Moore’s leadership promises to strengthen CAFO’s mission to equip churches and individuals to make a meaningful difference in the lives of vulnerable children and families, both locally and globally.
