Coinciding with World AIDS Day, Dec. 1, Rick Warren’s Disturbing Voices conference heralded the news that American evangelical Christian leaders may also be jumping on the bandwagon of social injustice and poverty, at least as far as the issue of HIV/AIDS. The magnitude of the pandemic and the movement by evangelical Christians beyond judgement and scandal may mean more help is on the way to those who are dying at a rate of one every 10 seconds.

At Warren’s recent conference, some 1,690 evangelicals, mostly leaders, listened as he urged them to get involved, and to get their churches involved, according to Christianity Today.

"Pastors, you cannot delegate this one to your staff. You take the lead," Warren said.

Warren’s own leadership, coupled with that of other pastors such as Bill Hybels of Willow Creek Community Church; Bishop Charles Blake of the West Angeles Church of God in Christ; and Kirbyjon Caldwell from Windsor Village United Methodist in Houston, may have moved the issue of AIDS onto the table for many churches.

According to the Associated Press, Warren’s focus isn’t only on Africa—though the devastation there is what may have turned his attention to the disease in America. Warren is encouraging other pastors to offer free testing and counseling at their churches, to start service groups to help HIV patients with daily chores and to train lay members to administer crucial anti-viral drugs.

Work already underway by many churches has taken a more spiritual form. According to the Lausanne Committee for World Evangelization, the Global AIDS Prayer Partnership (GAPP), a growing coalition of evangelical Christian organizations, denominations and local churches, is at the forefront of creating Christian and church awareness about HIV/AIDS and encouraging united prayer.

GAPP is co-chaired by Dr. Paul Cedar, chairman of the Mission America Coalition, and Rev. Ted Haggard, president of the National Association of Evangelicals. Dr. Ted Yamamori, international director of Lausanne, serves as special advisor to Brian Considine, international coordinator and executive director for GAPP. Now entering the second year of operation, GAPP has been building a platform for united prayer to create awareness of AIDS, and has primarily targeted the United States evangelical community in their efforts.

"There are reported a one hundred million evangelicals in the United States," reported Considine. "If we can get just a small fraction responding to this crisis, we can make a huge difference in our world. And, the easy ‘on-ramp’ to involving the local church is prayer."

GAPP also organized the first Global AIDS Sundays, Nov. 27 and Dec. 4, this year as a more spiritual part of World AIDS Day, Dec. 1.

GAPP is also leading the "Three Million Voices" campaign to mobilize both intercession and compassionate action for the massive numbers of people around the globe dying each year of AIDS.

Church leaders across America are signing a "Declaration of Commitment" to a lifestyle of prayer-care-share toward the end of AIDS. Haggard, one of the original signors, said of the declaration: "It speaks to the heart of what I believe must be the Church’s response to the AIDS pandemic." He encouraged all Christians to similarly commit to a response.

Organizers hope to have 100,000 signatures to present at the International AIDS Conference in Toronto next summer. Sign the declaration online here.

Other church work with AIDS has long been underway. According to a release from the ELCA News Service, Lutheran Church leaders who are already involved in caring for people living with HIV/AIDS are communicating their ministry to others. Lutheran World Information of Geneva, Switzerland, issued "PositHIVe Church," a full-color 28-page document (PDF) highlighting the global Lutheran communion's concerted response to the HIV/AIDS pandemic. It’s full of great ministry ideas for those American evangelicals who are better late than never.