When I think if gangs in America, I think of the inner cities of Los Angeles, Chicago, and New York. I don’t think of Georgia. But, according to a recently published survey, gang membership in the Peach State has increased 80% since 2020, and gangs are responsible for 65% of crime in the state. That’s huge. The survey identified 127, 732 known gang members who belong to almost 2000 “violent gangs.” What’s even more troubling is that only 86 of Georgia’s 159 counties responded to the survey, meaning the problem is almost certainly larger than the survey reveals. Georgia Attorney General Chris Carr said that every county in the state is dealing with gangs committing violent crimes.

Jose Ramirez, President of Georgia Gang Investigators Association (GGIA), which conducted the survey, said that children are often recruited into the gangs. This generational membership is particularly difficult to address, because kids feel loyalty to their family members who are in gangs, making it easier to recruit younger family members. Ramirez also said that social media and the music industry contribute to the problem because they tend to glamorize gang life. In reality, however, there are usually only two outcomes for gang members: death or imprisonment. AG Carr formed the Gang Prosecution Unit in 2022. The Unit has since indicted nearly 140 gang members and secured 50 convictions. I praise the work theyve done, but given the numbers revealed in the survey, that’s just a drop in the bucket.

Ramirez said, “We as a community have to address this together. The surge in gang membership and violence is a clear sign that we need to take more aggressive and collaborative measures to address the growing influence of gangs in Georgia.” For instance, the Georgia legislature has to pass laws that will fund the necessary resources that will help prevent young men from joining gangs, such as education and intervention, and not just prosecution. “Because if we don’t gravitate and try to build relationships and recruit these kids to be on our side as productive citizens,” Ramirez said, “these gangs are doing a heck of a job on it.” AG Carr said, “When it comes to protection our children, we must double and triple down on anti-recruitment efforts across the board, and we must continue to ensure that our law enforcement officers have the training and resources they need to build strong cases that ultimately lead to safer communities.”

I’m not an expert on gangs. But I don’t think it’s a big secret why most gangs are formed in lower-class communities where poverty is rampant, the lack of job opportunities is common, poor education is the norm, and family life is unstable or nearly non-existent, suffering especially the absence of fathers. Every person wants to feel like he or she belongs to someone. Every person wants to feel that he or she is contributing. People want the opportunity to better themselves, provide for themselves or those in their care. When the community doesn’t meet those needs, gangs often step in and do so. Gangs become attractive as a group to belong to, feel respected in, and provide opportunities to make money. Unfortunately, joining a gang usually often means that one’s life is cut short, either by being incarcerated, or by death. Few gang members live long lives. According to a study conducted in 2020 on the mortality risks of young Black male gang members, “Homicide accounts for nearly 60% of all deaths observed over the exposure period, and non-homicide injuries account for nearly 30% of all deaths. The proportion of deaths due to homicide is greatest at the youngest ages, 15–17.”

The place of God in gangs is not easily described, and often controversial. In a 2008 article, “Gangs and God” in Police Magazine, Richard Valdemar, a retired Sargeant with the Los Angeles Sheriff’s Department, acknowledges that faith-based programs are the most successful in reaching gang members and changing the direction of their lives. Unfortunately, however, many gang-focused ministries and the clergy that staff them enable gang members and are uncooperative with the police investigating criminal gang activity. The purpose of any gang-focused ministry ought to be to introduce gang members to God and to encourage a genuine conversion to Christ. The attachment of many gang members to the Church or to religion in general is usually secondary to their attachment to their gang. When it comes to choosing between God and their gang, Valdemar points out, gang members usually choose their gang.

The Church can play a crucial role in changing the direction of a gang members life. But the Church must be dedicated to doing so, and not to enabling gang members or justifying their gang lifestyle. A genuine commitment to Christ is the most successful path toward leaving gang life and the only path toward entering the kingdom. The Church needs to pray for gang members, and pray for the victims of their crimes. But the Church also must offer an alternative to the life of gang membership that many children and young men find so attractive. The only real alternative is Christ. Anything else, even if good, is a lesser good.

Be Christ for all. Bring Christ to all. See Christ in all.