1. Maintain a Kingdom Focus
The primary message of Jesus Christ is the present reality of the kingdom of God, the reign of Christ that is transforming every square inch of the cosmos.  Because Christians are told to seek first the kingdom, every goal that the Chalmers Center seeks, every decision that it makes, and every method that it employs must be consistent with the advancement of that kingdom.  This includes but is not limited to the following:

• Recognizing that the Center’s work is a spiritual battle
• Acknowledging that the success of any strategy relies ultimately on God and not on human power, intelligence, or resources
• Building the kingdom instead of our organization
• Embracing both global impact and mustard seeds
• Equipping the church as primary agent for kingdom expansion

2. Embrace a Relational Approach to Addressing Poverty
The Triune God is fundamentally a relational being; as creatures made in His image, humans are inherently relational as well.  God has ordained four key relationships for each person that are foundational for human existence, each person having a relationship with God, self, others and creation.  The fall has broken each of these key relationships for every person, meaning that all people are poor in the sense of not experiencing the fullness of life that God intended.  For some people, the brokenness in these key relationships expresses itself in economic poverty, i.e. not being able to support themselves through their own work.  It is important to note that not all relationships are personal in nature.  Humans relate to one another impersonally through the social, political, and economic institutions that we create at the local, national, and international levels.  Hence, addressing structural injustices is a fundamental component of reconciling relationships.  The relational perspective has profound implications for the design, implementation and evaluation of all poverty alleviation strategies, including:

• Using relational ministry wherever possible to bring reconciliation
• Incorporating verbal proclamation of the gospel in all poverty-alleviation strategies
• Keeping the church central in economic development efforts
• Making prayer a central feature of all ministries
• Evaluating impact in terms of holistic reconciliation

3. Avoid Dependency at Both an Individual and Institutional Level
Individuals are called by God to work and to be able to support themselves through that work.  Similarly, various institutions are called to use their gifts to fulfill their God-ordained task.  For example, churches are called to spread the gospel of the kingdom through both words and deeds.  Families are called to provide a nurturing and supportive environment for spouses and their children.  Governments are called, at a minimum, to enforce justice.  The Chalmers Center believes it should not create dependency by undermining the abilities of either individuals or institutions to fulfill their God-ordained callings.  While this approach necessarily limits the size, nature, and pace of the Chalmers Center’s operations, we believe it increases both the scale and depth of the Chalmers Center’s long-run impact.  Implications of this perspective include:

• Using local resources whenever they are available
• Refusing to undertake for individuals or institutions tasks that they can and should be undertaking themselves
• Requiring trainees to contribute financially to their own training

4. Pursue High Impact Research and Training
Research and training is the core of the Chalmers Center’s work, so they must be done in a manner that enables the Center to fulfill its mission of equipping the local church to empower the poor.  The belief that all humans are created in the image of God and that sin has marred our image-bearing provides the foundation for the manner in which the Center conducts its research and designs its training processes.  In particular, the Center believes that all humans have the capacity to learn about God’s creation and the responsibility to share their knowledge with others.  In addition, the relational nature of humans informs the most effective manner in which knowledge is effectively transmitted.  However, due to the fall, humility and a healthy skepticism must pervade all claims to truth.  Implications of this perspective include the following:

• Recognizing the insights of both theorists and practitioners
• Testing theories and models for verification and refinement
• Researching topics that impact churches’ ministries
• Seeking to be demand driven
• Understanding the learning styles of the participants
• Creating learning environments where valid insights of all participants are respected