Foundational Principles
to Poverty Alleviation
It is wonderful to see individuals and the global church awakening to the needs of the poor and wanting to help. Unfortunately, good intentions are not always enough. Churches and individual Christians sometimes have faulty assumptions about the causes of poverty and, because of this, often do not realize that their efforts to help the poor can actually do more harm to the poor than good. Many times these efforts to help the poor simply put a band-aid over the problem and do not address the root causes of the problem of poverty. Instead, the church needs to adjust its perspective and approach to poverty and begin to implement practical strategies and programs that truly help the poor and not harm them.
Biblical Understanding of Poverty
Our understanding of poverty shapes the strategies we use to minister to poor people. Churches and individual Christians typically have faulty assumptions about the causes of poverty, resulting in strategies that do considerable harm to poor people as well as to themselves. In order to effectively help people in poverty we need to have a biblically-based understanding of poverty as being rooted in the effects that both Original Sin and the "fall of humanity" have had on our four foundational relationships – our relationship with God, self, others, and creation. Learn more »
Community Development Principles for Ministry
In order to effect transformational ministry among the poor, evangelical churches should implement ministry that incorporate community development principles:
- Distinguish Between Development and Relief — Too often we engage in "relief work" when we should be doing "development work." Relief has its place, but if we do relief when development is called for, we do more harm than good by creating dependency.
- Take an Asset-based Approach — An asset-based approach focuses on leveraging mobilizing the gifts and strengths the person or the low-income community has to offer as they participate in their own recovery, rather than focusing on their disadvantages, weaknesses, or deficiencies.
- Implement Participatory Interventions — For churches to engage in successful poverty alleviation, it is less about money and more about relationships. Christians need to engage poor individuals and low-income communities in their development and recovery processes. Rather than imposing solutions on the poor, the poor are empowered to propose their own solutions of recovery, starting with their own assets that God has given them.
More about these strategies »
Chalmers Center Training
These two principles should be the basis for any strategy chosen for ministering to the poor within your community. The Chalmers Center provides in depth training for churches in these principles through its course entitled "Foundations and Principles of Holistic Ministry." Two different versions of the course are available: a) one for those who minister in Africa, Asia, and Latin America, and b) one for those who minister in the US and Canada.
The principles are also presented in the book "When Help Hurts: How to Alleviate Poverty Without Hurting the Poor and Yourself," written Steve Corbett and Brian Fikkert of the Chalmers Center. A four-lesson, online self-study guide complements the book and is available at no additional charge. Learn more about "When Helping Hurts" »
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