3 billion people live on less than $2 a day. 11 million children under
5 die from preventable diseases each year. Suffering in this world is untold. The
statistics numb us. In fact, you’d be disappointed if I didn’t start with them.
And yet poverty is also right on our doorstep, in our neighbourhood, in
our schools, on our way to work. Whilst we are often numb to all of this, the
Bible calls EVERY ONE of us to have a concern for the poor – not just a select,
keen few (which probably includes you if you have clicked on this link).
This book is being hailed as the best book written on practically
serving the poor. Uniquely combining scriptural truth, development principles and
practical advice it is (despite the odd title) a must-read if you have
any interest in the poorest in our society and a must read for those who long
for their churches to minister effectively to the poor.
The authors start by outlining the biblical foundations for social
concern. Jesus’ task was more than ‘dying on the cross to save us from our sins
so that we can go to heaven’. True religion means caring for the neediest on
society. The church is to model God’s new community. Personal piety must lead
to acts that act justly and love mercy (p41). Jesus is the healer of every human
heart, whether rich or poor.
"We need to re-grasp a gospel that is for the whole of life"
They then move to talk about people. Our material definition of
poverty, they argue, is too narrow. Instead poverty is a brokenness that
affects numerous relationships, including a person’s relationship with God,
self, others and creation (p57-58). That brokenness shows itself in different ways –
workaholism, material poverty, strained relationships, physical breakdown
through stress etc.
Poverty alleviation is therefore a ministry of reconciliation, moving
people closer to glorifying God by living in right relationship with God, with
self, with others and with the rest of creation. Helping people discover their
dignity as created beings in the image of God, helping then to glorify God by
working and supporting themselves and their families with the fruit of that
work (p78).
“Poverty is rooted in broken relationships" (p62)
The authors also call on Western Christians to address their own ‘God
complexes’ (p65). They say that we have a subtle sense of superiority that we believe
we have achieved wealth through our own efforts and are anointed to decide what
is best for poor people who we view as inferior to ourselves. We can reduce
poor people to objects who need development done TO them, and to fulfil my need
to feel significant. I find this very challenging.
"Until we embrace our mutual brokenness, our work with low-income people is likely to do more harm than good" (p64)
The authors also emphasise that poverty is not just individual but
embedded in our societal systems. As Caucasian evangelicals the system has
served us well in general, so we are especially blind to the systemic causes of
poverty and quick to blame the poor for their plight. Evangelicals tend to believe that systemic arguments for poverty amount to shifting blame for personal sin and excusing moral failure (p93)
Most encouragingly the authors affirm the unique role of the church as the
only organisation that have a full-orbed view of the nature and causes of
poverty. If we believe that a broken relationship with God underlies much of
the brokenness of poverty, then material poverty alleviation MUST go hand in
hand with verbal gospel proclamation.
"Never lose sight of the goal: reconciling relationships is the essence of poverty alleviation" (p130)
Another real highlight for me was the authors differentiating between relief,
rehabilitation and development. Often we give relief when in fact we need to be
engaged in development which is ‘the process of on-going change that moves all
people towards who they were made to be’. Often we hand out relief quickly. It can
leaves us feeling good about ourselves, is easier to do than development and is
easier to raise donor funds for. Yet inappropriate relief fosters dependency
and is relatively short term. Development on the other hand is often slow,
gradual and costly.
The book then moves to the key issue – the local church is uniquely
placed to see broken people and systems restored into the image of God. The
books gets intensely practical here, providing helpful steps as to how this can
be done. The authors argue that starting with assets and not needs is key. Needs-based
development assumes that the poor are dependent on outside human and financial
resources which can exacerbate feelings of helplessness and inferiority.
Therefor you will start by mapping assets of the local community, asking what sorts
of services that are already being provided by organisations in the community
in which we want to serve. You then map the assets and needs of materially poor
in your area as well as discovering the resources that you have in your church
community.
"Avoid paternalism. Do not do things for people that they can do for themselves" (p115)
Finally the authors outline and discuss the most common options for
churches: job preparedness ministry, financial education ministries and wealth
accumulation ministries, along with other options.
Throughout the book the authors insist that poverty alleviation is not
about hand-outs but that it must be highly relational. It’s not so much how we
can fix poor people but how we can walk together, asking God to fix both of us.
We need to aim for highly relational, process-focussed ministries not impersonal,
product-focussed ministries.
This book has eye opening truths and insights on almost every page. It
has given my church a foundation for our thinking in how we do community work. I
urge you to read it as the most important and practically relevant book I have
read on poverty and to call your church to move beyond good intentions to
effective ministry for a hurting world.
