Book Review: When Helping Hurts

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.