When Helping Hurts

When Helping Hurts by Steve Corbett and Brian Fikkert has helped us evaluate what we’re doing to help the poor.

• Poverty is not just a lack of material goods; it stems from broken relationships with God, self, others, and creation. The Gospel redeems these broken relationships.

• As image-bearers of the God, the poor are given the responsibility to steward the resources God has given them in order to reflect his glory. Our task is to empower the poor by focusing on their assets and enabling them to cultivate and care for their family and community.

• It is important to differentiate between Relief, Rehabilitation, and Development in determining an approach to needs in the community. A pan handler may want relief, but he may need rehabilitation from addiction to drugs and development of job skills.

• God uses the church to reconcile all things under the lordship of Christ.

• We must guard against helping the poor to fulfill our need to be needed

This book has implications for missions, short term mission trips, and even local mercy ministry. I strongly recommend that you get a copy. http://www.whenhelpinghurts.org

Changes in Ministry

We had a great time visiting Tijuana in January. God is using the missionaries there to do amazing things. Gary Nantt has faithfully taught God's Word for over ten years Mexican Presbytery just south of San Diego. Morgan Roe and his family have been putting the Gospel to work in deeds of mercy. We especially enjoyed visiting the orphanage where the Roe family ministers. It reminded us of the street kids in the Philippines.

We appreciate the time we spent with these fellow missionaries and the work that they are doing, but differences in philosophy of ministry and family ministry style have led both of us to conclude that we shouldn't work there.

For the past several months I have taking two classes on community development from the Chalmers Center. I highly recommend the book When Helping Hurts.