Salt & Light: Helping Without HurtingPresenter: Joey Mayfield – jmayfield@bethelweb.org

Key Text: When Helping Hurts: How to Alleviate Poverty without Hurting the Poor…and Yourself by Steve Corbett & Brian Fikkert

Isaiah 58:10 NIV - and if you spend yourselves in behalf of the hungry and satisfy the needs of the oppressed, then your light will rise in the darkness, and your night will become like the noonday.

What is Poverty?

“Poverty is the result of relationships that do not work, that are not just, that are not for life, that are not harmonious or enjoyable. Poverty is the absence of shalom (peace/wellbeing) in all its meanings.”1

2If we believe the primary cause of poverty is… Then we will primarily try to…

A lack of knowledge Educate the PoorOppression by powerful people Work for social justiceThe personal sins of the Poor Evangelize and disciple the PoorA lack of material resources Give material resources to the Poor3

1 When Helping Hurts, Steven Corbett and Brian Fikkert, 622 Ibid, 553 Ibid, 61

“Poverty is rooted in broken relationships, so the solution to poverty is rooted in the power of Jesus’ death and resurrection to put all things into right relationship again.”

-Steven Corbett & Brian Fikkert

Recognizing 3 Levels of Help

1. _________________________

Def. - “Urgent and temporary provision of emergency aid to reduce immediate suffering from a natural or man-made crisis.” 4

Examples include paying a bill, giving money, caring for foster children, giving food, clothing, or other urgently-needed services.

2. __________________________

Def. – “Giving an individual, family, or entire community what they need to move beyond dependency on relief into a condition of economic self-sufficiency.”5

Examples include helping others find opportunities to “get ahead”. This may include helping them gain access to education, legal aid, financial, emotional, or spiritual counseling. This could be assistance in helping them overcome addictions, or helping them learn job skills, parenting skills, or life skills.

3. ___________________________

Def. – “Working to change the conditions and social structures that aggravate or cause dependency.”6

Examples include combating Payday Loan Stores (i.e. Grace Point), working against slumlords in a poor community, helping to combat the epidemic of failing schools in urban communities, fighting against unfair treatment of a class of people.

7

4 When Helping Hurts, Steven Corbett and Brian Fikkert, 1045 Generous Justice, Tim Keller, 114 – Keller calls this “Development”. Others call it rehabilitation. The idea is to move beyond relief to self-sufficiency.6 Ibid, 1267 When Helping Hurts, Steven Corbett and Brian Fikkert, 104

Participation or Paternalism?

Paternalism: Do not do things for people that they can do for themselves.8

Types of Paternalism: Resource, Spiritual, Knowledge, Labor, Managerial

Why Participation?9

-Helps over come superiority-inferiority complexes

-retains the dignity of the poor

-affirms their worth as image bearers

-not because of inherent goodness of people, we are all sinners - participation does not always equal success

-not because truth is relative and the poor must construct their own reality

“one of the biggest problems in many poverty-alleviation efforts is that their design and implementation exacerbates the poverty of being of the economically rich - their god-complexes - and the poverty of being of the economically poor - their feelings of inferiority and shame.”10

8 When Helping Hurts, Steven Corbett and Brian Fikkert, 115

9 Adapted from When Helping Hurts, Steven Corbett and Brian Fikkert, 14710 Ibid, 65

10 Dos and Don’ts of Salt & Light Ministry

1. Do build healthy, two way relationships / Don’t do “drive by” projects‐ ‐

Relationships are the key to effective ministry and lasting heart change. Let those you serve see how they are a blessing to you as well.

2. Do humbly seek to learn the stories of the community and its citizens / Don’t be quick to judge or stereotype

Learning the past pains, hearing the current cries, and understanding the deepest longings of individuals helps us love them more effectively.

3. Do be authentic and transparent about your faith in Christ and your motivation for ministry(To please Jesus) / Don’t pressure people to profess faith or attend church (either overtly or covertly)

We seek the delicate balance of both word and deed ministry. We model Christ’s love and sacrifice while being diligent to take advantage of every opportunity to tell others of the hope we have (1 Pet. 3:15) & plant the seeds of the gospel without pressure, understanding that God is the one who saves.

4. Do empower others to use their skills, assets, and strengths to engage in their own uplift/ Don’t create unhelpful dependencies by doing for others what they can do for themselves

Invest into the development of others, uncover their strengths, and empower them toward self-sufficiency.

5. Do approach a long term solution to individual’s needs / Don’t offer quick fixes‐

Helping individuals work through (often lifetime cycles of) poverty or other issues requires a long term ‐approach to their wellbeing. Change rarely happens overnight.

6. Do ministry “with” the community / Don’t do ministry “to” the community 11

Seek to foster the dignity of individuals by working with them, not treating them as charity cases.

7. Do focus on building trust in low trust environments / Don’t expect trust to be built ‐overnight

Starting out, many individuals may look at you for what they can get. They may not trust you at first because of past hurts or bad experiences. Trust is built through long term, consistent efforts.‐

8. Do be radically generous with your time, money, and possessions / “Don’t confuse unconditional love with unlimited giving” – Andy Rittenhouse

We should live with open hearts and open hands, yet understand that giving money changes the dynamics of a relationship. It’s generally better to give vouchers, gift cards, tangible items, or to give straight to an organization that helps those in need.

9. Do be a servant by making others you serve alongside and those who are in the community shine / Don’t try to take all the credit

A servant leader will make others look good while not expecting all the praise, accolades, and gratitude ‐in return.

10. Do expect tremendous joy / Don’t expect to never get hurt or disappointed in the process

Community ministry is hard, often exhausting work. Community ministry is an on going learning process,‐ ‐ and mistakes will be made. Learn from the missteps, but celebrate the wins often!

11 Adapted from Salt & Light: A Guide to Loving Knoxville, “Being Church With the Community”, Todd Stewart, 370

Case Study I

You meet a single mother of five children (ages 6 months, 2, 3, 8, and 9) who lives in one of our region’s poorest communities. She immediately confides in you and tells you of the hardships she has faced in her life – she dropped out of high school because of her first pregnancy, she was married briefly, but divorced because of abuse and because her husband was incarcerated on drug charges. She tells you how difficult it is for her to juggle work and the needs of her kids. She mentions to you that she has just lost her job, and is unsure how she will feed her children. Her landlord raised the rent on her, and she is two months past due. He is threatening to evict her if she doesn’t pay within the next two weeks. You also learn she hasn’t been able to pay the electric bill for the last few months (this was before she lost her job), and she hasn’t paid her cell phone bill in over six months. She has received two payday loans and owes $800 to them as well at a 400% interest rate! She doesn’t ask you specifically for money, but she asks you to pray that God will send someone to help her pay these bills so she can get ahead. What level(s) of help should you provide? Give reasons to support your answer.

Case Study II

You decide to invite one of your neighbors over for dinner to get to know them better. When talking with the couple, you learn the husband lost his job 6 months ago and has been working side jobs to cover some of the bills. They are behind on their mortgage and are in danger of losing their home. Your heart breaks for their kids as the wife begins to tell you how scared they are. You send them home with cash and a few canned goods you pull from your pantry. You tell them you’ll be praying. A couple days later, you check in on them and have a separate conversation with the wife. She tells you that her husband has a big drinking problem and that any money he gets from side jobs go to alcohol or lottery tickets. He’s been playing the lottery in hopes of overcoming his situation. She asks if you could loan them some money to get them through just this month because she needs to buy groceries and winter coats for her kids. She promises they will pay you back next month. What should you do? What level(s) of help should you provide? Give reasons to support your answer.