AND Are we Outsourcing our Biblical call to poverty intervention?
How can we assess whether our poverty engagements, our charitable works, are effective?
At the first-ever Hope Conference Barrie, we asked ourselves if we are measuring Outputs or are we assessing Outcomes?
• Are we measuring our levels of activity, volunteerism, and number of people served?
• OR are we measuring the effectiveness – the positive, life-giving Outcomes – of our ministry in the lives of people?
We should also be asking if we are “outsourcing” our ministry to our socio-economically marginalized neighbours:
• Are we engaged in building relationships with people experiencing poverty, or are we simply financially supporting others to do the work?
• If we’re supporting other organizations, to what degree is their poverty engagement driven by and linked to the Gospel, if at all?
In our recent workshop, “Poverty to possibility”, we began to explore a Christ-centred, Gospel-driven approach to poverty engagement fueled by the Great Commission and the Greatest Commandment (you can view the video, here).
When we take a service-based approach, detached from the life-giving community of the Church, we are in danger of falling short of truly helping a person experiencing poverty. Dr. Robert Lupton writes, “The fact is, we cannot serve people out of poverty, no matter how much we may want to" (Charity Detox, pg. 3). Further, we might be causing more harm than good! “Most of the giveaway volunteer efforts initiated by religious and charitable groups work at cross-purposes with programmes committed to moving people out of poverty” (Lupton, 68).
Here are some first steps to assess if our charitable activity toward the poor is honouring to the Gospel and the Great Commission:
1. Am I giving a hand-out, or offering a hand-up? The ministry of Jesus is to offer a path into “life to the fullest” (John 10:10).
2. To what degree does my charitable giving or activity invite a person into community with me and with others? Discipleship-driven ministry invites people to join life-giving community, where sharing is caring (Acts 2:42-47; Galatians 6:10).
3. When I engage, am I doing for someone what they could otherwise do for themselves? Biblical poverty engagement gives people opportunity to help themselves (Leviticus 19:9-10; Deuteronomy 24:19-21; Ruth).
4. How much is my charitable work or giving connected to the Gospel? Jesus said that when we serve the poor, we are serving Him (Matthew 25:40).
What if we began to ask ourselves and our churches how effective we are being in the Biblical call to help the poor? What if the churches of Barrie collaborated and united around effective, Christ-centred, Gospel-driven work as part of our faithful Great Commission and Great Commandment presence?
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