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Church Benevolence: 'More Than Turkey and Toys at Christmas;' Bestselling Authors Offer Practical Guidance for Providing Financial Assistance Without Creating Dependency
Contact: Janis Backing, 312-329-2108, janis.backing@moody.edu

CHICAGO, Oct. 7, 2015 /Christian Newswire/ -- It's a situation that nearly all churches face: what to do when someone asks for financial assistance to pay for things such as electric bills, rent, gas or food. How can we obey Christ's call to care for the materially poor without creating crippling dependencies?

In the latest installment of their bestselling and groundbreaking series, "Helping Without Hurting," authors Steve Corbett and Brian Fikkert provide a toolkit for church leaders, staff and volunteers to engage in effective poverty alleviation with those seeking financial assistance.

"The ultimate goal is that your church will be better prepared to walk alongside others in a way that truly helps them and contributes to their being restored to all that God intends for them as His image bearers," say the authors of "Helping Without Hurting in Church Benevolence: A Practical Guide to Walking With Low-Income People" (Moody Publishers).

An all-in-one guide for those who want to help the poor in ways that lead to lasting change, the book provides practical guidance that churches, parachurch ministries and nonprofit organizations will find useful, and includes forms and exercises that are based on materials being used by those on the front lines of poverty alleviation.

While not helping the poor is never an option for followers of Jesus, our job is not to alleviate poverty, Corbett and Fikkert remind readers. Rather, we are called to be ambassadors of His reconciliation, proclaiming and demonstrating what ultimately only He can do: "We are participants in His work, but we are not the authors of that work."

Many of us mistakenly think that the best way to alleviate poverty is simply to give material things to low-income people: money to pay bills, turkeys and toys at Christmas, warm clothing during the winter. The problem with that one-size-fits-all approach?

"Although this is sometimes necessary and can provide much-needed temporary assistance, simply dispensing material resources usually only treats the symptoms of poverty rather than its underlying causes," Corbett and Fikkert explain.

For those who want to get to the root of the problem, "Helping Without Hurting in Church Benevolence" is an invaluable resource that organizations can use or adapt as a guide when walking alongside the materially poor.

The authors conclude, "We cannot change broken people, nor can we change a broken world. But Christ is in the process of changing both, and He gives us the incredible privilege of being the instruments He uses to accomplish His mission."

ABOUT THE AUTHORS
Steve Corbett is the community development specialist for the Chalmers Center at Covenant College and an assistant professor in the department of economics and community development at Covenant College. Dr. Brian Fikkert is the founder and executive director of the Chalmers Center at Covenant College, as well as a professor of economics and community development at Covenant College. Learn more at
chalmers.org/when-helping-hurts.

INTERVIEWS OR REVIEW COPIES
Email janis.backing@moody.edu or call 312-329-2108.