Now What?

I've read When Helping Hurts—
but what do I do next?

The paradigm-shifting book—When Helping Hurts—has caused many churches and ministry leaders to ask:  What do we do next in our efforts to help people who are poor at home and abroad?  How can we shift our efforts from dependency to empowerment?  How can we get our entire ministry network on the same page?

In response, the co-authors of the book—Dr. Brian Fikkert and Steve Corbett of the Chalmers Center for Economic Development—are offering a one-day, regional training seminar entitled Helping Without Hurting: The Next Step.

View a short video about the seminar by Brian and Steve (2 minutes and 40 seconds long). 

What to Expect – This one-day event is divided into three sessions. The morning session gives an overview of the core principles of When Helping Hurts and is designed to get the entire ministry network (churches, ministries, board members, financial partners, and volunteers) thinking out of the same framework. The afternoon sessions apply the concepts from the morning session, empowering your church or ministry with the knowledge and tools to take the first steps in using Asset-Based Development (ABD) at home or abroad.

Morning session topics include:

• The Definition of Poverty
• The Role of the Church
• The Central Role of Repentance
• Relief, Rehabilitation, and Development
• Asset-Based and Participatory Approaches
• The Role of Short-Term Missions
• Economic Development in North America
• Holistic Microfinance in the Majority World

Afternoon session topics include:

• Understanding the Process of ABD
• Working with Individuals, Households, and Communities
• Tools for North America and the Majority World
• The Proper Role of Community Outsiders
• Plans for Getting Started

Note that onsite registration opens at 8:00am and the program begins at 8:20am and goes until 4pm.  Also, your registration includes lunch.

Who Should Attend?

• Pastors, deacons, and elders
• Church benevolence committee members and food pantry volunteers
• Home and foreign missions committee members
• Missionaries and short-term missions teams
• Relief and development agency staff
• Ministry leaders and volunteers
• Christian community development teams
• Christian business people interested in microfinance and microenterprise development
• Christians donors thinking strategically about foreign missions with poor people

Learn More – Visit the "When Helping Hurts" web site and the Chalmers Center web site.

We look forward to you joining us for this exciting ministry training seminar.  Please feel free to share information about this seminar with your ministry team and others in your ministry network.

Dr. Brian Fikkert is the Founder and Executive Director of the Chalmers Center for Economic Development, a research and training center that is dedicated to helping churches and missionaries to declare the kingdom of God by bringing economic development and spiritual transformation to the poor (www.chalmers.org). Brian also serves as a Professor of Economics and Community Development at Covenant College. Brian received a Ph.D. in Economics with highest honors from Yale University, and a B.A. in Mathematics from Dordt College. Specializing in Economic Development and International Economics, Brian has been a consultant to the World Bank, the Inter-American Development Bank, and the United States Agency for International Development. He has published articles in both leading academic and popular journals. Prior to coming to Covenant College, he was a professor at the University of Maryland and a research fellow at the Center for Institutional Reform and the Informal Sector. He, his wife Jill, and their three children live in Chattanooga, Tennessee where he is an active member of New City Fellowship Presbyterian Church (PCA).

Mr. Steve Corbett is an Assistant Professor of Community Development at Covenant College and serves as a Specialist for Community Development for the Chalmers Center. Previously, Mr. Corbett served as Director of Field Operations and Training for the Chalmers Center. Prior to coming to Covenant College, Steve worked for Food for the Hungry International (FHI) as the Regional Director for Central and South America for two years. Before assuming these responsibilities, he served as the Director of Staff Training for nine years. In this capacity, Steve participated in the orientation and training of 1,500 staff working in 25 countries. He has a B.A. from Covenant College and a M.Ed. in Adult Education from the University of Georgia. Steve and his wife Mary are the parents of seven children, and they attend Highlands Presbyterian Church (PCA) in Lafayette, GA.