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When Helping Hurts: How to Alleviate Poverty without Hurting the Poor...and Yourself

Steve Corbett,

Brian Fikkert,

John M. Perkins (Foreword)

4.25 · Rating details · 10,857 ratings · 1,001 reviews

Churches and individual Christians typically have faulty assumptions about the causes of poverty, resulting in the use of strategies that do considerable harm to poor people and themselves. Don't let this happen to you, your ministry or ministries you help fund! A must read for anyone who works with the poor or in missions, When Helping Hurts provides foundational conc ...more

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Paperback, 232 pages

Published June 24th 2009 by Moody Publishers (first published 2009)

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Jan 25, 2011 John Martindale rated it it was amazing

Recommended to John by: Pastor Bynum

Shelves: audiobook, favorites, hope-to-re-read

A very good book, though it is messing up my world. Their chapter on why short term mission trips are typically more harmful then good, was unsettling (Especially since my job is to host short term mission teams), I disagree with them on some points (for example, they claimed short term trips don't result in more full time missionaries, but I am a full time missionary because of going on short term mission trips and practically ever missionary I know has the same story). but yeah, I still see ho ...more

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Mar 17, 2016 Natalie Vellacott rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: christian-hot-topics

This is a hard one to rate as although I agree with the basic principles of the book; that sharing the Gospel, long term work and relationship building should be the priority when helping the poor, I also felt that the emphasis was wrong in lots of areas. I hope this book has not stopped, and will not continue to stop, people helping the poor as they fear getting the methods wrong and hurting people. My general advice would be to pray for wisdom and then to give generously and, if you get it wro ...more

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Sep 23, 2015 John rated it it was ok

I read When Helping Hurts: How to Alleviate Poverty Without Hurting the Poor . . . and Yourself by Steve Corbett and Brain Fikkert after having read Robert Lupton’s Toxic Charity: How Churches and Charities Hurt Those They Help. I was told that “When Helping Hurts” does a better job of giving constructive criticism of service work and poverty alleviation than “Toxic Charity” does while straying away from the ideological language so pervasive in “Toxic Charity”. Instead, I found the two books to I read When Helping Hurts: How to Alleviate Poverty Without Hurting the Poor . . . and Yourself by Steve Corbett and Brain Fikkert after having read Robert Lupton’s Toxic Charity: How Churches and Charities Hurt Those They Help. I was told that “When Helping Hurts” does a better job of giving constructive criticism of service work and poverty alleviation than “Toxic Charity” does while straying away from the ideological language so pervasive in “Toxic Charity”. Instead, I found the two books to be cut from the same cloth, and very much redundant of one another.

In “When Helping Hurts”, Corbett and Fikkert build a case for being more cautious in service work, in particular international missionary programs that are aimed at poverty alleviation. As their title implies, the central thesis is that when we set off to ‘save the world’, unless we take extra special precautions to do otherwise, we run the risk of doing more harm than good for those that we are trying to help. They stress taking into account the emotional well-being of those being served, promote taking a holistic view of the situation to understand that material poverty is just one issue facing the recipients of our charity, and encourage relief organizations to use objective business-minded measures to judge whether relief programs are having the intended outcomes.

I believe that some of the points that Corbett and Fikkert make in their book are valid and can be useful to any relief organization as they periodically self-assess as to the path that they are on. However, as presented in “When Helping Hurts”, those points come along with a lot of unnecessary editorializing and casting the subject matter with their own ideologies. In the end, I believe that the reader can be left thinking that trying to help people is such a precarious endeavor, they would be better off to not even try because they will probably do more harm than good. The irony here is that the authors have ‘hurt’ the potential for people seeking to do good when they seemingly wanted to ‘help’ that situation.

Corbett and Fikkert are direct in stating that they write their book from a distinctly Evangelical Christian perspective. As a devout Catholic Christian myself, I did not expect that point-of-view to take me into uncharted territories, but I found some of their positions to be extreme. For example, they are absolutely convinced that no aid organization will be successful unless it offers material assistance while simultaneously working to spreading the Christian faith. They write “none of the foundational relationships can experience fundamental and lasting change without a person becoming a new creature in Christ Jesus” (pg 80). [Earlier they had referenced Bryant Myers model of the four foundational relationships that must be functional in order for a person to live a fulfilled life: “a relationship with God, with self, with others, and with the rest of creation” (pg 57).] I think there are plenty of very successful secular relief organizations in the world to demonstrate that this is simply not true. Just to name a few - The Red Cross, Oxfam International, Doctors Without Borders, UNICEF, Kiva, The Peace Corps, The Gates Foundation – these are all successful established relief organizations which have helped millions of people that operate with no specific religious affiliation. To proclaim that Christians have some sort of monopoly on being able to help people is rather ignorant.

In a similar vein, the authors continually come back to “The Fall”. They quite literally attribute all of our world’s current problems to the original bad decisions of Adam & Eve. To quote: “The effects of the fall are manifested in the economic, social, religious, and political systems that humans have created throughout history” (pg 61). As a Catholic, I have never been prone to interpreting the book of Genesis as a literal historical account. But regardless of that interpretation, writing off ineffective and unjust systems as the inevitable outcome of a decision made millennia ago seems to me to be a rationalization for inaction.

“When Helping Hurts” is sprinkled throughout with the ideological conservative red meat that we have come to expect from the Religious Right. There are stances against women in the workforce: “many American couples are running themselves ragged, with both parents working long hours in high-stress jobs. In the process, children and marriages are often neglected, tearing families apart and leading to a host of long-range psychological and social problems” (pg 88). There is blaming of the victim: “such a worldview [that held by ‘ghetto populations’ as Corbett and Fikkert term it] obviously contribute directly to the material poverty of their victims” (pg 86). And there is criticism of the social safety net while blaming the victim “Many poor people have behavioral problems that make them less than ideal workers. Moreover, historically some of these behaviors were exacerbated by a welfare system that penalized work by removing benefits as people’s earnings increased” (pg 186).

My fear with a book like this is that the reader can be left with the conclusion that trying to help people is futile. Corbett and Fikkert warn repeatedly that it is possible to help too much: “when considering bringing in outside resources, we must always ask…Is it too much?” (pg 127). They give plenty of other reasons why individuals would be better off to not try to alleviate poverty at all. They recommend that local organizations familiar with a specific region are likely better equipped to deal with the situation than we outsiders. Corbett and Fikkert emphasize that the charity recipients are probably suffering from more than just material poverty. If an individual has a ‘poverty of being’ (low self-esteem), ‘poverty of stewardship’ (loss of sense of purpose), or ‘poverty of community’ (self-centeredness), then the solutions are much more complicated and involved than simply alleviating physical deficiencies. All of this is coupled with pointers on how one can distinguish the deserving poor from those just seeking to take advantage of big hearted do-gooders.

In the end, I feel that “When Helping Hurts” misses the point. Bishop Untener of the Saginaw, Michigan Diocese said it best when he wrote “If you start to distinguish between the deserving and undeserving poor, you are finished – at least as far as the gospel is concerned.” If Corbett and Fikkert intended to write a book that would discourage people from wanting to get involved with service work and provide those sitting on the sidelines with plenty of justification for their inactivity, then mission accomplished. If you are seeking a book that will inspire you to give back to your fellow human and propose how you can do your part to make the world a better place, I suggest you look elsewhere.

My review of “Toxic Charity” mentioned above can be found at: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show... ...more

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Jul 11, 2012 Barnabas Piper rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

The first half of this book should get 6 or 7 out of five stars. The principles, concepts, and framework it presents are ministry and mindset altering. For me, as someone who gravitates toward that kind of instruction and thinking, it was priceless. The second half of the book looked deeper at particular areas of ministry such as short term missions or micro finance, so it was aimed a bit more at practitioners. Over all, this is one of the few books that I think every single missionary, pastor, ...more

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Apr 09, 2019 Ben Thurley rated it it was ok · review of another edition

As a how-to guide on some of the dynamics of good community development, When Helping Hurts has some helpful insights. As an evangelical theology of poverty and "helping", it is passable – but in a field not exactly crowded with contenders. As a reflection on the causes and consequences of poverty, it is – haha – poor. As an analysis of the systems and structures that make and keep people poor, it is shamefully inadequate.

Some reviewers have labelled this as paradigm-busting or revolutionary. It ...more

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Dec 04, 2013 Emily rated it it was ok

Shelves: social-change, did-not-finish

I could not be bothered to finish this. I agreed with many of the cited information and claims that the authors made, but not with any of the conclusions that they drew from this information. I'm not crazy about short-term missions and I deplore many of the things that the author condemns, such as the "poverty as deficit" model, paternalism towards the poor, and blaming the poor for their situation. I appreciated Chapter 8, but feel that it fell short.
However, the author often backtracks or rew I could not be bothered to finish this. I agreed with many of the cited information and claims that the authors made, but not with any of the conclusions that they drew from this information. I'm not crazy about short-term missions and I deplore many of the things that the author condemns, such as the "poverty as deficit" model, paternalism towards the poor, and blaming the poor for their situation. I appreciated Chapter 8, but feel that it fell short.
However, the author often backtracks or rewords what they're condemning others for as his own claim. For example, the denouncement of paternalism is followed by the idea that poor people need non-poor people to introduce a new way of life to them. This was way too Ruby Payne-esque for me to handle, as was the idea that poor people are ashamed of their situation, so charity is offensive. Nevermind that a great number of low-income people have protested for better wages and against the systems that create and perpetuate poverty throughout the world.
There were also massive oversimplifications based on anecdotal evidence that often had me shaking my head. He mentions broken systems, yet he doesn’t push for any changes within these systems. Apparently the only thing that the US needs to work on is job preparedness and financial education programs, with some microfinance thrown in for good measure.
I also find it ironic that the author takes great trouble to mention the poor people in the US constantly, yet continually refers to the US as a monolithic group made of "economically rich".
I'm also not sure what the author really wants people to do. He fully changes the definition of poverty from a lack of material resources to include a lack of spiritual resources. So essentially, if you want to alleviate poverty, just redefine the term, so by preaching the Gospel, you're reducing poverty! This belief in God will inspire the poor to take charge of their lives and focus on God instead of material wealth, so then they’ll still be poor, but they won’t think about it as much (?). He tells a story of a very decrepit slum in Africa that he visited and came across 20+ worshippers. These people put his faith to shame and he was clearly inspired by them; according to the author, these people, who lived in literal shitholes, need no material or financial alleviation, because their belief in the Holy Spirit was so strong. If you think that it’s okay for people to live in absolute squalor in cardboard shacks with fecal matter in the street and not enough food to live on, because they need no “spiritual alleviation” then you are fucking delusional. The end. I will stick to non-spiritual relief efforts if this is the crap that gets published. ...more

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Nov 06, 2012 Christy rated it liked it

So here's the thing. This book contains radically important and often overlooked information. Sometimes the band-aids we put on what we view as poverty ends up causing much more harm than good in the long run, in ways we've refused to see. I get that. It points out that we sometimes see ourselves as some kind of savior, perfect and needing to share that perfection which is just all wrong. I get that too. I also feel more and more that we should help smarter-put our time and effort into the ways ...more

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Sep 23, 2016 Jason McIntire rated it it was amazing

While I already knew the general direction of this book, I was surprised by all the new perspectives and light bulb moments I encountered. Even if you don't agree with everything Corbett and Fikkert say, it's worth a read for the fresh ideas and insights. Just be sure you get a recent edition, as some areas of potential misunderstanding have been cleared up. ...more

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Jan 12, 2010 Dale rated it it was ok

This book was a helpful reminder of things that many authors have previously said ("give a man a fish...teach a man to fish..."); but it didn't break any new ground.

But there was a general tone, especially in the Forward and the Preface, towards Marxism.

In the Forward, Dr. John Perkins calls for the need for "social justice." That has become code word not for justice and mercy for the poor, but the call for the government to redistribute wealth.

In the Preface, the authors favorably discuss the ...more

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Dec 28, 2011 Jonathan McIntosh rated it it was amazing

Shelves: sermon-study

Outstanding book. A must read for any Christian or local church that is serious about serving the poor. This book totally challenged my existing ideas of poverty, poverty alleviation, and practical steps local churches need to take to serve the poor both at home and abroad.

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Oct 09, 2017 Sandi added it

One of the best books I've read on the issue of poverty and challenging one's definition of what poverty means and to approach relief and development. If you every work with people in any situation, this is an excellent read. ...more

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Sep 27, 2009 Douglas Wilson rated it really liked it

Shelves: pastoral-ministry

Very good book, with the exception of chapter 8. That one was a brick, but the rest of the book is much needed.

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Oct 25, 2018 Belphoebe Merkle rated it it was amazing

Seriously changed my view of what poverty is and how you should deal with it, also I would highly recommend it for anyone interested in, or considering short-term missions trips.

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Apr 26, 2020 Lainey Finch rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

This is a must read for every Christian- especially those interested in stewarding kingdom resources well and living out their calling of being a minister of reconciliation. I really appreciated the willingness the authors had to challenge popular Christian ideas and beliefs about poverty alleviation, but out of a desire to see God most glorified and not just to bash the Church. This was definitely a humbling read- we all get it wrong sometimes, but by God’s grace He redeems.

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Jun 25, 2020 Gia rated it it was amazing

Shelves: own, humanitarian, psych, nonfiction

“God has sovereignly chosen to work in the world by beginning with the weak who are on the ‘outside,’ not the powerful who are on the ‘inside.’” -Mark Gornik

Amazing. Too rich to review, but unpack it with me in person sometime.

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Jul 02, 2019 Brad Linden rated it it was amazing

Going in to this book, I generally expected to read "The way you're doing charity is bad, do it this way instead". I was right: the authors give examples of counterproductive (if not destructive) types of service/charity/missions, and then give more helpful alternative ways to serve those in need.

However, this book is so much more than that. The heart of this book is in it's discussions that help reframe ideas about what it means to be "poor", what it means to be someone who can "help", what Go ...more

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May 10, 2020 Laura Burdick rated it it was amazing

Shelves: theology, to-buy

This was one of the rare books that has completely transformed my perspective on a topic, and because of that I would highly recommend it to anyone looking to engage deeper with this topic.

This book provides an introduction to the causes of poverty, as well as poverty alleviation strategies. It talks about how sometimes well-intentioned strategies can actually end up hurting everyone involved, including the people that they're meant to help. As an alternative, it suggests a framework for thinkin ...more

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Sep 16, 2018 Amy rated it liked it

There are some things I like about this book. I really like its discussion about the God-complexes of many people who try to help the poor, it’s discussion about unintentional power dynamics between rich and poor, and it’s discussion about the negative impact of many short-term mission trips. I grew up as an MK in East Asia, and totally agree on those points.

However, the author writes this as if it’s a Bible-based perspective from God on poverty, but most of the ideas in the book don’t come from There are some things I like about this book. I really like its discussion about the God-complexes of many people who try to help the poor, it’s discussion about unintentional power dynamics between rich and poor, and it’s discussion about the negative impact of many short-term mission trips. I grew up as an MK in East Asia, and totally agree on those points.

However, the author writes this as if it’s a Bible-based perspective from God on poverty, but most of the ideas in the book don’t come from the Bible at all. For instance, the book seems like a large discussion about how giving money to the poor often creates dependence so people should be really careful about it. An over-arching summary of the book is that most of the time people shouldn’t give money at all, but rather teach skills, organize support groups, and ask questions etc.

However, the book doesn’t deal sufficiently with the many Bible verses that talk about giving freely to the poor. For instance, here is one list: https://www.openbible.info/topics/giv... . How does the author deal with these verses? Or how does he deal with Deuteronomy 15:10-12, which says, “Give freely to the poor person. Do not wish that you didn’t have to give. The Lord your God will bless your work and everything you touch. There will always be poor people in the land. So I command you to give freely to your brothers. Give freely to the poor and needy in your land. “ If the author thinks that verses like these don’t apply now, then why? It’s true that giving to the poor is unlikely to fix poverty (as it says in this verse), but we are still called to give anyways. Sometimes giving is not about fixing poverty but about loving the poor. I don’t see how giving freely to the poor in this day and age is more likely to create dependence than it would thousands of years ago.

At the end of chapter 10, the author briefly deals with these sorts of verses, but not in a way that satisfied me. He says, “Individual Bible verses must be interpreted and understood within the entire story line of the Bible… When applied to the plight of the poor, this overarching narrative means helping to restore materially poor people to what God created them to be: people who can fulfill their callings of glorifying God by working and supporting themselves and their families with the fruit of that work.” That’s a nice idea, but I don’t actually think that is what God created every person to be. Where does the author get this idea of “what God created them to be”? I don’t see it in the Bible. There are people who (for whatever God-ordained reason that I will never be able to know) are poor because of situations of injustice or personal illness and are thus forced to be poor and perpetually dependent on those around them. It’s a humble position and is not what anybody would want for themselves. However, God can sometimes use those people for His Kingdom’s purposes more than those who are not dependent on others. The poor can still be what God created them to be even if they can’t work, or if they work yet still can’t provide for themselves or for their family members. Even of Peter, Jesus said to him in John 21:18, “Very truly I tell you, when you were younger you dressed yourself and went where you wanted; but when you are old you will stretch out your hands, and someone else will dress you and lead you where you do not want to go.” Even the apostle Peter ended up in a position where he became totally dependent on others, but it’s not because he did anything wrong. Even in that, Peter was fulfilling God’s purposes for him.

Many of the ideas in the book are rational, and I agree with them to some extent. A lot of its ideas for helping the poor are great, and it was helpful to think through those. I think the book goes too far, though, in it’s discussion of the negative effects of giving. I don’t believe that it creates as much dependence as it claims (in certain contexts it can). There may be some free-loaders, but I believe that to be the minority. It also isn’t clear enough what the author thinks are the negative effects of giving if it’s differentiated between different sources like personal giving, church giving, and government giving to the poor. The book is mostly about a church’s attempts to help the poor as a whole, but sometimes veers to similar sorts of commenting on individual and government-based giving, as if all such giving has the same negative effects. In my opinion, the contexts are very different, so can’t be generalized in that way. Is the book saying that financial giving (by individuals, churches, and governments) often creates dependence and is most of the time bad? In some parts of the book it sounds like that is what the author is saying. In my opinion, people should often be more thoughtful about giving, but most of the time just less prideful about it. To me, the book ultimately came across as a Christianese book supporting Republican-sorts of financial decisions. It may be that I’m just particularly sensitive to those topics right now because of American politics. I liked some parts of the book, though, and it did get me to consider things from different viewpoints. ...more

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Oct 12, 2016 Matt Hartzell rated it it was amazing

Shelves: justice

Let's cut to the chase: When Helping Hurts is a critical and indispensable work for anyone even remotely thinking about how to love and serve people on the margins. Reading this book was a life-giving and invigorating experience on multiple levels. Even if you are not directly engaged in poverty alleviation at home or abroad, there is enough here to make this a worthwhile read for just about anyone.

There are a handful of things that Corbett and Fikkert do well that really make this text enormou Let's cut to the chase: When Helping Hurts is a critical and indispensable work for anyone even remotely thinking about how to love and serve people on the margins. Reading this book was a life-giving and invigorating experience on multiple levels. Even if you are not directly engaged in poverty alleviation at home or abroad, there is enough here to make this a worthwhile read for just about anyone.

There are a handful of things that Corbett and Fikkert do well that really make this text enormously helpful and beneficial. The most obvious is their general knowledge, in how they draw from decades of involvement in poverty alleviation, and in how they bring best practices and timely wisdom for the forefront.

Where this plays out is in the first third of the book or so, where the authors provide an all-encompassing philosophical and theological framework for how to provide poverty alleviation. This is absolutely critical, because much of the North American church's efforts in this arena have created much harm and found little success. We have a lot to repent of, a lot to consider, and a lot to learn. Providing a definition of poverty that is not born out of a lack of material goods is fundamental, because how we define poverty greatly shapes the programs and solutions we bring to the table.

I loved this part of the book. I loved the terminology used by the authors, such as the term Majority World, to hammer home the point that literally MOST of the world lives in poverty, as well as the term Materially Poor, to help draw a specific distinction between the definition of poverty and those who don't have enough stuff (hint: they're not the same thing). I love the framework given by the authors that places the materially poor front and center in their own rehabilitation, that assigns intrinsic value to them and allows the resources, gifts, skills and abilities that they already posses to drive the majority of alleviation efforts.

One point specifically that I loved was the duality of author's approach, in that poverty is deeply affected by the personal choices of the individual AND by long-running, systemic systems of injustice that flawed, imperfect humans both emanate and perpetuate. This is huge! From an American political perspective, this is the classic debate: personal responsibility or broken systems? The firm answer is that it is absolutely BOTH, and BOTH need to be addressed to truly make lasting change. I am so thankful for the way Corbett and Fikkert addressed this theme.

What I think is also exceptional here is the strong tension between truth and grace. The authors have a lot of strong words for North American Christians, but what I deeply appreciated was the distinct lack of shame in their approach. Not once did I feel shame at what the authors presented, because they take great care to acknolwedge the inherent noble intentions of so many western Christians. This is not a blame game or a scolding. This is the presentation of real, helpful, practical, insightful truth to help redirect those passions towards something that healthy and good for BOTH the materially poor and the non-poor.

The latter half-ish of the book is chock-full of practical ideas, approaches, tools and resources. The authors cover many aspects of alleviation, from short-term relief to long-term development, from poverty alleviation in local US communities to alleviation in the most destitute places on the planet, from short-term missions to long-term partnerships, while consistently correcting and speaking into our misunderstanding of what actually helps. Many of those chapters will be more or less relevant depending on your own context.

Finally, one last thing that I love about this book: it's true that the authors do encourage the church to work with existing ministries, resources and programs. They do not at all believe in reinventing the wheel. However, they are unanimous and unequivocal about the role of the gospel as the ONLY true approach to lasting poverty alleviation. We as the church can certainly partner with other entities and find common ground, but the church is uniquely positioned to provide poverty alleviation within the context of biblical discipleship. A poverty that is defined by broken relationships is only truly alleviated by Jesus, the only one who has the power to mend any and all of those broken relationships.

There is so much to digest here. I cannot reproduce my pages and pages of notes in this review, but suffice to say this is an absolute must-read if you work with people on the margins. (Hint: if you claim to be a Christian, that means you!) You will be challenged, because so much of this book is at odds with our western culture, our American values, our standard of living, and our very specific ideas of what it means to live and participate in the world. If you can approach this text with a humble heart and a desire to learn, you will find a treasure trove of wisdom and encouragement. ...more

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May 07, 2014 Peter Jones rated it really liked it

Just a note: I read the first edition. Some of what is below they may have addressed in subsequent versions. I am not sure.

The first part of this book was first rate. The authors clearly show the mistakes that we have made in helping the poor on both a corporate and individual level. They encourage proper evaluation of what is actually needed to help someone alleviate material poverty. The spend quite a bit of time talking about different types of poverty, such as poverty of being or poverty of Just a note: I read the first edition. Some of what is below they may have addressed in subsequent versions. I am not sure.

The first part of this book was first rate. The authors clearly show the mistakes that we have made in helping the poor on both a corporate and individual level. They encourage proper evaluation of what is actually needed to help someone alleviate material poverty. The spend quite a bit of time talking about different types of poverty, such as poverty of being or poverty of spiritual intimacy. They then discuss how a Christian world view will address all areas of need, not just the material ones. We need to restore people physically, in their relationships both at home and in the community, an in their life with God. They also note the waste of just throwing money at the problem. The encourage Christians to never do for someone else what they can do for themselves. Finally, they try to balance systematic injustices which can lead to material poverty with the responsibility of the individual. The basic ideas and premises of the book are sorely needed.

But there are also some drawbacks, especially in the second part of the book. First, the greatest "systematic injustice" in our country is the current policy of the US Government. The authors address past injustices, but not current ones. In my mind this is not a minor blip in their program. It is a major one. For example, they mention that Christian business owners could hire the materially poor. But what does a Christian business owner do when he has to hire the poor at minimum wage and the minimum wage keeps going up? This restricts what he can and cannot do. Can he afford to hire someone with a sketchy work history at $8, $9, or $10 per hour? In other words, the US Government is one of the greatest obstacles to poverty alleviation. The authors do not address this with the depth it requires.

Second, they give a consistent picture that only African-Americans or Hispanics are poor. Occasionally they will mention the poor in Appalachia or the "suburban poor", but for some reason they focus on minorities. I grew up in a very poor, white community in Mississippi and I live in West Virginia, which is poor and mostly white. I am not sure why they cannot just say, "the materially poor" without adding a whole host of racial stereotypes to the equation.

Third, there are a few inconsistencies. For example, they claim giving immediate physical aid is usually not the answer. Yet when they address public schooling (p. 187) they seem to think the biggest problem is that they do not have enough money. That seemed to be inconsistent with their idea that immediate relief is rarely the answer. In other words, I think they would apply their principles differently than I would apply their principles.

Overall though, the book is worth reading and digesting. I have already used the ideas in my home and church life. I expect the principles laid out to impact my ministry, outlook on missions, and ministry to the poor for years to come. ...more

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May 11, 2019 Dan Curnutt rated it it was amazing

As we have been dealing with the Homeless Issue in our community (they are now called "unsheltered" to be politically correct) we needed a refresher on what is truly helpful in how to deal with them.

I suggested that our staff read Corbett's book and it has proven to be a blessing to us. Our staff have spent many hours talking about the book, working through the questions that are posed and then applying some of the issues to our situation.

The bottom line is that Corbett helps you to see that the ...more

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Feb 14, 2010 Trice rated it really liked it

Shelves: faith-spirituality, econ, development, 2012, transport2012

Overall, really good content and a good reminder of some major blind spots in the church in the developed world, along with some good guidance on better ways to move forward.

It felt a little scattered in places because often, in the midst of talking about theories of poverty alleviation, they suddenly throw in, 'but this isn't enough - don't forget about the gospel.' And while this is true, the way it was included in the book felt more like a distraction in some places than a helpful note.

Althou ...more

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Jun 17, 2014 Curtis rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: read-again, audiobook

I started this one with the audio version of the second edition and finished it up with reading the third edition which has added chapters on getting started.

I really enjoyed how the authors focused on a more holistic understanding of poverty relief from the lens of the four relationships in our lives (self, others, God, creation). Seeing poverty this way reframes our questions and the approach we take. Is it really about solving a problem or journeying alongside someone? When we see poverty as ...more

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Feb 17, 2015 Dana rated it liked it

This is a very eye opening and thought provoking book on an important subject. The authors do a great job of explaining what poverty truly is and then offer different solutions to aid in poverty alleviation. The greatest thing I took away from this book is the authors worldview that all people are made in the image of God and are meant to glorify God by fulfilling their vocational calling. This idea is the foundation of their solution. The authors have a humble attitude and stress that all peopl ...more

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Feb 01, 2018 Anne rated it really liked it · review of another edition

I didn't realize at first that this was written more for institutions (or churches) and community leaders than for individuals like me. However, I learned a lot and it helped clarify my own thoughts about giving and serving.

I particularly appreciated that Biblical principles and the gospel are the underpinnings of every strategy presented here.

I didn't fully agree with all of his assertions nor with all of his theology (not being reformed myself), but my disagreements were minor and do not aff ...more

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Jun 03, 2018 Deane Barker rated it it was amazing

Excellent book about the inadvertent damage we do when trying to help. It discusses how to help other communities and countries without accidentally making things worse -- how to help in such a way that you build the community itself up, instead of just throwing money and volunteer hours at something and therefore holding it down.

Some of this is "tough love," but that's valuable. Sometimes it needs to be. Immediate help and relief are important, but communities need to build themselves up, rathe ...more

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Mar 09, 2019 Emily Ruble rated it really liked it

When Helping Hurts is a great book that launches a lifestyle of humility and empowerment in caring for the poor. This book exposes the harm of God-complexes in Christians—specifically North American Christians—and calls for the reconciliation of all people to God, to each other, to themselves, and to creation. The first half was captivating and informative. I did not find chapters 8-9 as helpful.

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Jan 30, 2015 Rose rated it really liked it

This was an excellent read on how to equip people to help themselves not just enable them to be perpetually dependent. This book should be required reading for any minister or lay leader in ministry.

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Jan 16, 2017 David Marino rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: culture, current-events, my-library, humanitarian-aid-and-poverty, outreach-mercy-ministry, pastoral-and-ministry

Every person involved in missions, local and global, needs to read this book. Especially aspiring missionaries. I have encountered much of these issues my first year on the field. I felt like my heart was being read as I was reading the book.

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Feb 28, 2019 Rich Schmaltz rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

So helpful to understand practical ways to serve the poor. The best part was the practical sections near the end and the best idea was the distinction between relief, rehabilitation, and development and making sure we do the right thing at the right time.

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About Steve Corbett

Steve Corbett

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Mr. Corbett is an Assistant Professor of Community Development in the Dep. of Economics at Covenant College.He also serves as a Community Development Specialist for the Chalmers Center as Director of Field Operations and Training.

Previously, Corbett worked for Food for the Hungry International (FHI) as the Regional Director for Central and South America for two years. Before assuming these respons ...more

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Helping Without Hurting in Short-Term Missions: Participant's Guide

When Helping Hurts SAMPLER: How to Alleviate Poverty Without Hurting the Poor . . . and Yourself

A Tough Nut to Crack - Andersonstown: Voices from 9 Battery Royal Artillery in Northern Ireland, November 1971-March 1972

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Shankar Vedantam, of 'Hidden Brain,' on Using Your Delusions

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“Until we embrace our mutual brokenness, our work with low-income people is likely to do more harm than good. I sometimes unintentionally reduce poor people to objects that I use to fulfill my own need to accomplish something. I am not okay, and you are not okay. But Jesus can fix us both.” — 13 likes

“We are not bringing Christ to poor communities. He has been active in these communities since the creation of the world, sustaining them, Hebrews 1:3 says, by His powerful Word. Hence, a significant part of working in poor communities involves discovering and appreciating what God has been doing there for a LONG time.” — 10 likes

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