Some Working Principles for Ministry to the Poor (Running List)
- For crisis needs, seek to provide relief. For long term problems, seek to provide solutions. It will often be necessary to provide relief for crises that arise either concurrent with, or out of, long term problems while seeking solutions. But providing only ongoing relief to long term problems is not meaningful ministry and may actually be damaging to the person receiving the hand-out when they should be looking for a hand-up.
- Determine that the person seeking help really wants help out of his or her situation, and not just to continue being enabled to be a freeloader. You should still minister to the freeloader, but it must be to their need (to stop being a freeloader) and not to their want (for you to finance their freeloading). In my experience, they will always reject this kind of help. Once a man called looking for money to pay his electric bill. I began asking him about his income and his expenditures and started helping him work out a budget right then and there. He was on disabilty and his money was tight, but he could have covered his basic bills. Of course he had cable TV and smoked. That’s his business and that’s fine, but he needs to pay his own electric bill and then figure out a way to get his luxury items (which incidently I haven’t been able to afford myself for years). I knew I had the right approach when he said “no” to me: “Look, I know you care, but I’m not really looking for that kind of help.” My obligation to help the poor had been fulfilled and I could focus my attention and resources on those I might possibly help with solutions.