Change for the Poor by Mark McKnelly provides a philosophical and practical foundation for Christians invested in life restoration for individuals in extreme poverty, specifically those participating in long-term residential recovery. The book is divided into sections based on three vital principles that bring change for the poor: Relationships, Structure, and Accountability.
Credit goes to Amanda Fisher for providing insight into this book and the material for this blog series.
McKnelly encourages restoration ministry workers to take time to uncover their motivation. A person’s reason to help individuals experiencing material and relational poverty must be driven by compassion and empowered by prayer. If their motivation is “more about serving a need you have in your heart, then the person you serve is more of a project to be completed than a person to be cared for.” Because compassion was the fuel that motivated Jesus in his ministry, McKnelly gently encourages the reader to find something else to do if their motivations are anything other.
McKnelly differentiates three types of approaches to helping people: To, For, and With. The “To” approach is transactional/paternal, like writing a check for a person or project. The “For” approach is maternal, such as moving furniture for a disabled person. Although the “To” and “For” approaches are appropriate at times, he encourages Christian servants that the “With” approach is where true life change happens. It is “highly relational and personal, marked by prayer, heart-level truth-in-love conversations, and wholistic support.” This necessary reciprocal relationship, although challenging, is vital for restoration.
