Confessions of a Social Worker: Three Things I Wish I’d Known 20 Years Ago

 


Amanda Fisher
Joplin Area True Charity Director & Foundations Workshop Coordinator
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“You don’t know what you don’t know.” Although I have years of experience serving people in poverty, this perennial saying describes my recent effective charity awakening. My old view of charity grew out of my experience working in government-based programs, including mental health and in-home-based care. The majority of the clients I “helped” in my former roles were either at or below the poverty level. I unknowingly did some unhelpful things. 

Let’s take a look at a few of my uncovered blind spots and you can be on the lookout for them in your own work.

 

 

Confession #1 – I often asked disempowering questions.

The questions asked of individuals living in poverty often point toward problems, deficits, and flaws, unintentionally ignoring both the inherent worth of every human created in God’s image and the capacity they have to be a part of their own solutions. I routinely asked what people’s problems were, which can be fine, but I failed to ask what capabilities they had. Notice the disempowering dynamic in my typical communication: 

  • You don’t have health insurance? OK, let’s see if your income is low enough for Medicaid. 
  • You are short on food? OK, let’s get you signed up for SNAP or send you to get free food at the food pantry.
  • You don’t have a place to live? OK, let’s see if you qualify for HUD. 
  • You don’t have a job? OK, let’s see if you qualify for unemployment benefits. 
  • You aren’t able to work? OK, let’s see if you qualify for disability income. 
  • You can’t clean your own home? OK, let’s see if you qualify for state-based in-home care.

These types of “What’s-wrong-with-you” questions and “how-can-I-fix-it” answers are harmful both to the person in poverty and those attempting to help alleviate it.

 

 

Confession #2 – I assumed that all needs required emergency relief.

Most people have the capacity to meet their own material needs by using their own abilities and relationships. When people are in poverty, it could be a result of a short-term crisis, which requires emergency relief, or it could be that their capacity to provide for themselves is impaired. In that case, they need development of their capacity, not mere temporary provision. On other occasions, people have the capacity to provide for themselves, but request emergency relief anyway. A system that assumes everyone needs relief all the time is ripe for abuse and poor results. Here are a few examples of assumptions and the results I have experienced:

  • A man reported needing help cleaning his bathroom and kitchen due to his disabilities. Caseworkers worked to get these services authorized through a government-funded program. Once authorized for the program, the caregiver noted that he was always in a hurry for her to finish the work so he could leave to tend to his extensive vegetable garden and work as a roofer for cash “under the table.” A developmental solution would address the root cause, be it lack of self discipline or skills training. Partnering with him (addressing chronicity) rather than doing for him (addressing crisis) to address the immediate need would encourage self-sufficiency over dependency.
  • A woman reported that she needed food, so workers assumed that her need was dire rather than attempting to determine the exact extent. After signing up for several programs, she had so much government-subsidized and donated food that she had to buy an additional freezer and pantry. Even then, she had so much food that there was no way she could consume it before it spoiled. Because her need was addressed as if it was a crisis, workers missed the opportunity to help her develop by addressing her underlying fear of running out of food.  
  • A man lost his ability to work and stayed on disability and other government assistance for several years. Caseworkers assumed that he was forever unable to work, when in fact he had delayed scheduling his surgery. After someone finally dug a little deeper and encouraged him to get his surgeries scheduled and complete physical therapy, he was able to get back to the work he loved.
  • Soup kitchen workers assumed a man who came daily for lunch did not have any other way to get a meal. The soup kitchen changed policy due to the pandemic and instead of hot meals they gave sandwich sack-lunches out the door. When asked why the man stopped coming for food, he said he was, “sick and tired of sandwiches,” and would rather eat his own food at home.
  • A woman put her name on the list in need of yard work at each bi-annual community clean-up day. Volunteers showed up to complete the work while her capable adult son sat inside playing video games. Volunteers stepping in when the son was capable took away the opportunity to strengthen the bond between mother and son. A developmental approach would have been for volunteers to work alongside the son, teaching him skills so that he would be able to do future maintenance himself.

Had workers dropped their assumption that all needs are relief needs and investigated further, they could have found much better solutions. If the need is determined to not be relief (i.e., crisis) but is instead developmental (i.e., chronic), throwing money or other material goods at the problem is not the answer. Developmental needs can only be met by opportunities that expand capacity such as relationship building, budget counseling, work readiness training, goal setting, and spiritual growth.

 

 

Confession #3 – I focused on our activity, not our results.

Most nonprofits and churches will agree that looking at the statistics related to our services is important to determine success. In many churches and nonprofits, success is defined in terms of the number of individuals in our programs, how many meals served, and other similar outputs. While there is nothing wrong with tracking these outputs, I was rarely attending to outcomes – long-run results.

The importance of HOW we define success and WHAT we measure cannot be overstated. I measured:

  • The number of budgeting classes offered and how many attended them. 
  • The number of completed home visits.
  • The number of support groups offered and how many participated.
  • The number of job skills classes offered and how many attended.
  • The dollars billed and received from Medicaid.

Better measurements would be:

  • The number of people able to complete a personal budget and amount of debt paid off as a result of budgeting classes.
  • Measurements of improved health among those who no longer need home visits.
  • Changes in social capital among those who participated in a support group.
  • The number of people who developed a resume and got a job as a result of job skills classes.
  • The number of people who no longer rely on Medicaid after gaining employment with health insurance benefits.

 

While we liked to tell ourselves our goal was to “work ourselves out of a job,” our actions did not reflect that aspiration. A more honest message was “we need to get more people on the program so we can bill more Medicaid dollars to be able to continue to pay our staff.” Private donors tend to reward nonprofits who can prove the program is changing lives. Thus, privately funded organizations have at least some pressure to show that people are graduating from their programs if at all possible. Government reimbursement structures compensate for the number of people remaining in the program. It made us feel good to say we wanted to work ourselves out of a job, but when our compensation grew with the quantity of the disabled who receive Medicaid and stayed in poverty, there was an underlying demand for people to remain in these conditions.

I didn’t know what I didn’t know. 

Thanks in large part to a True Charity Foundations Workshop in my community, I started to see what I had missed before. Once I saw the problem with disempowering questions, assuming that all needs were relief needs, and defining success inaccurately, I found myself asking, “Where do I go from here?” 

The good news is that there are effective alternatives. If you’re a part of a church or nonprofit that wants to move past these blind spots, our membership network offers tools and training to amplify your impact. If you’re already a member, check out our member’s portal to keep up to date with all of the tools we offer. And if you’d like us to bring a True Charity Foundations Workshop to your city, please reach out to me. There may be a leader in your community like me who doesn’t know what she doesn’t know. 

 

For Those Living in Poverty, Social Distance Is Not a New Problem

 


Avery West
Director of Community Initiatives

 

 

This article was originally published on WashingtonExaminer.com on January 4, 2021.

 

“Human touch is so important,” says Jocelyn Brisson, shelter manager at Watered Gardens Rescue Mission in southwest Missouri.

While many of us sorely feel the lack of human contact during the pandemic, most homeless individuals have experienced this relational loss for years. Human relationship, a look in the eye, a smile, a “How’ve you been?” is what those living on the streets care about most, Brisson says.

And she should know.

“I was a criminal, a 38-year meth addict, and I’ve been homeless most of my adult life,” she says. “My son and I lived in a cardboard box, and I fed him out of trash cans.”

Brisson learned about the power of human relationships at Watered Gardens. “I went there ‘cause I had to do 400 hours of community service. James and Marsha, who ran the place, they just loved me,” she says. “My hands would be all swollen from shooting dope, and they would just love me no matter what. I kept coming back because I craved that love so much.”

On the streets, Brisson formed the kind of relationships that stem from desperation. “You grasp at anything you can that is accepting because you feel all alone.”

Brisson paused. “But human touch is a healing thing. Marsha and I developed such a good friendship. She took the time to know who I really was when I didn’t even know who I was.”

Unfortunately, not all charity workers are so relational. “I’ve been in other agencies where it’s just ‘OK, get in line. Pass the buck. Here ya go. See ya later. Have a great day.’”

At the heart of this error is relief organizations’ misunderstanding of the nature of homelessness.

“There’s not having a place to live, and there’s homeless,” Brisson says. “My mom kicked me out when I was 18, and that was just not having a place to live. When I was deep in my addiction and had burned all my bridges, that’s when I became homeless, because I didn’t have anyone.”

Brisson isn’t alone in holding this view. A study by the Baylor Institute for Studies of Religion cited a Portland, Oregon, nonprofit organization leader saying, “People don’t become homeless when they run out of money. … They become homeless when they run out of relationships.”

A U.K. study by The Rock Trust found that relational programs (mentorship, befriending, etc.) made homeless youth more willing to ask for help, confident in practical tasks, likely to rebuild family ties, and able to support themselves.

Homelessness is less about a lack of money than a lack of relationships. In fact, Brisson’s “rock bottom” wasn’t when she had nothing to turn to, but no one.

When she turned to relationships rather than stuff, good begat good. “Marsha taught me how to balance a checkbook, basic hygiene, how to register my car. You have no idea how scared I was to register my car! But she believed in me.”

Today, Brisson works alongside people who live the life she left behind. She now passes on the gift she was given: vulnerable, messy, human relationships.

Those relationships sometimes require hard conversations. Back when she was on the streets, Brisson explains, “I was always giving in to my son because I didn’t wanna be bothered — I was getting high at the time. One time he said, ‘Do you not love me? You never discipline me.’”

“That’s always stuck with me. So when I’m with my residents, sometimes I get on them and tell them what they need to do to improve.” At the end of the day, they are always thankful for her tough love.

Of course, giveaways are invariably easier, but Brisson insists that mere material gifts just don’t work. “With handouts,” she says, “it’s all about survival mode.”

Today, with a master’s in social work, a fulfilling job, and real relationships, Brisson is no longer just surviving. “Now,” she says, “I’m in living mode.”

This year, let’s not sacrifice relationships for the sake of efficiency. In so doing, we risk robbing that human touch from those who need it most.

 

Learn more about True Charity here.

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RADIO INTERVIEW: The “What and Why” of the True Charity Initiative

TCI’s Savannah Aleckson and Nathan Mayo discuss the “what and why” of the True Charity Initiative with Katrina Hine of KNEO Radio in Neosho, Missouri.

 

Learn more about True Charity and Watered Gardens Ministries

When Your Donation Hurts More Than Helps

 


James Whitford
Executive Director

 

 

This article was originally published on JoplinGlobe.com on December 14, 2020.

 

The origin of the word “panhandler” is a mystery.

Some have suggested it was originally used as a reference to people who lived in the geographic panhandle of a state. Others suggest it derived from the Spanish “pan,” meaning bread, and still others simply tie it to the tin pan extended by a beggar on a sidewalk. One outdated dictionary defined panhandler by distinguishing the person as “able-bodied” in contrast to other beggars who aren’t.

More interesting is that panhandlers don’t use the term. They don’t “panhandle.” They “fly a sign.” This refers to a piece of cardboard or other simple material with a short message written on it, such as, “Anything helps,” or, “Will work for food,” to grab the attention of a passerby.

The fact that the giver and the recipient use different terminology is itself a sign that reads into the deeper cause of the problem: The ones who give to the need aren’t close enough to really understand it. If they did, they would do something more meaningful and less harmful than hand cash out a window.

Harmful?

Yes.

Consider these words of a man, Brett, who used to fly a sign on the streets of Joplin before he came into our ministry. From a recorded interview, “I’d go out there and do the ol’ flying the sign trick. I found that I can go out there and look really rough and fly a sign and get money off of people — that I could get me a little cash in my pocket. Through my addiction I was manipulating people — ‘will work for food’ — but my main thing was to get money in my pocket so I could get a drink. They didn’t know me from Adam and Eve. If they’d have just pulled over, sat down and talked with me, they would have known better why I was doing it. You’ve just got to get to know a person. Am I really helping him, or am I enabling him to stay in his addiction?”

Brett’s not alone. In a recent article on the subject published by Real Clear Policy, True Charity Initiative’s Nathan Mayo points out city surveys show about 90% of panhandlers are substance abusers. Furthermore, he reports that “panhandlers are only a fraction of the homeless and are predominately the chronically homeless,” whom the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration notes are more than twice as likely to be addicted to drugs or alcohol than non-chronically homeless people.

For most of us, we become acutely aware of our blessings at the holiday season. Consequently, we also become more aware of those who have less. That’s important. More important, though, is that once compassion is awakened, it’s stewarded beyond thoughtless charity based in shallow pity. God has given us compassion to do just what Brett suggested: pull over, sit down and talk, and know better. Then, we’ll learn a few things: It’s not called panhandling; there’s a person behind the sign made in the image of God who has a name; and most importantly, we’ll learn some way to really help without hurting.

 

This article is just the tip of the iceberg for the practical resources available through the True Charity Network. Check out all of the ways the network can help you learn, connect, and influence here.

Already a member? Access your resources in the member portal.

 

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Compassion & Calamity Webinar

 

Missed the webinar? Watch below!

Compassion & Calamity Webinar

 

 

For the first time in history, a single US president has declared a state of disaster for all 50 states. As our country reels from COVID-19 and the economic ramifications of stay-at-home orders, shuttered businesses, and lost jobs, it is likely that our communities will experience increasing need. As we navigate these unique challenges, you may find yourself wondering:

“How do principles of True Charity apply in the midst of a crisis?”

On Thursday, April 30th, Dr. Marvin Olasky, best-selling author of The Tragedy of American Compassion, and True Charity Initiative Executive Director James Whitford joined us for a compelling discussion to offer their expertise on what effective charity looks like in an unprecedented national crisis.

If you missed, you can watch it on-demand above!

 

True Charity University ‘7 Marks’ Courses

The 7 Marks of Effective Charity are major aspects of “true charity,” and these are adapted from Dr. Olasky’s book The Tragedy of American Compassion, and these are discussed quite a bit during the webinar.  Continue your learning by taking the 7 Marks courses at True Charity University – the first two courses are available at no cost!

 

Learn more about True Charity here.

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Charity Re-Invented: True Charity Summit 2019

https://youtu.be/80VOHQAxuTU
https://youtu.be/hVmW1z8cNEw
https://youtu.be/ofqEis3jPK4
 
Learn more about True Charity here.

Faithful Mentors Make the Difference

 

This article was originally published in Watered Gardens Ministries’ Rain Newsletter in Spring 2019.

 

As a student moves into the latter phases of the Forge program, a men’s recovery program operated by Watered Gardens Ministries in Joplin, Missouri, he is assigned a mentor – a Christian leader from the community who agrees to meet with him once a week until graduation.

It’s a relationship designed to last for about 6 months, and Forge Director Jamie Myers believes it’s a crucial component to student success.

“The opportunity for these students to have the input, influence, and wisdom of a godly Christian man who is willing to invest in their life is a rare and generous gift,” she said.

When Arlan Campbell agreed to become a Forge mentor, he got a lot more than he bargained for. And he couldn’t be happier about that. Arlan was paired up with Rick, and even though Rick graduated last fall, the two still get together every week. Arlan doesn’t see that ending anytime soon.

“Monday evenings with Rick are a highlight of my week,” Arlan said. “I’ve seen him grow, and then graduate, and now I continue walking with him in these ‘post-Forge’ phases of his life.”

Rick said, “[The Forge program] can teach us a lot about Bible study and Bible ethics, integrity, and how to be a good man but, with somebody like Arlan as a mentor, it gives you an example, in practice, of what that looks like.”

Arlan has tried to focus on a long-range vision both for Rick and for their mentor relationship, and he believes that vision has given their meetings together great meaning.

“I think a good mentor has to have a vision for the student’s potential that far exceeds what the student can see in himself at that moment,” Arlan said.

Sometimes for Arlan that’s meant holding Rick accountable in difficult times at work, or offering a listening ear and an encouraging word as Rick transitioned out of Forge upon graduation. And now it includes helping Rick see the ways he can begin to invest in other Forge students now that he serves as the live-in assistant for the Forge residence.

“I knew I was agreeing to enter into a relationship where I would provide encouragement, counsel, and accountability,” Arlan said, “but I didn’t know I’d also receive so much of that as well. Rick has such a heart for other people, and I’m glad to call him my friend.”

 

Interested in starting a mentoring program in your organization?  True Charity Network members have exclusive access to the Mentoring Program Model Action Plan (MAP), which provides a detailed how-to guide on planning and implementing effective and life-changing mentoring. 

You don’t need to be an organization, though, to start mentoring!  If you’re an individual wanting to begin a mentoring relationship but don’t know where to start, check out Life Deck, a faith-based mentorship tool that provides a framework that will walk you and a friend through a joint exploration of 20 life-categories over a period of forty weeks.

 

Those in need will work for food

 


Travis Hurley
Director of Advancement

 

“Will work for food.” That’s a common cardboard sign you’ll see from someone in need. And the response at Watered Gardens is, “You’ve got a deal.”

If someone wants to work for their food, they can earn what they need: work for an hour in the Watered Gardens Worth Shop and get a week’s worth of food.

Instead of a handout, this exchange preserves dignity and awakens worth in people, while also making a small break in the cycle of dependency that traps so many. It’s really a beautiful thing. And it happens more than 300 times every month.

But for those holding the keys to the majority of food donation storehouses, this exchange is problematic. In order to access food donations made to the large food bank in Southwest Missouri, Watered Gardens has been told to first remove any exchange aspect and simply give the food away.

Even if someone wants to work for it.

If the food banks only distributed federal food subsidies, this wouldn’t be an issue. Watered Gardens wouldn’t accept those anyway because a core principle for the mission is the belief that authentic charity is private and voluntary. Thus, the mission is 100 percent privately funded and resourced.

But the food bank doesn’t just distribute federally subsidized food. It also gets donations from private grocers such as Walmart. Watered Gardens would love to access those food donations, and local Joplin stores have even expressed an openness to partner, but a corporationwide contract with Feeding America prevents this.

Feeding America is a national network of food banks that includes the food bank in our region. Its compliance department’s effort to honor federal tax credit guidelines results in strict “no strings attached to food” language in its agreements with local charities.

The end result is that a mission such as Watered Gardens is faced with a choice. Agree to give the food away and have access to large stores of donated food or keep the work exchange in place and find the private food donations in other ways. Because of the mission’s philosophy and principles, it’s an easy choice to make. We’ll find private food donations in other ways.

That’s why in the month of May Watered Gardens is doing a “Feed the Need” food drive. With drop off locations at Food 4 Less, Christ’s Church of Oronogo, the 105.3 New Life radio station, and of course at the Watered Gardens Outreach Center located at 531 S. Kentucky, folks can donate food such as peanut butter, canned fruit, canned meats, pastas, etc.

The mission’s pantry is low. And so many people struggling with poverty and homelessness are willing to work for food. We need help from the community to ensure that the food they earn matches and even exceeds the quality of what they could get from a handout.[/et_pb_text][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.5.6″ _module_preset=”default” hover_enabled=”0″]

Travis Hurley is Director of Advancement for True Charity Initiative.

This article was originally published in the Joplin Globe on May 14th, 2018.

 

Learn more about True Charity and Watered Gardens.

Real change for those who panhandle

By Travis Hurley, published in the Joplin Globe on April 15th, 2018

 

“Anything will help.” That’s what the sign read as someone was panhandling in the parking lot of a popular local grocery store.

“Anything will help.” That’s an effective way of letting people know that no matter how little money they have on them, whatever they give can make a difference. Because, and let’s be real here, the “anything” being asked of you is a couple of bucks from your wallet or some of your loose change.

“Anything will help.” That’s also an effective way of letting people know that if they choose to do nothing, there may be something wrong within their hearts. Who doesn’t want to help, after all? Surely if “anything will help,” a person of compassion will give something. Right?

Right. And that’s why the sign works. It’s why people panhandling stay on the streets. If we weren’t giving of our resources, these folks wouldn’t be frequenting our street corners. But there they are. And in recent sessions, our city council has been discussing how best to address the situation.

To be clear, I don’t have a problem with a person standing on the corner with a sign asking for money. This is a free country, after all. I also don’t have a problem with people of compassion wanting to do something — anything — to help their fellow man. But I do have a problem with the premise.

Will “anything” actually help?

What if the statement on the cardboard sign isn’t true? What if giving money doesn’t actually help at all? Or worse yet, what if giving that loose change actually hurts the person you are trying to help?

In Robert Lupton’s “Toxic Charity,” he identifies a cycle of dependency that proved true over years of inner city development in Atlanta: Give to a person one time and you’ll elicit appreciation. Give a second time and you’ll elicit anticipation. A third time? Expectation. Give a fourth time and you’ll see entitlement set in. By the fifth time you give, a person becomes dependent on you for their basic needs.

Does the creation of dependency sound like help to you? And if people who keep receiving are becoming dependent, aren’t we who keep giving becoming paternal? That doesn’t sound helpful either.

At Watered Gardens, we don’t believe just “anything” will help. We believe there are some very specific “somethings” that actually will. That’s why we focus on building relationships, establishing goals with accountability, and encouraging some kind of exchange. This breaks the cycle of dependency and actually restores people to a place of dignity, responsibility and productivity. That is helpful.

It takes a lot more time, effort and collaboration from our community than a couple of bucks passed through our car windows. But if we really want to help, we should consider giving our money to local missions that are in it for the long haul, then volunteer our time there, too, as we are able. And if we see someone panhandling looking for change, maybe we send them to the mission that offers the real change they need.

 

Learn more about True Charity and Watered Gardens.

Lunch & Learn – 7 Marks of Effective Charity: God

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The 7 Marks of Effective Charity

Mark #7 God: Why Faith Makes a Difference

Thursday, May 10th
12:00pm – 1:30pm
Lunch is provided

(This course is state certified as a 1 hour continuing education credit for Missouri social workers)

Please RSVP – $5 Donation is Recommended

Location: Watered Gardens in the upstairs Willard Learning Center
531 S Kentucky Ave.
Joplin, MO 64801

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A True Charity Christmas

By Hannah Hull published in the Joplin Globe on 1/8/17

It was a great success. Every one said so. The Christmas dinner was delicious. We had turkey, ham, sweet potato casserole, stuffing, mashed potatoes with turkey gravy. There were presents for everyone; more than they could carry! There were decorations, cookies, carols, presents and food. Yes, the Christmas Eve celebration at the homeless shelter was a great success. What more could anyone ask for the day before Christmas?

As my husband and I gathered our things to leave the shelter and head home for the holidays, we saw a young man walk past us. He was headed for who knows where to do who knows what, so we smiled at him and said cheerfully, “Merry Christmas!” His blood shot eyes looked right through us as he shouldered his threadbare backpack, which was now full of Christmas goodies from the recent celebration. His mouth quivered a little as he mumbled, “There hasn’t been a good one yet.” With that, he walked away, leaving us silent and confused. Never been a good one yet? But what about what we just did? What about the food and the presents and the songs? Wasn’t that as good of a Christmas as it gets?

It wasn’t until later that night, as I sat around a table filled with family and laughter that I realized we hadn’t given him Christmas at all. He didn’t want presents or food. His need wasn’t for carols or cookies. His real need, the need of his heart, was to feel like he belonged, like he was part of a family.

This young man reminded me that True Charity isn’t about meeting the surface needs, it is all about getting down to the heart of the issue. When we look at poverty, it is tempting to see only the surface issues and miss the bigger picture. It is tempting to look at the homeless and say the problem is “they don’t have a house.” The response to this surface problem is, “give them a house.” After all, “a housed person isn’t homeless.” It is tempting to see someone who is hungry and think food is the answer. It is tempting to see someone holding a sign that says “homeless, anything helps” and think money is going to solve their problems. But all of these solutions attempt to fix only the surface of poverty, not the root cause.

True Charity isn’t about filling a superficial need, it is about filling the most important need. Did that young man need food? Sure. Did he need the socks and gloves we gave as gifts? Sure. But he will need those things again tomorrow, and the next day and he will still have no way of providing them for himself because no one dared to explore the deeper issues of a broken family and feelings of abandonment.

Poverty is more complex than a house, or a meal, or money. Poverty goes far beyond what a person might lack physically. It is a lack of experience, emotional maturity, spirituality, skill, education, family, support systems and a host of other things a person needs to succeed. Poverty is complex because people are complex. It looks different for each person.  As compassionate people who want to serve the poor, we must be very careful that our charity is getting to the root problem. We must look beyond the superficial to the broken heart within and engage that heart with compassion. We must all strive toward effective, True Charity.

Join the Initiative today.

Hannah Hull

Regional Director of True Charity Initiative

 

Toxic Charity and Its Business Affiliations

By James Whitford, originally printed in the Joplin Regional Business Journal

A small group of company leaders visited the mission recently to tour and then discuss ways to partner. We wound our way through the century old building and then through the new annex and upstairs to our learning center.  There, we sat and talked about the issue of poverty and some of what I’ve learned over nearly 20 years of work in the urban mission field.  Something in that discussion cued me to pick up a piece of chalk and begin teaching the 5 Steps to Dependency from Bob Lupton’s Toxic Charity.  He proposes that one way handouts elicit a cascade of responses in the recipient:

Appreciation -> Anticipation -> Expectation -> Entitlement -> Dependency.  

I went on, sharing that the march to dependency through both welfare and thoughtless charity not only hurts those we want to help, but adversely affects us all.  One way transactions not only lead the recipients into dependency but the benefactors into paternalism. Our simple redistribution of goods to the poor may feel good at first but soon decays to a bitter and unhealthy end for us, as well:

Exhilaration -> Purpose -> Necessary -> Essential -> Paternal.

I’ve summarized this parallelism at many times with different groups, but never have I had the response this one gave me. “You must come speak to our management team.”  They went on to explain their own problem of entitlement describing it as pervasive through hundreds of their downline staff.  

A week or so later, I was surprised to receive a follow up call to join them at their management meeting. I admit I felt more than a bit strange as I sat on the front row waiting to be introduced.  What place does an inner city missionary have to advise a room full of business managers? I hit the main points and we went into Q and A. I only remember one question and I remember it because I feared it would come. “So what advice would you give us to deal with our employees who act so entitled?” It was the crux of their invitation.

We talked about the importance of clear expectations and, no less critical, holding to them. I learned that somewhere along the route, this company’s management had let their employees off the hook.  What hook? The one they agreed to be on.

I know. The labor market is not exactly teeming with applicants who have timeliness, reliability and effort in their DNA.  But the relaxation of agreed upon expectations is the slippery slope to an entitlement mentality. It does no one any good and as virtuous compassionate employers, we want to do good especially to those we employ.

It’s vital we understand that each individual’s reverent regard for expectations within agreements is not just fundamental to healthy markets. It’s fundamental to the preservation of individual dignity.  That freedom to enter into any contract through mutual agreement is essential to individualism because integral to any agreement is a representation of the individual’s offer and desire, what he can do for what he wants.  And to expect less than what one said he can do is an affront to his individuality and dignity.  

That is not unilateral.  It is for both parties who, through unregulated negotiation, reach an equilibrium for a mutually beneficial transaction.  For an employer to allow below par performance (without a proportional adjustment in remuneration) is to shift that equilibrium out of balance. It equates to a handout.  And the effect of handouts in the workplace is no different than handouts in the ministry.  It’s only a matter of time before an employee advances to Lupton’s stage 4, Entitlement, suffering injury to his self-assurance and self-worth.

My advice is to follow the wise teacher’s exhortation: Let your yes be yes and your no be no. And out of care and concern for your employees, hold them to the same.

 

This article is just the tip of the iceberg for the practical resources available through the True Charity Network. Check out all of the ways the network can help you learn, connect, and influence here.

Already a member? Access your resources in the member portal.

 

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Toxic Charity vs. Effective Compassion

Aug 29, 2013

James Whitford, Watered Gardens Executive Director, led a discussion on compassion in America, and how a proper view of Compassion should include personal challenge and accountability. Specifically, he addressed 5 marks of Effective Compassion.

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Leadership Forum 2012

From the looming deficit in Washington to the poor who remain dependent on Washington, the growing welfare state is hurting more than it’s helping. There has never been so important a moment in our history for the Church to be both a voice and a force for reform, to provide just and effective alternatives to state welfare, to empower and ennoble the poor, and to take up again the mantle of true and effective charity.

Videos

 

Introduction to True Charity

James Whitford

It is not an outlandish statement; how we care for our fellow man is hinged to the preservation of our liberty in America. The current “safety net” for the poor as the answer to a cry for help is but a trap that is no less expensive than it is oppressive. We will examine the problem from the “street level” view and address the question, “What is true, just, and effective charity?”

Economics in Christian Perspective

Victor Claar, Ph.D.

Though it has been dubbed the “dismal science”, economics has some marvelous lessons to teach us about the ways we may effectively serve each other. This talk combines sobering analysis and Christian principles to offer a vision of hope.

Charity Never Fails: Thinking Right

Ed Emery

The nature, design, and functional character of government are distinctly different from that of the individuals, community, or church. Consequently, expectations must be modified, and assignments must align with the functional strengths and weaknesses of each one.

The Nightmare of the Kingdom Without the King

Eric Laverentz

In America of 2012 we are reckoning with a government that has acquired great power and accrued great debt under the guise of compassion and mercy. How has the Church helped to create this circumstance? How has the delegation of the care of the poor and the old, and even our families led to this? What moral decisions has the Church made that have helped create our times?

Solidarity with the Poor

James Whitford

Right strategy begins with the right understanding. More than a viewpoint, embracing solidarity with the poor is key to disabling dependency and a consumerist mentality in the poor. Exercising Christ’s model of solidarity is a vital component to setting man free from want and helping him find joy in production.

Envy and Markets: How Do We Deal with Inequality?

Victor Claar, Ph.D.

Freely-functioning markets create opportunities that both elevate the poor and permit us to discover our vocational callings. Yet market outcomes are not equal outcomes, creating occasions for the deadly sin of envy. This talk discusses the socially corrosive sin of envy, and explores its potential remedies.

Charity Never Fails: Acting Right

Ed Emery

Because government has no soul, it cannot have a relationship. Government does not relate to people; it classifies them. True charity is the expression of a relationship, whether brief or eternal, that accommodates demands and accountability on both sides.

Waking Up from a Daydream of Christ Without His Kingdom

Eric Laverentz

In the last election, America made a clear decision to expand government power and debt. What can the Church do to reclaim her full witness and be the salt and light that America needs? Through a reliance on the Holy Spirit, tithing, real hope, and resistance, the Church can be the Church in a difficult age.

About the Speakers

 

Victor Claar

Professor of Economics, Henderson State University

Author of Fair Trade? Its Prospects as a Poverty Solution and co-author of Economics in Christian Perspective, Victor has also written for a variety of journals including the Journal of Markets and Morality. He is an active lecturer at the Acton Institute for the Study of Religion and Liberty in Grand Rapids.

 

 

Eric Laverentz

Senior Pastor, Stanley Presbyterian Church, Kansas City

Eric is a political science major from Truman State University with graduate degrees in Religion and Christian Ethics from Princeton Theological Seminary and Vanderbilt University. He also holds a doctorate in Pastoral Theology from Pittsburgh Theological Seminary. He is currently the senior pastor at Stanley Presbyterian Church in Kansas City and is the recent author of Is Caesar our Savior? Why Only the Church Can Keep Any Nation Free.

 

Ed Emery

State Congressman, Author, and Consultant

Ed is an engineering graduate from the University of Missouri and a four-term Missouri State Congressman. He is known as a champion of free market solutions, individual liberties, education reform, and protecting the traditional family. He holds two Legislator of the Year awards, is currently the Executive Director of Missouri Fair Tax and founder of his consulting business, Character Returns!

 

James Whitford

Executive Director, Watered Gardens Gospel Rescue Mission

James holds a doctorate from the University of Kansas Medical Center in Physical Therapy. He was a wound care specialist and clinical lecturer for 12 years.He and his wife Marsha co-founded Watered Gardens Ministries in Joplin, MO, in 2000. He continues to serve as the ministry’s executive director and currently leads the Joplin Area Ministerial Alliance Network, a charity-tracking tool, and association of more than 50 churches and charities in the Joplin area.