CPP #608 – Rethinking Poverty with Brian Fikkert

What if the way we think about poverty is all wrong? In this episode, Chestly Lunday sits down with Brian Fikkert, co-author of When Helping Hurts and founder of the Chalmers Center, to unpack why many well-meaning church strategies can actually do more harm than good.

Brian shares his journey from economics professor to equipping churches around the world to serve the poor in ways that honor their dignity and relationships. Together, Chestly and Brian dig into questions like:

• Why is poverty more than just a lack of material resources?
• How can churches avoid treating symptoms and instead address the deeper, relational causes of poverty?
• What does it look like to shift from building orphanages to strengthening families?
• How can marketplace ministry and meaningful work become central to mission strategy?

Whether you’re a church planter, pastor, or just someone wrestling with how to serve the vulnerable in your community, this conversation will challenge and inspire you to rethink what it truly means to help without hurting.

Resources and Links Mentioned in this Episode:

• Chalmers
• Reliant Mission: reliant.org/cpp
• NewBreed Training

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