Since its inception, the Chalmers Center has focused on equipping the local church and its missionaries to embody Jesus Christ by ministering to the physical, social, and spiritual needs of poor people. The Center is NOT opposed to para-church ministries. They too play a vital role in the fight against poverty. But if we want to minister holistically, addressing people’s spiritual needs in addition to their physical and social needs, then we must engage the local church in ministry to the poor, for God has committed the administration of the gospel to the local church.

Unfortunately, most poverty alleviation efforts ignore or even undermine the ministry of the local church. This is a huge mistake, for the church is God’s primary agent for transforming individuals, communities, and nations through its proclamation—in both word and deed—that Jesus Christ is bringing healing to every square inch of the cosmos. 

In reality, churches are often the most trusted and stable institutions in low-income communities around the world. Long after donor funds have dried up and outside programs have disappeared, local churches will still be there, representing Jesus Christ to the blind, the lame, and the poor.

In a world that is full of uncertainty and instability, there is simply not a lower-risk, higher-return investment than the only institution about which Jesus Christ said, " …I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it" (Matthew 16:18).