Our Approach

At the Chalmers Center, we think differently about poverty. Watch the video below to learn more:

We want to flip the script of poverty relief, moving churches and ministries from short-term handouts to lasting transformation.

We believe poverty is about relationships

Poverty isn’t just a lack of stuff. It’s the result of broken relationships that affect all of us—poor and non-poor alike. Real change only happens as Jesus heals these broken relationships.
We equip local churches and ministries

We create resources to help you understand poverty differently and equip you to love the poor in effective, biblical ways.
We practice what we preach.

The principles and practices in our resources are proven best practices. We’ve field-tested our ideas in the U.S. and around the world with our partners.

Listen

We listen to the voices of the church, experts in the poverty alleviation field, and the materially poor to identify ways we can equip churches and ministries.
Design

We design and create biblically-integrated approaches and resources for churches and ministries that are tailored to the lives of people in poverty.

Test

We field-test and refine our approaches to poverty with our network of innovation partners in the U.S. and around the world.
Scale

When an idea works, we share it with others! We scale our innovations through like-minded partner organizations who integrate our approaches into their existing programs and networks.

Whether you’re just starting out or have walked alongside people who are poor for years, Chalmers can help you discover better ways to love the poor.