Government food aid should foster dignity, not dependence—linking assistance to work can restore purpose and break the cycle of relief-driven poverty.

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The Church must take a closer look at God’s design, digging out its implications in how we care for the poor—replacing one-way, transactional charity with the relational stewardship of the poor's resources and abilities.

This article was originally published with the Institute for Faith & Culture.

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In about every way imaginable, government has made a mess of welfare, turning the war on poverty into a war against the poor. It’s time for the church to respond with the biblical charity it’s uniquely positioned to dispense. 

You can purchase In The Shadow of Plenty: Biblical Principles for Caring for the Poor here. If you purchase it through this link, True Charity will earn a small amount as an Amazon Associate.

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Collaboration is commonly upheld as a panacea for better poverty alleviation efforts, yet it rarely works in practice. What’s killing it and how can we help it live up to the hype?

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 God's Word reveals that helping the poor isn’t just about money. Instead, it’s about investing yourself in relationships that guide, inspire, and hold others accountable. This type of care is what leads to a truly flourishing life. 

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Sparrow’s Nest in St. Charles County, Missouri, shifted from maternity care to offering low-cost childcare for parents working to grow their earning capacity and parent-child relationships. Here’s what they’ve learned along the way.

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From our 2025 True Charity Summit national conference ('Ascend'): a breakout session by Rich Schaus of the Gospel Rescue Mission Muskogee, OK.

Working with the poor is a task not for the faint of heart. The emotional rollercoaster of experiencing the ups and downs of those that we love and serve can drain the stoutest of us. This session will focus on helping the poverty warrior not merely be resilient but also on how some basic disciplines can help them become anti-fragile.

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From our 2025 True Charity Summit national conference ('Ascend'): a breakout session by Victor Van Herreweghe of the Gospel Rescue Mission of Muskogee.

Develop a theological understanding of the Biblical support for the True Charity model. In this session, we will look at the Jewish law of Tzedakah (Charitable giving) and biblical passages (i.e. Leviticus 25:35-55). We will then identify ways to reach out to religious organizations in our home community and identify quickly whom to focus on. Finally, we will complete a handout that will help us work through making a plan to reach the religious community with the intent of teaching and influencing the True Charity model.

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From our 2025 True Charity Summit national conference ('Ascend'): a breakout session by Krystal Perkins of True Charity.

We will work together in this session to enhance your grant writing skills. Come gain a deeper understanding of funders' perspectives, recognize the importance of research, and gain insights into how foundations approach using artificial intelligence in grant writing. 

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From our 2025 True Charity Summit national conference ('Ascend'): a breakout session by Douglas Bodde of City Union Mission.

Gospel rescue missions represent over $2 billion in private Christian expenditures addressing poverty and homelessness. With this in mind, it's important to consider whether the current model produces a significant level of successful, self-sufficient outcomes. We will review current data and investigate an alternative, entrepreneurial and educational model founded on a rich, historical Christian view of human flourishing. 

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From our 2025 True Charity Summit national conference ('Ascend'): a breakout session by Jennifer Reed of Switchpoint Industries.

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From our 2025 True Charity Summit national conference ('Ascend'): a breakout session by Mary Margaret Bush of Napa Legal.

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From our 2025 True Charity Summit national conference ('Ascend'): a breakout session by Dan Remmenga of c3cultivation.

Finding new donors takes patience. Sometimes prospecting feels like looking for a needle in a haystack. Where should we look? Should we buy a list of names from other organizations? How do we contact potential donors when we do find them?

Here's the truth: your current donors give to you for a reason. Knowing why they give will unlock the key to finding new donors, and save you time, money, effort, and aggravation. Stop looking in haystacks, because your new donors are in plain sight—if you know where to look.

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From our 2025 True Charity Summit national conference ('Ascend'): a breakout session by Lora Petitt and Kirk Vander Molen – Love in the Name of Christ (Love INC).

This workshop is designed to help cast the vision and offer practical steps for churches to work together for community outreach. Drawing on Biblical principles and the church networking experience of Love In the Name of Christ (Love INC), participants will explore how to articulate a vision, overcome common challenges, build effective church collaboration, and develop practical outreach strategies. The workshop will include exploring scripture, providing real-world examples, facilitating collaborative input, and offering actionable steps for creating a unified impact in the community.

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From our 2025 True Charity Summit national conference ('Ascend'): a breakout session by Bethany Herron, Kayla Palacios, and Debbi Akers.

Join experienced leaders as they unveil the secrets behind their innovative programs that help neighbors secure meaningful employment. Discover common pitfalls to avoid, key factors to consider, and practical insights supported by real-world examples. Gain valuable tools, explore program logistics, and engage in collaborative discussions to transform your existing ministry or launch a new one with confidence.

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From our 2025 True Charity Summit national conference ('Ascend'): a breakout session by Erin Trowbridge of MissionTracker.

In this presentation, we delve into how even the smallest non-profit can transform raw data into compelling stories that resonate with donors, volunteers, and the community. Understand the difference between outputs and outcomes, and see how intuitive dashboards can reflect the care you provide and the successes you achieve. Through engaging case studies, discover how other organizations like yours use data to narrate their impact and secure the resources they need.

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From our 2025 True Charity Summit national conference ('Ascend'): a breakout session by Jules Glanzer of The Timothy Group.

All leaders of non-profit organizations are bi-vocational fundraisers. When raising funds for a Christian ministry or organization, we are engaged in a holy partnership with the Lord himself. We will explore effective fundraising actions that lead to increased charitable giving for your ministry. You’ll leave with 13 specific practical actions to increase your fundraising capacity.

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From our 2025 True Charity Summit national conference ('Ascend'): a breakout session by Bethany Herron, Sonya Stearns, Traci Newell, and Megan Rose.

Join seasoned leaders as they share the secrets behind their innovative programs to strengthen families. Learn mistakes to avoid, factors to consider, practical advice and examples, program logistics, and tools. Ask questions and collaborate about changing your existing ministry and implementing a new one.

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From our 2025 True Charity Summit national conference ('Ascend'): a breakout session by Jeremy Van Groll of Nonprofit Bookkeeping.

Ready to take control of your nonprofit’s financial future? This breakout session is designed to demystify restricted funding, providing you with the tools and knowledge to manage these funds effectively. Whether navigating restricted donations for the first time or looking to streamline your existing processes, this session will empower you to track every dollar with confidence, ensuring compliance and maximizing your organization’s impact. By the end of this session, you’ll be equipped with the confidence and expertise to manage restricted funds efficiently, ensuring your nonprofit’s resources are used to their fullest potential while building lasting trust with your supporters.

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From our 2025 True Charity Summit national conference ('Ascend'): a breakout session by Adam Gibbs of the Foundation for Government Accountability (FGA).

In this session, our partners at the Foundation for Government Accountability will share insights on relevant issues at the federal level, equipping you with a deeper understanding of the systemic challenges and opportunities for change. You’ll learn strategies to advocate for policies promoting dignity, economic mobility, and long-term solutions at the federal level.

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From our 2025 True Charity Summit national conference ('Ascend'): a breakout session by Kevin Moore of Mission Increase.

Do you have a strategy for recruiting, equipping, and retaining your volunteers? In this session, you'll learn a proven model for multiplying your volunteer team. We’ll explore a Biblical perspective on developing volunteers, design a practical system for tracking and equipping them, and discover how to empower your volunteers to help recruit others. This simple, effective process has already helped thousands of nonprofits mobilize volunteers to serve others. Join us for a fun and practical session—and watch your nonprofit thrive!

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From our 2025 True Charity Summit national conference ('Ascend'): a breakout session by Jules Glanzer of The Timothy Group.

Ministries depend on volunteers and donors to fulfill their mission. What motivates people to get involved? We will explore the motivations of people and what you can do to increase participation in your ministry.  

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From our 2025 True Charity Summit national conference ('Ascend'): a breakout session by Todd Milby of Catapult.

What is the biggest barrier to your organization achieving its mission? 

Leadership plays a critical role in shaping an organization’s impact. The best leaders recognize that self-awareness is key to unlocking both their own and their team’s full potential.

Under stress, we all have patterns that can unintentionally hold us back. But have you ever considered what it’s like to be on the other side of you?

Our leadership coaching helps you gain deeper self-awareness, develop emotional intelligence, and sharpen decision-making skills—leading to stronger teams, greater job satisfaction, and better retention.

Here’s what you’ll gain from this session:

1. Increased Self-Awareness – Understand how your leadership style influences others, especially under stress, and recognize any tendencies that might limit your effectiveness.
2. Enhanced Emotional Intelligence – Build skills to manage emotions, respond intentionally under pressure, and lead with greater empathy.
3. Sharper Decision-Making – Make more thoughtful, effective choices that align with your organization’s goals and create lasting impact.

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From our 2025 True Charity Summit national conference ('Ascend'): a breakout session by Justin Lonas of The Chalmers Center. 

Local churches and community ministries that provide goods and services often struggle to develop and implement an effective benevolence ministry.

• You may feel overwhelmed by the needs in your community.
• You may feel powerless to help people in the "right way."
• You may feel frustrated because long-term change is hard to see.
• You may be afraid of "doing it wrong" or enabling destructive habits.

Helping someone move from crisis to long-term change feels overwhelming, messy, and complicated. Without the skills and confidence to apply a biblical framework for poverty alleviation to your benevolence ministry, it can be hard to move your ministry forward from just a transactional meeting of needs to a healthy, relationship-based, transformational approach.

In this breakout, we'll unfold a biblical vision for effective benevolence and talk about five key elements of a sustainable church or nonprofit benevolence program:

1. Defining your mission and policy
2. Building a welcoming intake process
3. Building participatory action plans with ministry participants
4. recruiting, training, and retaining volunteers
5. Building effective church and community partnerships for wrap-around services.

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From our 2025 True Charity Summit national conference ('Ascend'): a breakout session by KC Johnson of Kingdom Business Consulting.

The goals of this session are to

1. Empower leaders and mentors with the skills to inspire a shift in mindset among communities entrenched in poverty and constrained by various barriers.
2. Focus on strategies for aligning an individual's personal values and fostering a sense of impact, aiming to ignite their motivation for positive transformation.

This educational content is just the tip of the iceberg for practical resources available through the True Charity Network. Check out how it can help you learn, connect, and influence here.

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