Beyond Charity: The Call to Christian Community Development

Perkins offers a concise call to Christian development. Basing his view of development in love, he urges people to encounter God’s love so they can transform others.Pastoral and practical with anecdotes that don’t overwhelm the text but enlighten it, Perkins is masterful in crafting a form of Christian Community Development.

this book is a great introduction into pursuing christian community development. It says some tough things and i wish more african american churches would engage their communities in this way.

In some respects this book reminded me of Bonhoeffer's (1954) Life together: The classic exploration of faith in community ([1st ed.). NY: Harper. I realize die-hard Bonhoeffer fans may scoff at this (smile) but I think in intent, Perkins is calling us to recalibrate our thinking about the purpose of community development and the active role each has. Remember the context - 1992, post LA flames and looting. Perkins claimed, "It is time for us to prove that the purpose of the gospel is to reconcile alienated people to God and to each other, across racial, cultural, social and economic barriers" (p. 18). Perkins then proceeds to build his case by discussing vision, gospel, and the messengers.A good read that fires you up for action within your community!

30 years old and still relevant. The need for us to reach out to the poor and oppressed is still there. Pekins is moving Christians to a place of humility and action. A must read.

Dr. Perkins has an incredible amount of wisdom to share on the subject of Christian Community Development. This is a must-read book for all the church. It reveals the pitfalls of urban ministry and often selfish motivations of the those serving. It illustrates God's heart for the poor and how we are God's ambassadors for reconciliation through the Gospel. Grandpa Perkins as he is affectionately known truly love's the Lord with all his heart and love's his neighbor as himself.

This book is a philosophy and outline for ministry among the American poor, emphasizing the role of God's people in moving beyond charity to uplifting ministry based on building relationships and program development within communities. The book is divided into three sections consisting of vision (for ministry that goes beyond charity), gospel (bridging theology with specific practices of ministry), and messenger (directed towards those considering a role in these types of ministry).Good: The book is founded on Perkins' years of personal experience and knowledge of social ministry in helping at-risk populations and improving neighborhoods. The stories he shares of ministry successes in Pasadena, CA and Mendenhall, MS are powerful and compelling, as are the numerous people he cites that have had similar successes. Also particularly useful are his six marks of an authentic church, his eight factors that create an environment of hope in communities, and his chapter on discerning God's will.Bad: Perkins has a definite anti-welfare and conservative political perspective, which is noticable in a few places. This is coupled with the fact that he is writing primarily to church-folk who are interested in church ministries, and leads to a total neglect of prescription for government involvement in the fight to reduce poverty and produce justice. Perkins needs to be more biblically-based in this regard - see Psalm 72. Lobbying for governmental involvement is important for impacting the structural base of poverty.Opinion: In spite of the one significant area of disagreement mentioned above, this is an invaluable handbook for Christian social ministry. I recommend it without reservation.Best Quote: I believe there is only one group of people in society who can overcome these obstacles [to solutions of urban poverty]. God's people have solutions that are qualitatively different from any other approach to the poor. The best that God's people have to offer is relationships with the poor that reflect the kind of careful, quality attention we have in our own families. This is the high quality of relationships offered by people seeking to "love their neighbor as themselves."

Perkins is as relevant today as when this was written. Deeply rooted in love and a robust Christology, Beyond Charity is a wise and heartfelt call to incarnate into the inner city and raise disciples there as Jesus did.

Excellent book for a time such as this! A must read for those considering this call!!

Perkins is a 'down to earth' writer. Beyond Charity is an easy read with excellent principles for any Church who plans to reach into their communities hoping to make a difference to those within the neighborhood. Perkins brings awareness in helping the marginalized with not just giving, but empowering towards self sufficiency. You can give a man a fish and he will eat for a day; teach a man how to fish and he will eat for a year; but if you teach a man how to "own the Pond" he can become self sufficient and can help others, as well as himself. All Christians and leaders should read this book. Excellent read!!