Marvin Olasky: Individualized approach

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No widow may be put on the list of widows unless she is over sixty, has been faithful to her husband, and is well known for her good deeds, such as bringing up children, showing hospitality, washing the feet of the Lord’s people, helping those in trouble and devoting herself to all kinds of good deeds. 1 Timothy 5:9-10

“The individualized approach of effective compassion recognizes that two persons in exactly the same material circumstances but with different histories, abilities, and values may need different treatment—ranging from material help to new skills to a spiritual challenge and a push. Historically, this approach is one that produced results. Those who were orphaned, elderly, or disabled received aid. Jobless adults who were “able and willing to work” received help in job finding. And “those who prefer to live on alms” and those of “confirmed intemperance” were not entitled to material assistance.”

Marvin Olasky in Renewing American Compassion (New York: The Free Press, 1996), 156.

If your church or ministry gives mass handouts to all comers, I want to encourage you to stop that work altogether.

The research of Olasky and others reveals that such programs look great, but they do more harm than good. They don’t address the deeper issues that each individual has, but allow them to continue. Alternatively, today’s Scripture reveals that the early church took what Olasky calls an “individualized approach” to effective compassion.

In Ephesus, the context for 1 Timothy, they had a list with criteria for those for those who were to receive aid.

But this was not a localized response. Elsewhere to the church in Thessalonica, the Apostle Paul reminded them that those who can work, must work. He adds that they were not willing to work, they should not be able to eat. This reveals that they had criteria to determine if people should be added to a “list” to receive aid or not.

Right now they are building lists in Malawi related to Palmful of Maize.

As children (and Sunday School teachers, pastors, and church members) across 12 of 28 districts give maize, 100% of it stays in the district. 80% is shared with the poor who make it on to a list showing they comply with biblical standards to receive aid, 10% is sold for advancing the vision in Malawi, and 10% is sold for spreading the vision to other countries.

This Christmas, give to GTP to help the poorest of poor solve their own hunger problems with in individualist approach.