BOOK REVIEW: BEYOND POVERTY BY TERRY DALRYMPLE

 

In Beyond Poverty: Multiplying Sustainable Community Development, Terry Dalrymple gives a vision to overcome worldwide poverty. The solution, however, is not through the state but the church. He sees the answer also being a movement that is able to multiply.

The author of this book served on the mission field before joining Medical Ambassadors International (MAI), where he was trained in Community Health Evangelism (CHE). He founded and is current coordinator of the Global CHE Network, and is cofounder and current VP of the Alliance for Tranformational Ministry. Additionally, he is an instructor at the Genevea Institute for Leadership and Public Policy at the United Nations.

Dalrymple points out that while there are physical aspects in dealing with poverty, the root is the evil in our hearts. While faith in Christ alone may not irradicate poverty, the transformation in the believer's life should be visible so said transformation becomes contagious to the community and beyond. He gives examples how some belief systems help keep others poor, and in one segment Dalrymple illustrates how latrines can be a sign of spiritual growth.

There are five fundamental principles of what Dalrymple calls "wholistic transformational ministry:

1. Integration of the physical and the spiritual;
2. Asset-based development (funded not by outsiders but by what the participants have access to);
3. Community ownership of the ministry;
4. Multiplication; and
5. Self-discovery.

One powerful point of the book is an inclusion of a pair of warehouses built in the third world. One was funded by an outsider, and it looked functional. The second had been built by the contributions of the villagers who were going to be using it, and that warehouse was a solid, well built building.

Dalrymple gives examples of how CHE has changed communities around the world in the villages of Asia, Africa, and South America. 

If you want to be a part of the solution to the poor, I highly recommend that you acquire this powerful little book and consider how you can impact the lives of others. He gives information how to get involved in CHE.

Let me add an item. How many of you have a former room-mate who addressed the U.N.? I've known Terry since we attended Southwestern College (now Arizona Christian University) in Phoenix, Arizona in the late '70's. Is that why I highly recommend this book? No! I believe it is well worth reading.

If you are interested in learning more about the Global CHE Network, you can check their webpage at www.chenetwork.org.