Skip to Main

Work with Chalmers to apply principles and tools from When Helping Hurts in your ministry

Apply to have a Chalmers representative help your church or nonprofit integrate helping without hurting principles and tools in your ministry context.

Submit a Request
  • Discover how to effectively serve your low-income neighbors
  • Share a vision for sustainable, effective ministry
  • Learn how to implement helping without hurting principles
  • Transform your ministry’s approach to poverty

Walking alongside your church or organization’s ministry participants without creating unhealthy dependencies can feel impossible.

  • People are more familiar with a hand-outs approach
  • Lasting change takes time
  • Updating programs is a major undertaking
  • You’re not sure what you need to change

Without help, it’s hard to move forward.

Submit a Request

At Chalmers, we often get asked very specific questions about specific areas of ministry, “What do we do next?”

But poverty is complex, and poverty alleviation strategies are too. There often isn’t just one right answer to each situation, no one-size-fits-all formula for transformation.

There are, though, principles and practices that flow from what God tells us in Scripture about who people are created to be and where the story He is telling is heading. Every ministry effort is going somewhere, and we want to help you work in the right direction.

We can’t answer every question, but we can help you ask better questions and identify next steps for ministry through your church or organization.

Case Study: Matt & Maurice

While the causes of poverty are certainly complex, a Chalmers Ambassador can help.

Many churches and ministries want to help, but struggle to know how to effectively serve their low-income neighbors in ways that don’t lead to unhealthy dependencies.

Chalmers has trained a network of certified Ambassadors to help your church or ministry understand and apply Chalmers’ foundational principles, practices, and tools for poverty alleviation.

They’re ready to help you think through what you’re already doing and identify next steps for your unique situation.

Meet the Chalmers Ambassadors

Our Ambassadors have completed a rigorous training program that prepares them to present Chalmers’ principles, resources, and tools for developing a biblical framework for poverty alleviation.

Over the course of 10-weeks, Ambassadors gain mastery of our core concepts, tools and products, and adult learning best practices.

In addition, our Ambassadors also have extensive experience in various ministry sectors. If your church or ministry is looking for support in a particular sector, we will work to match you with an Ambassador familiar with your ministry sector.

Matt Worley

Suzanne Burns

Nancy Friesen

Scott Turbeville

Jason Beck

Katy Wrona

Jen Cameron

Lisa Sheltra

Kateri Gill

How to Work with Chalmers

(Only available in the U.S., Canada, and Australia at this time)

  • Share Your Idea
    • Get buy-in from your church or organizational leadership to work with Chalmers
  • Submit Application
    • Submit an application to be matched with a Chalmers Ambassador
  • Get Connected
    • Get connected to one of our 50+ certified Chalmers Ambassadors around the U.S. and Canada
  • Host Your Meeting
    • Make a plan with your Ambassador to host a meeting or event at your church or ministry
Submit a Request

You don’t have to stay “stuck”

Frustrated by roadblocks to transformation in your church, organization, or community? Have you wished you could share a biblical approach to poverty with people in your church or ministry?

Chalmers can help!

By working with a Chalmers Ambassador, you can present a better way of addressing poverty with your church or organization and discover how to make changes that will help your ministry be more effective for the long haul.

What you’ll gain from working with a Chalmers Ambassador

  • A shared vision of the goal of God’s story of change
  • A solid foundation in Chalmers’ biblical framework for poverty alleviation
  • An understanding of how Chalmers’ principles of poverty alleviation apply to your context
  • Encouragement for your ministry as you work alongside those in your community
  • Ability to identify changes that will make your ministry more effective
  • Ability to ask a Chalmers’ representative questions about your specific ministry

Apply for Chalmers to Connect with Your Church or Organization

(Only available in the U.S. and Canada)

Download a free curriculum sample

Frequently asked questions

Chalmers Ambassadors are equipped to provide three key services:

1) They can present talks on principles and practices of a biblical framework for poverty alleviation for groups of various sizes, ranging from short introductions, to more extensive half-day seminars. 2) They can walk your ministry through a guided conversation to identify next steps for effective poverty alleviation ministry in your context. 3) They can help you better understand how Chalmers’ trainings and tools can best be implemented in your ministry context and answer questions about these.

Our ability to respond to specific requests beyond these three areas is limited, but Chalmers may, at our discretion, accept other requests, so please do not hesitate to ask! Even if we can’t meet your specific needs at this time, having your request on file will help us improve and expand the Ambassador program over time.

The cost for working with a Chalmers Ambassador begins at $90 for a one hour intake* and further engagement starts at $150/hour with a 2 hour minimum.

You will also be responsible for travel and lodging expenses if you choose to have an Ambassador come in person. *Intake cost is deducted from final invoice for further engagement.

Great question! Yes, you can request an Ambassador from your area, and we will do our best to find someone who is located near you. We don’t have all areas covered yet, and we haven’t finalized plans for expanding beyond North America at this time, but we are likely to have someone at least in your general region available.

If not, maybe you’ll be the one to apply to join the Ambassador team to help us fill the gaps!

Yes, you can apply to work with an Ambassador with a particular field of experience (e.g., rescue mission, foster care, pregnancy support, refugee resettlement, etc.) in their poverty alleviation efforts. We have Ambassadors who work in various areas of ministry, and we will do our best to match you with an Ambassador from your requested sector.

Ambassadors are currently only available for consultation and presentations within the U.S. or Canada (and with limited availability, Australia). If you are working in the Majority World of Asia, Africa, or Latin America, we suggest that you explore Chalmers’ Savings Group or Business Development programs.

We want to ensure that our system for matching churches/organizations and Ambassadors works well for both parties.

Please understand that there may be requests that we are unable to accept because of timing, location, or specific requirements.

You can request either an in person visit or a virtual visit with an Ambassador. We will do our best to match you with an Ambassador who can accommodate your request.

Please note that if you choose an in person visit, you will be responsible for travel and lodging expenses.

  • Within 5 business days, your application will be reviewed by Chalmers staff.
  • If your application is accepted, you’ll be notified by Chalmers staff, and we will post your request to the Ambassador community.
  • Once you’re matched with an available Ambassador, they’ll be given your contact info and connect with you to work out details.
  • There is no charge for these initial planning conversations.
  • In rare cases, your application may be declined or redirected back to Chalmers staff at this point.
  • Once you and your assigned Ambassador agree on a time/scope for their work, Chalmers will send you an MOU to sign confirming the details of the engagement and final price.
  • Upon completion of your time with an Ambassador, you will be invoiced by Chalmers for the agreed-upon amount, and given a survey to provide us feedback on your experience.
  • If your application is rejected, you’ll be notified by Chalmers (with an explanation and suggested alternate next steps) within 5 business days.
  • In some cases, your application may not fit the scope of the Ambassador program, but be a good fit for other aspects of Chalmers work. In these cases, someone from Chalmers’ staff will notify you within 5 business days and arrange for a short follow-up call to determine best next steps.

Our Ambassadors have completed a rigorous 10-week training program that prepares them to present Chalmers’ principles, resources, and tools for developing a biblical framework for poverty alleviation.

They also receive training in adult learning best practices and must complete ongoing training to stay active in the program.

All our Ambassadors have extensive experience in hands-on ministry alongside people in material poverty in addition to the training they’ve received from Chalmers.

No. If you’d like for your church or ministry to be certified in Faith & Finances or as a site for Work Life, you must go through the training for those programs.

Additionally, Chalmers is still the only place you can go to get trained in Innovate for ministry design.

Interested in becoming an Ambassador yourself, or having someone at your church or on your ministry team get certified as a Chalmers Ambassador?

Apply to join the Ambassador team! We offer certification training twice yearly, once each during the spring and fall semesters.

Drop us a line on our Contact Us page. We’d be glad to help!

Have more questions? Get in touch.