We all know these feelings. You see a need in your community—a family struggling, a neighborhood underserved—and your heart breaks. You want to help. You step in with energy, resources, and a genuine desire to make a difference.
But sometimes, despite our best efforts, things don’t change. Or worse, we find ourselves exhausted, cynical, or feeling like the weight of the world is on our shoulders.
This is the gap between good intentions and true transformation.
In ministry, we often fall into the trap of “Toxic Poverty Work.” A common sign is often unknowingly centering our own need to be the hero rather than God’s power to restore. This leads to “Savior Syndrome,” burnout, and viewing people as projects to be managed rather than image-bearers to be loved.
If you are ready to move past the exhaustion and align your heart with God’s method of restoration, World Impact’s The Urban Ministry Institute (TUMI) invites you to our new online course: Redemptive Poverty Work.
What is Redemptive Poverty Work?
As Unit 1 of our Cornerstone program, this 4-week online course is designed to challenge old ways of thinking. It is for ministry leaders, volunteers, and anyone called to serve in difficult places.
Unlike traditional approaches that rely solely on resources and strategy, Redemptive Poverty Work emphasizes creative restoration through sacrifice. It respects God’s role as the primary agent of change.
In this course, you will learn to:
- Identify Toxic Patterns: Recognize the signs of “Savior Syndrome” and how our own sinful nature can distort our ministry’s motives.
- Build a Biblical Foundation: Develop a theology of poverty work that goes beyond charity and aims for Kingdom justice.
- Establish Spiritual Rhythms: Learn practices from the Great Tradition of the Church to protect your soul from burnout and cynicism.
- Embrace Redemption: Shift from fixing problems to participating in God’s redemptive work in lives and neighborhoods.
Course Breakdown
Over four weeks, we will guide you through four transformative modules:
- A Brief Theological Reflection: Renew your mind regarding people living in poverty and measure your preconceived ideas against Scripture.
- Toxic Poverty Work: A hard but necessary look at how self-centered motives create toxic outcomes.
- Redemptive Poverty Work: Defining the goal—how to participate in the restoration Christ accomplished on the cross.
- Rhythms of Life: Implementing spiritual practices that act as countermeasures toxicity and catalysts for your own spiritual growth.
Ready to Renew Your Mindset?
If you are tired of “doing” ministry and ready to start “being” a vessel for redemption, this course is for you.
Learn how to join a community of workers who want to follow in the footsteps of Christ—changing lives, neighborhoods, and their own hearts along the way.
Meet Dr. Edith Robinson-Davis: one of three instructors in our updated online Cornerstone courses
One of the most powerful aspects of this course is not just the video instruction you will receive, but also those who will walk alongside you during your learning experience.
Rev. Dr. Edith Robinson-Davis would describe herself as a servant of the Word, formed by a lifelong devotion to Scripture and a steady walk with Christ. Her faith has grown through years of obedience, perseverance, and close ministry with others. She holds a deep reverence for God and a clear conviction that knowing him leads to faithful living.
That conviction shapes her role as a TUMI instructor. She brings decades of experience guiding leaders and understands how to help believers grow with clarity and confidence. Through the digital platform, she walks alongside learners with wisdom and encouragement, helping them live out their calling with purpose.
In her own words, she offers this charge to those she teaches: “Thank you for allowing me to come into your space and be with you. I hope and pray that you run well, that you sit at the feet of Jesus, that no devil stops you from proclaiming God’s Jesus Christ as Lord, and that you would do well. Encourage yourself and apply the principles of the Word of God.”
