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Butler, Book Review  91 
 

Book Review 

 

Faith-Based Development: How Christian Organizations 

Can Make a Difference 
By Bob Mitchell 

 
Reviewed by Tiffany Butler 

 
 

 
 

Maryknoll, NY: Orbis Press, 2017. $26.00 

 

For the second half of the 20th century, Christians 

working in humanitarian relief and development 

experienced a shrinking space within the development 

sector. Throughout this era, the secular approach—

primarily, but not solely—motivated by modernity and 

the Enlightenment, became increasingly hostile toward 

faith-based organizations (FBOs). In response, many 

Christian FBOs felt compelled to conform to a secular 

humanitarian approach in order to continue 

participating in the sector, particularly when seeking 

government funding. More recently, however, the 

mood seems to be changing. Though secular 

development agencies and agendas largely quarantined 

FBOs from serious consideration as respectable NGOs 

for many years, there is now a growing awareness, even 

among secular humanitarian actors, that faith should no 

longer be relegated to the sidelines of development 

work.  

In light of this important change, the book by Bob 

Mitchell, Faith-Based Development: How Christian 

Organizations Can Make a Difference, encourages 

Christians to recapture their vocation to work faithfully 

as humanitarian workers. They should not conform 

secular worldviews in their practice, but rather allow 

their Christian worldview to empower and sustain their 

work in development. The purpose of the book is to 

examine the devaluation of FBOs in international 

development and to attempt to redress this imbalance 

through an examination of the religious motifs that 

undergird Christian orthopraxy, which studies show 

resonate with the poor and marginalized in the Majority 

World (155-156). To showcase the relevance of FBOs, 

Mitchell utilizes internally produced reports and 

interviews from World Vision Australia, which examine 

the role of faith in development work. While largely 

targeted at Christian relief, development, and advocacy 

groups, Mitchell’s intended audience also includes 

secular NGOs, governments, academics, and other 

faith-based practitioners of other faiths.  

The book is divided into three main sections. Part 

One, “Christian Heart, Secular Profession,” explores 

the value of the Christian approach in development. 

Mitchell gives a brief but powerful history lesson in the 

secularization of development work and the resurgence 

of a serious examination of the role of faith in relief, 

development, and advocacy in recent years. 

Humanitarian workers across the spectrum have come 

to realize that multi-dimensional problems necessitate 

multi-dimensional solutions. FBOs have a 

responsibility to articulate for themselves the 

distinctives of their faith identity in the humanitarian 

sphere. As they confidently stand in this faith identity, 

they should also faithfully live out their vocation among 

partner communities and the secular humanitarian 

entities they interact with. 

Part Two, “Christian Motifs and Their Impact on 

Development Work,” constitutes the meat of the book 

and begins with an exploration of four theories of 

change humanitarian workers have typically utilized in 

international development. Mitchell argues that while 

theories of change have been critiqued from a Christian 

faith perspective, they do not pose a fundamental 

conflict with FBO faith commitments. He posits that 

the difference between a faith-based approach and a 

secular approach to development does not depend on 

their selection of a theory of change, but on other 

factors that lead to distinctive praxes (37). As FBOs 



Christian Relief, Development, and Advocacy 2(2),  Winter 2021 

Butler, Book Review  92 
 

nuance or reframe theories of change within their own 

understanding of Christian theology and scripture, case 

studies reveal FBOs produce praxes that are especially 

effective in development work. In order to develop 

these distinctive praxes, Mitchell urges Christian 

organizations thoughtfully to examine the Christian 

meta-narrative that informs their vocation. When this 

vocational identity is matched with sector excellence, 

the FBO has a distinct advantage in development work; 

this is primarily due to a theistic worldview that is shared 

by the Majority World.  

Mitchell argues that ‘neutrality’ in development 

work does not exist. He presents data that reveal theistic 

societies have more affinity with FBOs, even those of 

different faiths, than they do with secular entities. This 

is an important revelation, as it flies in the face of 

standard arguments deployed by secular development 

agencies that religion is intrinsically divisive and that 

religious neutrality is desirable (48, 58). True, religion 

has too often been weaponized as a tool of division, but 

new data shows that Christian humanitarian workers 

can be assets rather than liabilities in some contexts. 

When FBOs operate faithfully in their field, they are 

often seen as devout adherents, and a mutual respect is 

fostered with other theistic societies, as seen among 

Christian faith workers in moderate Sunni contexts (48) 

Secular organization that do not share a theistic affinity 

with communities, then, are automatically seen as 

outsiders and their ‘neutrality’ is at times perceived as a 

form of insensitive imperialism (83).  

Part Three, “Faith, Development, and 

Accountability,” adds some practical considerations for 

FBO practitioners, particularly Chapter 15, which 

discusses “Accountability for Crosscutting Themes.” 

This section examines crosscutting issues like disability 

and inclusion, gender equality, care for the 

environment, and child protection. Mitchell considers 

each issue in turn, followed by a thoughtful Christian 

reflection and pragmatic response for each theme. He 

concludes the book by exposing the false divide 

between professionalism and faith. Mitchell writes, 

“Professional skills and love of God are not 

incongruous. They go hand-in-hand and enter their 

proper relationship when the former serve the latter” 

(166). In other words, Christian organizations are 

encouraged to hold to the distinctives of their faith, even 

as they consider the professional and sectoral tools they 

will deploy in their own authentic way. 

Does Mitchell accomplish his goal to examine the 

devaluation of FBOs in international development and 

to attempt to redress this imbalance through an 

examination of the religious motifs that undergird 

Christian orthopraxy? Yes, he accomplishes this 

beautifully. Through an examination of specific faith-

based reflections (theology) and practices (orthopraxy) 

that produce real-world transformation, Mitchell 

convincingly argues for the necessity of FBOs and their 

invaluable impact on international development.   

Depending on who is reading the book, some may 

desire further specificity about case studies referenced 

in the main body of the text, as these are often discussed 

without a lot of detail. Such an audience might benefit 

from an appendix with a deeper study of at least some 

of the World Vision evaluation reports. As it is, 

however, Mitchell’s review of these studies, as discussed 

throughout the book, do raise the book’s appeal to a 

wider audience, which aligns with Mitchell’s explicit 

intention—that the book is written with multiple 

audiences in mind (xvi).  

Thankfully, there are other books that take up this 

challenge to go into further detail on the specifics of 

transformational development case studies. A prime 

example is Walking with the Poor by Bryant Myers, 

who also happens to write a glowing foreword to 

Mitchell’s book. Myers notes that Mitchell’s Faith-

Based Development addresses the need of the hour— 

explaining why Christian development agencies have 

been successful at professionalizing without 

secularizing, and also providing a roadmap for how that 

might be accomplished. Mitchell, indeed, accomplishes 

this in his inspirational and approachable book. His 

clarion call is to exhort FBOs to recover, or perhaps 

discover, confidence in their faith tradition and how that 

makes a world of difference for humanitarian 

practitioners.  

 
 

 

Tiffany Butler is the Ethics & Accountability Officer for 

World Concern. Tiffany holds an MDiv from 

Fuller Theological Seminary, and is a researcher for 

the Orthodox Church in America and the Anglican 

Church in North America (OCA/ACNA) 

Ecumenical Dialogue Task Force. 

 

Author email:  tiffanyb@worldconcern.org  
 

 


