Darrow Miller and Friends

The Villars Statement: Looking at Relief and Development from a Biblical Worldview

Almost a quarter century ago a group of scholars, relief and development practitioners, and missionaries gathered near L’Abri Fellowship in Villars, Switzerland, to discuss, debate, and reflect on the state of global hunger and poverty and the Christian response to the chronic and tragic situation. The result of their work was THE VILLARS STATEMENT ON RELIEF AND DEVELOPMENT. Reading it again almost 25 years later, I realize both how accurate it was in terms of assessment of the problems and how correct it was in the solution it proposed. This statement is as relevant today as it was the day it was written.

In reflection, this is the “soil” from which the Disciple Nations Alliance (DNA) grew.

The statement is included in Freedom, Justice and Hope: Toward a Strategy for the Poor and the Oppressed, general editor Marvin Olasky, (Crossway).

If you are interested in issues of poverty, justice, and development, you will find the statement a helpful guide for evaluating and establishing policies and programs of poverty relief.

– Darrow Miller

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About 
Darrow is co-founder of the Disciple Nations Alliance and a featured author and teacher. For over 30 years, Darrow has been a popular conference speaker on topics that include Christianity and culture, apologetics, worldview, poverty, and the dignity of women. From 1981 to 2007 Darrow served with Food for the Hungry International (now FH association), and from 1994 as Vice President. Before joining FH, Darrow spent three years on staff at L’Abri Fellowship in Switzerland where he was discipled by Francis Schaeffer. He also served as a student pastor at Northern Arizona University and two years as a pastor of Sherman Street Fellowship in urban Denver, CO. In addition to earning his Master’s degree in Adult Education from Arizona State University, Darrow pursued graduate studies in philosophy, theology, Christian apologetics, biblical studies, and missions in the United States, Israel, and Switzerland. Darrow has authored numerous studies, articles, Bible studies and books, including Discipling Nations: The Power of Truth to Transform Culture (YWAM Publishing, 1998), Nurturing the Nations: Reclaiming the Dignity of Women for Building Healthy Cultures (InterVarsity Press, 2008), LifeWork: A Biblical Theology for What You Do Every Day (YWAM, 2009), Rethinking Social Justice: Restoring Biblical Compassion (YWAM, 2015), and more. These resources along with links to free e-books, podcasts, online training programs and more can be found at Disciple Nations Alliance (https://disciplenations.org).
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