
SUBSCRIBE FOR FREE



Find our program on your favorite podcast app. Click into the episodes below for full transcripts.
Effective Compassion explores what’s really working in the fight against poverty and how thinking biblically aids in the restoration of human dignity. This seasonal program is made for people who want to elicit real change because they know true hope.
Latest
Effective Compassion: Hard evidence - S3.E10
What proof do we have that prison ministry really works?
Effective Compassion: Carried on to completion - S3.E9
Spiritual support for inmates is just as important after their release as it is behind bars
Effective Compassion: Get out, and stay out - S3.E8
Too many former inmates end up back in prison because they don’t know how to live productive lives on the outside
Effective Compassion: Loving the ones left behind - S3.E7
Prisoners’ families, especially children, are the often-overlooked victims of crime
Effective Compassion: Teach a man to fish - S3.E6
College programs behind bars help train prisoners to live life on the outside
Effective Compassion: Setting prisoners free - S3.E5
At its most basic level, prison ministry is about sharing the gospel
Effective Compassion: Mending broken minds - S3.E4
Trauma healing is vital for many inmates seeking freedom in Christ
Effective Compassion: The court of second chances - S3.E3
Drug court gives addicts the opportunity to stay out of jail and make a fresh start
Effective Compassion: Pipelines to prison - S3.E2
Ministries that change the direction of young people headed down the wrong path
Effective Compassion: Belief in rehabilitation - S3.E1
The U.S. prison system began with the best intentions, but only the gospel offers hope for true transformation
Life behind bars
Season 3 of Effective Compassion focuses on prison ministry
2021 Hope Awards nominees
Every year, WORLD recognizes a handful of non-profit ministries serving on the front lines of poverty fighting. Those ministries are nominated by WORLD readers and listeners. We call it our annual Hope Awards. In this episode of Effective Compassion, we highlight the four finalists for 2021.
Season 2, Episode 10: Hope for life change
In this final episode, journalists Anna Johansen Brown and Sarah Schweinsberg visit two organizations with similar goals: They want to help the homeless, people who have lost everything and have nowhere to go. But these two organizations chose different strategies … and ultimately, got very different results.
Season 2, Episode 9: Ministry mistakes
Nonprofits, both Christian and secular, have to watch out for some common pitfalls that threaten to undo all their hard work.
Season 2, Episode 8: Hope Award semi-finalists
Every year, WORLD hosts the Hope Awards for Effective Compassion. Readers and listeners nominate hundreds of ministries, and we narrow the list to about eight or 10 semi-finalists. Just four make the final cut. This episode is about the runners-up.
Season 2, Episode 7: Mending broken minds
Just about anyone working in mental healthcare, criminal justice, or social work will agree: people with mental, emotional, and behavioral disorders face a difficult road. This episode is about the 50 million Americans dealing with mental illness.
Season 2, Episode 6: Repairing broken families
Coming from a good family doesn’t guarantee a trouble-free life. But having a shaky family foundation makes everything a lot harder. In this episode, journalists Anna Johansen Brown and Sarah Schweinsberg explore what compassion looks like for hurting children, young adults, and their parents.
Season 2, Episode 5: Compassion for refugees
This episode is about newcomers: Refugees and asylum seekers looking for a fresh start.
Season 2, Episode 4: Compassion in crisis
Natural disasters are disruptive and traumatic, especially for people already in emotional, physical, or spiritual crisis. Last year, every compassion ministry in the country faced the same disaster: COVID-19.
Season 2, Episode 3: Addiction and recovery, part 2
This episode of Effective Compassion is part two of our dive into addiction and substance abuse: The cauldron of stewing ingredients that leads to it, and the intense, drastic life-renewal strategies that help vanquish it.