Problem Profiles
We curate expert research on the world’s most important problems to help you plan an impactful career.
Our in-depth profiles explain what you can do in each area to have a radical impact for God’s Kingdom.
Global Poverty
Over 600 million people still live in extreme poverty (under $2.15 per day), per the World Bank. This is associated with vastly reduced standards of health and education. Christians everywhere, but especially in the West, are uniquely placed to serve the global poor (Luke 12:33-34).
Easily preventable or treatable diseases
Every day about 15,000 young children die, largely from preventable diseases. There is a tremendous amount of evidence for ways individuals can help, and substantial biblical focus on caring for the sick (Matt 25:39).
Politics and Policy
There are many non-polarizing neglected problems in the world we can tackle through effective policy work. This can be a highly-leveraged way to spread justice and kindness (Micah 6:8).
Climate Change
Climate change is among the most disruptive problems to the environment and to the global poor. Many Christians feel called to be stewards of the earth (Gen 2:15) and agents of renewal toward a more sustainable world.
Animal Cruelty
God gave humans animals to eat for food (Gen 9:3) but also commanded stewardship and kind treatment (Deut 25;4, Proverbs 12:10). Nonetheless, billions of animals suffer and die every year in horrendous and preventable mistreatment.
Catastrophic Pandemics
A single novel pandemic can cause tens of millions of deaths but experts warn future pandemics could be much, much worse. Christians in this space can save lives and prevent injustice from human-engineered pandemics.
Nuclear security
Risks from of nuclear weapons are at the highest levels seen in the last seventy years. A nuclear exchange could partially or completely annihilate vast swaths of God’s creation, including billions of people.
How we define Impact:
A concrete change that conforms with God’s redemptive plans to renew our fallen world.
Read our 5-minute summary on “What we mean by impact”
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Our goal is to help Christians discern among high-impact career paths. We’re interested in the areas where one more person’s efforts can have the largest impact relative to what would have otherwise happened.
We think that, all else equal, you’re likely to have a much bigger impact if you work on a highly pressing problem.
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We mean that Christians working in these areas could do a massive amount of good and we encourage readers to tackle these problems with their career, money and or time.
These are not the only problems where Christians can have an impact.
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Our research is influenced by:
Our Christian values, shaped by scripture and informed by our various denominational backgrounds.
Principles of impartiality (Gen 1:27) (Luke 10:25-37) (Luke 20:21) (Gal 2:6; 3:28) (James 2:1-9).
Principles of concern for the welfare of all God’s creatures (Gen 1) (Rev: 21:4) (Matt 11:28) (1 John 3:17-18) (Prov 12:10) (Matt 6:26) (Jonah 4:9-10).
Researchers and advisors from Oxford University, Our World in Data, and 80,000 Hours.
Christians in the effective altruism community.
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Our team informally discussed a range of causes that are consistent with scripture and Christian tradition. We ultimately decided to write about eight for which there is good evidence that additional work on them can have a big counterfactual impact.
Each of these problems has a high combination of three key factors:
Importance: It would be tremendously good if we solved them.
Tractability: We could reasonably expect to “move the needle” on the issue by dedicating more resources to it.
Neglectedness: Those suffering from this problem are unlikely to receive as much help if we do not intervene.
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We do not attempt to rank these problems.
Still, we think that some of these problems are more accessible and amenable than others to the average reader. We designate these problems as “Often Recommended” or “Very Often Recommended”
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Wonderful!
We recommend that you:
Pray for God’s guidance in your career discernment, especially alongside other Christians seeking an impactful career.
Learn all you can about the problem you’re hoping to solve.
Sign up for free 1-on-1 mentorship. We’ll connect you to a Christian professional with experience in your area(s) of interest.
Gain career capital, including work experience and/or additional education.
Try volunteering, internships, and jobs to learn more about your personal fit.