1. Diana Garland Baylor University School of Social Work
Religiously Affiliated Organizations and the Opportunities and Challenges of “Faith-based” Social Initiatives
Diana Garland
Baylor University School of Social Work

2. Sources of Attitudes toward Religious Organizations
1. Our political views about the role of government and its responsibility—or not—for the wellbeing of its citizens.
2. Our professional practice experience
with religiously-affiliated organizations and congregations.
3. Our own personal religious beliefs and experiences

3. Sources of Attitudes toward Religious Organizations

4. What does the research say?
Characteristics?
Contributions?
Challenges?
Capacities?

5. Overview of Research Sources
“Faith and Service Technical Education Network”
RAOs and Congregations in urban settings addressing poverty, 10 states

6. Overview of Research Sources
“Faith & Service Technical Education Network”
“Religiously Affiliated Child Welfare Organizations”
All licensed child and family service organizations in 10 states

7. Overview of Research Sources
“Faith & Service Technical Education Network”
“Religiously Affiliated Child Welfare Organizations”
“Service and Faith”
Volunteers from 35 congregations serving in community service programs

9. Why not “faith-based?” “Faith” suggests Christian traditions
Faith can refer to:
Mission
Identity
Policies
Goals

10. What distinguishes RAOs from other social service agencies and from congregations?

11. Shall I offer my firstborn for my transgression,
Micah 6:6-8
6 With what shall I come before the Lord and bow down before the exalted God?
7Shall I come before him with burnt offerings, with calves a year old?
Will the Lord be pleased with thousands of rams, with ten thousand rivers of oil?
Shall I offer my firstborn for my transgression,
The fruit of my body for the sin of my soul?
8He has shown all you people what is good.
And what does the Lord require of you?
To seek justice and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God.

12. Shall I offer my firstborn for my transgression,
Micah 6:6-8
6 With what shall I come before the Lord and bow down before the exalted God?
7Shall I come before him with burnt offerings, with calves a year old?
Will the Lord be pleased with thousands of rams, with ten thousand rivers of oil?
Shall I offer my firstborn for my transgression,
The fruit of my body for the sin of my soul?
8He has shown all you people what is good.
And what does the Lord require of you?
To seek justice and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God.

13. Mission
RAOs
Social Work
Needs
Worship

14. “Our board starts with our mission, with what God wants us to do, not what our market niche is, or what the most pressing need or urgent problem in the
community is.”
---RAO executive

15. > RAOs ≠ congregations
Congregations– aggregates of people that gather regularly and voluntarily for worship at a particular place.
They are:
>
Voluntary
Organizations
and
Communities
More than
They are

16. Most congregations are small …
71% of congregations have fewer than 100 regularly participating adults
Only 10% of American congregations have more than 350 regular participants. Most attenders go to large congregations, however…

17. Social services plays a minor—but important—role in congregational life.
In the median congregation with social service programs, about ten individuals are involved as volunteers in those activities.

18. Social services plays a minor-but important-role in congregational life.
Seventy people attend the main worship service.

19. Social services plays a minor-but important-role in congregational life.
In congregations with choirs, eighteen people participate in those choirs

20. Social services play a minor-but important-role in congregational life
14%

21. Congregations collaborate in offering social services…
15% held worship and prayer services in collaboration with others
30% Collaborated with other faith-based organizations
33% collaborated with secular organizations to develop and deliver community service programs (Cnaan, 2001)

22. Social workers on congregational staffs . . .

23. Social workers who provided congregational leadership. . .
The pastor’s wife who ran the shelter
The rabbi who organized the “Noah project”
The university faculty who initially organized the community’s response, including congregations and RAOs
The volunteers who provided mental health services in the congregational shelters and organized a 24-hr. “on call” volunteer service
The volunteers who trained shelter volunteers in crisis intervention

24. How Prevalent are they; what is their capacity for service, and does government funding actually increase that capacity?

25. Government funding?
6% of congregations
24% of RAOs

26. Religiously-affiliated child welfare organizations . ..
47% of funding from government sources

27. What Contributions are they making?

31. The Stereotype Residential long-term care for dependent children
Racially disproportionality
Lower professional standards, with uneducated but well-meaning staff
Large endowments that make them insensitive to community and professional change

32. Who they really are . . .
Community-based services more than residential care.
More ethnic/minority children in community programs to support families.
Just as professional or more professional than those of other social service agencies.
Funding that enables them to be innovative.

33. Religiously-affiliated organizations report having budgets $400,000 larger than non-religiously affiliated organizations, representing 28% more than the median $1,450,000 budget of non-religiously affiliated organizations

34. Revenues from fees for services
Non-RAOs rely on fees for services for more than 60% of their budgets
RAOs rely on fees for only 30% of their budgets

35. Revenues from Gifts RAOs receive 21% of their budgets from gifts
Non-RAOs receive only 5% of their budgets from gifts

36. Revenues from Government Sources
RAOs receive less than half (47%) of their funding from government sources
Non-RAOs receive more than three-quarters (76%) of their funding from government sources

37. Revenues Generated by Grants and Endowments
RAOs receive little from grants (5%) and endowment (5%)
Non-RAOs receive 7% from grants and 7% from endowment

38. What Contributions are they making?
(1) They are providing community-based services more than residential care.
(2) RAOs’ services are just as or more “professional” as those of other social service agencies.
(3) RAOs’ funding encourages them to be innovative.
(4) Because of their mission and regardless of their funding, RAOs are a prophetic voice for social justice.

39. What Contributions are they making?
(1) They are providing community-based services more than residential care.
(2) RAOs’ services are just as or more “professional” as those of other social service agencies.
(3) RAOs’ funding encourages them to be innovative.
(4) Because of their mission and regardless of their funding, RAOs are a prophetic voice for social justice.
(5) RAOs serve as intermediaries between large social service entities and congregations.

40. What Contributions are they making?
(1) They are providing community-based services more than residential care.
(2) RAOs’ services are just as or more “professional” as those of other social service agencies.
(3) RAOs’ funding encourages them to be innovative.
(4) Because of their mission and regardless of their funding, RAOs are a prophetic voice for social justice.
(5) RAOs serve as intermediaries between large social service entities and congregations.
(6) RAOs serve as bridges to families in need who are otherwise difficult to reach.

41. (7) Volunteers and staff members in congregations and RAOs are strongly committed to the work because they are motivated by their sense of calling.

42. (7) Volunteers and staff members in congregations and RAOs are strongly committed to the work because they are motivated by their sense of calling!

43. Volunteer & Staff Motivations
What ethical issues do these organizations present for social worker practice?
Organizational Goals
Volunteer & Staff Motivations

44. Implications for Social Work Education

45. Implications
Teaching religious diversity needs to include the organizational level as well as human development
All students need to development cultural competence for practice in these settings.
We can reach a group of potential students if we provide an education that is relevant.
We need to develop a research, knowledge, and skill base for working in these cultural settings.