Saving Souls, Serving Society: Understanding the Faith Factor in Church-Based Social Ministry

As public funding for social services has been slashed, there has arisen an unprecedented interest in the potential (and dangers) of faith-based institutions as agents of social change. Now, as President Bush begins his second term, he has placed government funding of faith-based programs at the top of his domestic agenda. What distinguishes church-based from secular social activism? What is particularly religious about church-based social services? How do churches express their religious identity in the context of social services, and how does this affect their access to resources and partners? This book, based on a Lilly-funded study of fifteen Philadelphia churches with active outreach, seeks to answer these and other pressing questions surrounding this important and controversial issue. Providing a far more objective understanding of faith-based initiatives than previously available, this study will be of interest not only to scholars of sociology of religion, social work, and social policy, but to denominational leaders, non-profit professionals, social policy analysts, community development practitioners, and others with the common goal of aiding struggling communities.

About the Author :
Heidi Rolland Unruh is Associate Director of the Congregations, Community Outreach, and Leadership Development Project. She lives in Hutchinson, Kansas. Ronald J. Sider is Professor of Theology, Holistic Ministry, and Public Policy at Eastern Baptist Theological Seminary in Wynnewood, PA. He is also Director of the Congregations, Community Outreach, and Leadership Development Project. Together they are the authors of Churches That Make A Difference: Reaching Your Community With Good News and Good Works (2002).

Review :
"Whereas most scholars focus on the social service side of faith-based social services, Unruh and Sider integrate the faith factor and evangelism in understanding congregational social services. They convincingly demonstrate that one cannot understand faith-based social services without understanding its faith dimensions. This is a most innovative and groundbreaking book that is a must for all those concerned with the faith-based initiative and congregational studies."--Ram A. Cnaan, author of The Invisible Caring Hand: American Congregations and the Provision of Welfare "Heidi Unruh and Ronald Sider explore and map a social ministry landscape that is more complex-- and more interesting--than many realize. If you are confused by debates over faith-based initiatives, if you yearn for more than superficial stereotypes of church-based social services, or if you simply want to know all the varieties of social ministry present within American Christianity, you will find this book clarifying, richly subtle, and immensely informative."--Mark Chaves, author of Congregations in America "Few books manage to combine the intelligence, clarity, insight, and lively writing found between these covers. An invaluable resource for a complex and contentious public debate. This important book is likely to become an instant classic in the field of religion and public life."--Robert M. Franklin, Presidential Distinguished Professor of Social Ethics, Emory University "Faith-based organizations do a lot of good in society-that much we already know. What Unruh and Sider tell us is why and how. Knowing that the answer is not a simple one will surely help policy-makers choose more wisely. Knowing that the answer doesn't fall neatly into liberal v conservative boxes will surely enlarge the imaginations of religious leaders and social scientists alike. All of them should read this book."--Nancy Ammerman, author of Pillars of Faith: American Congregations and their Partners "Whereas most scholars focus on the social service side of faith-based social services, Unruh and Sider integrate the faith factor and evangelism in understanding congregational social services. They convincingly demonstrate that one cannot understand faith-based social services without understanding its faith dimensions. This is a most innovative and groundbreaking book that is a must for all those concerned with the faith-based initiative and congregational studies."--Ram A. Cnaan, author of The Invisible Caring Hand: American Congregations and the Provision of Welfare "Few books manage to combine the intelligence, clarity, insight, and lively writing found between these covers. An invaluable resource for a complex and contentious public debate. This important book is likely to become an instant classic in the field of religion and public life."--Robert M. Franklin, Presidential Distinguished Professor of Social Ethics, Emory University "Heidi Unruh and Ronald Sider explore and map a social ministry landscape that is more complex and more interesting--than many realize. If you are confused by debates over faith-base initiatives, if you yearn for more than superficial stereotypes of church-based social services, or if you simply want to know all the varieties of social ministry present within American Christianity, you will find this book clarifying, richly subtle, and immensely informative."--Mark Chaves, author of Congregations in America "Faith-based organizations do a lot of good in society-that much we already know. What Unruh and Sider tell us is why and how. Knowing that the answer is not a simple one will surely help policy-makers choose more wisely. Knowing that the answer doesn't fall neatly into liberal v conservative boxes will surely enlarge the imaginations of religious leaders and social scientists alike. All of them should read this book."--Nancy Ammerman, author of Pillars of Faith: American Congregations and their Partners "Unruh and Sider studied fifteen churches and masterfully developed and explained a theoretical framework for understanding the complex dimensions of service emanating from them... They are right on the mark in capturing a broad range of complexities involved in blending human service analysis with evangelism."--Sociology of Religion