Congregations as Social Service Providers: Services, Capacity, Culture, and Organizational Behavior

Ram A. Cnaan, University of Pennsylvania
Jill W. Sinha, Princeton University
Charlene C. McGrew, University of Pennsylvania

Article comments

Copyright Haworth Press. Reprinted from Administration in Social Work, Volume 28, Issue 3/4, 2004, pages 47-68.
The authors assert their right to include this material in the ScholarlyCommons@Penn.

Abstract

Social welfare is traditionally discussed as a mixture of public, private, communal, and familial enterprise. Indeed, most textbooks and programs focus on the changing balance between these four circles of care. In the United States, a fifth and recently prominent circle of care exists and plays a major role, namely congregation-based social service provision. In this article, we first explain why faith-based care is so paramount in the United States, including a short discussion about the political developments in faith-based efforts. We then show the scope of congregational involvement in social service provision based on a large study of congregations. The rest of the article is dedicated to key administrative challenges regarding this mode of social service provision with a focus on their capacity, cultural characteristics, and organizational behavior. The latter topic is divided between start-up of new projects by congregations and issues related to running social programs in congregational settings. We conclude with a summary and discussion about the place of congregations as social service providers in the American welfare arena.