Abstract
Community-initiated and faith-motivated efforts to meet human services needs have been a
central element of the American landscape since the founding of the country (Olasky, 2008).
Especially in the past several decades, faith-based and community organizations (FBCOs) have
played a vital role in identifying social problems, bringing them to public attention, and
providing services to the disadvantaged (Ebaugh, Chaftez, & Pipes, 2005). At times, FBCOs
have been the social institutions most responsive to the needs of residents at the local level and
the most viable partners for collaborative community social service delivery (Small, 2002).
During the late 1990s, federal and state policy makers began to recognize the potential of
partnering with smaller FBCOs because of their unique ability to respond to local needs and win
the trust of their communities. This shift is exemplified by the advent of the Charitable Choice
provisions of the Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act of 1996,
which allowed faith-based organizations to receive federal funding for social service programs
without having to change their religious identity (Small, 2002). This effort served to encourage
and codify what had previously been a legally and administratively ambiguous interrelationship.