Putting Flesh on the WORD

By specifically including religious-based nonprofits and congregations in Title 1, Section 104 of federal welfare legislation passed in 1996, policy makers signaled that they expected these organizations would play an increased role as providers of social services while also being on the frontlines of the development and implementation of anti-poverty and community development strategies. Churches, however, are primarily interested in the concept of welfare dependency and reform as it is relevant to the suffering poverty causes families and its impacts on the vitality of their communities. For this reason, churches argue that they “stand in the gap” between what the government provides and the needs of individuals requiring assistance. This paper presents an ethnographic study of two culturally dissimilar Protestant churches located in impoverished urban and rural communities: First African Methodist Episcopal in south-central Los Angeles and St. James, in the Appalachia region of eastern Kentucky. We suggest that documenting how congregations view issues central to welfare policy decision-making and service provision contributes to our knowledge of the role of faith-based non-profit organizations in social welfare.