Religious and Faith-Based Organizations: Do We Know One when We See One?

Abstract

A famous Supreme Court justice once commented that he could not define pornography, but he knew it when he saw it. There are those who make the same kind of claims about what have come to be called faith-based organizations (FBOs). Given the amazing variations in judgments by different people as to what organizations should be included in or excluded from this category, however, it seems that all such claims should be viewed with deep suspicion.At the beginning of their article proposing a typology of such organizations, at least of those in the fields of social service and education, Ronald Sider and Heidi Rolland Unruh (this issue) stated:The debates over the faith-based initiative have underscored the critical need for a new vocabulary that more accurately reflects the complex realities in contention. The current catch-all term faith-based organizations confuses and divides because no clear definition exists of what it means to be faith-based. (p. 109-110)As a long-time scholar of these organizations, as well as a person responsible for leading and managing one, I can only say, "Amen."It is certainly true that the public debates about the purposes, roles, operations, and funding of these organizations-and the research conducted on them-are made much more complicated, and often less helpful, by the ambiguity and confusion of the terms and concepts. Developing better conceptual frameworks and language ought to help resolve some of these difficulties. It is that conviction that inspired me to create the earliest effort in this direction

Envisioning Religiously Diverse Partnership Systems among Government, Faith Communities and FBOs

“…Other scholars view the relationship between religious background and organization structure as far more complicated than represented on these scales [6,22,53,57,75,78]. Some note the diversity of religious expression, but look for universal aspects found in all religions to identify an organization as faith based [79].…”

Faith-based Organizations and Microfinance: A Literature Review

“…It is actually the motive and the values that make the entire effort faith-based. Jeavons (2004) pointed to this fact in his case study that the effect of "faith" must not be apparent to prove that it exists within the organization. Berger (ibid) also suggests that to understand the effect of faith, pervasiveness should be the main determinant and there is nothing absolute in role of faith in FBOs.…”

“…So, in a highly involved organization, it may be mandatory for the staff to attend the prayers or rituals whereas it may be voluntary in other cases. Jeavons (1997Jeavons ( , 2004 organizational self-identity, selection of organizational participants (staff, volunteers, funders, and clients), sources of resources, goals, products, and services (including "spiritual technologies"), information processing and decision making (e.g., reliance on prayer and religious precepts for guidance), the development and distribution of organizational power, and organizational fields (including program partners) Smith and Sosin (2001) resource dependency, authority and organizational culture Berger (2003) Not only in programmes but pervasiveness of faith Unruh (2004) Self-descriptions, sacred objects, invitations to religious activities, prayer, use of sacred texts, worship, sharing of personal testimonies, religious teachings, and invitations to a personal faith commitment Ebaugh et al (2006) Service, Staff, and Organizational dimensions Goggin and Orth (2002) Faith Integration Scale (organization, administration, environment, funding, and programme) Aiken (2010) change in the community; theology and development goals; selection of beneficiaries; programme design and implementation; staff motivation and faith in internal practice James (2004) structural affiliation and governance; values and staff motivation; mission; strategy and theory of development; selection of partners and choice of beneficiaries; faith practices and teaching in programming; staffing and leadership; organisational culture and decision-making; constituency and sources of funding; and external relationships Source: Literature Survey…”

Where's the ‘Faith’ in ‘Faith-Based’ Organisations? The Evolution and Practice of Faith-Based Homelessness Services in the UK

“…This expansion in use has however occurred in the absence of any agreed definition as to what an FBO actually is or does (Jeavons, 2004;Sider and Unruh, 2004). As Grettenberger et al (2006) note when talking about FBOs, policymakers tend to not only homogenise the breadth of faith traditions but also blithely refer to faith-based and secular programmes as if they are separate and somehow easily distinguishable entities.…”