What is Church Social Work?

Moberg defines he church as "organized religion" which includes all organizations seeking to develop, renew, and guide persons' religious lives (Moberg, 1984, p. 1). The church is by definition a social organization, with a structure based on a division of responsibility and privilege between persons, takes to be performed, and defined processes, rules, and norms for performing them. It has a body of beliefs codified in creeds and doctrines. Members identify with one another and with organization. Despite variations in structures, from large and complex to small and simple, from highly formalized to highly informal, from autocratic ti democratic. all churches are groups of people acting together on behalf of religious interests. "Any organization or association of persons striving to perpetuate or propagate some religious belief or ideal is a church" (Moberg, 1984, p. 16). To this sociological definition one might add from an insider's perspective that a church is such an organization or association which defines the religious belief or ideals it is perpetuating or propagating as Christian, however the organization or association may define that term. As a context for social work practice, the church and church agency remain distinctively different from other settings for professional practice (Garland & Conrad, 1990). Church social workers bring as a resource. They help the church understand the needs or persons, define those needs as a ministry challenge central to the mission of the church, and equip church members for effective service and/or social action. For example, in response to the problems of homelessness in a church's community, a church social workers educates the church about the complex of factors that create homelessness. The social worker guides the church in a study of the response of the people of God to homelessness in the Bible and in the history of the church, and a study of the theological ramifications of responses the church can make. Finally, if the church decides to involve itself, the social worker helps the church develop

programs of ministry to homeless persons and action plans for speaking out on the societal issues that place persons and families at risk for homelessness. Christian social ministry refers to "the activities carried out by redeemed individuals called by God to proclaim the good news to minister to the needy, too seek justice for all" (Davis, 1983, p. 523). It is the work and mission of the church, of all Christians. Church social work provides professional leadership and expertise, when they are needed, for this work. Sometimes, church social work provides guidance and consultation to the social ministry and social action programs of the church, as in the development and administration of programs which link families at risk of homelessness with church congregations who can provide needed material and social supports, and which encourage which members to involve themselves in addressing the social problems which contribute to homelessness. Church social workers also use their expertise to represent the church in ministry and social action. For example, a social worker in the church-sponsored shelter for homeless families provides case management and crisis intervention services for individual families and advocates for legislative initiatives that will increase the availability of low-income housing. Unlike the professional social worker in a community agency, the church social worker has as a primary task the equipping of others-the people of God-to serve. Although they serve clients directly, they cannot do this in place of the ministry of the church. Ministry is a personal all encompassing calling to a lifestyle; it is not a profession that can be

limited to workdays and from which one can retire (Garland, 1988). Church members are the primary ministers. Findley Edge has argued, "A lay person cannot pay someone else to fulfill his or her ministry for God" (1983, p. 23). Even the church social worker employed in a highly professionalized position, such as providing family therapy services for children who have been placed in residential care and their families, has a role, whether recognized or not, in linking the community or faith in caring ways with families in crisis. That linkage may be one of supportive friendships for a family isolated in their crisis, of respite care for a family who has no one to help them with the daily responsibility of a child with special needs, or of material assistance during a time of financial crisis. Hessel (1982) concludes, "The primary role professional church workers is to equip a faithful community to intervene campassionately in the social system and to enhance caring interpersonal relations in ways that are consistent with Christian maturity" (p. 125).

Several characteristics distinguish the church setting from other contexts for social work practice and degine the nature of church social work (Garland & Conrad, 1990). First, church social work takes place in the context of a voluntary organization. Church social workers often relate not only to the organization which employs them cut also to other levels of church organization. The social worker in a denominational agency spends significant amounts of time consulting, speaking, and developing resources in churches. Social workers employed on the staff of a congregation must deal with denominational policies and programs that affect their work and the social issues of the community. In all the church settings for social work practice, the social worker must respond to a constituency of small voluntary group who wield power that can be both supportive and oppressive. Second, church social work takes place as a secondary function in a host organization, much like medical social work or school social work. Even so, when the church social worker understands the mission of the church and can articulate the theological ramifications of the social is-

sues of the dat, social ministry and social action become indispensable ways for the church to pursue its calling. Unlike the social service agency, however, the church has other equally significant takes-worship, fellowship, evangelism. Its mission is to proclaim the Good News and to serve as a living witness to the love of God as shown in the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. Social ministry and social action are indispensable functions of evangelism (Miles, 1988) as well as ministry in their own right. Third, the role of lay persons is central in church social work. Christians are called to serve, whether or not the service leads to conversion of those server. Social ministry is doing deeds of love and mercy-feeding the hungry , clothing the naked, visiting the sick and imprisoned(Matt. 25:31-46). Social action involves attempts to change social structures, including advocating in behalf of justice for the oppressed. Social ministry often leads to social action as an attempt to change the forces that create the needs that require social ministry. Instead of helping poor families pay exorbitant utility bills, a church becomes involved in lobbying for legislation that will limit utility bills to a fixed percentage of income, or legislation requiring landlords to weatherize low income retal properties. Delos Miles says that the story of the Samaritan in Luke 10:25-37 illustrates the difference between social ministry and social action. What the Samaritan did was social ministry. If he had sought to change the conditions which led to robbing and mugging on the Jericho rode, that would have been social action (Miles, 1988). Clearly, churchgle social work needs to lead the church both in social ministry and in social action. Fourth, the church serves as a mediating structure in our society, one which, like the family, stands between individuals and the large institutions of public life. It mediates, or serves as a buffer, that protects persons and families from having to deal with these large social institutions alone (Garland & Conrad, 1990). For example, individuals in neighborhood turn to the church for advocacy with a local government considering changing zoning ordinances so that neighborhood restaurants

can serve alcohol. In the sanctuary movement, churches have become advocates in behalf of voiceless political refugees (Bau, 1985). Finally, churches have a culture of their own. Like families, churches come with many different structures and ways of living and defining themselves. They have decision-making processes that vary from highly formal structures and hierarchies to informal, democratic, fluid processes. They have historical identities that shape their current understanding of themselves; these identities reflect not only denominational heritage but also the unique histories of particular communities and the interweaving of the church with the events and development of the church's surrounding social and physical to the human needs and resources within and outside itself (Moberg, 1984). The church social worjer needs to be able to operate within and use the language and cultural patterns of the church community, the Bible, theology, and Christian values and lifestyle serve as foundation and resources for practice. For example, Biblical concepts of forgiveness, confession, and repentance can provide a foundation for helping Christians work through family conflict. The concepts of the family of God and Christian hospitality provide the ground for social action in behalf of homeless and isolated persons and social ministry programs that strive to include them in the life of the community. Understanding these distinctive characteristics of the church context is just as important for effective social work practice as is understanding the culture, history, and current life experiences of an ethnic family requesting family services. Whether a small congregation or a large denominational agency, an assessment of the context for church social work practive calls for sensitivity and specialized knowledge.