Establishing A Church-based Welfare-to-Work Mentoring Ministry

by Amy L. Sherman

With the passage of the Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act of 1996, the landmark welfare reform law, churches and faith-based ministries possess new opportunities and challenges in serving poor and need families. The old welfare system has been replaced with a new approach to poverty fighting that emphasizes hands-up help instead of hand-outs. Welfare aid now aims to free recipients from dependency on it, and help them achieve greater economic self-sufficiency. This transition to independence from welfare frequency requires intense, personalized assistance that churches and ministries are well positioned to provide.

This manual is designed to help congregations seize the ministry opportunity afforded by welfare reform; namely, the chance to build face-to-face relationships with economically distressed families in our local communities through which humble, loving Christ-like service can be demonstrated. To do this well, we must understand both the Biblical mandate for caring for the poor and the unique configuration of the Church's outreach (as distinct from the social service programs of government or secular nonprofits.)

Paperback

Published May 1, 2000

About the author

Dr. Amy L. Sherman is a Senior Fellow at the Sagamore Institute for Policy Research, where she directs the Center on Faith in Communities. She likes to describe the work of the Center as that of being “a minister to ministries.” She provides training and consulting to churches and nonprofits seeking to transform their communities for the common good.

Dr. Sherman is the author of six books and some 75+ published articles in such diverse periodicals as Christianity Today, First Things, The Public Interest, Policy Review, Prism, The Christian Century, and Books & Culture.

She serves as the Editorial Director for FASTEN, a capacity building project for faith-based organizations that offers a robust website of practical resources for ministry practitioners.

Sherman is the founder and former Executive Director of Charlottesville Abundant Life Ministries, an Evangelical nonprofit assisting low-income, inner-city families. She has served on the Advisory Board of the Christian Community Development Association for several years.