Church-state problems loom

To the Editor:

As a grant writer for a large nonprofit, I recently had a call from a woman with noble intentions.

She indicated she had received a “calling from the Lord” to establish a faith-based organization that would provide services to substance-abuse patients. She wanted her organization to operate from her home. She had no college degree, no substance-abuse training, and no knowledge of nonprofits. Based on our conversation, I would not be surprised if she had no college education.

This situation is probably being replicated thousands of times across the country. Our conversation made me ponder the situation and develop a list of complications in the implications of funding faith-based organizations:

1. Funding them will undoubtedly lead to costly and protracted litigation over the issue of separation of church and state. The U.S. Supreme Court may take years to resolve the issue.

2. Many poor people will not participate in programs because faith-based groups will be seen as partisan. The needy will not go to religiously affiliated facilities that have philosophies different from their own and those they want their children to learn.

3. Current nonprofits (which include faith-based organizations) have established programs that serve the low-income population. Dividing these services among many entities will lower the quality and amount of services offered to low-income people.

4. Obtaining, monitoring, and reapplying for federal grants is a competitive, skilled, and time-consuming process. Federal grant-dispensing entities often say that only 10 percent of applicants are awarded funds. Many churches will simply lack the expertise and time to effectively engage in the grant-writing process.

5. Head Start and many other social-service programs require extensive support personnel, including full-time help from departments like personnel, finance, information systems, and maintenance. Will the average church be able to obtain the services of such people?

6. All states require licensing of people who provide and dispense social services. How long will it take churches to obtain the proper licensing of child-care providers, nurses, substance-abuse counselors, etc.?

7. Large and wealthy churches are apt to benefit to the detriment of small and impoverished churches. The former churches will more likely have the resources to obtain federal funds.

8. If faith-based organizations are awarded funds, allegations of religious discrimination will inevitably surface. Denomination A will contend that a disproportionate amount of funds is going to Denomination B. Denomination C will claim that no members of its faith were members of the selection committee. Denomination D will claim that insufficient funds are going to liberal faith-based organizations.

9. Through the trial and error of a transition of funding to faith-based organizations, mismanagement of funds and actions of greed are likely to occur. Faith-based groups may have a greater temptation and greater chance of success to direct federal-program funding to nonprogram purposes. As about 25 percent of churches have no written financial records, this will require more costs for both churches and federal monitoring. With a quick religious diploma, faith-based organizations with fraudulent intentions will be established.

10. As pastors, priests, and rabbis become more involved in the complex and time-demanding secular world of grant writing and program monitoring, it is likely that many will become less engaged in the spiritual functions of their ministries.

It may be advisable to consider recommending that funding to faith-based organizations be instituted on an experimental basis, during which the successes or shortcomings, or both, of faith-based groups could be scientifically assessed.

In the past 35 years, existing nonprofits played a key role in the reduction of poverty. Given the problems attendant in the foregoing, the poverty rate is likely to increase during the several years it will take faith-based organizations to approach or equal the many successes of existing nonprofits.

Mark Bird
Chief Planner
Economic Opportunity Board of Clark County
Las Vegas