Managing Faith-Based and Mission Organizations

A faith-based organization is an organization that does not have worship as its primary purpose, but which is attached to a religious organization, to religious organizations, or to a religious tradition (Torry, 2005: 17, 2008: 16). Christian Aid, a large Christian development organization, is faith based in the sense that it is actively supported by numerous denominations and congregations, it generally operates through religious organizations in the countries in which it works, it recruits its governing body from among practising Christians, and most of its funds are raised by churches. The Greenwich Foodbank is a more local faith-based organization, it recruits its governing body and volunteers from the borough’s Christian congregations, most of the produce that it distributes is contributed by congregations, and it uses mainly church buildings for its welcome centres. The origin of a faith-based organization will almost always be found among a group of believers concerned about a social problem and wanting to make a difference. It is therefore not surprising that in different places, and among congregations with different memberships, different kinds of faith-based organization emerge, and so, for instance, African American congregations in the United States generate faith-based organizations to assist members of that community with finding employment and financial advice (Littlefield, 2010).