DATE CHANGE: The date of this event has changed from Sept 16 to Monday, Sept 23, 2024

Photo Credit: New Mt. Pilgrim Missionary Baptist Church, West Garfield Park, Chicago

Local faith leaders will convene with Illinois legislators to discuss HB5868 calling for an office of faith-based community development services.

As a follow up to our July 29th roundtable discussion, we will be reconvening with more invited public officials to discuss the importance and merits of an Illinois Office of Faith-Based Community Development Services.

Round table discussion convened by North Park University, Center for Civic Engagement and The Leaders Network 

HB5868: To establish an State of Illinois Office of Faith-Based Community Development Services

Local congregations and faith-based community organizations (FBCOs) share a long legacy as service providers in the U.S. because of the implicit trust they engender with the communities in which they are situated. Many state governments and agencies have addressed service gaps by leaning on local congregations and FBCOs to deliver social services, particularly because public sector engagement within local communities can be met with resistance or suspicion.

To bridge this service gap, many states across the country have created faith-based and community initiative offices. While some Illinois state agencies possess such offices, there is no central office that interfaces with FBCOs.

Creating an Illinois office of faith-based and community initiatives, empowered to build long-term collaborative relationships with key stakeholders, can assist with social service delivery, as well as serve as a conduit for helping FBCOs apply for funding and support. Creating an office to support and advocate for FBCOs within the structures of state government may also help coalesce resources to further build capacity of FBCOs and forge meaningful coalitions that can address service gaps.

From our July 29 Roundtable Discussion

As part of the enduring legacy of Black churches, local Black faith leaders play a prominent role in delivering social services to their congregants and local communities because of the implicit trust they engender. As a result, many faith leaders and their congregations have created church-affiliated and/or faith-based nonprofits to facilitate these efforts beyond the walls of their churches.

Although the separation of church and state is important, many of these church-affiliated and/or faith-based nonprofits do not access as many public and philanthropic resources because of assumptions or suspicions that these organizations are using grant funds to proselytize. Yet, the vast majority of these organizations are careful to delineate the purposes of the dollars they receive.

The failure to fund Black-led, church-affiliated and/or faith-based nonprofits located in Black communities has a direct impact on the nonprofit resource gap that falls across racial lines. Echoing Green’s research finds that “Despite making up around 10% of nonprofit leadership in the U.S., Black and Latine nonprofit leaders only receive 4% of philanthropic funding.”

This round table will address the legacy of church-affiliated and/or faith-based social impact and pathways to sustainability.