What's Faith Got to Do With It? (2004)
by David Scheie and Nan Kari
This report shares initial findings from Rainbow
Research’s evaluation partnership with faith-based community
organizing and civic engagement projects in California. The
Organized Religion Evaluation Initiative’s goals are
to: (1) strengthen the evaluation capacity of these organizations,
(2) improve their performance through evaluation, (3)
generate and share lessons on effective faith-based civic
engagement; and (4) develop and refine evaluation tools
and strategies for the fields of civic renewal and faith-based
community action. Support comes from the James
Irvine Foundation.
This paper presents key principles, tensions and strategies at the intersection of faith and public life evident in these projects. We identify core elements of faith-based civic engagement work, including how it differs from secular approaches to community improvement. And we offer some initial reflections on what faith-based civic engagement offers to democratic renewal.