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Quiet Care: Welfare Work and Religious Congregations

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  12 June 2009

Margaret Harris
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Abstract

The potential of non-governmental agencies as providers of welfare services is increasingly recognised but little attention has been given to the welfare-providing role of religious congregations. This article draws on four case studies to describe and analyse the range of congregational welfare activities. Six types of welfare work are distinguished: welfare projects, indirect welfare work, informal care, informal care in an organised framework, mutual aid and social integration. Distinctive features of congregational welfare work are identified. The article concludes by discussing the implications of the findings and considering whether there is scope for expanding the contribution of congregations to the mixed economy of welfare.

Type
Article
Information
Journal of Social Policy , Volume 24 , Issue 1 , January 1995 , pp. 53 - 71
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 1995

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