Faith Based Non-Governmental Organizations Mission and Practice.Research into Presbyterian Church Related Agencies in the Tainan Region

• Main Authors: Wang, Hui-Chi, 王慧琪
• Other Authors: Huang, Chao Hsin
• Format: Others
• Language: zh-TW
• Published: 2011
• Online Access: http://ndltd.ncl.edu.tw/handle/18344989893312044940

碩士 === 長榮大學 === 社會工作學系碩士班 === 99 === The research in this paper looks into Presbyterian Church Social Service Agencies in the Tainan Region. It delves into agencies directly related to local congregations, analyzing their management structures, their encounters with communities, their welfare services and the advantages and limitations that they face because of their being both “faith-based” and “non-governmental.”. Research was conducted by reading documents and conducting interviews in order to ascertain these agencies’ internal management structures and external relationships. Topics considered included aspects of internal management and influence from church organizations. It was discovered that churches maintain a tight grasp on these agencies and wield great power. In analyzing the external relationships of the agencies in terms of volunteers and sources of funding, there was great variation. Those who gave of their lab our and substance were often motivated by their religious faith. Analysis of public sector cooperation revealed an over-dependence on government subsidies that often led to temporary shortages of funds and difficult situations. Analysis of the agencies’ relationships to congregations found a conflict between the assertions that the agency was in place to “serve” over against expectations from inside the church that it existed to “spread the gospel”. Clarifying the difference between the two was not an easy topic for discussion when congregational leaders had heavy faith-related expectations. Their points of view can be seen to exert a constant pressure on the agencies concerned. Key Words：Faith-Based Non-Governmental Organizations, Presbyterian Church, Associations, Government, Organizational Management.