Congregational Social Work Initiative

Virtually every congregation has four purposes for what they do:

• worship,
• community,
• education, and
• missions

Congregational social workers provide leadership in more than one, and sometimes all, of these purposes. In fact, the broader their work is in addressing all four purposes of congregational life, the more central they are to the life of the congregation. While some of these purposes are outside of the church walls, all four work together to create a healthy and impactful congregation.

Our desire is to train students to conduct congregational research, develop full-time congregational staff positions and strengthen community transformation initiatives in their communities. We raise awareness of the resource that social workers can be for strengthening congregations and their ministries. We also are an interdisciplinary group learning from scholars from all academic backgrounds on how to best serve congregants and congregations.

In addition to the Congregational Initiative, the Garland School of Social Work also works with congregations through the Center for Church and Community Impact (C³I). C³I provides research and hands-on training to congregations, denominational agencies and religiously affiliated organizations that bridge the divide between church and community.

For more information about this initiative, contact:
Dr. Gaynor Yancey
(254) 710-6424
gaynor_yancey@baylor.edu