This LONG OVERDUE volume must be seen for what it is: the start of a 'genome project' for faith-based research. . . . This body of work TAKES A GIANT STEP in making sense out of what heretofore was a big puzzle. It is A MUST READ for anyone wanting to embark on faith-based research, and A NEW GUIDEPOST for all who desire to truly understand the interplay of faith, service, and research. The editors are to be commended and the authors congratulated. (Bob Wineburg, PhD, Jefferson Pilot Excellence Professor, Department of Social Work, UNC Greensboro; Author of A Limited Partnership: The Politics of Religion, Welfare, and Social Service, and Faith-Based Inefficiency:The Follies of Bush's Initiatives)

A HEROIC EFFORT TO FOCUS THE CONVERSATION ON THE EFFECTIVENESS OF FAITH BASED SOCIAL SERVICE DELIVERY that delivers on both counts. . . . Chapters such a Steven Monsma's 'The Effectiveness of Faith-Based Welfare to Work Programs' and Netting, O'Connor and Yancey's 'Belief Systems in Faith Based Human Service Programs' deftly tackle the issue of the distinct dimensions of faith as a component of service delivery. The editors are clear that they are at the beginning of a complex conversation on evaluation that will require further investigation. With this volume, that conversation is off to a good start. (Harold Dean Trulear, PhD, Associate Professor of Applied Theology, Howard University)

PROVIDES AN IMPORTANT OVERVIEW of the challenges of evaluating social service outcomes in these settings. . . . Present[s] NEW FRAMEWORKS FOR THINKING about this difficult research AND HELPFUL GUIDANCE from authors who have successfully navigated the complexity. They report on the first ripples of comparative research, which suggest that social services by religiously-affiliated organizations and congregations are no more or less effective than those by other providers. These initial studies need to be followed by much larger and more ambitious studies. Fortunately, we have the guidance of this volume's authors to point out possible paths and hidden stumbling blocks. . . . A MUCH-NEEDED RESOURCE for researchers across the disciplines who are studying the services of religiously-affiliated organizations and congregations. (Diana Garland, MSSW, PhD, Professor and Dean, Baylor University School of Social Work)

At an historical moment when social policy and the public treasure are increasingly more friendly and available to houses of worship engaged in secular service delivery, Professors Boddie and Cnaan have produced THE VOLUME FOR WHICH WE HAVE BEEN WAITING. This book responds to the fundamental questions of whether faith based social service work effectively and efficiently compared to secular alternatives. These essays written by an all star cast are theoretically sophisticated and data rich. I PREDICT THAT THIS BOOK WILL BECOME THE 'BIBLE' OF FAITH BASED PROGRAM EFFICACY and could be the book that changes the conversation about the faith factor inside the Beltway and across the nation for years to come. (Robert M. Franklin, PhD, Distinguished Professor of Social Ethics, Emory University; Former Program Officer, The Ford Foundation)