INTERFACING AFRICAN-AMERICAN CHURCHES WITH AGENCIES AND INSTITUTIONS - AN EXPANDING CONTINUUM OF CARE WITH PARTIAL ANSWERS TO WELFARE-REFORM

It is unrealistic to presume that churches and other private charities can fill the void resulting from welfare reform (Sider, 1995; Conniff 1997); yet there are ways to structure an effective church-and commun ity-based continuum of cave that will help to do so. In this article A frican-American churches are viewed as major players. An explanation o f the systems theory of isomorphic replication provides a key to under standing the success of this collaborative model, which addresses issu es facing communities while building on their strengths and assets and reckoning with the challenges of working collaboratively. Recurring i ssues of race, culture, trust, and control are studied in various dime nsions of the collaborative process, providing insight that can turn s tumbling blocks into a map for creative systemic change.