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Roundtable 2004 Annual Conference

2005 and Beyond:
Next Steps for Faith-Based Social Services

Date: Oct 23, 2004
Location: Washington D.C

Click here for 2004 annual conference program

Click here
to view program.

(PDF document)

The Roundtable's December 9th conference in Washington, D.C. provided the first post-election look at the Faith-Based and Community Initiative. The Plenary sessions included an overview of the legal environment affecting government support of faith-based social services, a discussion on the future of the initiative, and a roundtable with journalists who cover religion and faith-related issues. Break-out sessions also covered updates on research being done on the emerging role of faith-based social service programs in the American welfare system.
Click here for the complete conference agenda.

Additional Conference Resources Available:

Click here for a story about the conference by Roundtable Washington Correspondent Anne Farris

Digital Video of the conference is available online courtesy of C-SPAN.

C-SPAN's policy is to provide on-line access to previous programs only for a limited time. If you are interested in seeing this video, inquiries should be directed here or by phoning (877)662-7726, and should refer to program # 179307.

Transcripts and Reports:

Click here for 2004 annual conference program
"State of the Law 2004"

The Roundtable presented its third annual update on the legal environment affecting federal and state government partnerships with faith-based social service providers, including decided and pending cases as well as significant regulatory changes.

"2005 and Beyond: Next Steps for Faith-Based Social Services"

This main plenary session provided an opportunity to hear first-hand from the Bush administration on its future strategy for the Faith-Based and Community Initiative, and from key policy makers on all sides of the issue.

  • James Towey, White House Deputy Assistant to the President and Director, Office of Faith-Based and Community Initiatives

  • Representative Chet Edwards, D-Texas

  • Stanley Carlson-Thies, Director of Social Policy Studies, The Center for Public Justice

  • Chris Anders, Legislative Counsel, ACLU

  • To read a transcript of this plenary session, click here.

    [Adobe Acrobat required.]

Panel discussion: "The Public View of Faith"

A distinguished panel of journalists discussed the prospects for faith-based services, trends in political involvement of religious groups, and their forecast for interesting stories to watch in the years ahead.

Breakouts

"The Promise and Performance of Faith-Based Social Services"

Three researchers discussed new findings and work underway concerning the scope and performance of faith-based social services.

  • Stephen Monsma, Research Fellow, Henry Institute for the Study of Christianity and Politics, Calvin College and Fellow, The Center for Public Justice

  • David Campbell, Cooperative Extension Specialist and Director of the California Communities Program (CCP), Human and Community Development Department, University of California, Davis.

  • Mark Ragan, Senior Fellow, Rockefeller Institute of Government

  • To read a transcript of this session, click here.

    [Adobe Acrobat required.]

  • To read a copy of Mr. Ragan's new Roundtable paper on effectiveness of faith-based services, click here

    [Adobe Acrobat required.]

"Trends and Challenges: State Partnerships with Faith-Based Service Providers"

This session showcased new research on state contracting for services under TANF, and on fiscal and programmatic trends affecting the availability of public funding for new service partnerships with religiously-affiliated or other groups.

"The Mission and the Money: Exploring Tensions between the Privileges and Obligations of Religious Organizations in Civil Society"

A distinguished panel considered whether social advocacy should be seen as an activity worthy of social subsidy, and discussed whether and how religious organizations - especially social service groups - encounter situations where standing for certain causes or values brings them into conflict with the state.