Flourishing Communities: The Role of Faith Communities in the Promotion of Flourishing and the Common Good

Abstract

The purpose of this paper is to provide a narrative review of many aspects of the outward facing work of congregations and faith-based organizations. While the majority of the paper is spent on the review, the final portion of the paper outlines the importance of equipping faith communities to better describe and assess the impact of their own work and the value of establishing common metrics such that congregations and faith-based organizations can facilitate greater learning about best practices within and between themselves. We further suggest that efforts to understand how churches flourish must include the outward facing work of faith communities to gain a more comprehensive understanding of how faith motivates and sustains care for the larger community. Finally, while many of these suggestions are put forward for the benefit of faith communities and organizations themselves, we point to important ways in which such efforts can make a meaningful contribution to broader policy discussions about the role of faith communities as partners in the promotion of community health and well-being.