Contact: Karen Woods, 231-578-0905

GRAND RAPIDS, Mich., Sept. 15 /Christian Newswire/ -- Gospel Rescue Missions, which provide food, clothing and shelter to millions of needy Americans, have embarked on a landmark study to identify how faith works in faith-based social services.

A self-selected group of seventeen rescue missions from across the United States, with a desire to improve program effectiveness, looked at factors such as the significance of faith in substance abuse recovery and how faith may help a person recover from addiction. Specifically, the missions wanted to know if faith in God, relationships with others -- or both -- are the pathway to a clean, sober, and more responsible lifestyle.

The research may help guide the debate over federal faith-based initiatives, now in their seventh year of expansion under the Bush Administration. Sen. Barack Obama, the Democratic presidential candidate, and Republican candidate Sen. John McCain have both voiced strong support for faith-based initiatives.

The rescue mission research, known as the National Recovery Initiative Pilot Project, produced these findings:

• Faith elements can be measured, and people who seek help from faith-based programs show clear evidence of change.
• Faith-based programs differ in services delivered and how much faith is incorporated.
• There are no "one size fits all" measures of faith.
• Different faith traditions use different faith-based approaches.
• The duration of a faith-based program and strength of relationships experienced in treatment may result in a stronger faith life by program participants.

The research conducted by the Pilot Project will be expanded to a National Demonstration Project based at Grand Valley State University's Dorothy A. Johnson Center for Philanthropy and Nonprofit Leadership and represents new work and uncharted territory.

A detailed report on the results of the Pilot Project was presented in June at a White House conference. The report is available online at "Despite all the publicity about faith-based initiatives, the truth of the matter is that the faith component in these programs is not well understood," said Karen Woods, project director. "The Pilot Study points us in the right direction for a better understanding of how faith works in social service agencies."

The Pilot Member Missions are among 300 rescue missions that belong to the Association of Gospel Rescue Missions, Kansas City, Mo., serving across the United States and Canada.