About 20% of households cut back on giving to their churches when the economy started to sink last year, according to the Barna Group, which tracks religious statistics. The California-based organization found that overall donations decreased by 4% to 6%—about $3 billion to $5 billion. At the same time, churches are facing increasing demands from people in their communities for food and shelter. To make ends meet, church leaders are cutting staff and putting programs on hold.

The federal government has stepped in to help. Last month, the Department of Homeland Security announced that $100 million from the economic-recovery package will go to emergency food and shelter programs, including those run by religious organizations. Billions of dollars more have been set aside for education, neighborhood-stabilization programs, and affordable

child care—all services offered by many churches and other places of worship.

“The need for assistance is staggering,” says Candy Hill of Catholic Charities USA. “This will provide some relief.”

But some believe that such government aid violates the constitutional requirement to maintain separation of church and state. The Rev. Barry Lynn of the nonprofit Americans United for Separation of Church and State says there are no effective regulations in place to prevent churches from engaging in religious discrimination when hiring or to stop them from using government money to promote their religion through soup kitchens or shelters. During his campaign, Barack Obama pledged to end both practices. But his administration has yet to follow through. “If basic civil-rights protections are not in place, then religious charities should not be getting money,” Lynn says.

— Brooke Lea Foster

