NEWS Release

UNCG PROFESSOR  OFFERS PERSPECTIVE
ON NEW OFFICE OF FAITH-BASED ORGANIZATIONS
 

Dr. Robert J. Wineburg

GREENSBORO, NC -- Dr. Robert J. “Bob” Wineburg, a social work professor at The University of North Carolina at Greensboro, has studied the role of religion and churches in delivering social services for the past 20 years. His new book, “A Limited Partnership: The Politics of Religion, Welfare and Social Service,” has just been released by Columbia University Press.

Based on Wineburg’s 20 years of research, the book sheds light on the current debate over the role of churches and other faith-based organizations in the delivery of social services in communities. He focuses on the chaos caused by governmental policy changes, and demonstrates that the religious community cannot be the sole provider of social services. While churches play an important role, they are not equipped to deliver a complex system of social services, he says.

Dr. Wineburg is available for interviews. His telephone number is 336-334-5228 (office) / 5147 (department secty.) and 336-272-2390 (home). He can be reached via email at bob_wineburg@uncg.edu

Wineburg has served as a consultant to religious organizations on program development  and capacity building, and written extensively on social welfare policy and the role of religious organizations in community service. Among other topics, he has written and spoken on devolution, a term  which describes a social policy trend of the past 20 years, during which time the federal government has shifted the responsibility for social welfare programs to the state and local level. He is lead investigator for the Ford Foundation's Charitable Choice Study, which will compare how Indiana, Massachusetts and North Carolina have used federal and state money to fund faith-based programs. He is also the recipient of two Lilly Endowment grants to study religion and social services.

Wineburg has been a consultant on projects for Partners for Sacred Places, Catholic Charities USA, the Louisville Institute and the Baylor University Center for Family and Community Ministries. He has served on the N.C. Governor’s Task Force on Community Initiatives Regarding Welfare Reform. He holds a doctorate from the University of Pittsburgh.

Op-ed by Dr. Robert J. Wineburg
                                                                               ###

Back to the Latest News Releases
Return to the University News Service Home Page