When the National Association of Evangelicals begins meeting in the Twin Cities today, it will teach members how to compete for government money to spend on their religion-based social-action programs.
But some evangelical churches and social ministries are less than eager to deal with the constitutional line separating church and state by accepting taxpayer money, White House enthusiasm notwithstanding.
Some are wary of President Bush's promotion of faith-based federal initiatives -- programs that most people assumed would resonate with evangelicals.
When Bush laid out his plan, religious liberals and civil libertarians raised constitutional objections.
But some conservatives and evangelicals also are expressing reluctance.
New Hope Center, a south Minneapolis Christian residential recovery program for addicted men, gets about half of its $800,000 annual budget from a state program that pays for client housing. Director Dan Ward said he wishes he could eschew the public money.
"This is the first ministry I've worked in where we went after public money," he said. "If I had been here before we made that decision, I would have never gone after it."
By taking public money, he said, the program gives up "control and stability" in its funding base. The government can take away just as easily it gives, he said.
Bethel College in Arden Hills takes no public money, said its president, the Rev. George Brushaber, although its students can apply for government scholarships and loans.
"I know there are many evangelicals who are eager to take advantage of Bush's faith-based initiatives," he said. "I'm skeptical of that approach. I think the church needs to support its own ministry without violating [the separation of] church and state."
Brushaber and the college work hard to shore up private sources and find ways to supplement faculty research grants that normally would come from federal funding.
The Salvation Army, a member of the association, takes public money.
"We think it's good stewardship of our resources, if it doesn't change what we do," said Annette Bauer, the Salvation Army's Twin Cities spokeswoman. To people who give the organization private donations, she said, "we say we're using all the money available to us to get the job done."
About 16 percent of the Salvation Army's budget comes from public money, Bauer said. Most of it, she said, goes toward the Harbor Light Center in Minneapolis, which houses hundreds of homeless people and offers substance abuse treatment and other services.
The Rev. Leith Anderson, senior pastor of Wooddale Church in Eden Prairie, where this year's convention is being held, said public funding can be a "two-edged sword."
For him the questions are "Can we use government money without crossing the church-state line, and can we keep the government from regulating religious matters?"
"I don't know the answers," he said, "but I think we should give it a try."
In a recent speech to the National Religious Broadcasters, Bush said, "The role of government is limited because government cannot put hope in people's hearts or a sense of purpose in people's lives. That happens when someone puts an arm around a neighbor and says, 'God loves you, I love you, and you can count on us both.' "
Bauer echoed his words, saying, "We'll help anybody we can. We know that we're helping because of Christ, but that person may not know it or care at that point in their need. The government says the job is bigger than we all can do, so we'll partner with them."
Wayne Pederson, president of Mission America, a national coalition of churches and ministries for promoting evangelism and revival, said, "I give the current administration credit for acknowledging the fact that organizations that are faith-based can have more impact on change. I think there are enough safeguards and protections" in the executive order on faith-based funding.
"Faith-based organizations will still retain their strong faith values and yet the government money won't be used for proselytizing," he said.
Shepherd Smith, president of the Institute for Youth Development in Washington, D.C., is leading the association's training session today.
"What's wrong with taking government money?" he asked. "It's your money and my money. It's tax money."
To those who worry that the "pie" isn't growing and therefore faith-based groups will be competing with those who know the system and have been getting federal grants for years, Smith cautioned: "It is already competitive, and it will become more competitive. We don't raise expectations" of faith groups seeking government money. "Our job is to help build the capacity of small groups so they can be competitive in seeking federal funding."
The New Hope Center helps men who are struggling with addictions of all kinds, including gambling. The residential program helps the men stay sober by using a Christian approach. It also provides job training and life-skills classes.
Ward, in his office at the center, said, "There's an interesting tension and healthy dialogue on this for the country as well as the faith community."