The Commission on Religion in Appalachia funnels about a half million dollars annually to specifically Appalachian projects, and various denominations offer restricted money for certain community work. Add to this the volunteer power of the church, and communities discover a valuable partner in development. Ministry always entails a two way street. The church has a theology and some resources for community development, but its programs can patronize and degrade. The church can forget the humility of service and espouse the world's power and prestige.
Partnership suggests a mutuality and sharing.
While the oppressed may need the church, the church needs the oppressed as much to remain faithful to the proclamation of the reign of God preached by Jesus in the Gospel. Over the past thirty years, I have spent a lot of time visiting rural non-mainline churches, interviewing people about their religious lives, and taping sermons and testimonies. I have collected many minute books and other material in which Appalachian Christians speak of their faith. Out of this I have completed a manuscript, Faith and Meaning in the Southern Uplands. In my working life I have been associated with such groups as the Council of the Southern Mountains, Berea College, Hindman Settlement School, Settlements Institutions of Appalachia, and other organizations that have been identified with missionary activity in Appalachia.