The Response of Faith-Based Organizations to COVID-19 and its Impact on the Community

This thesis explores the response of faith-based organizations to COVID-19 and its impact on the community in Waco, Texas. Although the current zeitgeist of America is characterized by an apparent decline in religiosity, though not spirituality, studies have shown the strengths and positive consequences of faith-based organizations on community health. When COVID-19 arose in 2020, many communities were heavily impacted economically, socially, and personally, with the greatest effects observed in low socioeconomic-status neighborhoods. This was the case in Waco. Accordingly, I have focused on three faith-based and one faith-infused institutions serving this population—Harris Creek Baptist Church, Mosaic Church of Waco, Mission Waco, and Waco Family Medicine (WFM)—evaluating their response to COVID-19 especially how they provided resources to their constituencies and to the larger community. Two of these groups are churches of different denominations and congregational makeup, Mission Waco is a missional organization that focuses on people experiencing homelessness, and WFM is a faith-infused medical care provider in the heart of Waco.