FORT WAYNE, Ind. (WOWO) — A new state initiative designed to connect faith-based organizations with community service efforts across Indiana is moving forward following an executive order signed by Mike Braun.

The order establishes the Faith-Based Institutions Initiative, a program intended to strengthen cooperation between state government and churches or religious ministries that already provide services in their communities.

Micah Beckwith discussed the initiative during an appearance on Fort Wayne’s Morning News with host Kayla Blakeslee. During the segment, Beckwith outlined the goals of the program and how it could affect faith-based organizations throughout the state.

“This is basically going to be the bridge between faith communities and problems within those communities,” Beckwith said. “Oftentimes we see a problem and people immediately think government should fix it. Government is not equipped to be the fixer of all problems.”

Executive Order Creates State-Level Coordination

The executive order formalizes an effort Beckwith said has been developing informally through outreach efforts conducted by his office. According to the lieutenant governor, the initiative will serve primarily as a coordination hub rather than a new government agency.

“It doesn’t take taxpayer dollars. We’re not going to spend taxpayer dollars on it,” Beckwith said. “This is literally just an information hub, and we’re going to use our power of convening to bring local faith leaders together to say, ‘What can we do together to solve these problems?’”

Beckwith said the initiative will focus on connecting churches and ministries with issues such as homelessness, poverty, addiction recovery and mentoring programs.

“When it comes to things like homelessness and poverty, that’s the church’s job — the faith community’s job — to link arms together,” he said. “Government should be saying, ‘Hey, we can help connect the two things together: the faith community and the problem within that community.’”

Participation Optional for Churches

Under the initiative, participation by churches and faith-based nonprofits will be voluntary. Beckwith said some congregations may choose not to take part, while others may seek opportunities to collaborate.

“For some churches, they may say, ‘We don’t want anything to do with this,’ and they’ll just keep going on as life is normal,” Beckwith said. “But there are a lot of communities that want to get involved.”

Beckwith noted that his office has already held pastor roundtables in several communities across the state during the past year.

“We go into communities, get as many pastors or faith leaders together as possible and ask, ‘What can we do to work together?’” he said.

According to Beckwith, the initiative will also focus on increasing civic engagement among faith leaders.

“A lot of pastors don’t even know the first thing about what it means to be civically engaged,” Beckwith said. “So part of this is teaching what civic engagement looks like and how faith communities can participate.”

Potential Access to Grants

During the interview, Blakeslee asked whether the executive order could open doors for churches and ministries to access state grants or funding.

Beckwith said the initiative will not directly create new funding but could help organizations identify available resources.

“Oftentimes the biggest barrier to funding and grants that faith communities could get is they just don’t know what they don’t know,” Beckwith said. “Working with my office, we can teach people how to write grants, how to search for grants and how to connect with agencies that offer them.”

He added that various state and federal programs already provide funding for projects that benefit communities.

“There are all kinds of agencies, both state and federal, that will give money to help serve the collective interest of a community,” Beckwith said. “The question is how to find those opportunities.”

Areas of Focus

Beckwith outlined several areas where the initiative could encourage cooperation between churches and community programs. Those include prisoner re-entry efforts, mentoring programs for youth, and support for families.

“We want to look at facilitating prisoner re-entry, cultivating and strengthening the family unit, mentoring the next generation,” he said.

Beckwith also referenced addiction recovery programs that operate through faith-based groups, including a ministry in Fort Wayne.

“You have a program right there in Fort Wayne with Living Free recovery services,” he said. “They have a very high recovery rate because it’s faith-forward and focused on helping people directly.”

Discussion Turns to Faith and Public Leadership

Later in the interview, Blakeslee asked Beckwith a question unrelated to the initiative about reports that a military commander had allegedly described conflict with Iran as part of a divine plan.

Responding in his role as both a public official and pastor, Beckwith said he believes people often interpret political events through religious perspectives but emphasized that the pursuit of peace should remain central.

“Our job is not to usher in Armageddon or the end times,” Beckwith said. “That’s God’s job. Our responsibility should be seeking justice and peace.”

Beckwith said religious teachings often emphasize peacemaking while acknowledging that governments sometimes engage in conflict.

“Blessed are the peacemakers,” he said, referencing the Sermon on the Mount. “Sometimes you have to go to war in order to make peace, but our heart should be peace.”

He added that leaders should focus on stability and peace in international affairs.

“We want to see the Middle East in peace,” Beckwith said. “We should always be seeking peace. Sometimes you have to go to war to get it, but that shouldn’t be our goal.”

Measuring Success

Blakeslee asked what success for the Faith-Based Institutions Initiative might look like over the next year.

Beckwith said results will depend on how actively churches and ministries participate.

“For the churches that want to get involved, we’re going to help connect them, increase their civic engagement and work together to address problems in their communities,” he said.

The initiative will begin rolling out statewide in the coming months as the lieutenant governor’s office continues outreach to pastors and faith-based organizations across Indiana.