Equally unfortunate, in my opinion, to the existence of a divide between these two fields is the often justifiable nature of such a divide. Honestly, I understand the reason for the split - as much as I hate to admit it. The concept of honoring the self determination of the client, upon which social work builds its entire philosophy, seems to be at odds with the image of the stereotypical preacher that often makes its way into society: someone who comes in telling everyone how horrible they are, and that their current patterns of living will only lead to one eternal outcome... It's not exactly the type of thing that mixes well with a field devoted to meeting the client where he or she is. This image is unfortunate for many reasons, one of which is the fact that I don't think this is the role that a minister is supposed to play - someone speaking from a distance (using "us and them" language), pointing to the flaws of others in a way that assumes no flaws in one's own life. Unfortunately, however, this does happen...and I think both the faith community and the field of social work suffer.
Before I continue, I do need to say that there are some differences between the two fields that need to exist. Although the social work field began in part out of Christian charity organizations, there is a level of evangelism and disciple-making (pardon the church-speak) that is essential to Christian ministry - and these things clash with the essentials of honoring client choices, specifically with regard to aspects of faith. I completely understand and admit this.
The more time I have spent in both of these fields, however, the more I have been able to see a unifying principle that runs through both. Regardless of the origins of this tenet, both social work and the Church seek to spread the message that people are valuable, they matter, and that their life is important. (Forgive my over-simplification of these two extremely deep fields...) Not only have I been able to identify this common theme, but I have also found that each of these fields are enhanced by the other. One of the critiques I have seen of certain churches/ministers has been a severe delay in referring individuals to the proper professional help when a need presents itself. My experience in the field of social work has made me aware of the glaring need, as a human being, to provide individuals with the best possible services available. From the perspective of one in the Church, I also see this as the best way to truly love my neighbor as myself. I'm confident that this perspective will continue to catch on in the field of ministry as research continues to come out on best practices. Similarly, I have seen that the field of social work is becoming increasingly more conscious of the role spirituality plays in the lives of clients, offering better training for its clinicians in this area of practice.
Although there are certain necessary differences that exist between these two fields, I see them as more similar than they have been credited with being. As far as I'm concerned, the more progression and collaboration that occurs between these two fields, the better they both will be.
