Faith matters: faith‐based organisations, civil society and international development

Abstract Growing interest in faith‐based organisations (FBOs) and development risks compounding conceptual and programmatic biases in recent donor discourse on civil society and development. This article develops this argument in two main respects. First, it argues, donors have traditionally focused on supporting organisations associated with the mainstream Christian Churches and current patterns of engagement risk compounding this trend. Second, different types of faith‐based organisation play an active role in the lives of the poor and in the political contests that affect them. Improving the conceptual and programmatic rationale for donor engagement with FBOs depends in significant part on developing an appreciation of these organisational types and the resultant challenges. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.