ABSTRACT
This chapter analyses the roles of the local church as related to welfare provision. The most important data were gathered through interviews with representatives of the local church and the public sector in Drammen, and from the local newspaper, Drammens Tidende. The chapter pays special attention to one particular agent in order to illustrate the potential significance of the church in welfare at a local level. It describes the reflecting on the role of the Church City Mission (CCM) in Drammen. The organization that came closest to the CCM in its positive reputation in the field of welfare work was the Salvation Army. One can interpret the statements of the interviewees as an expression of the organization's symbolic function in the town. The role that the leader of the CCM plays in the local news media may be taken as support for such an interpretation.
