ABSTRACT
In Germany both churches and church-related organizations play a more important role in welfare than in most European countries, such a crisis places church-related welfare actors in an ambiguous situation. This chapter focuses on the Protestant agents of welfare in Reutlingen, noting that there are important Catholic activities as well, though the Protestant ones are more numerous. The term church might be more intriguing in the German case study than in other case studies, as it comprises in everyday usage not only parishes, church districts and the regional and national levels of the church, but also independent diakonal institutions. A major effect of the present crisis is decreasing public funding; as a result, many interviewees hope that church-related bodies will fill at least some of the gaps in welfare. The demands made on the churches and church-related organizations in terms of welfare reflect hope that at least one institution fills the gap as public welfare decreases.
