Mobilizing the Faith and Nonprofit Sectors for Family Well-Being

This webinar highlights the unique and trusted role of faith-based and nonprofit organizations in supporting families and preventing abuse. Participants will learn how these groups can act as first responders, liaisons, and advocates within their communities. The session will explore how to create partnerships between these organizations and public systems, design community-specific programs, and build networks that reflect the unique needs of families. View flyer.

Learning Objectives: 

• Equip churches and nonprofits to become trusted connectors for families. 

• Address barriers families face in accessing formal services. 

• Explore successful church-parish partnerships in prevention work. 

This course has been approved for 1 General Social Work CEUs by Louisiana Child Welfare Training Academy as authorized by the Louisiana Board of Social Work Examiners.

Meet the Speaker

The Rev. Darrell LaRue Armstrong is the Pastor of the Shiloh Baptist Church in Trenton, NJ. Shiloh (and it's community development corporation) is a thriving community of faith rooted in the African American worship tradition, serving nearly 600 families in the Greater Trenton Community and around the world.

The father of two wonderful teenage children, the Reverend Darrell L. Armstrong is committed to the notion that strengthening families is a strategy for preventing child abuse and neglect. Having spent most of his childhood in foster and kinship care in South Central Los Angeles, he knows all too well the effects of family disruption and dysfunction. 

His professional and personal experiences illustrate his commitment to cross-sector engagement. In his 20th year of service to his congregation, he is only the third pastor of the historic Shiloh Baptist Church, (Trenton, NJ), in the last 115 years! His visionary leadership has propelled Shiloh to create a “Spiritual Family Empowerment Zone,” a large-scale neighborhood revitalization and community development effort which projects $50M in urban investments. From 2006 to 2009, he served as the director of the Division of Prevention and Community Partnerships for the NJ Department of Children & Families, where he oversaw a budget of $100M-plus of primary, secondary, and tertiary prevention programs. 

He is an entrepreneur, having founded the Institute for Clergy Training, a research and training agency, which partners with multi-sector agencies on a variety of topics related to leadership, child and social welfare. Currently, he serves as a consultant to or board member on several non-profit organizations which promotes safe, stable, and nurturing families and communities. This list is inclusive of, but not limited to the following organizations: 

• Princeton Theological Seminary, where he made history by being the first non-Presbyterian appointed to the board in the school’s 200-plus year history. 

• Prevent Child Abuse America, the oldest and most widely-networked child welfare and family advocacy agency in the United States; 

• Baptist World Alliance, for which he was appointed the Chief Administrative Officer to the United Nations, representing his denomination as a global ambassador on various child and family related issues. 

The Rev. Armstrong’s policy training at Stanford University, theological training at Princeton Theological Seminary, and therapeutic and clinical training at the College of New Jersey, have uniquely situated him as a respected voice and leader in the national and international child welfare and family strengthening communities.

One of his greatest honors was carrying the Olympic torch in December, 2001 in preparation for the 2002 Winter Olympic Games, which were held in Salt Lake City, UT, a run he dedicated to America’s children in foster care. 

2025 - 2026 Louisiana CASA Webinar Series: Strength in Unity 

Louisiana CASA is excited to host our fourth webinar series. This year, we are partnering with Louisiana Child Welfare Training Academy (LCWTA) to bring this series to community members across our state. This series equips professionals, child welfare advocates, and community members with the knowledge and collaborative strategies needed to protect children, support families, and prevent child abuse and neglect. Each session emphasizes the importance of cross-sector cooperation, early identification of risk factors, and collective responses that foster safe, stable, and nurturing relationships. By promoting a shared understanding and responsibility among systems—such as education, healthcare, faith-based institutions, family services, and policy leaders—participants will develop the tools and partnerships necessary to create resilient families and communities.