Josh Hershberger has always felt a dual calling: to serve the church and to make a difference in public life. As an attorney, teaching pastor, and general counsel for the Indiana Family Institute, he has spent years at the Statehouse, and he has seen something rare open up in Indiana.

This week on We, Plural., Josh and Lisa talk about what it looks like to steward that moment. Josh shares how Lake County cut its foster care caseload by more than half through partnership between DCS and local churches, and how that model is now being carried into ten of Indiana's hardest-hit counties through roundtables and working groups.

They also dig into why charity has to do more than make us feel good. Josh talks about benefit cliffs that hold people back, a growing national push for "navigators" who help families find their way through more than a hundred federal programs, and a new effort to connect Indiana's faith-based recovery ministries so they stop working in silos.

In this episode:

• The "Joseph moment": what Genesis 50:20 has to say about church and government working together
• Why Indiana's governor named foster care, addiction, and mental health as the state's biggest challenges
• How Lake County cut its foster care cases by more than half through community collaboration
• "Leave your ego, bring your logo": roundtables in ten Indiana counties
• A Home for Every Child, and a federal official who says "we need your help"
• Benefit cliffs, dignity, and doing charity better
• Navigators, the Hope Hub, and the idea that poverty is a lack of connection
• Connecting Indiana's faith-based recovery ministries

Learn more about the Indiana Family Institute: https://hoosierfamily.org/

Help a vulnerable child now: https://www.careportal.org/

Connect with We, Plural.
Website: weplural.com
Instagram: instagram.com/wepluralpodcast
Facebook: facebook.com/wepluralpodcast
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/company/we-plural-podcast
YouTube: youtube.com/@WePlural.Podcast