Church leaders from all over Missouri were very receptive to Gov. Matt Blunt's new initiative. "Faith-Based Missouri" aims to help faith and community-based groups be more effective.

"Where government is almost always large and sometimes seemingly disconnected, churches, synagogues, and other places of worship tend to be local and in tune to personal needs," Gov. Blunt said.

Gov. Blunt's initiative calls for a five-person team to travel the state to help solve problems and to build cooperation between state and faith-based organizations. Faith-based groups already collaborating with state agencies get help first, but any organization can participate.

"I think it could be reaching people in a much more impactful way that doesn't just meet a short term need, it really does change somebody's lives and empower them to better their circumstances," Gov. Blunt said.

Gov. Blunt added that there will be no religious test that groups have to pass to be involved.