This page was created by Craig Dietrich. The last update was by Will Luers.
The Divine Economic Plan
Father Divine claimed millions of dollars had been saved by the city because of his economic vision called the "Divine Cooperative Plan." While Father Divine's standards for followers were strict, as he insisted on "an honest day's work for an honest day's pay," moral standards were equally strict as Father banned smoking, drinking, gambling, swearing, and sexual relations among the followers who were asked to live by his "International Modest Code."
He provided economic security in the form of lodging, food, and employment. Among his programs was the opening of free employment bureaus where the Peace Mission worked at finding jobs at no charge for any individual. Economic ideas were a basic part of his overall principles and commonly found in his sermons, lectures, letters, even church by-laws. The reality of God's economy stressed individual independence but also saw the cause of humanity served through a cooperative system of community sharing and community spending of resources:
"We usually have a-full and a-plenty to eat. That is the first thought, if you please. Plenty of comfort and convenience! Then the cost of living is cut from forty to seventy-five to eighty percent by MY Cooperative System and by unifying the people together, causing them to love one another”"