Development as transformation : the local church in Lavender Hill as agent of change in a post-Carnegie II context

[摘要] ENGLISH ABSTRACT: The aim of the study is to explore whether the local church is acting as an agent ofchange in addressing the socio-economic needs of an impoverished grassrootscommunity. This study falls within the area of missiology as it takes as point ofdeparture the need for the church to appropriate a missional framework fordevelopment. However, this study considers the church in relation to its context, itdraws on related sub-fields of theology and various development and social sciencesto compose a picture of the current challenges the church faces in engaging poverty.The study focuses on the community of Lavender Hill situated on the Cape Flats ofthe Western Cape.Due to the interdisciplinary nature of this study, both theoretical and methodologicaltriangulation have been employed. Chapter 1 introduces the study and provides atheological conceptualisation. Chapter 2 argues for a framework of Development asTransformation and presents a distinctive motivation, goal and ecclesial identity,which has to be taken into account when the church 'does development'. It isconcluded that, while this framework is distinctive, it does not replace existingdevelopment theory, but rather engages it as a dialogical conceptual framework.Chapters 3 to 5 present the Second Carnegie Inquiry into Poverty and Development inSouth Africa (1984) as a useful theoretical tool. This study allows for a comparativehistorical analysis, particularly as Carnegie II poses a challenge to the churchregarding poverty. Despite the prominent role accorded the church by history,Carnegie inquiries, government and broader civil society, it is concluded that thechurch continues to face many of the same challenges in a post-Carnegie II context.Both Chapters 3 and 4 conclude that, among the key challenges identified, there is aneed for the church to evidence holistic theology and sustainable action with regard tosocial responsibility. Action remains, for the most part, in a dominant charity mode.Partnership, in its various forms, is identified as a necessary and more sustainablestrategy in a context of inequality.Chapters 5 and 6 focus more specifically on the context of Lavender Hill and utilisethe theoretical frameworks in order to analyse data. Methodological triangulation isemployed and various methods of data collection are therefore used. Chapter 5discusses the interlinked dimensions of poverty in Lavender Hill with reference toboth Carnegie II and recent scholarship. Chapter 6 utilises the theoretical frameworksto focus more specifically on whether the local church in Lavender Hill is acting as anagent of change. The involvement of the church is described and explored withreference to the challenges (both contextual and missional) presented in Chapters 1 to5. Findings indicate that the local church faces many of the challenges identified byChapters 3 and 4 and that theology in particular is closely linked to praxis. Particularattention is, therefore, given to the role played by theology in determining action, andDevelopment as Transformation is applied as a framework which addresses a lack ofholistic theology. Recommendations for action are proposed in order to guide thelocal church in areas such as Lavender Hill to become more meaningful role playersin their communities.

[发布机构] Stellenbosch University