African Christian Organizations and Socioeconomic Development
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Date
2017
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Orbis books, Maryknoll, New York.
Abstract
How can religious institutions contribute to the promotion of socioeconomic development? In their contribution to the common good, Christian organizations do not exist in a vacuum. Even on the level of religious expression, they are part of a wider group of institutions known as faith-based organizations (FBOs). Julia Berger (2003) defines FBOs as formal organizations whose identity and mission are derived from the teachings of religious tradition and which operate on a nonprofit basis to promote articulated ideas about the public good at different levels. FBOs are often connected with the faith community through personnel and have religiously oriented mission statements (Wuthnow 2004, 2009). Clarke and Jennings (2008) offer a broader definition of an FBO as “any organization that derives inspiration for its activities from the teachings and principles of the faith.” According to Pew (2010), the majority of people in sub-Saharan Africa identify themselves as adherents of Christianity or Islam, and approximately 75 percent of Africans trust their religious leaders. These findings indicate opportunities to leverage the influence of religious leaders and religion in promoting socioeconomic development. The Millennium Development Goals succinctly articulate the purposes of socioeconomic development: to eradicate extreme poverty and hunger; achieve universal primary education; promote gender equality and empower women; reduce child mortality; combat diseases; and ensure environmental sustainability, among others. This chapter focuses on some of these and derives its themes from the Millennium Development Goals. In our research we asked over eight thousand African Christians to identify the African-led Christian organizations that they felt were having the most impact on their communities. Based on the frequency with which respondents listed them, we identified several dozen organizations 115 116 Michael Bowen29 here. as having significant positive impact. From these, we selected twenty-nine 30 and 32 organizations for more in-depth qualitative research, carrying out strucearlier. Check tured interviews with one or more leaders from each. The interviews were all references to this number and make correct throughout book. transcribed, and supplementary online and print information was solicited. A ten-page single-spaced report was prepared on each of the organizations following a pre-established interview protocol. Of the twenty-nine Christian institutions whose leaders we interviewed, five focused exclusively on spiritual matters, while twenty-four (82.8 percent) focused on one or more socioeconomic concern. This chapter focuses on those twenty-four organizations. Our interview data indicates that over half of these FBOs (54.2 percent) provide health services with the same percentage providing income/employment generation services, and also education and leadership development, which, for purposes of this chapter were included only if the education and leadership development focused more broadly on social and/or economic arenas rather than purely spiritual areas. One-third include a central focus on environment and/or agriculture. A smaller number (17.2 percent) prioritize community water provision. Nearly half (45.8 percent) of the FBOs prioritize other social services such as peacebuilding, gender equity, good governance, human rights, service to the vulnerable such as the physically challenged and elderly, drug-abuse awareness and support, training in life skills, or involvement in politics. Most FBOs that we examined do not limit their focus to a single socioeconomic area. Out of the twenty-four FBOs with a socioeconomic focus, twelve focus on three or more distinct areas. This focus on multiple areas of service may be due to the complementarity of the activities or to the need for a broader scope and impact. Alternatively, this pattern may also be responsive to the expectations of those that fund the FBOs. opportunities And AdvAntAGes in socioeconoMic development. Christian organizations are moral institutions that foster socioeconomic development. Over time, such organizations earn the trust of communities based on past performance and the teachings and practices arising from their faith. The faith motivation of these FBOs is a driving force in carrying out their development activities and is a response to Jesus Christ’s command to serve others, especially the poor and disadvantaged. Hefferan, Adkins, and Occhipinti (2009) are of the view that Christian organizations bring a distinctive perspective to development by adopting a philosophical approach and contextualizing poverty within religious frameworks. These organizations perceive development as saving people in line with biblical teachings, which goes beyond merely saving them from poverty to saving souls and promoting human dignity. For Christian-based. African Christian Organizations and Socioeconomic Development 117 organizations, therefore, development goes beyond material conditions of poverty and extends into the spiritual dimension. Furthermore, Christian organizations have some advantages over other institutions in bringing about development. Some of these advantages include the ability to mobilize local communities and resources at the lowest level of society. Such organizations often have local and international networks that give them an edge in development activities. Another key opportunity for Christian organizations that engage in socioeconomic development is the trust that society has in them. Such trust is normally earned over a period of operation. Their grassroots presence is another distinct advantage. This enables them to identify accurately community needs and propose appropriate interventions. Below I present each of these distinct advantages, beginning with literature from other scholars and supporting it with data from the Christian-based organizations that we researched.
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Book Chapter
Keywords
African Christian Organizations, Socioeconomic Development
Citation
Bowen, M. (2017). African Christian Organizations and Socioeconomic Development. Orbis books, Maryknoll, New York.