Original Research - Special Collection: Urban Public Theology in South Africa

Mission as local economic development in the City of Tshwane: Towards fostering a grass roots, ‘glocal’ alternative vision, with specific reference to Luke 16:19–31

Lukwikilu C. Mangayi
HTS Teologiese Studies / Theological Studies | Vol 70, No 3 | a2744 | DOI: https://doi.org/10.4102/hts.v70i3.2744 | © 2014 Lukwikilu C. Mangayi | This work is licensed under CC Attribution 4.0
Submitted: 29 May 2014 | Published: 20 November 2014

About the author(s)

Lukwikilu C. Mangayi, Department of Christian Spirituality, Church History and Missiology, University of South Africa, South Africa

Abstract

This article analyses and reflects missiologically on the City of Tshwane’s economy, in terms of its priorities and strategies. It points out that it is to the detriment of local communities that Tshwane’s economy has become a replica of the national economy which is essentially growth-focused and structured to service the global market. It also discusses possibilities for the urban church to be involved in addressing this situation as it wrestles with the question: What role can the church play towards fostering a grass roots, ‘glocal’ alternative vision to the current local economic system? Responding to this question, this article argues that the church, drawing from theological/missiological resources and hermeneutic insights on biblical texts, such as Luke 16:19–31, and on the concept of God’s economy, can steer such an alternative vision for the economy of the City of Tshwane. It ends by demonstrating how the church can engage the issues of local economic development in a practical way, which will lead to an alternative reality where shared prosperity and inclusion are attained.


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