Churches as a Stock of Social Capital for Promoting Social Development in Western Cape Communities

Abstract

The aim of the article is to present a perspective on the manner and extent to which churches may be considered as an important stock of social capital for promoting social development outcomes in selected communities in the Western Cape, South Africa. Taking the recently presented policy outline on social capital formation in this province as the contextual framework for analysis and reflection, the results of recently executed demographic and socio-empirical research are utilised in particular to advance a perspective on churches. It is argued in conclusion that churches and other faith-based organisations in the researched communities have an important strategic significance for a social capital formation agenda, despite their apparent lack of progressive social praxis. Their comparative advantage over other institutions, the considerable levels of trust invested in them and the manner in which they inspire activities of voluntary outreach, caring and social service are highlighted as special features of the churches.

A Geographic Information System (GIS)-Based Analysis of Social Capital Data: Landscape Factors That Correlate with Trust

“…Our studies showed that neighborhoods with a higher trust level among neighbors are more likely to have certain urban facilities such as worship places and schools [73]. This analysis did not reveal any association between accessibility to stores and parks as suggested by some studies [51] but revealed negative impacts of crowdedness and traffic on the social climate [34].…”

“…Most prominently, neighborhoods with a variety of shops and retail stores bring people to visit their streets [43,53,[65][66][67][68]. This popularity extends to other third places (i.e., not work or home), such as restaurants, coffee shops, museums, libraries, churches, local organizations, etc., which attract different groups of people with similar interests and increase social encounters among individuals [37,42,[69][70][71][72][73]. Researchers believe that open spaces with natural features also play an important role in fostering social interaction among individuals.…”

Introduction

“…Smidt 2003;Swart 2006). Local faith commimities are often among the first to respond in disaster situations, for example (Wisner 2010).…”

The role of churches in creating social capital and improving governance in Papua New Guinea: Lessons for working in fragile situations

“…In South Africa's Western Cape, churches show comparative advantages over other institutions in forming a stock of social capital at the community level. However, there is little evidence that the networks and partnerships that churches have created with other organisations resulted in political action and a strategic agenda for change, beyond conventional activities of charity and immediate relief (Swart, 2006).…”