Living in the townships: An appraisal of Pentecostal social ministry in Tshwane

Abstract

Note:This article forms part of the special collection on 'Doing urban public theology in South Africa: Visions, approaches, themes and practices towards a new agenda' in HTS Teologiese Studies/Theological Studies Volume 70, Issue 3, 2014. The collection is the result of the project 'Urban Public Theology', which was initiated by the Institute for Urban Ministry but later expanded to include several academic departments and institutes at This article offers an appraisal of the social ministry of Pentecostal churches through fellowship, healing and livelihood creation in the township communities of the city of Tshwane. In meeting this aim the discussion advances a thesis of these churches as agents of social support and survival of the downcast. In particular, the article attempts to show how these churches exert themselves towards establishing not only moral responsibility, but also a context where the weakest and the least privileged can learn how to survive. The squatter camp people are unique with the special challenges requiring distinctive consideration. Pentecostal churches believe that the lost people matter to God and are of importance to their congregations as well. The backyard Bible study ministries and mutual cooperation strategies are employed for mutual support. Making use of the existing empirical research data and available literature will show how Pentecostal churches in the townships support the laity and community in times of need.

The Black Charismatic Church Ministries and the New Social Practice of Family in the Eastern Cape

“…23 BCCMs have created safe spaces for young migrants and street children by functioning as the counterculture of mutual support and giving them the material and psychological resources they need to navigate harsh existential challenges. 24 The BCCMs seek to help people manage and negotiate adverse poverty, inequalities, poor community infrastructure, high prevalence rates of HIV, high levels of crime, and substance abuse. 25,26 This has created the conditions which are ideal for such organisations as the BCCMs to thrive.…”

“…Scholars have argued that some BCCMs in South Africa have been at the forefront of the fight against domestic violence, child abuse, and adolescent pregnancy, and have been responsible for building orphanages and providing re-education in child-headed households. 60 BCCMs make key contributions to the youth in their stand against alcohol consumption, drug abuse, extra-and premarital sex, domestic violence, and crime. The social fabric also underpins economic development and growth.…”

“…10 These movements have sought to respond to relational, spiritual, socio-economic, and political problems in the Eastern Cape in ways that promise to give an alternative future and a safety net for those in crisis, and providing coping strategies for existential challenges. 11,12 They also not only seek to provide the material conditions for individual success, but also to give a spiritual explanation for the Eastern Cape remaining one of the poorest provinces in South Africa. 13 This holistic ontology from BCCMs fits well with that of the amaXhosa and other African ontologies found in the Eastern Cape.…”