LWF Conference Focuses on Relationship between Religion and Development

Critical Analysis of the Role of Faith in the Well-Being of Societies

The relationship between faith-based organizations and secular agencies that are shaping human, social and economic progress in society is the focus of an international conference jointly organized by The Lutheran World Federation (LWF) in cooperation with the mission agency Mission Eine Welt in Neuendettelsau, southern Germany.

An estimated 70 delegates from churches, academics, secular development practitioners and policy makers attending the 21-25 October conference will look at how religion can contribute to achieving lasting peace and justice, at a time when the “western model” of development has proved inadequate.

“Seventy to eighty percent of the people in Africa, Asia, Latin America and the Caribbean—where most development work is carried out—are affiliated to religions and see the world through their religious lenses. How then can we ensure that religion is not a hindrance but a contribution to development?” remarked Rev. Dr Kenneth Mtata, study secretary for Lutheran Theology and Practice at the LWF Department for Theology and Public Witness (DTPW).

“My hope is that the conference can help bring the diverse groups and actors together. There are different development discourses: with academics, development agencies, and with church, mission work and congregations. I feel they do not work together for a variety of reasons. But I also think the work would be more successful if they worked together. If for instance development agencies respect and become aware of the vast potential of local church congregations,” said Rev. Dr Claudia Jahnel, head of the Department for Mission and Intercultural Studies at Mission Eine Welt (Mission OneWorld).

Mission Eine Welt is a development agency of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Bavaria. Its work includes partnerships with Lutheran churches in Africa, Asia, Latin America and the Pacific.

Mtata noted that until the 1960s, there had been “a widely-held view” that as societies became modernized they would abandon religion in preference for secular worldviews. Among the many reasons given was that the hierarchical nature of the church and some of its teachings reinforced gender inequality and non-inclusive participation. Religion was also used to support racial and other forms of discrimination. But statistics show that faith affiliation is increasing even in countries with fast growing economies such as Brazil, he noted.

Mtata emphasized that religious institutions continue to make huge contributions in the areas of education and health. Therefore, their efforts to strengthen societies in developing countries need to be affirmed and supported, he noted.

Participants will examine perspectives on the value of faith-based organizations as important partners in development theory and policy making, and listen to regional case studies on consolidating religion and democracy. Presentations will also focus on distribution of wealth and the underlying impacts on poverty and public policies both from conventional Christian and other faith perspectives.

The LWF hopes that this conference could help define some frameworks that would strengthen the links between networks of faith-based organizations, churches and academic institutions in development.

(Written for LWI by Berlin-based journalist Anli Serfontein)