20 July 2009
Local churches are the answer to community needs, according to a report published by Tearfund today (19 July 2009).
In the Thick of It, a position paper making the case for Tearfund’s view that local churches are key players in international development, describes the role that local churches are taking around the world in meeting local community needs.
Pulling together a substantial body of evidence confirming the value of faith-based organisations in addressing development needs, Tearfund speaks from over 40 years’ experience of working through local churches in the poorest parts of the world.
‘We passionately believe that local churches have something extremely valuable to offer, around the world,’ says Matthew Frost, Chief Executive of Tearfund.
'In our experience, faith and development are inextricably linked in the developing world, and that makes the church an essential partner in delivering sustainable development at the heart of the world’s poorest communities.
'In fact, we would argue that there are some parts of the world where development simply would not happen without the local church.'
In the Thick of It calls for Governments and international donors to recognise the role of faith in development and to develop strategies to engage with faith groups.
Published a fortnight after the UK Government’s Department for International Development (DfID) White Paper Building our Common Future, Tearfund welcomes the Government’s increasing recognition of the role of faith groups in mobilising communities to find locally sustainable solutions to development issues.
'It's very encouraging to see the UK Government take a huge step forward in recognising the role of churches in meeting local needs and in engaging with local communities to facilitate discussion and come up with local solutions,' says Matthew Frost.
'We need to see governments and donors harness the unique position of church-based organisations to make sure that people in poor communities have a greater say about decisions that impact their livelihoods and wellbeing.'
In the Thick of It argues that local churches are uniquely placed to address local needs because:
- The local church is not an external organisation coming in to help poor people – it is the poor, and its members share in the suffering
- The local church doesn’t leave after a few years – it remains in place and is committed to long-term sustainable solutions
- The local church has unparalleled resource in the form of motivated and committed local volunteers.
- The local church has invaluable local knowledge and understanding, and represents the people who are in need as well as those who are offering help, so is ideally placed to facilitate local discussions and community engagement
- The local church often has a level of credibility and authority within the community that others cannot replicate
The local church can offer support beyond the practical, meeting emotional and spiritual needs
Drawing on examples of good practice in the UK and Ireland as well as in developing countries, In the Thick of It presents anecdotal as well as empirical evidence of the contribution that local churches make to the lives of communities.
And the position paper also describes work that has already started to support local churches in developing countries to address their own limitations, including paternalistic approaches to welfare or beliefs about the role of women. Uniquely placed to work with churches to challenge these traditions and promote best practice in development, Tearfund is the first UK agency to achieve certified Humanitarian Accountability Partnership compliance in recognition of its high standards of accountability to the people it serves.
As a natural progression from delivering services through local church networks around the world, Tearfund also runs Connected Church; a project linking UK churches with those in developing countries, in order to encourage UK churches to follow best practice when supporting overseas development projects and to engage with poverty issues back home too.
'It's time to translate debate about faith and development into active partnership,' says Matthew Frost.
'And it's time for the church in the West to realise fully its role and potential in tackling poverty at home and overseas