Abstract:
This article is a result of research being conducted to explore how churches in two regions of the
City of Tshwane – Pretoria Central and Mamelodi East – respond to urban change and
vulnerability. Both regions are deeply affected by urban migration patterns. Firstly, I will explore
various forms of migration – transnational, rural-urban, urban–suburban and generational – and
the causes of migration – social-economic and political – as experienced and described by the
churches themselves. Secondly, I will seek to reflect on some of the tensions or ambiguities of
how churches respond to migration, how the identity, self-understanding or locatedness of
churches inform their responses to migration, and/or how churches and their identity are
shaped by migration – commuter or local church, home or temporary church.
Description:
The collection entitled ‘Spirit rising: tracing movements of justice’, forms part of the ‘Faith in the City’ research project, hosted by
the Centre for Contextual Ministry in the Faculty of Theology, University of Pretoria. Some of the articles were papers presented at the
Biennial Consultation on Urban Ministry, hosted by the Institute for Urban Ministry, in collaboration with other organizations, from 17-20
August 2016. The theme of this Consultation was ‘#We must rise: healers - dreamers – jesters.
