Ministry with poor community : a missional appraisal of the innerchange tutoring ministry in Soshanguve

Abstract

In South Africa, there is evidence of poverty decreasing during this post-Apartheid era. However, the nonand less educated portion of the population, which is the majority, has not benefitted strongly from the economic growth the country has enjoyed. Education is one of the best ways out of poverty. However the current education system is in crisis and disadvantages the poor when it comes to climbing the socioeconomic ladder. The church serving in poor communities such as Soshanguve seems to be passive in matters of education and expects the solution to the current crisis to come from the Government alone. In order to orchestrate a missional engagement of resolving the current education crisis, this research focuses on a collaborative effort between the Government, the church and the community. Working toward that end, interviews were conducted with four of InnerCHANGE after school tutoring volunteers and four staff of a Government sponsored Drop-in-Centre that provides tutoring services to the community. The case study methodology combined with Susan Holman’s interpretive framework of sensing, sharing and embodying the kingdom were used in order to develop proposals for a healthy collaborative effort between the missional church and other role players such as the Government and community members.