When God and poverty collide: Exploring the myths of faith-sponsored community development

Inspired by British and American religion - state practices and social capital theories, South Africa's National Religious Leaders' Forum (NRLF) and the National Religious Association for Social Development (NRASD) seek similar policy directives to empower a local, but undifferentiated, 'faith sector'. For the NRLF/NRASD, the 'faith sector' is the best-placed agency to facilitate pragmatic community development projects with far-reaching poverty alleviation impacts, provided the state assists faith organisations via public-sector grants. This paper will, therefore, test claims made by the NRLF/NRASD regarding faith organisations' social service capacities in a case-specific context - namely, Hillbrow, Johannesburg. And research findings will demonstrate that financial aid alone is insufficient to remedy existing development inadequacies. Case study findings may also highlight generic difficulties found in faith-sponsored development projects throughout South Africa.