Religious actors in development range from international and professional faith-based development organisations such as Church World Service (US) and Christian Aid (UK) to congregations and groups of volunteers seeking to improve living conditions in their local communities. While the religious, ideological and organisational ties between them and efforts to address the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) draw them together, the differences between these kinds of faith-based actors are also evident.
The professional organisations are dedicated to humanitarian assistance, development aid and advocacy work and are part of global networks of professional organisations. Local churches and congregations, on the other hand, are primarily rooted in their communities. Although they are also part of more extensive networks and do similar humanitarian and development work, their interventions are much more limited and often rely on volunteers. In addition, these efforts by churches and congregations are part of their local ministry and a broader range of religious activities, including church services, worship, religious education, etc.
When localization in humanitarian and development work is called for, how can these professional organisations, on the one hand, and churches and congregations, on the other, work together?
In 2022, the World Council of Churches (WCC) and the ACT Alliance – an alliance of more than 140 faith-based member organisations working in long-term development, advocacy and humanitarian assistance – finalized the document Called to Transformation – Ecumenical Diakonia addressing the relationship between churches and these professional “specialized ministries” (World Council of Churches, 2022; Pillay, 2023). The document seeks to provide a new ”baseline” for joint reflection and practice of diakonia relevant to the “contemporary framework of the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals” and to “localization” (p. 8).
Called to Transformation – Ecumenical Diakonia highlights not only the history and theology of what is referred to as ecumenical diakonia (chapters 1 and 3) but also the changing landscape of diaconal action (Christian social practice; ch. 5), contemporary challenges (ch. 7) and the way forward (ch. 10). In this way, the document becomes a position document on the understanding of diakonia and the relationship between churches and specialized ministries in development. It also outlines a strategy for joint religious engagement in development practice and how these different (Christian) faith actors can play a part in the run-up to the end of the Sustainable Development Goals in 2030 and the post-2030 agenda.
Drawing on insights from diaconal studies (Dietrich et al., 2014; Ampony et al., 2021; Nessan & Stephens, 2024), public theology ((Graham, 2013); (Kim & Day, 2017); Agang et al., 2020) and religion and development (Deneulin & Bano, 2009; ter Haar, 2011; Öhlmann, 2023), this paper analyses the understanding of faith-based development work in Called to Transformation – Ecumenical Diakonia in three steps. Firstly, I discuss the understanding of Christian social practice and ecumenical diakonia articulated in the document. Secondly, I examine how the relationship between churches and specialized ministries is conceptualised in the context of ecumenical diaconia and faith-based responses to the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Thirdly, I analyse how the document understands the relationship between religious faith and human rights and how it plays a role in Christian faith-based development work.
I conclude by reflecting on how Called to Transformation – Ecumenical Diakonia positions faith-based actors in development practice towards 2030 and the post-2030 agenda. I then discuss how the field of diaconal studies and the study of religious and social practice relates to the religion and development debate. What can the two fields of inquiry learn from each other, and what can be gained from stronger interdisciplinary engagement in these fields?
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Ampony, G., Büscher, M., Hofmann, B., Ngnintedem, F., Solon, D., & Werner, D. (2021). International Handbook of Ecumenical Diakonia: Contextual Theologies and Practices of Diakonia and Christian Social Services -- Resources for Study and Intercultural Learning. Augsburg Fortress Publishers. https://muse.jhu.edu/book/85391.
Deneulin, S., & Bano, M. (2009). Religion in Development: Rewriting the Secular Script. Zed Books.
Dietrich, S., et al., Eds. (2014). Diakonia as Christian Social Practice. An Introduction. Oxford, Regnum Books International.
Graham, E. (2013). Between a Rock and a Hard Place. Public Theology in a Post-Secular Age. SCM.
Kim, S., & Day, K. (2017). A Companion to Public Theology. Boston: BRILL.
Nessan, C. L., & Stephens, D. W. (2024). Diaconal studies: lived theology for the church in North America. Regnum Books International.
Öhlmann P. (2023). Diaconia and Development: The Study of Religious Social Practice as Lead Discipline in the Religion and Development Debate. Religions. 2023; 14(8):1032. https://doi.org/10.3390/rel14081032
Pillay, J. (2023). Called to Transformation. The Ecumenical Review, 75(3–4), 335–348. https://doi.org/10.1111/erev.12807
ter Haar, G. (Ed.) (2011). Religion and Development. Ways of Transforming the World (pp. 3-26). Columbia University Press.
World Council of Churches (2022). Called to Transformation - Ecumenical Diakonia.
This paper analyses the understanding of faith-based development work in Called to Transformation – Ecumenical Diakonia (World Council of Churches 2022) in three steps. Firstly, I discuss the understanding of Christian social practice and ecumenical diakonia articulated in the document. Secondly, I examine how the relationship between churches and specialized ministries is conceptualised in the context of ecumenical diaconia and faith-based responses to the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Thirdly, I analyse how the document understands the relationship between religious faith and human rights and how it plays a role in Christian faith-based development work. I conclude by reflecting on how Called to Transformation – Ecumenical Diakonia positions faith-based actors in development practice towards 2030 and the post-2030 agenda.