Relook at church role in black community

AS A black South African who grew up in a spiritual and religious family, where church was, and remains, a crucial part of black people’s way of life, I’m left wondering what role the church plays in black communities.

The church should move with the times. If one has to look at our townships and poor communities, the church is the only place, apart from places that sell alcohol, where black South Africans flock to week in, week out and sometimes daily.

With a lack of proper structural investments in our community, the church remains the only pillar of hope.

We need to debate its role. How many churches provide bursary schemes to their younger members? How many offer employment opportunities or access to information? We should ask what happens to the huge amount of money we offer to the church weekly. We hardly see an investment in our communities.

We should ask what role the church plays with regard to the development and economic empowerment of its communities and members. I cannot understand how unemployed people attend church daily and with the little they have, contribute to its coffers.

We should look at the role of the church and Christianity with regard to the oppression of Africans economically, politically, socially and mentally. We should examine whether we want to be blind followers or critical thinkers and responsible citizens who scrutinise where the church’s money goes and why it isn’t contributing towards economic freedom in its communities. For instance, R40 million “disappeared” from the Lutheran Church of South Africa. There was no accountability.

The church’s role has to be relooked at if we are to develop our communities. We can’t be proud of offering our money to the church every week, singing and listening to sermons for hours without seeing an investment in the community.

|