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.
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