The church and its shadow: the ambiguous role of church partnerships in World Vision’s development practice

Abstract

There has been a resurgent interest in the role of religion in international development work over the last decade. While churches are being engaged as local development partners in implementing development programs there is little research on the efficacy of doing so. This paper argues that there can be strong advantages of partnering with churches as local, permanent, geographically-dispersed, persuasive, community-based organizations. At the same time, however, there are significant risks for donors and other stakeholders, creating ambivalence about the suitability of some church partners. This paper draws on the experience of World Vision in eight settings. It explores the risks and benefits of partnering with churches, and argues that church engagement overall is important for developing communities, the sector, the church itself, and for shaping the concept of ‘development.’