The Importance of Christian Youth Ministry Involvement in Community Development in the Mayibuye Community

Mawethu Msebi ORCID iD

Issue: Vol.8  No.2 February 2022 Issue  Article 4 pp.36-47
DOI : https://doi.org/10.38159/erats.2022824  |   Published online 17th February 2022.
© 2022 The Author(s). This is an open access article under the CCBY license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/).

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This article reports on the findings of the Christian youth ministry involvement in community development in the Mayibuye community (Tembisa-Gauteng Province, South Africa). The article employed the use of Richard Osmer’s model of the four tasks of practical theological interpretation in describing and analysing the situation in the Mayibuye community.  The tasks sought to give an understanding of what is happening in youth ministry and community development contexts in the Mayibuye community. The study relied on both documentary analysis and in-depth semi-structured interviews. The findings revealed that several socio-economic challenges antagonize local communities, and young people are the most affected, as they possess a more significant number amongst all community sectors. The findings further discovered that the youth and youth ministry involvement is limited in community development processes amid local communities. In this light, the Mayibuye community has been experiencing a low level of education, gender inequity, unemployment, sexual-related challenges, substance abuse, and illicit conduct amongst the social ills. The study introduced promoting values, enhanced respect for others, driving service with integrity, and more as the benefits of youth ministry involvement in community development. The study also recommended further empirical studies on youth ministry involvement in community development, enhancement of collaboration between local religious communities and government, and engagement of young people in community development processes.

Keywords: Community development, illicit conduct, social cohesion, social justice, youth ministry

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Mawethu Msebi is a licensed Minister at the Reformed Presbyterian Church in Southern Africa and a registered Religious Specialist with the Association of Christian Religious Practitioners in South Africa. He holds an MTh in Practical Theology from the University of Pretoria, South Africa, and a Master of Business Administration (MBA) from the University of Reading, United Kingdom. He is currently doing a PhD at the University of Pretoria. He is also a Business Accountant in Practice with the Southern African Institute for Business Accountants. His research interests include youth ministry and community development.

Msebi, M. “The Importance of Christian Youth Ministry Involvement in Community Development in the Mayibuye Community,” E-Journal of Religious and Theological Studies, 8 no.2 (2022): 36-47.  https://doi.org/10.38159/erats.2022824

© 2022 The Author(s). Published and Maintained by Noyam Publishers. This is an open access article under the CCBY license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/).

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