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Research and resources

Resources for churches asking what faithful use could look like.

Start here if you want language, research, stories, and tools to help your church think more clearly about land, buildings, justice, belonging, and faithful use.

Some resources are academic. Some are practical. Some are useful for church leaders preparing a conversation with a committee, council, parish, synod, or leadership team.

You do not need to read everything. Choose the path that meets the question you are carrying now.

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Choose the path closest to where you are.

The library

These resources are here to support the conversation, not overwhelm it. Start with the resource closest to your current question. You can return for more depth as the conversation grows.

Browse by what you need

Showing 8 of 18 resources

Space, Place and the Church: Fostering a Theology of Spatial Justice in South African Churches
Caroline Powell & Ntandoyenkosi MlamboInternational Journal of Public Theology (Brill)2022

Tracks how South African churches have engaged the land question over thirty years and what their declarations have produced in practice.

A peer-reviewed introduction to the theology of spatial justice, written for both academic and church audiences.

Best for first-time readersAcademic depthHelpful before using the discernment tool
TheologyArticle
Spatial Justice in Suburban Churches: Research Presentation
Caroline PowellSacred Foundations2021

Caroline Powell's research presentation — the thesis distilled into a slide deck for talks and workshops.

A useful primer if you don't have time for the full thesis. Suitable for sharing with a church council.

Best for first-time readersPractical toolUseful for committeesHelpful before using the discernment tool
TheologyPresentation
Can Churches Create Safe Spaces in a Time of Crisis and Beyond — Lessons Learnt in 2020
Caroline PowellSacred Foundations2020

Reflections from 2020 on how South African churches adapted their spaces during crisis — and what those adaptations revealed about what was already possible.

When churches had to respond quickly, they did. The capacity to change church space was already there. What changed was the question being asked of it.

Best for first-time readersPractical toolUseful for committees
ContextPresentation
Awakening New Imagination for Church Land and Spatial Justice
The WarehouseThe Warehouse Podcast2022

A second Warehouse Podcast episode on church land — opening the imagination of what congregational property might become.

Pairs well with the suburban-churches episode. Together they form a useful introduction for a church council.

Best for first-time readersUseful for committees
TheologyPodcast
How Should the Church Respond to Gentrification?
Level Groundlevelground.org.za2017

A Level Ground article on how congregations can read — and respond to — the gentrification of the neighbourhoods they sit in.

The neighbourhood the church was planted in is rarely the neighbourhood it now sits in. Reading that change is the first move.

Best for first-time readers
ContextArticle

Not sure where to begin?

If you are trying to choose the right resource for your church, start with the discernment tool or send us a short note about your context. We can help you find the most useful starting point.

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