Liturgies of Development Formation for Working Among the Poor

Abstract

Mainstream discourses of international development are deeply rooted in secular ways of imagining the world, enclosed within an immanent frame. Therefore, as Christians engage in the development field, they will face tensions between the embedded secular assumptions of the field and their faith commitment. Some theorists have sought to resolve this dissonance through articulating ideal Christian models of development. In practice, however, Christians who work in the field operate within the synergies and tensions emerging from these different underlying assumptions. Christian development practitioners are at risk of becoming formed by the rituals and practices of the field and thus inculcated into secular ways of viewing their work. Based on a practical theology approach, this article argues that Christians should be formed for their work in development through participating in corporate worship and illustrates this by outlining how one expression of liturgical worship can be formational for Christian development practitioners.