A Study of a Relevant Contextual Christian Education Model within a Township Baptist Convention Church

Abstract

If grassroots churches in South Africa are to empower their congregants, the use of alternative pedagogical methods is necessary. Traditional models of Christian education are having limited impact within churches due to a lack of importance placed on the socio-cultural context within the education process. In contrast, contextual Christian education places the participants’ context at the centre. This article reports on an empirical study on whether Groome’s Shared Praxis Approach to Christian education could serve as a type of contextual Christian education in township churches. This study took place amongst young adults in a bible study group of the Baptist Convention of South Africa, Munsieville, Gauteng. Making use of a qualitative approach, this study highlights how through engaging in a praxis approach to education, participants established lines of connection between their socio-cultural contexts and the Christian faith. It indicates how contextual Christian education has the potential to move away from existing practices of spiritualised, individualistic and privatised forms of Christian education, to more holistic, communal and public Christian education.