Synergy between the Church and Government in Community Development: A Sociocultural Entrepreneurship Approach

This paper aims at describing the church strategies for doing community development. As a religious institution, when doing development community, the church often confronts questions about conversion or evangelism. By implementing the entrepreneurial approach, community development programmes allow for synergy between the church and government to support sustainable development. Building on field work conducted in in three areas of Indonesia: North Sumatera (2008), Sumba in Eastern Indonesia (2010) and Central Java (2015), this paper argues that the church should seek a synergetic, equal partnership with the government in implementing community development projects. In the process it is essential for the church to practice and advocate for good governance. Engaged in such a process, the church has an opportunity to witness through community development as a manifestation of social diaconia. Oriented to public service, social diaconia seeks the common good, bona ecclesiae, where wealth is to be managed and grows to help the poor