Abstract
M.Ed.
This study forms part of a community education inquiry in which factors that contribute to
identify the role of the church in the community were investigated. Four components of the
role of the church were identified by the researcher. The researcher investigated the
following: The political role of the church; The economical role of the church; The social role of the church and The educational role of the church. The focus in this study is on how the church contributed to the development of the community in the mentioned areas. Transforming the community from "darkness to light". Hence, the major objective of this study was to investigate church activities that contributed to community empowerment and betterment of life. The church is seen as an extremely influential primary institution that provides conditions, which contribute to the development of the community. The research was based on the assumption that the church can develop and promote positive attitudes and responsibility in the community. The most significant church contributions to the community were discussed. The topic of study is explored through the contribution of interviews and direct observation. The results obtained in this research indicated that the church contributes to the political, economical, educational and social aspects of culture of the community to transform the life of people.