The Centre for Contextual Ministry is hosted in the Faculty of Theology at the University of Pretoria. Since 2012 the Centre has a specific research project entitled “Faith in the city” with as sub-title “the (dis)engagement of church and theology in relation to healing urban fractures, with specific reference to the City of Tshwane”. What started as an individual Research and Development Project has now become a fully-fledged research theme with different sub-projects.

The Gauteng City-Region has more than 13,2 million people and today is one of the fastest growing metropolitan regions in the world. The City of Tshwane, as the administrative capital city of South Africa, has more than 3,6 million people. Rural-urban and cross-border migration is a real and ever-increasing phenomenon in sub-Saharan Africa. Doing theology in the Gauteng City-Region cannot but engage urbanization, informal cities in the global South, the effects of migration, and the deep inequalities and vulnerabilities presented by the ever-changing urban landscapes. Against this background the Centre for Contextual Ministry has decided to create and develop an urban niche. As part of the Faculty of Theology, celebrating its centenary year in 2017 with as theme “Gateway to…”, the Centre is breaking new ground in terms of positioning the Faculty as a gateway into cities that are humane and just. At the same time, however, the Centre would like to invite the realities and voices of the city into the Faculty of Theology to reflect on and engage with.