Taking Integral Mission to the Back of Beyond in Zimbabwe: A Case Study of the Assemblies of God Church, Hwange – Zimbabwe

Zimbabwe’s rural areas are politically, socio-economically and environmentally volatile and in dire need of the integral mission of the Church. Many publications confirm that the Church in Zimbabwe has talked and walked much about its integral mission in urban and peri-urban areas. This is commendable, as urban residents who have enjoyed the transformative fruits of integral mission can eventually apply its teachings in their various spheres of influence. However, a gap exists in Zimbabwean rural grassroots buy-in, ownership, involvement and development. Thus, this paper acclimatises the Church with the need to take an integral mission to the countryside, to contextualise and empower villagers to proclaim and demonstrate the gospel in their communities, and to achieve inclusive sustainable development and transformation. The study applied a qualitative case study research design, and literature review coupled with purposively sampled in-depth interviews, observation and interpretive data analysis. The study uncovered that the majority of churches have done very little in rural areas due to economic incapacitation. Drawing lessons from the Assemblies of God church in Hwange, which has exemplified a sustainable integral mission in rural areas, it concludes that reaching out to grassroots interconnects urban with rural God-given gifts and resources to achieve inclusive sustainability and transformation. Keywords: Church, Integral Mission, Contextualization, Sustainability, Transformation