The analysis in this thesis is based on interviews that I conducted with Christian development practitioners about their motivations and perceptions concerning concepts of development and development work. During the preliminary analysis of my interviews I noticed that religious development practitioners seemed to have a striking affinity to participatory development. The research aim of this thesis is about finding out why this is the case. On the basis of a theoretical framework that focuses on the manipulative potentials of participatory development I argue that religious development practitioners prefer participation because it provides a sophisticated vehicle for proselytization. In addition to that explanation I argue that participatory development serves to meet the religious desires of the practitioners which revolve around being in a close relationship to God. Participation in the perception of the religious development practitioner describes a process of personal transformation that brings the believer closer to God. Following an account by Ilan Kapoor I argue that the ‘self-empowering’ experience of religious transformation can result in the practitioners’ increase of influence and power, which makes participation as manipulation even more effective.