August, Karel Thomas (2003-12)
Thesis (DTh) -- Stellenbosch University, 2003.
better understanding of the functionality of the Church fundamental to the Missio Dei.
Since Missional Theology is about the Church's serving function to the community, these
functions, viz. mission, proclamation, fellowship, education, growth, habitual change and
transformation, are brought to bear on the image of the Moravian Church.
Because this study concerns the being and public witness of the Church, it adopted a
qualitative approach linked to participatory action research. The research was done
diachronically and phenomena were analysed over three periods in the formation of the
MCSA: (a) The Missionary era (1737 - 1960), (b) the autonomous Church under
apartheid (1960- 1994) and (c) challenges of the democratic dispensation for the United
MCSA and its future role in the RSA (1994 and further).
Drawing upon these resources, Chapters 3 - 5 examine (based on the epistemological
framework designed in Chapter 2) the values, symbols and conceptions of the Moravian
Ecclesiastical community in relation to its internal and external environment. It also
examines its structures and polity in order to come to a critical understanding of its
disposition as a faith community in its interaction with public life.
Four presuppositions are established as core principles:
The first core principle is that the Moravian Church in SA (MCSA), in its quest for
being a public Church, had to act true to its calling as the divine proponent of the
reconciled, transformed humanity. The MCSA also had to serve (prophetically and
sacrificially) a "broken" society with a view to its transformation, which is essentially its
The second core principle is that the MCSA in its tendency towards being a public
Church had to conform to the theological principles of a public Church. In Chapter 2,
based on the three identified publics in which the Church (theology) operates, four
relations are applied, i.e. the Church in relation to the State; the Church in relation to
market economy; the Church and people's empowerment; and the Church and public
values - the quality of human life. Subsequently these configurations of the Church are
used to design an epistemological framework according to which the public role of the
MCSA throughout its history was established.
The third core principle is that the Church, given its context, had to act according to the
challenges and needs of that context. The historical analysis of the MCSA helped to
establish how it-contributed to the public discourse within those contexts. However, in
order to establish how it could contribute in future, the MCSA was evaluated according to
a reasonable, contemporary social contextual analysis . (in chapter 7), which was
In Chapter 7, the fourth core principle is developed as the outcome of the investigation
in the preceding chapters. In order to be an adequate public Church, the MCSA had to
harness the potential of its members by training them, equipping them for justice
ministl)', which would provide the Church with the much-neglected public ministry.
Based on the historical findings, guidelines were designed to assist the church in training
its minista-s and congregations for public witness.
There is no simple shortcut formula for developing an effective congregational-based
public (advocacy) ministry. It requires the congregation to be bold in its vision,
committed to its mission, willing to give significant time, energy and resources, to be a
risk taker, and to work in partnership with its larger community (macro environment).
Most of all, it requires faith in the knowledge that God's righteousness and justice will
prevail. The most practical advice is spiritual - to live the belief that justice is central to
our calling as Christ's witness in the world - even in the public arena!
AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Hierdie studie val binne die area van Missionere Teologie wat 'n funksionele teologie is.
As sulks het dit te do en met die funksie (praxis) en missie van die kerk in die
samelewing. Dit poog om die kerk se funksionaliteit fundamenteel tot die Missio Dei te
verstaan. Terwyl Missionere Teologie gaan oor die kerk se dienaarsrol in die
samelewing, is die volgende funksies, t.w. sending, getuienis en proklamasie,
gemeenskap, opvoeding, groei, gewoontes verandering en transformasie toegepas op die
beeld van die Morawiese Kerk in Suid-Afrika.
Weens die feit dat hierdie studie te make het met die wese en publieke getuienis van die
kerk, het dit 'n kwalitatiewe benadering aangeneem wat noodsaaklikerwys gekoppel is
aan deelnememde aksie navorsing.
Die navorsing is diakronies gedoen en fenomene is oor drie periodes in die formasie van
die Morawiese Kerk geanaliseer:
(a) Die sendingperiode (1737-1960), (b) die outonome Kerk onder apartheid (1960-1994)
en (c) die uitdagings van die demokratiese bedeling vir die Morawiese Kerk in SuidAfrika
en die vereistes vir sy Publieke rol (1994-).
Met die informasie wat hieruit voortgevloei het, het die projek in Hoofstukke 3-5
(gebaseer op die epistemologiese raamwerk ontwerp in hoofstuk 2) die waardes, simbole
en opvattings van die kerklike gemeenskap ondersoek in verhouding tot haar interne en
eksterne omgewings. Ook haar strukture en beleid is ondersoek met die doel om tot 'n
kritiese verstaan te kom van haar gesitueerdheid in haar interaksie as geloofsgemeenskap
met die publieke eksterne omgewing.
Vier voorveronderstellings is vasgestel as uitvloeisel van die navorsmg en dien as
Die eerste kernbeginsel is dat die MKSA in sy strewe na 'n openbare kerk, getrou moes
optree aan haar roeping as die goddelike proponent van die versoende, getransformeerde
mensheid en profeties en opofferend 'n "gebroke" samelewing dien met die oog op sy
transformasie, wat wesenlik die kerk se sendingsaard is.
Die tweede kernbeginsel is dat die NrKSA in haar geneigdheid na 'n openbare kerk,
haar moes skik (konformeer) volgens die teologiese beginsels van 'n openbare kerk. In
hoofstuk 2, gebaseer op die drie ge'indentifiseerde publieke waarbinne die kerk (teologie)
haarself manifesteer, is 4 verhoudings waarin die openbare kerk staan ge'identi:fiseer,
naamlik die kerk se verhouding tot die Staat, die mark-ekonomie, menslike bemagtiging
en tot openbare waardes - die gehalte van menslike lewe. Vervolgens is hierdie
gestaltes van die kerk benut om 'n epistemologiese raamwerk te ontwerp waarvolgens die
openbare rol van die MKSA in haar geskiedenis blootgele is.
Die derde kernbeginsel was dat die kerk moes optree volgens die uitdagings en
behoeftes van die konteks. Die historiese analise van die MKSA het gehelp om vas te
stel hoe die kerk bygedra het tot die openbare dis~oers, al dan nie, in daardie kontekste.
Die navorser is egter genoodsaak om die MKSA te projekteer teen 'n verantwoordelike
sosiaal-kontekstuele analise in hoofstuk 7 om te kon vasstel hoe die kerk verder haar
hydrae kan maak in die openbare arena.
In hoofstuk 7 was die vierde kernbeginsel ontwikkel as uitkoms van die
navorsingsprojek in die voorafgaande hoofstukke. Dit behels dat die MKSA, om 'n
genoegsame openbare kerk te wees, die potensiaal van haar lidmate moet benut deur
hulle op te lei I toe te rus vir openbare bediening.
Daar is geen eenvoudige, kortpad formule vir die ontwikkeling van 'n effektiewe,
gemeente-gebaseerde, openbare geregtigheidsbediening nie. Dit vereis dat die gemeente
dapper moet wees in haar visie, toegewyd aan haar missie (sending), gewillig om
beduidende tyd, energie, en bronne te verskaf, bereid moet wees om risiko 's te neem en
om in verbondsvennootskappe te werk met sy makro omgewing. Ten diepste vereis dit geloof in die wete dat God se geregtigheid en regverdigheid sal stand hou. Die mees
praktiese aanbeveling is geestelik - om in die geloof te lewe sodat regverdigheid
sentraal staan tot ons roeping as Christus se getuies in die wereld- selfs in die openbare
Please refer to this item in SUNScholar by using the following persistent URL: http://hdl.handle.net/10019.1/53668
﻿ Kim, Hyeo See (Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University, 1997)
Die bediening van die kerk aan die jeugdige arbeider in die nywerheid met spesiale verwysing na die Ned. Geref. gemeente, De Bloem
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