Department of Practical Theology and Missiology

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Browsing Department of Practical Theology and Missiology by browse.metadata.advisor "Botman, H. Russel"

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    The quest for being public church : a study of the South African Moravian Church in historical and contemporary perspective
    (Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University, 2003-12) August, Karel Th.; Botman, H. Russel; Adonis, J. C.; Stellenbosch University. Faculty of Theology. Dept. of Practical Theology & Missiology.
    ENGLISH ABSTRACT: This study falls within the area of Missional theology, which is a functional thoology. As such, it deals with the function (praxis) and mission of the Church in society. It seeks a 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 missional quality. 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 imperative. 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!