Browsing by Author "De Villiers, Andre C."

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    Die NG gemeente Kathu se reaksie op die uitdaging van 'n omgewing
    (Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University, 2015-03) De Villiers, Andre C.; Hendriks, Hans Jurgens; Stellenbosch University. Faculty of Theology. Dept. of Practical Theology and Missiology.
    ENGLISH ABSTRACT: The congregation of Kathu is the largest Dutch Reformed Church congregation in the Northern Cape. It is a congregation with a huge potential to show signs of the kingdom of God, especially in the countryside. The congregation has the ability to be a leader to effect meaningful change in society. Many people living in the countryside are losing hope because of economic regression. It is their experience that politicians do not keep their promises, with the result that everyone experiences declining living standards. The potential of the congregation has to do with the following: (1) there is a lot of economic development and progress in the area, (2) there is a lot of energy in the congregation because of the large number of young people as well as the many ambitious people working on the mines. The opportunities for the congregation to make a difference go hand in hand with the development of a whole new town. The population of Kathu has already doubled in size since 2001 and it is expected to grow even further. There are many opportunities for the congregation to get involved with community projects in a fast changing environment. The needs and the opportunities are endless. The congregation has credibility in our local society and there are good relationships and cooperation between the congregation and other role players. Despite these opportunities the congregation is reluctant to get involved. In the beginning the hypothesis was that it is due to a skewed view of what the church is. Because the congregation is in the countryside it was thought that the members might have a politically conservative opinion about the church getting involved in community matters. This study has proved that it is not the case. It is much more likely that the problem lies with the leadership or even with the systems and structures that are (not) in place. If the leadership would be more willing to take risks, they might find that they have many members waiting to follow them. Or if the systems were in place, it would be much easier for the members to know where and how to get involved.