Browsing by Author "Gouws, G. J."

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    Die hantering van diversiteit in die Plattelandse NG gemeente Sondagsrivier
    (Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University, 2013-03) Gouws, G. J.; Hendriks, Hans Jurgens; Stellenbosch University. Faculty of Theology. Dept. of Practical Theology and Missiology.
    ENGLISH ABSTRACT: The researcher is a minister in a rural congregation in the town of Kirkwood in the Eastern Cape. A growing diversity among congregants became obvious. It led to conflict and challenged the leadership of the congregation to deal with it in a constructive way in order to be a missional congregation that strives to focus on the missio Dei. In order to help the congregation to better understand where it comes from and how it can be used to participate in God’s work in the Sundays River Valley, the researcher described the identity and culture of the congregation as well as the transformation processes that are having such an influence on everybody. The research question is: How can the diversity between congregants be understood, described en used? In Chapter 2 the identity of the congregation is described. Attention is given to Louw’s identity 1996 analysis of the congregation. Afterwards the influence of globalization on the identity of the congregation is described and how it increased the diversity of the congregation. Ethnographic research described the culture of the congregation (Chapter 3). The researcher discussed Armour and Browning’s (2000) Systems theory in Chapter 4. Chapter 5 described the results of empirical research that depicted five of the reigning systems in the congregatation. The data is interpreted and discussed. At the end of each chapter the researcher outlined conclusions. In Chapter 6 these conclusions and the findings of the empirical research are brought to a point on the basis of which a strategy with practical and theological points of departure for the ministry are suggested. The purpose is to guide the congregation to use their diversity in order to fulfill their missional vocation.