AFRIKAANS: Die pastorale betekenis van prediking vir die kerklidmaat is al indirek in studies behandel. Hierdie studie fokus direk op die betekenis van prediking in die pastoraat . Die prakties-teologiese model, waarvolgens die navorsing gedoen is, is die kultureel-linguistiese teologiese model, wat die rol van die groep se tradisie as interpreterende, semiotiese sisteem in die lewe van die lidmaat beklemtoon. Die navorsing is op ’n narratiewe manier gedoen, saam met medenavorsers. As praktiese teoloog het ek die navorsing met die aannames van die sosiaal-konstruksionisme gedoen. Narratiewe speel veral 'n groot rol in die identiteitsvorming van die lidmaat en van die geloofsgemeenskap. Pastoraat, soos beskou binne die raamwerk van die kultureel-linguistiese model, vind op ’n narratief-hermeneutiese wyse in die prediking plaas. Prediking begelei die lidmaat tot die interpretasie van gebeure in sy of haar lewe, in die lig van die narratiewe identiteit van die geloofsgemeenskap. Die identiteit van die geloofsgemeenskap ondergaan sy vorming deur die Bybel as die basisnarratief, deur die geloofstradisie en deur die konteks waarin die gemeenskap verkeer. Dit is ’n dinamiese proses wat voortdurend herinterpreteer word, daarom word die lidmaat voortdurend uitgenooi, veral deur prediking, tot herinterpretasie van sy of haar eie narratiewe identiteit. Die Bybel as basisnarratief funksioneer op intratekstuele manier in die narratiewe identiteit van die gemeente en die lidmaat deurdat dit as realistiese narratief interpreteer word, en dit daag tot narratief-hermeneutiese interpretasie. Die navorsing se keuse vir pastorale prediking is: ’n intratekstuele, narratiewe, pastorale prediking model. ENGLISH: The role of the sermon in the pastoral care of the member of a congregation has previously been researched indirectly. The present research focuses directly on the role of the sermon in pastoral care. The practical theological model for this research is the cultural-linguistic theological model, which emphasizes the group's tradition as an interpretive semiotic system in the life of the congregation member. The research was carried out in a narrative way, together with co-researchers. As a practical theologian, I did the research using the assumptions of social constructionism. The role of narrative is particularly important in the shaping of identities, both of the individual and the congregation. Pastoral care, as viewed within the framework of the cultural-linguistic model, is achieved in the sermon in a narrative-hermeneutical way. The sermon helps the congregation members to interpret events in their lives in the light of the narrative identity of the group. The identity of the group is shaped by the Bible as underlying narrative, by the tradition of the faith community and by the context. It is a dynamic process that is ever changing; therefore the member is continually invited through the sermon to a re-interpretation of his or her own narrative identity. The Bible, as the fundamental narrative, functions in an intratextual manner in the narrative identity of the community and the individual, through its interpretation as a realistic narrative, and it represents a challenge to attempt new narrative hermeneutical interpretations. The research proposal for pastoral preaching is: an intratextual-narrative-pastoral sermon. / Thesis (PhD)--University of Pretoria, 2010. / Practical Theology / unrestricted

AFRIKAANS: Om Kerk van Jesus Christus op aarde te wees, vra dat daar altyd van twee werklikhede kennis geneem word naamlik die Bybelse ekklesiologie en die aardse konteks waarin hierdie ekklesiologie elke dag in die mens se lewe moet realiseer. Die werklikheid van die Bybelse ekklesiologie moet as onveranderlike vertrekpunt vir die aardse uitlewing van kerk-wees geld. Hierdie studie toon aan dat die Bybelse ekklesiologie gesien moet word binne die raamwerk van ʼn groter dinamiek naamlik dié van God se koninkryk. Daarom moet eers verstaan word waaroor God se koninkryk gaan voordat verstaan kan word hoe die kerk binne hierdie koninkryk moet funksioneer. Al is Kerk en Koninkryk nie dieselfde nie, staan hulle ook nie los van mekaar nie. Die gestalte van die kerk word mede bepaal deur die gestalte van die koninkryk. In die Ou Testament word vanuit Gen 12:2 as vertrekpunt beklemtoon dat God sy verbondsvolk seën sodat hulle weer ʼn seën kan wees en die hele aarde God as die Almagtige Heerser sal raaksien. Al wat God van hulle verwag, is om aan hom gehoorsaam te wees en nie die gode van die ander nasies te dien nie. So sal die volk van God as gestuurde volk sy liefde in hierdie wêreld sigbaar maak. In die Nuwe Testament val die klem op die feit dat die koninkryk ʼn werklikheid geword het in Jesus Cristus se koms en dat die kerk as gestuurde volk die evangelie van Christus aan die wêreld moet verkondig sodat God se liefde, soos dit in die koms van Jesus Christus gestalte kry, bekend gemaak kan word (Matt 28:19-21 en Luk 24:48). Wanneer dan na die Kerk van Jesus Christus gekyk word vanuit die perspektief van God se koninkryk, kan mens nie anders nie as om raak te sien dat die kerk die roeping het om ook vandag nog aan God as die Almagtige Heerser en Jesus Christus as die liefdevolle Verlosser gestalte te gee in die manier waarop ons in die een en twintigste eeu kerk is. Die probleem wat in hierdie studie aangespreek word, hou verband met die feit dat die NGK nie daarin slaag om die konteks van die tyd waarin die vooruitgang van die elektroniese kommunikasie media hoogty vier tot voordeel van haar missionale roeping benut nie. In die studie word aangetoon wat die veranderende wêreld waarin ons leef behels, en watter eise dit aan kerk-wees stel. In aansluiting daarby word aangetoon hoe die massamedia benut kan word om in diens van missionale kerk-wees te staan. Die massamedia wat kortliks behandel word, is Twitter, Facebook, Podcasts, Linkedin, werfjoernale en die gemeentelike webblad. Die eerste vyf word slegs kortliks bespreek terwyl die gemeente se webblad breedvoerig behandel word. Die rede daarvoor is die verskil in aard tussen die massamedia en die webblad. Eersgenoemde se bedoeling is veral daarop gerig om die bevordering van interaktiewe kommunikasie met beperkte hoeveelheid teks te bevorder terwyl die webblad van die gemeente die geleentheid bied om uitgebreide inligting te verskaf wat oor ʼn wye verskeidenheid van temas gelowiges kan toerus en begelei om missionale kerk van Jesus Christus te wees. Om die relevantheid van die studie en die hipotese te bevestig, is ʼn kwalitatiewe studie gedoen van al die webblaaie (144) wat tans (Nov 2012) by gemeentes in die NGK bestaan. Die resultaat daarvan word interpreteer en aanbevelings in dié verband word gedoen. Aan die einde word tot die volgende konklusies gekom: In hierdie studie is die volgende navorsingsdoelwitte bereik: (1) God se koninkryk is die primêre fokus en rede vir bestaan van die ganse skepping. (2) God se bedoeling met sy Kerk op aarde volgens sy Woord is om gestalte aan God se koninkryk te gee. Daarom het die kerk ʼn missionale roeping. (3) Die konteks waarbinne hierdie roeping vandag uitgeleef moet word, hou verband met die verstaan van die dinamiese veranderende samelewing waarin die postmodernisme ʼn groot rol speel. (4) Benutting van elektroniese massamedia bied ʼn gulde geleentheid aan die kerk om hierdie missionale roeping kommunikatief uit te leef. (5) Die kwalitatiewe navorsing bevestig die hipotese naamlik dat die gemeentes van die NGK nog geensins besef wat die waarde van die Internet is ten opsigte van missionale bediening nie. ENGLISH: Being the Church of Christ on earth requires that two realities must constantly be taken into account namely the ecclesiology of the Bible and the context of the earthly life where this ecclesiology has to be actualised. The reality of the Biblical ecclesiology must be seen as the unchangeable departing point for the church in practice every day. This study is indicates that Biblical ecclesiology always operates within the bigger framework of the kingdom of God. Therefore, it is necessary to first understand the meaning of God’s kingdom before we can understand the relation between the church and the kingdom. Although God’s kingdom and the church of God are not identical, it is also true that the two don’t operate loose from each other. The stature of the church is being co-defined by the stature of the kingdom. In the Old Testament, with Ex 12:2 as point of departure, it is being emphasized that God blessed his covenant people with the presumption that they will also be a blessing to the other nations so that all will recognize God as the only almighty King. God’s only expectation from his people was that they should obey him and worship him alone and not the gods of the other nations. In that way the people of God as his sent people, will reveal God’s love for all. In the New Testament the emphasis falls on the fact that God’s kingdom became a reality through the incarnation of Jesus. The church, as his sent people, must proclaim Christ’s Gospel to the world as it is revealed in the coming of Jesus Christ so that the whole world can become part of his kingdom (Mt 28:19-21 and Lk 24:48). Looking at the church of Jesus Christ from the perspective of God’s kingdom, one can not but recognize the necessity for the church of the twenty first century to obey the calling from God to witness to this world that God is the almighty ruler and that His love for the world became reality in the coming of Jesus Christ into the world. The problem that is being addressed in this study concerns the fact that the Dutch Reformed Church does not seem to succeed in making the most of the context of our time with the explosion of the electronic mass media, in favour of its missional calling. This study explores the impact of the macro changes we experience in the present context of our time and shows what opportunities it provides for the church to be missional in its functioning. The following electronic mass media are being explored: Twitter, Facebook, Podcasts, Linkedin, Blogs and especially the webpage of the congregation. The five first mentioned, are only touched on briefly while the webpage of the congregation is being researched extensively. The reason for this lies in the difference in structure. The first mentioned mass media is meant for interactive communication with restricted volume while the webpage gives opportunity for providing extensive and permanent information concerning a wide variety of relevant articles and issues for the missional ministry of the congregation. To confirm the relevancy of the study and the hipothesis, a qualitative study of the existing webpages (144 on Nov 2012) in congregations of the Dutch Reformed Church is being done. The results of this study are interpreted and recommendations are being made. Finally the following conclusions are being formulated: In this study the following research goals have been achieved: (1) God’s kingdom is the primary focus and reason for existence of the whole creation. (2) God’s purpose for his church on earth, according to His Word, is to give stature to his Kingdom. For this reason the church has a missional calling. (3) The context in which this calling must be exercised, is related to understanding the dynamic changing society where the postmodernism plays a huge role. (4) Utilizing the mass media provides a golden opportunity to the church to fulfill her missional calling communicatively. (5) The qualitative research confirms the hypothesis that the congregations of the DRC do not as yet understand the value of using the Internet in missional ministry. / Thesis (DD)--University of Pretoria, 2013. / Science of Religion and Missiology / unrestricted

Thesis (DTh)--University of Stellenbosch, 2002. / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Die Nederduitse Gereformeerde Kerk is die afgelope paar jare in debatte gewikkel oor die een aktiwiteit wat uniek aan die kerk is, naamlik haar aanbidding. Aanbidding het vandag een van die belangrike redes geword waarom kerke groei, maar is terselfdertyd ook een van die oorsake waarom gemeentes lidmate verloor en kwyn. Aan die voorpunt van die debat oor aanbidding, is die kwessie van lofprysing. Lofprysing het vandag vir baie gelowiges 'n middel geword om hulle geloof en aanbidding tot uitdrukking te bring. In plaas daarvan dat die nuwe beklemtoning en behoefte aan lofprysing die kerk in haar aanbidding van God verenig het, het dit egter 'n bron van frustrasie en konflik geword. Hierdie konflik sentreer hoofsaaklik om die styl waarin lofprysing plaasvind en word aangehelp deur die gebrek aan kennis oor die onderwerp en die diversiteit wat in gemeentes heers. Gemeentes van die Nederduitse Gereformeerde Kerk bestaan vandag uit lidmate wat uiteenlopende lewensuitkyke handhaaf en verskillende spiritualiteite besit. Om die hele kwessie van lofprysing binne die konteks van diverse gemeentes aan te spreek, moes die studie eerstens die aard en funksie van lofprysing binne die liturgie bepaal. Daarna moes 'n wyse gevind word waarop die diversiteit in gemeentes hanteer kon word. Deur middel van 'n spiritualiteitstipologie wat Holmes in 1980 opgestel het, en wat later as basis van verskillende spiritualiteitsanalises gedien het, is 'n instrument daargestel waarmee gemeentes en individue se spiritualiteit getoets kon word. In hierdie studie is die analises nie net gebruik om mense se spiritualiteit vas te stel nie, maar ook om te bepaal of daar 'n korrelasie tussen spiritualiteitsgroepe en hulle aanbiddingsbehoeftes bestaan. Die navorsing het daarin geslaag om nie net 'n verband tussen spiritualiteit en aanbiddingspatrone aan te toon nie, maar ook die waarde van 'n spiritualiteitsanalise te beklemtoon om die diversiteit ten opsigte van aanbidding en lofprysing in gemeentes aan te spreek. / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: Over the past few years the Dutch Reformed Church has been embroiled in a debate regarding worship within the church. Whilst the worship within a congregation has become one of the most important factors in church growth, it is also one of the reasons why some congregations loose membership and shrink in size. A major point of contention within this debate relates to the use of praise. To many believers, praise has become a process through which they worship and reinforce their faith. Instead of unifying the church in her worship of God, the current emphasis on praise within the church has become a source of frustration and a point of contention. This controversy mainly centres around the style with which praise is practiced within the congregation and is exacerbated by a lack of knowledge surrounding the topic and the diversity that exists within congregations. Members of the Dutch Reformed Church has widely divergent life views and also possess different spiritualities. To determine the use of praise within divergent congregations, this study evaluated the nature and function of praise within the context of the liturgy. Subsequently, a method to manage the diversity within congregations was developed. In 1980, Holmes developed a spirituality typology within which he identified four spirituality groups. Based on the spirituality typology, some spirituality analyses were formed to help congregations and individuals to test their spirituality. These analyses were used to identify the correlation between a spirituality group and their worship requirements. The results from this research clearly showed a positive correlation between these two parameters and also highlighted the value of using the spirituality analysis as a method to manage the different praise and worship requirements that exists within congregations.

M.Th. (Practical Theology)

M.Th. (Practical Theology)