This study was undertaken around the following problem statement: As a result of erratic pastoral care for the ministers' corps of the Dutch Reformed Church (DRC) by the denomination, ministers are often left to their own resources (to fend for themselves?) and consequently experience solitude. Because of developments in society and the church, they exist and function more and more on the periphery of the lives of people and of society. With some ministers, this results in an alienation from their calling and uncertainty about how this calling should be realised in specific circumstances and contexts. From this, the following research hypothesis was formulated: When the DRC appoints pastors pastorum as an essential component of a comprehensive and holistic approach to the pastoral care of the minister, ministers will fulfil their calling with renewed self-confidence, improved competence and greater authority. This study was approached from the methodological question: Who does what, regarding who, how, where, when, why? The DRC functions according to the presbyterial synodal system of church government. Each pastor and congregation is, although selfreliant, also part of the DRC and the Church of Christ in general. The presbyterial synodal church government system is not the only way in which the church can be managed and is also not infallible. The weaknesses in the system have a negative effect especially on pastors who have attained an exceptionally important position in the system. The system of corporate episcopes is inadequate in current circumstances.</p. Concerning episcope. The service of episcope is scripturally defined, but the nature thereof depends on place, time and circumstances. In churches with an episcopal character, the episcope are the function of the bishop and possess an individual character. A general consensus exists that these episcope can be executed in a synodal-collegial manner, OR in an episcopal-personal manner. It is not necessary to apply the service in the figure of the bishop exclusively. It is essential to supplement the system of corporative episcope in the DRC with a system of personal episcope. The function of episcope must be applied to all levels of church life. Concerning the pastor. The term pastor is preferred to that of minister or preacher. No definition is given for a pastor, but the profile of the pastor is described in terms of the triangle: person, office and profession. The calling of the pastor is considered to be fundamental to this triangle. The pastoral care of pastors comprises the totality of activities provided by the entire church in order to, by means of a personal episcope (thus officially), communicate the gospel to the pastor in all facets of his humanity and, by utilizing all possible aids, to enable the pastor to fulfill his calling with renewed self-confidence (security of identity), authority (security of office) and competence (security of profession). On the strength of this description, the following resposibility is assigned to each church assembly in the process of pastoral care of pastors: The synod functions on the level of profession and office with favourable results on the personal level of the pastor. The circuit functions on the level of mutual care among pastors. The church council and congregation function on the level of the general priesthood of believers. The pastor pastorum The ministry of the pastor pastorum should be founded upon the metaphor of the shepherd. To be able to use this nowadays, the metaphor should be deconstructed first in order to look past the various romantic portrayals thereof. Then it has to be reconstructed in order to be applicable to current circumstances. The position and profile of the pastor pastorum is pointed out. Special attention is paid to the pastor pastorum as shepherd and as person who should be able to think systemically. Empirical research <lo>The empirical investigation attempts to connect the who and the what to the where and the when.<ol> <lo><li>The empirical investigation confirms the supposition that a need exists for pastoral care among pastors.</li> <li>The pastor prefers to be pastorally cared for by the church.</li> <li>For the pastor, the receiver of the pastoral care, it is not really important which church assembly the care emanates (comes?) from. Care from a major assembly which is removed further than the regional synod from the pastor, would, however, not be effective. </li> <li>It seems that lack of a vision on the whole is a serious problem, especially in churches from the reformed tradition.</li> <li>Solutions concerning pastoral care of pastors should be directed towards the person of the pastor as well as towards the structure in which the pastor works.</li></ol> The church can and must learn from other church traditions. / Thesis (PhD)--University of Pretoria, 2008. / Practical Theology / PhD / Unrestricted

AFRIKAANS : Heelwat artikels in dagblaaie, kerkkoerante en ander publikasies in verband met die NG Kerk skep die indruk dat die NG Kerk ‘n krisistyd beleef. Die krisisse wat aan die orde gestel word, hou onder andere verband met die volgende:<ul> <li>‘n identiteitskrisis omtrent spiritualiteit;</li> <li>onduidelikheid oor etiese kwessies;</li> <li>spanning ten opsigte van die kultuur-politieke rol van die NG Kerk en gepaardgaande konflik oor kerkhereniging; </li> <li>die neo-liberale verbruikerskultuur se uitdagings aan die NG Kerk waarop dit nie noodwendig voorbereid is nie. </li></ul> Dit is egter opmerklik dat die NG Kerk tog ook die nuwe millennium met nuwe visie en ywer benader in ‘n soeke na kontekstuele en religieuse relevansie. Daar is min twyfel dat die resente stand van die NG Kerk kompleks is. Dit kan moontlik toegeskryf word aan ‘n verskeidenheid historiese vormingsagente wat die veelvuldige en uiteenlopende kerklike fenomene ten grondslag lê. Deur die geskiedenis van die NG Kerk binne die groter konteks van die Suid-Afrikaanse geskiedenis te bestudeer, is dit moontlik om die oorsaaklike verbande en die samehang van gebeure en verskynsels te bepaal. Op hierdie wyse kan daar aan die resente situasie en konteks van die NG Kerk betekenis verleen word. Die polities-kulturele situasie in Suid-Afrika het sedert 1990 radikaal verander. Hierdie verandering het ook verskillende reaksies tot gevolg gehad. Vir sommiges is die verandering die langverwagte uitkoms van jare se politieke stryd. Vir ander het dit ‘n belewenis van onsekerheid en wanhoop gebring. Die polities-kulturele situasie is egter nie al wat verander het nie. Die verandering in Suid-Afrika word ook omvat deur veranderende sosiale denke en -gedrag. Hierdie nuwe manier van dink en doen verteenwoordig die postmoderne paradigma. Toenemende sekularisasie is ook waarneembaar. Die NG Kerk staan binne die invloedsfeer van hierdie gebeure. Die nuwe politieke en kulturele situasie het implikasies vir die identiteit van die NG Kerk. Die verandering van wêreldbeskouings bring ook uitdagings wat vormend inwerk op die selfverstaan van die NG Kerk. Die begrip wat die kerk vir die betekenis van hierdie gebeure toon, sal bepaal waartoe die NG Kerk in toekoms verander. / ENGLISH : Many newspapers, church newspapers and other publications report that a crisis is immanent in the Dutch Reformed Church today. The crisis is seen in the incidence of the following: <ul> <li>an identity crisis concerning spirituality; </li> <li>ambiguity about ethical matters;</li> <li>tension over the DR Church’s cultural and political role in South Africa as well as conflict over church unity with the members of the DRC family;</li> <li>the fact that the DR Church is caught offhanded by the challenges of the neo-liberal consumer culture. </li></ul> It must be said that despite this crisis, there are signs of the DR Church seeking contextual and religious relevance in the new millennium. There is little doubt that the recent state of affairs in the DR Church is complicated. The reason can be ascribed to a variety of historical incidents that underlie the numerous and diverse phenomena in the church. Against the background of the South African history, the history of the DR Church should be studied. This way it is possible to identify the causality and cohesion of historical events and phenomena. This process could help to give meaning to the recent situation and context of the DR Church. Since 1990 the political and cultural situation in South Africa has changed radically. People reacted differently to this change. For some it was the long-anticipated outcome of years of political struggle. For others it has brought uncertainty and despair. But this was not the only change since 1990. The change in South Africa is encompassed by a new way of social thinking and behaviour, which represents what is known as the postmodern paradigm. Secularisation of everyday life and institutions is also escalating. The DR Church stands within the sphere of influence of these phenomena. The new political and cultural situation has implications for the identity of the DR Church. The postmodern paradigm brings challenges for the way in which the DR Church understands itself as a church and its mission within the South African context. What the church in future will become, depends on the church’s comprehension of the meaning of these phenomena. / Dissertation (MA(Theology))--University of Pretoria, 2008. / Church History and Church Policy / unrestricted

In hierdie navorsing word die toelating van vrouepredikante in die Nederduitse Gereformeerde Kerk vanuit ’n kerkhistoriese en prakties-teologiese hoek bestudeer. Die navorsingswaardes wat in die sosiaal-konstruksionisme geld, naamlik dat sodanige navorsing ’n deelnemende en verhalende proses is, dat die invloed van diskoerse bestudeer word en dat die belangrikheid van taal in ag geneem word, is in die navorsing verreken. Vanuit ’n post-fundamentele teologiese posisionering is van ’n paar van die bewegings in ’n postfundamentele prakties-teologiese metodologie gebruik gemaak om na die belewing van agt vroueproponente en -predikante deur die loop van die proses van toelating, én daarna, te luister en saam met hulle te interpreteer. Daar is van die volgende bewegings gebruik gemaak: Die beskrywing van die verskillende kontekste waarteen die roepingsverhale en loopbane van vrouepredikante afgespeel het; die aanhoor en beskrywing van die kontekstuele ervarings van die betrokke vroue; die interpretasie van en betekenisgewing aan die verhale in samewerking met die vroue wat as medenavorsers geag word en die beskrywing van en refleksie oor die ervaring van God se teenwoordigheid in hulle roepingsverhale en bedieninge as proponente en predikante. Hierdie postfundamentele prakties-teologiese metodologie is inherent narratief van aard en sluit ook nou aan by die denklyne wat in die sosiaal-konstruksionisme geld. Deur hierdie metodologie is daar probeer om ’n bydrae te lewer tot die ontwikkeling en uitbou van mondelinge geskiedenis. Die beskrywing van vroue se verhale is terselfdertyd ook vrouegeskiedenis wat poog om vroue meer hoor- en sigbaar in algemene geskiedenis, maar spesifiek ook kerkgeskiedenis te maak. Die metodologie pas ook binne ’n meer postmoderne benadering tot geskiedenis in. Aan die hand hiervan is die breër landkaart en historiese konteks waarteen die roepingsverhale van vrouepredikante en kerklike vergaderings oor ’n tydperk van bykans 107 jaar afgespeel is, in breë trekke en deur middel van tydlyne beskryf. Die ontwikkeling en uitbouing van die volksmoederdiskoers oor die dieselfde tydperk is van nader beskou. Daar is verder gekyk na die invloed wat die breër konteks en die volksmoederdiskoers op vroue gedurende die twintigste eeu gehad het, hoe vroue oor die algemeen hulleself in bepaalde vroueruimtes soos vroue-organisasies uitgeleef het en of Afrikanervroue se stemme in die openbaar gehoor is al dan nie. Teen hierdie agtergrond is die verloop van die kerklike debat oor die toelating van vroue tot die besondere ampte, naamlik diakens, ouderlinge en vrouepredikante, beskryf. Hierdie debat kan in drie tydperke opgedeel word. Die eerste tydperk wat van 1966-1978 strek kan as ’n tyd van nadenke beskryf word. Vanaf 1982 tot 1990 is die debat deur ’n sterk verskil in Skrifbeskouing gekenmerk. Die laaste tydperk wat vanaf 1991 tot 2007 strek, beskryf hoe die praktyk stadig pos gevat het en hoe die gesprek uiteindelik na gendersake uitgebrei het. Die vroueproponente en -predikante se roepingsverhale, hulle belewenis van God in die pad wat hulle moes loop en eerste treë in die bediening is weer deurgaans teen die agtergrond van die breër landkaart, volksmoederdiskoers en die NG Kerk se verskillende sinodes aangehoor, beskryf en in samewerking met hulle geïnterpreteer. Bykomend tot die groep persoonlike verhale is twee verhale van vroue wat reeds voor 1950 teologie studeer het en nie meer vandag leef nie, opgeteken. In al die gesprekke het die belangrikheid van vrouepredikante se roepingsverhale, hulle positiewe en negatiewe belewenisse in die kerk, die impak van oorwegend manlike kerktaal op vroue, die gemis en impak van rolmodelle, die frustrasies rondom proponentskap en hulle belewing van God onder andere na vore gekom. Dit is ook opmerklik dat vrouepredikante oor die algemeen nie aktief aan die debat deelgeneem nie en dat die meeste van die medenavorsers in hierdie studie ’n bepaalde stuk ongemak met gendersake en feminisme beleef. Hulle laat net soos in die volksmoederdiskoers die praatwerk aan ander oor. / Thesis (DD)--University of Pretoria, 2008. / Church History and Church Policy / unrestricted