AFRIKAANS: Met hierdie studie word gepoog om gemeenteleiers toe te rus om meer effektief leiding te gee. Die Kerk bevind haarself in ’n komplekse samelewing wat tans destruktief op kerkwees inspeel. Om die uitdagings van ons tyd te oorkom sal leiers kreatief en innoverend moet help vorm gee aan nuwe werklikhede. Alternatiewe lense is derhalwe nodig om gemeentes te begelei op ’n uitdagende reis. Die uitdaging vir gemeenteleiers is om kerkwees ontluikend te laat gebeur. Die veronderstelling is dat Kerk organies eerder as meganies en institusioneel tot uitdrukking kom. Leierskap is ’n dinamiese aangeleentheid wat binne gemeentelike en kerkverband moet plaasvind. Binne die Praktiese Teologie word die metodologiese modelle van Zerfass en Heitink gekies om die verkeer tussen teorie en praxis te bevorder. Die Praktiese Teologie word in terme van ’n kommunikatiewe handelingswetenskap met ’n hermeneutiese oriëntasie omskryf. Die ondersoek is hoofsaaklik deduktief van aard. In die proses van teorievorming word teorieë vanuit verskeie dissiplines ontleed en geëvalueer. Prakties-teologiese teorie moet egter praktyk word, en daarom kom die geloofshandelinge van mense hier onder bespreking. Die prakties-teologiese teoretiese raamwerk word nagevors vanuit drie primêre fokuspunte: • Postmodernisme Die postmodernisme is vir die Kerk ’n komplekse realiteit. Die Kerk kan haarself nie losmaak van hierdie werklikheid nie en behoort daarom kennis te neem van hierdie oorwegende tydsgees. Die implikasie hiervan is dat die Kerk in ’n postmoderne konteks hermeneuties verantwoordbaar bly. • Die identiteit van die Kerk Vanuit ’n Bybels-Reformatoriese perspektief is dit duidelik dat die ware Kerk (ecclesia visibilis) sekere kenmerke en eienskappe vertoon. Dog mag die “vorm” wat die Kerk aanneem nie opgaan in hierdie eienskappe en kenmerke nie. Binne die postmoderne konteks blyk Kerkwees meer organies te gebeur. Die Kerk is egter alleen Kerk insoverre haar identiteit in Jesus Christus setel. • Rol van leiers in ’n wêreld wat as kompleks getipeer word Die kompleksiteit van die postmoderne samelewing het tot gevolg dat leierskapteorie en praktyk verby die punt van beplanning, organisering en beheer (aanvaarbare bestuurswetenskaplike metodiek) ontwikkel het. Leierskap in die Kerk is ’n kollektiewe aangeleentheid en moet derhalwe holisties benader en bestuur word. Dit geskied dinamies en relasioneel. Aan die hand van die empiriese ondersoek word nuwe riglyne vir die bedieningspraktyk daargestel. ENGLISH:This study aims to equip leaders of congregations to become more efficient leaders. The Church finds herself in a complex society which currently has a destructive influence on the realisation of the Church. To overcome the challenges of our time, leaders must help to shape new realities in a creative and innovative way. An alternative way of looking at the issues are therefore needed to guide congregations on a challenging journey. The challenge for congregational leaders is to let the realisation of the Church take place in a revealing and developing manner. The assumption is that the Church is realised organically rather than mechanically and institutionally. Leadership is a dynamic matter that should be realized in congregational and ecumenical context. In Practical Theology, the methodological models of Zerfass and Heitink are selected to promote the interaction between theory and praxis. Practical Theology is defined in terms of a communicative per formative science with a hermeneutical orientation. The investigation is mainly deductive in nature. In the process of theorising, theories from different disciplines are analysed and evaluated. Practical-theological theory must become practice, however, and for that purpose the religious acts of people are discussed here. The practical-theological theoretical framework is researched from three primary focal points: • Postmodernism Postmodernism is a complex reality for the Church. The Church cannot distance herself from this reality, and should therefore take cognisance of this prevailing spirit of our time. The implication of this is that the Church remains hermeneutically accountable in a postmodern context. • The identity of the Church From a Biblical-Reformational perspective, it is clear that the true Church (ecclesia visibilis) displays certain features and characteristics. Yet, the “form” which the Church adopts may not be reduced to these features and characteristics. In the postmodern context, Church realisation appears to be happen more in an organic manner. However, the Church is only Church in as far as her identity is rooted in Christ. • The role of leaders in a world typified as complex Because of the complexity of postmodern society, leadership theory and practice developed beyond the point of planning, organising and control (acceptable managerial scientific methodology). Leadership in the Church is a collective matter and as such it must be approached and managed in a holistic way, by means of dynamic and relational methods. Based on the empirical investigation, new guidelines are developed for ministry practice. / Thesis (PhD)--University of Pretoria, 2009. / Practical Theology / unrestricted