Text in Afrikaans / According to Kerkspieel III (s.a. :20) a tendency has been observed in the Dutch Reformed Church during the last decade, to
aim its ministry mainly at members of ·the higher professional
careers, consequently failing to reach people from the lower blue
collar occupations. This tendency has caused a rise in membership
of the higher professional career group, from 27.43% to 36.90%;
and a consequent drop in that of the lower blue collar
occupations, from 28.74% to·20.21% during this time.
Is it possible for members of the Dutch Reformed Church,
belonging to a -lower socio-economic status (S.E.S.), to have
certain needs which ~he church cannot satisfy? The purpose of·
this study is to investigate the issue of church members with a
lower S.E.S., having peculiar needs which are not satisfied by
the ministry of the Dutch Reformed Church.
Ellisras-Wes, are atively young industrial congregation. _
It was revealed from the literature· study that churches or
denominations in general are inclined to feel an affinity with
a limited section of society. Protestant Churches in particular
are inclined to pay special attention to ·certain S.E.S. groups.
Although certain differences regarding patterns of conduct and
attitude have been. identified among various S.E.S. groups,. there
was no considerable indications that a correlation exists between
members' S.E.S. and needs. The perception that.people with a
lower S.E.S. would be irreligious, uninvolved and disinterested,
can therefore be rejected. Evidence to the contrary is that the
religious experience of lower S.E.S. members is more genuine and
traditional, while members with a higher S.E.S. tend to have a
critical attitude against the Bible and church-doctrine. Even
atheism occurs to a greater extent within this group.
This tendency will continue until such time as the Dutch Reformed Church acknowledges its deficiency in this respect and reach to lower S.E.S groups. The church may consequently show a
considerable growth. / Philosophy, Practical and Systematic Theology / D.Th. (Practical Theology)
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:netd.ac.za/oai:union.ndltd.org:unisa/oai:uir.unisa.ac.za:10500/17622 |
| Date | 15 June 1994 |
| Creators | Robb, Jacobus Petrus. |
| Contributors | Wolfaardt, D.A. |
| Source Sets | South African National ETD Portal |
| Language | Afrikaans |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Thesis |
| Format | 1 online resource (viii, 246 leaves) |
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