Abstract

SCHOEMAN, Willem J.. The involvement of a South African church in a changing society. Verbum Eccles. (Online) [online]. 2012, vol.33, n.1, pp.1-8. ISSN 2074-7705.  http://dx.doi.org/10.4102/ve.v33i1.727.

The church and its congregations are an important part of society. The aim of this article was to provide a description of the involvement of the Dutch Reformed Church (DRC) in a changing society. A short description of the changes in the South African society over the last 15-20 years was provided. The role and response of churches was then considered, and lastly, there was a more in-depth discussion on the involvement of the DRC, its leadership and its congregations in society. The argument of this article was that there is a movement towards less involvement in society by the DRC. The involvement of congregations is mostly on the level of welfare projects within an evangelist approach. It was argued that the challenge for congregations is to build partnerships of trust within their communities for the purpose of sustainable people development.

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