Missionale kerk-wees en die benutting van die Internet in die plaaslike gemeente met spesifieke verwysing na die webblad (Afrikaans)

Abstract

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.