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Leading and equipping people for good deeds as a crucial part of parish ministry. The article examines the role that equipment for good works, as an integral part of church ministry, can play in revitalising and help congregations to grow. The investigation is conducted through an exegetical analysis of Ephesians 2, focusing on verse 10. The results of the study of Ephesians are then compared with other Scriptures where good works are mentioned. From this research, it becomes clear that good works do not play a role in the justification and salvation of believers, because it is solely the work of God’s undeserved grace. However, good works are an integral part of God’s purpose in his redemption of humanity. Humanity is not saved by good works but rather unto good works. According to Ephesians, good works serve to proclaim the greatness of God’s grace towards believers. God prepares the good works for believers. Believers are enabled to do good works through the gifts that Christ and the Spirit give them, and the equipment they receive through the special services. From the Gospels, it is evident that good works were a characteristic of Jesus’ mission, and therefore also the calling of his disciples. In the pastoral letters, good works are described as part of Christ’s purpose for which He acquired a people for Himself. The ultimate goal of equipping from the Word, is the ability to do good works. Therefore, good works testify to maturity in faith, reliability, and dedication. A lack of good works puts a question mark on someone’s faith. The conclusion from the research is that deliberate equipping of members to actively do good works, should be an integral part of church ministry. Each member of the congregation should be held responsible for using the opportunities that God creates for them, to do good works. The lack of a structured ministry of equipping members for distributing God’s grace by good works, can be a leading cause of stagnation and decline in congregations.ContributionThe article contributes to practical theological reflection on ministry in the church through in-depth exegetical analysis and comparison of Scripture with Scripture. The place of equipping for good works, which is often overlooked in reformed circles, is highlighted here.

The diaconate of the congregation - Considered anew. From the earliest times, the content given to the diaconate of the congregation varied greatly from denomination to denomination. Different methods and sources were used to determine the content and essence of the diaconate. This article attempts to look at the diaconate of the congregation from a new angle to determine what the diaconal task of the congregation can be. Use is made of previous exegetical work done by the author (2018) of this article. He exegeted specific texts in the New Testament in depth with the research question of what meaning possibility of the diacon words (diakoneo, diakonos, diakonia) the authors had in mind when using the words in those texts. These results are used in an attempt to establish what the diaconate can mean when it is built on the meaning contents of the deacon-words. The result is that new insights are exploited and practically applied to the diaconate. The conclusion of this article is that the deacons should work towards involving each member in the diaconate by guiding them to discover their gifts and to encourage them to use those gifts. The members undertake to do specific service work and to be held accountable for it. In this way, the congregation distributes the grace of God and the diaconate takes on a missionary character and God can work mightily through the diakonia of each member. Intradisciplinary and/or interdisciplinary implications An exegetical study of the New Testament informs the discussion and opens a dialogue between Practical Theology and Hermeneutics. The results of this research have implications for church polity. The outcome of the practical implementation of the results can be a field of study for pastoral counselling, psychology and sociology.

Considering the growing problem of different internet addictions and their impact on individuals, couples, families, the church and society, it is important that churches seek to address the need for effective loving guidance in their pastoral care. This article examines a way in which congregations could help a person addicted to pornography to grow to freedom. A literature study was done to describe pornography addiction and compared it to cybersex. Subsequently, the influence on relationships of constant involvement in pornography is discussed, followed by a discussion of the relationship between sexual addiction and intimacy, and the causes of the fear of real-person intimacy. The healing of wounds that have led to the pornography addiction is investigated. The Journey Program is also analysed to discern its theoretical framework and investigate the biblical foundation of each of its metatheoretical starting points. Finally, practical theological guidelines are proposed for pastoral care of the pornography addict in the context of a congregation.ContributionThis article contributes to the understanding of pastoral care to the pornography addicted person and to the founding of a pastoral program based on the Word of God according to the convictions of Reformed theology.

In many research documents, the current age is called the age of entitlement. Closely associated with some forms of entitlement is narcissism. When the church encounters such widespread phenomena, she should consider possibilities and ways to address those in her pastoral care.The theoretical argument of the article is that the church could pastorally care for a Christian who leads a life of narcissistic entitlement, by guiding him to lead the life of a diakonos of Christ according to the New Testament. The relationship between narcissism and entitlement is described, as well as the characteristics of narcissistically entitled persons, and how problems may develop from a narcissistically entitled attitude. A short description is then given of a pastoral process that might be used. Part of the counselling process is to bring someone in the presence of God (coram Deo) to understand what God’s mercy and his prescriptions mean to him or her in his problematic situation.Contribution: Lastly, different passages in which the diakon-words occur in the New Testament were studied and applied to the pastoral care of a narcissistically entitled person in the coram Deo-phase of pastoral care. Based on the results, it can be concluded that in the coram Deo-phase of the pastoral process, the pastoral care of narcissistically entitled persons may be enhanced by leading them to embrace and practise their identity as diakonos of Christ.

When a local congregation holds the Bible as its authoritative source document in a post- Christian milieu and embarks on developing a ministry plan, it should base its plan on the Bible as the revelation of God. One aspect of a ministry plan of a local congregation is the service ministries (διακονία). In this article, I attempt to answer the question what previous exegetical studies by the author and other researchers of the diakon-words in the New Testament could contribute towards the development of a biblically based ministry plan for a local church. The principles for service ministries identified from the results of the previous exegetical work, are presented in an overview and integrated into a plan for service ministries. The conclusion is that the exegetical studies of the διάκον-word group in the New Testament have provided valuable insight into the service ministries and therefore contribute to an overall ministry plan of a congregation.

Scripture’s reference to believers as the ‘family of God’ may indicate that believers should mutually care for one another like members of a caring family do, and not merely that members are part of a ‘spiritual’ family. From this perspective, the article investigated the extent of mutual care within congregations. The increasing need for pastoral care, within and outside church congregations, reveals the need for mutual care between members. The necessity for empirical studies within church congregations were revealed by the differences in the intensity of the answers by the participants. Without knowledge about the experiences of church members, leaders of church congregations may overlook potential needs of their members. A quantitative empirical study was done through an anonymous online survey with church members, pastoral counsellors, and pastors and ministers from various denominations who completed the survey, according to their experiences within their individual church congregation. The concepts of fellowship (koinōnia), service (diakonia), care, and family were used in the survey to determine the experiences of mutual care between members of the church congregation. The deficiency of mutual care between members of the congregation may motivate leaders to intentionally develop relationships through fellowship (koinōnia) to foster mutual care between members, and intentionally develop members to serve (diakonia) one another and their community.ContributionThis article contributes to an interdisciplinary discussion between pastoral theology, practical theology, and systematic theology from a Reformed perspective with a focus on the practical participation of members of the church congregation in pastoral care as the ‘family of God’.

Christians are known for their caring activities towards the world, except that it is the mutual care between believers that witnesses the restoration found in Jesus Christ to the world (Jn 13:35). The article claims that mutual care between believers may bring restoration and healing to church congregations when based on the paradigm of the family of God. The biblical family metaphors of the adoption in Christ, the Body of Christ and the Bride of Christ are discussed to understand the functioning of mutual care through the interaction of koinōnia and diakonia within church congregations. The purpose of mutual care within filial relationships is to restore one another and acquire knowledge about their new identity (‘being-function’) and to develop their new identity in Christ by preparing one another to participate together in the mission of God (‘doing-function’) as they continually increase in maturity (‘becoming-function’). The C.A.R.E. model, as a practical and applicable tool, employs the biblical concepts of koinōnia and diakonia that are already functioning within congregations. Enhancing these biblical concepts increases mutual care and leads to a healthier church where members live according to who they are in Christ and extend this blessing of care to others around them.Intradisciplinary and/or interdisciplinary implicationsThis article offers a unique interdisciplinary exploration, bridging pastoral care, practical theology and systematic theology. It delves into the paradigm of the family of God as a fresh approach to fostering mutual care within church congregations through koinōnia and diakonia.

In this article, the ministry of the elder is investigated according to 1 Peter 5:1–5 from the perspective of the usage of the diakon word group in 1 Peter. Firstly, the place of 1 Peter 5 in the context of the whole letter is examined. Then the connection between 1 Peter 5:1–4 and 1 Peter 4:7–11 is ascertained. That is followed by a detailed exegesis of 1 Peter 5:1–4. It is found that the immediate context (1 Peter 4), indicates that in 5:1–4, Peter describes the diakonia of the elders. Based on the research, guidelines are suggested for the diakonia of the elder according to 1 Peter.

It is shown in this article that the Gospel of John describes a battle between darkness and light, life and death, chaos and God’s new order. Although the certainty is given right at the beginning of the Gospel that the darkness will not overcome the light, God does not take the possibility of darkness away. Darkness in John is darkness of the mind, not seeing the light, not comprehending, not accepting and not believing the Word. The battle between light and darkness is described at two levels – the visible level that you can see with your eyes and the invisible level that only those who have been regenerated by the Spirit can see. Although it may seem that the contrary is true, God is in control of both levels. Jesus made the invisible visible with his words and deeds and, eventually, with his resurrection. The diakonoi (servants) of Jesus are called to follow him in his task to honour the father by speaking the words of the father and doing the work of the father. In doing this, they will make the invisible God visible by their diakonia (service). Real social change will take place in God’s time, and he will use the diakonia of his children to bring order in the chaos, like he did in the beginning when he created the heavens and the earth. The results of the research are used to suggest guidelines on social change in South Africa.