Skrif en kerkorde: enkele konstantes vanuit 'n veelkantige beeld

English: The viewpoint for this dissertation is that God still speaks through His Word and Spirit to His church about the latter's fundamental nature and order. From this it can be concluded that the church is continuously being called to listen to the Word so that. under the guidance of the Holy Spirit. it can remain church in and for it's time, as God intended it to be. In the first section of the dissertation it is clear that the Word shows a unique, complex multifaceted image of the church. At times, it even shows contradictory views. and in many instances demonstrates a reflection of the demands of circumstances. It also reflects something about the dynamic way in which the Lord enables His church to be church in its particular circumstances. In the second section of the dissertation. the constants which appear the most in the corpusses. are taken collectively to form the outlines of the nature and order of the church. It goes without saying that these issues are restricted to what is important for the functioning of the church. It became clear that the church originates from God. in that His Spirit. within the framework of the covenant. ties individuals to Him in faith, on the grounds of the atonement work of Jesus Christ, thus including them in His church. These . individuals are tied together in Christ and cannot function without one another. The church is thus by nature a corporate unit. whether universally as the new Israel. or in its more visible state as a local congregation. Furthermore. because of its origin. the church exists as a seperate group of people in the world with the responsibility to hold fast to the gospel of Jesus Christ. and thus to be equipped to be God's witnesses in the world. As far as the organizational aspects are concerned. it is clear that the church is both in her universal and local state, an integrated entity. In this regard. it is important to realize that Jesus Christ himselfis the structure of the church. and see at the same time to it that it is being served in an orderly fashion. Within the scope of this structure. every member has a Godgiven clerical responsibility. At the same time. existing ministeries form. together with the Spirit. the skeleton that makes the congregation a dynamic. motivated body on the move. These specific ministeries are charismatic in origin. function non-hierarchial in . the congregation and have the responsibility to instruct the congregation in especially the teaching of the gospel. The reason for this is to enable, the congregation to adhere to its calling for obedience, love. and witness, and that the church's particular existence can be maintained. In all of this there is a definite openness for change depending on the demands of circumstances. In the third section specific implications for church order were highligted from the constants, which should be addressed in one way or another in all church order to avoid pragmatism and arbitrariness on the one hand. and to create space on the other hand for diversity of the demands oflocal circumstances. In the course of the dissertation, reference is made to both the traditional Reformed church order as it manifests itself in the Dutch Reformed Church. and some newer models which have come to the fore in the place of the traditional order. It became clear in the discussion that both sides show partiality. Although the demands of circumstances contributed to this. it is especially the new models that are standing on wavering Scriptual truths.