Van den Berg, J.Mouton, Dawid Petrus2023-10-162023-10-162022http://hdl.handle.net/11660/12316Thesis (Ph.D.(Practical and Missional Theology))--University of the Free State, 2022Trauma and disruption can turn life upside-down for individuals and communities, shaking all stability and bringing into question the core tenets of meaningful existence. As positive and transformative science, Practical Theology finds its scope and object in the lived realities of people in the concrete, local context, where it aims to bring about change and transformation, and restoration of hope and meaningful life. In contexts where life in communities has become permeated with persistent violence, disruption and trauma, the need for a collective response to issues of trauma and disruption becomes even more acute. Making use of qualitative research and a broadly narrative approach, this study on the one hand explored the potential of resistance, agency and hope in the narratives of people facing disruption, while on the other hand, it seeks to propose a framework for a congregational pastoral care ministry response to trauma and disruption. The argument presented in this thesis is that such an approach is first and foremost grounded in the confessional identity and calling of the church. Through the metaphor of “facing” the study sought to describe some of the impacts of trauma and disruption, while the metaphor also provided a guiding narrative for a conceptual response framework. Using principles from autoethnography, the study also dealt with issues of identity, positionality and the worldview of the practical theologian and minister as a significant member of the culture being studied, highlighting the need for personal transformation and ongoing professional re-orientation in service of the ministry of care to and with her/his community. The study is valuable in at least two ways. It firstly emphasises the call for the local church to an embodied and collective ministry of care in response to issues of trauma and disruption and suggests a framework for it. It also creates the space for reflection about the subjective presence of the minister/pastor in ministry and research, and how this subjective presence, through an autoethnographic and reflexive stance, can open up new possibilities for both the spiritual leader and the community. The thesis is presented as a set of five (5) interrelated articles, enfolded by an introductory and a concluding chapter. The cohesive introduction serves to clarify the broader scope and framework of the study as well as the structure of the thesis, while the conclusion summarizes the main findings of the study and reflects on the research process in the context of the research questions and aims, and my personal journey with this project.enThesisUniversity of the Free State