For the Sake of the Church: A Protestant-Reformed Practical Theological Perspective from the Netherlands

Hans Schaeffer, Maarten Kater, Theo Pleizier, Bram de Muynck

    Research output: Contribution to journalArticleAcademicpeer-review

    Abstract

    In this article practical theologians from three Dutch Protestant institutions reflect on developments in the field. Their institutions started as ministry training centers and still have a strong focus on ecclesial practices. This focus has been reinforced by international trends in Practical Theology, mainly by a gradual shift towards an empirical way of working, with an emphasis on participative methods and ethnography. However, the field in the Netherlands continues to have a strong connection with church history and systematic theology. The authors discern three themes that characterize their institutes’ contribution to the international conversation on PT: the divine action within the practices, God’s promises in the context of his covenant, and a realistic view of brokenness, sin, and failure.
    Original languageEnglish
    Pages (from-to)114-135
    Number of pages22
    JournalInternational Journal of Practical Theology
    Volume27
    Issue number1
    DOIs
    Publication statusPublished - 2023

    Keywords

    • divine action
    • ethnography
    • Ecclesial Practice
    • The Netherlands

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