Abuse of alcohol by brass band men : a challenge to pastoral care

Abstract

This study concerns itself with the task of creating a pastoral model in order to provide effective spiritual care to domestic violence victims by alcohol abusing brass band men. The African Independent Churches are experiencing a growing number of brass band men who abuse alcohol. I therefore undertook to do a study on the problem to ascertain whether the churches create alcoholics or the alcoholics are attracted to the brass band ministry. The most important objective of this study is to: Help to develop a counselling model for the wounded women. Develop a pastoral care method that will empower and reconstruct the behaviour of the brass band men. Create a caring model of helping those affected congregants. Questionnaires designed for men, women and congregants were given to them to find out if alcohol and alcoholism is a problem to the churches. Realizing that the questionnaires may not be sufficient, five case studies were used. These case studies are real stories from different women. They are more detailed and shed a light to the problem of alcoholism among brass band men. Through the questionnaires and case studies, the researcher found that ministerial stress, family stress, financial problems, lack of recreational time and peer pressure contributes to men being alcoholics. This study was not aimed at stopping the brass band men from using alcohol, but to help the brass band men to realize what alcohol do to their ministry, families, congregants and themselves so that they make wise choices when it comes to taking alcohol.