Abstract:
The eastern suburbs of Pretoria is a white, mainly Afrikaans speaking and Dutch Reformed community with a relatively high level of education and income and a mostly stable family life. Religion is important to most of the inhabitants. Church life is characterised by movement and change. Church members move to and fro between different churches and congregations, while many congregations experience change in their worship services. This leads to pain and schism in congregations, and members experience marginalisation. The research has been done by listening to the stories of individuals (co-researchers). The story of the research has developed under the themes of leadership, so called "American" and "European" attitudes towards life, change, relationships and service. The story reaches a climax when the predominant attitudes of prosperity and success is deconstructed in values that are shared by all the co-researchers, namely worship, care and service.
