Second Master Course Diaconic Management at Stellenbosch University

“Theology is meant to be public and reach into all spheres of our societies.” stated Nico Koopman, Dean of the Faculty of Theology at Stellenbosch University. His lecture today was part of the opening of the second module of the Master Course Diaconic Management which takes place in South Africa from August 19th to September 13th 2013.

14 students admitted in this second course come from Tanzania, Congo-DRC, Rwanda, Namibia, South Africa, Indonesia and Sri Lanka, 5 men and 8 women. The course is offered jointly by the Institute for Diaconic Science and Diaconc Management (IDM) of the Protestant University Wuppertal-Bethel and UEM. Koopman described different exemplary situations which are relevant for theological reflection, e.g. when a farm worker without a pension looses his job, when a rich person in a congregation shares his family worries or when people in a township-community fear the prevailing gang-violence.
Stressing the necessity for thorough theological scrutiny in understanding such situations and responding adequately as a church, Koopman set the tone for the module, which centres on public theology and leadership. Seminars and lectures will entail themes like
-    Theology, Ecclesiology and Society
-    Diaconia, Human Rights, Gender
-    Socio-economic conditions of Sub-Saharan Africa
-    Intercultural dimensions of leadership
-    Corporate Governance
-    Public Leadership
-    Globalisation and Economics
-    Integrative Economic Ethics.

To get acquainted with the actual situation of South Africa, the module started with a week of field research in the townships of Cape Town. Students visited diaconic programmes and institutions of the Rhenish and the Uniting Reformed Church South Africa (URCSA). On August 21st, the group met the staff of the churches´ Advocacy Office at the Parliament of South Africa and witnessed a parliamentarian session.

A problem is repeatedly posed by visa for students being refused or not granted in time. Pastor Felicite Nngintedem from the Eglise Evangelique de Cameroun could not join this second module because her entry visa has so far been refused. Another participant, the lawyer Hugo Lolaka from CADELU in Congo/DRC, had to do the first module in Ghana, because he did not get the required visa for Germany. Luckily, he could now join the group in South Africa and will sit for his official admission exam in the coming days. All other students had passed this at the end of the first module in Bethel in June this year.

Students have been sent by their churches to study in the Master Course “Diaconic Management”. After their graduation they are expected to take over leadership positions in the churches´ diaconic work.