Band 13, Heft 1

This article is a plea for an up-to-date pastoral theology, i. e., for a vocational theory of professional pastoral action under the conditions of late modernity. At first, this concept is situated synchronically within the current practical theological debate. The status quo of this discipline is characterized by a great plurality. Three main distinctions are discussed in order to give some orientation within this plurality. Then, the debate about pastoral theology is also analyzed diachronically. The discipline was long reproached for an uncritical affirmation of current ecclesial interests, an ahistorical segregation of ecclesial practice from societal practice, and the legitimation of the actual conditions of pastoral care. The debate about pastoral theology from its adoption until today is briefly sketched. Finally, a notion of pastoral theology as a theory of the practice of the people of God is presented for discussion. The starting point for this is the broad pastoral concept of Gaudium et spes and the understanding of church and vocation unfolded therein. Every person of good will is therefore called into the people of God and invited to render a contribution to building the kingdom of God. For pastoral theology, this leads to a most important criterion. It seeks to develop a defensible vocational theory of professional pastoral care that always relates to the whole people of God inside and outside the church, whose pastoral potential should be served by those in such office.

Based on the social scientific, hermeneutical concept of religion by J. Matthes, a new approach to empirical research on religion is introduced. The approach makes it possible to identify empirically the religiously symbolized basic experiences and subjective theologies of adolescents. The new approach for the first time offers points of reference for a systematic theological reflection on the religious self-interpretations of adolescents and practical direction for the theological-didactic planning of religious education. Part A introduces Matthes's concept of religion and shows the shortcomings of conventional research on religion. Part B reviews basic experiences of adolescents (the experience of subjectivity, the question of justice, and the experience of self-discrepancies), which can be interpreted as subjective theologies of adolescents. Additionally, the value concept of S. H. Schwartz is presented as an empirical situation model that is useful to investigate and to describe the individual interpretations of these basic experiences. Within this theoretical framework, part C refers to the central results of the authors' study on the religion and everyday ethics of adolescents, both in light of designated basic experiences and in light of their individual religious interpretations depending on different situational contexts. Part D discusses the practical implications of the approach, e. g., subjective theologies of adolescents in “distance” to preferred theologies of educators afford an interreligiously trained theological attitude. In addition, target groups of adolescents are discovered that are not reached by the conventional theologies, but for which meaningful approaches from the history of theology are available.

The author begins by discussing changes in society and church in East Germany after the “Wende” in 1989. He describes the acts of mourning that arise out of those changes, and suggests using the tasks of mourning formulated in counseling theory and adapting them to the work of church development. Conflict associated with change is treated next, such as questions of how to deal with people who have withdrawn from church membership, or the future use of restored church buildings. Finally, the author inquires into the challenges and changes facing congregations, arguing for an outward-focused and mission-shaped church development. Zusammenfassung Zimmermann geht aus vom gesellschaftlichen und kirchlichen Wandel in Ostdeutschland vor und nach der “Wende” von 1989. Er zeigt, wo dieser Wandel zu Trauerreaktion führt und schlägt vor, die in der Seelsorgelehre formulierten Aufgaben der Trauerarbeit damit zu verbinden. Weiter wendet er sich Konflikten zu, die aus den Veränderungen hervorgehen, u. a. der Frage nach dem Umgang mit Ausgetretenen und der Nutzung von renovierten Kirchengebäuden. Schließlich fragt Zimmermann nach Herausforderungen und notwendigen Veränderungen für die Gemeinden und plädiert für eine sich nach außen öffnende und missionsorientierte Gemeindeentwicklung.

Against the background of an unexpected upswing in pilgrimages, this article states the thesis that pilgrimage enables a strengthening of one's identity. In addition, the problem of a fragmented and indefinite identity is sketched, with reference to Zygmunt Bauman. In contrast stands a model of identity (connected with Albrecht Grözinger) in which one contributes to a tradition in which one already is situated. In its main part, the article investigates the various factors of pilgrimage that contribute to this process of gaining one's identity. Thus, a route frequented as much as the Way of St. James forms an already patterned space that offers the pilgrim traditioned roles to adopt. Walking, as a characteristic element of pilgrimage, is interpreted as physically generating and distinctively opening the space in which pilgrims understand themselves in the world. It also can be shown how walking as a form of physical being that leads from an instrumental relationship to one's body to an immediate being in living one's life, conveys certainty about one's self and the world, activates one's potential to overcome challenges, and provides self-empowerment. The author makes a strong case for a definition of pilgrimage oriented to an understanding of the hardship of crossing a foreign land, which is an image of a goal-oriented understanding of existence. The resulting poles of self-assurance and self-estrangement in pilgrimage are, in connection with Wilhelm Gräb, interpreted as an expression of a truly known but at the same time distanced self-understanding. Pilgrimage is therefore a form of physical self-interpretation in which people learn to view and be aware of their self-familiarity. Finally, against the background of this representation, criteria are elaborated for organizing a pilgrimage journey that is conducive to identity.

After the breakdown of the Communist regime in Eastern Germany, a new relationship between state and church was established. The consequence was an overall redefinition of the relationship between church and society as well. In this article, the authors look at one aspect of the changes that occurred in this context, pastoral care in Eastern German prisons, suggesting a comparison to the introduction of religious education in state schools. They describe the specificity of the current social and legal conditions of prison chaplaincy in Eastern Germany, portray five prison chaplains, and analyze the interviews conducted with them. They focus on three types of tensions specific to the Eastern German context that these chaplains must find a way to handle: their confessional identity which is embedded in state structures that provide care in a highly secular society, the use they make of their experiences during the GDR when having to cooperate with the new state, and finally the readjusted relationship between prison and society outside prison walls.

In the academy, dialogue between the disciplines of practical theology and spirituality is slowly emerging. This article seeks to advance that conversation by outlining the current shape of the academic discipline of spirituality, highlighting points of resonance and areas for further discussion among practical theologians and scholars of spirituality, identifying several key topics for research, drawing upon the author's own research in international contexts, and sketching a practical theological approach to research in spirituality. The author argues that spirituality should not be understood simply as a subdiscipline of practical theology but instead as a disciplinary partner whose subject matter, aims, and methodologies overlap with those of practical theology in rich and mutually fruitful ways. Moreover, the study of spirituality raises questions (for example, questions about the pneumatology grounding our scholarship) that impinge on the work of all practical theologians. Zusammenfassung Im Rahmen der wissenschaftlichen Beschäftigung intensiviert sich langsam der Dialog zwischen den Disziplinen der Praktischen Theologie und der Spiritualitätsforschung. Dieser Beitrag möchte dieses Gespräch förern, indem er die aktuelle Verfasstheit der akademischen Spiritualitätsforschung umschreibt, Aspekte der gegenseitigen Resonanz und Felder für weitere Diskussionen zwischen Praktischen Theologen und Spiritualitätsforschern hervorhebt, einige zentrale Themen der Forschung identifiziert – ausgehend von eigenen Arbeiten der Autorin im internationalen Kontext – und schließlich einen praktisch-theologischen Ansatz zur Spiritualitätsforschung skizziert. Die Autorin argumentiert dafür, Spiritualitätsforschung nicht einfach als Subdisziplin der Praktischen Theologie zu verstehen, sondern als disziplinäre Partnerin, deren Themenfelder, Ziele und Methodologien sich mit denen der Praktischen Theologie in reicher und fruchtbarer Weise überschneiden. Darüber hinausgehend analysiert sie, dass Spiritualitätsforschung Fragen in den Mittelpunkt rückt (z. B. Fragen nach der Pneumatologie, die dem eigenen wissenschaftlichen Arbeiten zugrunde liegt), die die Arbeit aller Praktischen Theologen betreffen.

This article reflects on several organizational and structural aspects of the Catholic Church in the Netherlands relevant to Christian religious communication in 2009. Three characteristics of parishes (territoriality, hierarchical structure, and emphasis on pastoral care) are discussed against the background of five societal developments: declining church membership, decreasing numbers of volunteers and increased ages of volunteers, declining numbers of pastors and members of religious orders and congregations, reduced financial means, and increasing religious pluralism. The author concludes by presenting and discussing current alternative organizational structures of religious communities. Zusammenfassung Dieser International Report reflektiert organisationelle und strukturelle Aspekte der Katholischen Kirche in den Niederlanden in Bezug auf ihre Relevanz für die christlich-religiöse Kommunikation im Jahr 2009. Drei Charakteristiken von Gemeinden (Territorialität, hierarchische Strukturen und die Betonung auf Seelsorge) werden diskutiert vor dem Hintergrund fünf gesellschaftlicher Entwicklungen: abnehmende Kirchenmitgliedschaftszahlen, geringeres Engagement Ehrenamtlicher und zunehmendes Alter der Ehrenamtlichen, weniger Pastoren und Mitglieder religiöser Orden und Gemeinschaften, geringere finanzielle Ausstattung, schließlich wachsender religiöser Pluralismus. Der Autor beendet seinen Beitrag mit der Vorstellung und Diskussion gegenwärtiger alternativer Organisationsstrukturen religiöser Gemeinschaften.