Paper ID: TAGJ2025007

The Anglican Church and Peace Promotion in Families; South Africa

Thabo Mbeki

Department of Theology, Stellenbosch University, South Africa

Abstract 

The Anglican Church has long been recognized for its involvement in promoting peace and harmony within communities, particularly in rural areas. This study assessed the role of the Anglican Church in promoting peace within families in rural settings. The research aimed to identify the Church’s contributions to peace promotion, explore the challenges it faces, and suggest measures to enhance its role in family peace building. A case study research design was employed, using cross-sectional analysis. The study population included church leaders (Reverends, Canons, and Bishops), associate members, lay leaders, and Christian followers. Simple random and purposive sampling techniques were used to select respondents. Data analysis involved both quantitative and qualitative methods. The findings revealed that the key contributions of the Anglican Church to peace promotion in families included preaching about peace (28%), providing counseling (26%), encouraging Bible study (24%), and organizing peace-promoting conferences (22%). The main challenges faced by the Church included poor cooperation among Christians (30%), lack of sufficient funding for church projects (26%), low participation in church activities (24%), and increasing immorality in society (20%). The study concluded that while the Anglican Church plays a significant role in promoting peace within families, it faces several challenges. It is recommended that greater public awareness of the dangers of instability be promoted through mass media to foster peace.

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