Парафія як платформа соціальної діяльності Православної Церкви України: реалії та перспективи

Анотація

Розглянуто основні напрями й перспективи соціального служіння Православної Церкви України, яке вона здійснює через місцеві релігійні громади (парафії), єпархії та церковні мирянські рухи (волонтерство) у співпраці з громадськими й благодійними організаціями. Висвітлено зміни в теоретичному богословському осмисленні актуальних проблем еклезіології та соціального служіння, що є реакцією на духовні, культурні, політичні й соціально-історичні трансформації глобального світу. Розкрито глибинний і духовний потенціал богословських категорій і понять еклезіології в контексті соціального служіння Церкви. Окреслено можливість синтезу різних методологічних підходів до питання соціального служіння Церкви в епоху глобалізації, таких як структурний (соціологічний погляд на громаду); культурно-психологічний (духовно-релігійні, культурні зв’язки, цінності, взаємини, прагнення, інтереси); діяльнісний (аналіз різних видів діяльності православних християн у громаді).

The article outlines and analyses the perspective directions of social service in the church parishes of the Orthodox Church of Ukraine in the context of the processes of the modern world. It is emphasized that globalization, on the one hand, determines the formation and development of a certain common social space of the modern person, and on the other hand, the effectiveness of the social ministry of the Orthodox Church in order to preserve religious and national traditions. Promising areas for the formation, development and implementation of social ministry in the context of globalization transformations are identified, namely: support for research on the social ministry of Christianity; ensuring the openness of the Orthodox clergy to the real problems of Ukrainian society; raising the theological level of education of priests and parishioners on issues of conciliarity, unity and interaction; improving church education, ensuring free access to theological and spiritual literature; forming strong church parishes, support for volunteer initiatives; creation of effective strategies for church pastoral care in resolving crisis situations in families; theological analysis of socio-cultural changes in Ukraine; preservation and promotion of Christian asceticism. It is noted that the list of the outlined aspects of the development prospects of social ministry in church parishes is not complete, and therefore requires further study. It is indicated that the perception of the social ministry of church parishes of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church depends not only on the scientific methods of sociology, psychology, pedagogy, social work, but also on the theological understanding of the ecclesiological issues of our time. Various theoretical and methodological approaches and their influence on the understanding of the social ministry of the Orthodox Church are investigated. The author outlines the possibility of synthesizing different methodological approaches in the era of globalization, such as structural (sociological view of the community); cultural and psychological (spiritual, religious, cultural ties, values, relationships, aspirations, interests); and activity-based (analysis of various types of activities of Orthodox Christians in the community). The article highlights the constant changes in the theoretical theological understanding of the actual problems of ecclesiology and social ministry as a response to the spiritual, cultural, political, and socio-historical changes in the global world. The article reveals the deep and spiritual potential of theological categories and concepts of ecclesiology proposed by leading scholars. The article reflects the ongoing efforts of Orthodox theology and ecclesiology, in particular in response to changes in the cultural, historical and social context, based on the revision of theological theories, improvement of methodology and a new perception of the research field of social ministry of church parishes. The problem of social reality is studied. Various aspects and directions of development of modern social ministry are revealed, taking into account constant changes in society and adaptation of theological knowledge about God, Church and human. It is emphasized that church hierarchs, priests, theologians and religious thinkers should respond to the current challenges of globalization by adapting and improving the methodology of social ministry of church parishes, and the rapid development of information around the world opens up new opportunities for the missionary, social and educational ministry of the Orthodox Church of Ukraine.