The Church of England is living through a time of significant change in attitudes towards local church ministry, congregational participation and pastoral practices. As it seeks to respond with integrity to changes in contemporary society the Church’s dialogue with empirical social research is beginning to develop more fully. This thesis focuses on a pioneer national project to explore the effectiveness of pastoral ministry in contemporary church weddings. The social science research methods used in this project revealed insights into the ministry of contemporary church weddings with the intention of shaping responsive parochial wedding policies. This thesis considers the potential for further local enquiry by individual marrying clergy to understand the ordinary theology (proposed by Astley) of their communities using methods of ordinary research alongside a shared reflective practice. It highlights the socio-theological interface within reflective empirical theology by pastoral practitioners in the Church. A model of participatory action research incorporating online clergy forums and change agent groups is explored to stimulate parochial and institutional change among clergy in partnership with each other. The role of priest researchers is proposed and identified in other pastoral contexts to examine factors that motivate clergy to participate in the development of pastorally responsive national policies. A methodology of personal diaries, focus groups and one to one interviews is used to explore the responses of clergy to participating in reflective praxis. The findings point to key factors in developing pastoral practice and policies involving the place of ministerial development and attitudes towards collaborative working. A typology of pastoral ministry is developed towards identifying priest researchers in the Church. The research affirms the contribution of pastoral practitioners towards the development of pastorally responsive national policies but the nature of parochial deployment and clergy relationships with each other and the Church institutions frequently preclude much of this contribution.

[pt] A história, a memória e a teologia, preservada nos versos das canções produzidas pelas Comunidades Eclesiais de Base, são de suma importância para a História Eclesiástica. Os cantos do Cancioneiro Popular das CEBs constituem uma realidade presente na Igreja do Brasil. Era preciso adentrar a história desses cantos, revisitar suas memórias e analisar sua teologia para compreender melhor o valor que a CNBB atribui a estas canções. Esta dissertação objetiva analisar a construção da história, memória e teologia das canções do Cancioneiro Popular das CEBs. Objetiva analisar de maneira histórico-teológico a arte produzida pelos adeptos da Teologia da Libertação. Essas Canções de Esperança são um patrimônio vivo, que trazem em si o legado das lutas, vitórias e derrotas dos que a todo custo tentaram denunciar as injustiças e anunciar que o reino já está entre nós. As canções cebianas trazem em si uma antecipação escatológica de uma realidade já existente, porém, ainda não completada. Nas canções das CEBs são facilmente encontradas traços da Teologia da Práxis e da Teologia da Esperança, por isso, a teologia apresentada nestas canções provocam uma inquietação no homem que por causa de Cristo não se contenta com a realidade dada, deseja contradizê-la. Percebe-se, assim, que a tensão faz parte da vida cristã – apesar da esperança – e que toda a vida do homem está embebida da índole escatológica que deve ser vivida à luz da Esperança maior que se faz realidade já aqui, mas ainda não é aqui. Logo, essas canções fomentam a luta para que a realidade do já seja uma antecipação do ainda não. / [en] The history, memory and theology, preserved in the verses of the songs produced by the Ecclesial Base Communities, are of paramount importance for Ecclesiastical History. The songs of the Popular Songbook of CEBs are a present reality in the Church of Brazil. It was necessary to enter the history of these songs, revisit their memories and analyze their theology to better understand the value that the CNBB attributes to these songs. This dissertation aims to analyze the construction of the history, memory and theology of the songs of the Popular Songbook of CEBs. It aims to analyze in a historical-theological way the art produced by the followers of Liberation Theology. These Songs of Hope are a living heritage that bring in themselves the legacy of the struggles, victories and defeats of those who at all costs tried to denounce injustice and announce that the kingdom is already among us. The Cebian songs bring in themselves an eschatological anticipation of an already existing reality, however, not yet completed. In the songs of CEBs, traces of the Theology of Praxis and Theology of Hope are easily found, so the theology presented in these songs provokes an uneasiness in the man who, because of Christ, is not content with the given reality, wants to contradict it. It is thus perceived that tension is part of the Christian life - in spite of hope - and that the whole life of man is embedded in the eschatological nature that must be lived in the light of the greater Hope that becomes already here, but Not yet is here. Therefore, these songs foment the struggle for the reality of the already to be an anticipation of the not yet.

Youth Centres such as Faure Youth Centre provide a challenge to questions such as violence and crime. This qualitative research journey started at Faure Youth Centre using narrative pastoral care and counselling and participatory action research to assist the young people there to find alternative ways of standing against violence and crime. Changing circumstances at Faure however, paved the way for the research to follow another direction. This resulted in different voices to emerge and for my family to receive an unexpected `gift' in the process. The `gift' that my pastoral care and counselling at Faure gave to my family initiated a process of change in us and transformed it into a spiralling journey of challenging patriarchal practices and finding alternative ways of living. / Practical Theology / M.Th. (Practical Theology)

Youth Centres such as Faure Youth Centre provide a challenge to questions such as violence and crime. This qualitative research journey started at Faure Youth Centre using narrative pastoral care and counselling and participatory action research to assist the young people there to find alternative ways of standing against violence and crime. Changing circumstances at Faure however, paved the way for the research to follow another direction. This resulted in different voices to emerge and for my family to receive an unexpected `gift' in the process. The `gift' that my pastoral care and counselling at Faure gave to my family initiated a process of change in us and transformed it into a spiralling journey of challenging patriarchal practices and finding alternative ways of living. / Philosophy, Practical and Systematic Theology / M.Th. (Practical Theology)