This research is both an exegetical study of relevant pericopes, as well as the exegesis of a theological theme, viz, the leadership of the Pauline churches. Chapter one elucidates on the motivation for this research (like the fundamental importance of leadership, the continued lack of clarity with regard to the form and function of Pauline leadership), as well as giving a history of research done on the subject. Prominent issues come into focus from this history of the research done, which function as the basis for the questions asked in the remainder of the study. The main questions involve the following: -- The identification of the Pauline church’s leadership structure. -- The identification of cultural antecedents that functioned as a ‘gene-pool’ for the leadership and ministry structures of the Pauline churches. -- The dynamic between charism and office. -- The unique essence of the Pauline ministry, as well as Pauline authority. -- The relevance of the Pauline leadership structures and ministries for today’s church. The method of research includes three important perspectives that will be utilized to elucidate and interpret the relevant pericopes. These perspectives include the following: -- The influence of the world of the early Christians (viz, their social values, political structures and the ‘oikos’); -- the theological (religious) traditions in which Christians (especially Paul) grew up (viz, Judaism[s], ‘collegiae’ and hellenistic religions), and that exerted a conscious, as well as an unconscious influence upon early Christians and church leaders; -- the dynamic influence of the Holy Spirit (pneumatological factor), by virtue of the fact that the church is more than a social phenomenon - it is also a supernatural entity. For this reason, I am convinced that when we read the history of the church, we probably are witnesses of the unfolding of a pneumatological plan with regard to the form as well as the leadership of the Pauline churches, carefully executed by the Holy Spirit. This research considers the social dimensions of the community that hosted the Pauline churches (chapters two and three) - a critical key towards gaining an understanding of the leadership structures of the Pauline churches. This aspect suffered neglect in the past, which resulted in anacronistic readings and conclusions which had little or no moorings in the texts themselves (eg the so-called chronological view, as well as interpreting New Testament ministries in terms of modern church offices). Because of this, there is a constant focus upon the world of the texts in this research, and the powerful influences exerted by cultural factors (both secular and religious) upon the Pauline churches. The pericopes that come under scrutiny (chapters four to six) are 1 Corinthians 12-13; Ephesians 4:11-13; 1 Timothy 3:1-13 and Titus 1:5-9. This research confirms the powerful influences of the above-mentioned cultural forces and religious antecedents. Closer examination reveals the absence of so-called, ‘direct debts’ between the early church and it’s social and religious environment. It would probably be more correct to speak of a general analogical resemblance between the two. Chapter seven presents a summary of the conclusions reached by way of the exegesis, as well as a presentation of principles (dimensions) that can serve as guidelines (directives) for modern church leadership. These guidelines are based upon the exegesis of Paul’s letters and the experience of the Pauline churches. The study concludes with a proposed definition of a Pauline leader that includes all these principles (dimensions), gleaned from the pericopes. / Thesis (PhD (New Testament Studies))--University of Pretoria, 2002. / New Testament Studies / unrestricted

Text in Afrikaans / Die een biljoen tieners wereldwyd (Borgman 1997:3) is nie meer dieselfde as 'n paar jaar gelede nie, maar raak daagliks moeiliker om te bereik. 'n Generasie wat wereldburgerskap ontvang het en deur die Televisie vermaak en die Media beinvloed word. Jongmense, skrikkerig vir "commitment", nie anti-godsdiens nie, maar soekend om te bepaal watter een die regte God is. Die kerk het vir die Millennium generasie tieners "boring" geraak want weekliks word hulle vermaak. Die uitdaging vir jeugbedienings lê daarin dat hierdie moderne tiener uit hulle geestelike verveeldheid uitgehelp sal word sodat hulle iets kan begin doen met dit wat hulle vir jare al weet. Die Tienerleier selgroep model is gerig op die verstaan van Millennium tieners en hulle geestelik te help groei. Met die oop steel in gedagte word elke tiener wat Jesus Christus as 'n werklikheid ontdek het gemotiveer om hierdie werklikheid met 'n ander tiener te gaan deel. / The one billion teenagers in the world (Borgman 1997:3) today are very different than a few years ago. The process to reach them with the Gospel is recently more difficult than ever. As citizens of the Global village they enjoy the entertainment on television and dress in the way the media proclaims. Modern youth are scared of commitment, not really anti-religion but searching for the true God. The youth of today look to the church to show them something, no, SOMEONE but instead the church became boring to them. We need to help them step out of their own boredom and do something with what they know (Hutchcraft 1996:168). With the focus on spiritual growth, and the vacant chair to remind them of their lost friends, the student-led cell group model can be one of the most effective strategies for reaching and serving the teenager of the next century. / Philosophy, Practical & Systematic Theology / M. Diac. (Jeugwerk)

Text in Afrikaans / Die een biljoen tieners wereldwyd (Borgman 1997:3) is nie meer dieselfde as 'n paar jaar gelede nie, maar raak daagliks moeiliker om te bereik. 'n Generasie wat wereldburgerskap ontvang het en deur die Televisie vermaak en die Media beinvloed word. Jongmense, skrikkerig vir "commitment", nie anti-godsdiens nie, maar soekend om te bepaal watter een die regte God is. Die kerk het vir die Millennium generasie tieners "boring" geraak want weekliks word hulle vermaak. Die uitdaging vir jeugbedienings lê daarin dat hierdie moderne tiener uit hulle geestelike verveeldheid uitgehelp sal word sodat hulle iets kan begin doen met dit wat hulle vir jare al weet. Die Tienerleier selgroep model is gerig op die verstaan van Millennium tieners en hulle geestelik te help groei. Met die oop steel in gedagte word elke tiener wat Jesus Christus as 'n werklikheid ontdek het gemotiveer om hierdie werklikheid met 'n ander tiener te gaan deel. / The one billion teenagers in the world (Borgman 1997:3) today are very different than a few years ago. The process to reach them with the Gospel is recently more difficult than ever. As citizens of the Global village they enjoy the entertainment on television and dress in the way the media proclaims. Modern youth are scared of commitment, not really anti-religion but searching for the true God. The youth of today look to the church to show them something, no, SOMEONE but instead the church became boring to them. We need to help them step out of their own boredom and do something with what they know (Hutchcraft 1996:168). With the focus on spiritual growth, and the vacant chair to remind them of their lost friends, the student-led cell group model can be one of the most effective strategies for reaching and serving the teenager of the next century. / Philosophy, Practical and Systematic Theology / M. Diac. (Jeugwerk)

Consent form, persmission letter and declaration translated into Portuguese. Interview schedule translated into Makhua and Portuguese / Economically, Mozambique is one of the poorest countries globally. Given to its poor state, Mozambique remains environmentally deteriorated. Fortunately, the Mozambican government has embarked on environmental programmes as a strategy for ecological management. However, these strategies seem irrelevant due to ineffective implementation of such programmes. It lacks local community awareness, involvement and participation. The church lacks eco-theology as well as theology that can protect nature and people’s struggles. This study investigated the policies and their implementation towards environmental management in Mozambique. The study also discussed church’s role and proposed a comprehensive theology towards the environment in the city of Nampula. Nampula city is one of the busiest cities in the province and in the northern region of Mozambique due to its business attractions. This study was limited to the Union Baptist Church of Nampula. The data collection was based on two approaches, fieldwork and literature analysis. Fieldwork approach resulted in 20 Nampula citizens’ residents being interviewed. The finding showed that environmental crisis is a socio-economic, political and religious problem of concern. It also revealed that the citizens of Nampula face detrimental and environmental health impacts caused by a weak waste management policy. The incapacity of the implementation of waste management policy, deficiency in the enforcement of awareness and local people input contribute for ecological crisis, leading for water pollution and health problems. The ambiguity of making ecological regulations and resources available worsens ecological crisis. When such regulations are drafted and promulgated without local people’s participation, it may indicate that the law-makers exclude local knowledge about environment into the scientific debate. This can lead local people to resist and not participate even when they are called for. Hence, the research has shown that to make a dynamic ecological policy and an effective waste management, a combination of both top-down and bottom-up approaches are needed. A top-down approach guarantees constant framework while the bottom-up approach encourages local community involvement. In this study, the significance of local community involvement, church advocacy, and pressure in making waste management policy function constitute a key finding. Without active involvement of local people in planning, designing, implementing, monitoring, evaluating, and the decision-making process participation, the earth management may never take place. Therefore, the challenge remains for the government, the church, and the private sector to draw and define methods to attain economic development, protect ecological and civil society. / Christian Spirituality, Church History and Missiology / M. Th. (Missiology)

Consent form, persmission letter and declaration translated into Portuguese. Interview schedule translated into Makhua and Portuguese / Economically, Mozambique is one of the poorest countries globally. Given to its poor state, Mozambique remains environmentally deteriorated. Fortunately, the Mozambican government has embarked on environmental programmes as a strategy for ecological management. However, these strategies seem irrelevant due to ineffective implementation of such programmes. It lacks local community awareness, involvement and participation. The church lacks eco-theology as well as theology that can protect nature and people’s struggles. This study investigated the policies and their implementation towards environmental management in Mozambique. The study also discussed church’s role and proposed a comprehensive theology towards the environment in the city of Nampula. Nampula city is one of the busiest cities in the province and in the northern region of Mozambique due to its business attractions. This study was limited to the Union Baptist Church of Nampula. The data collection was based on two approaches, fieldwork and literature analysis. Fieldwork approach resulted in 20 Nampula citizens’ residents being interviewed. The finding showed that environmental crisis is a socio-economic, political and religious problem of concern. It also revealed that the citizens of Nampula face detrimental and environmental health impacts caused by a weak waste management policy. The incapacity of the implementation of waste management policy, deficiency in the enforcement of awareness and local people input contribute for ecological crisis, leading for water pollution and health problems. The ambiguity of making ecological regulations and resources available worsens ecological crisis. When such regulations are drafted and promulgated without local people’s participation, it may indicate that the law-makers exclude local knowledge about environment into the scientific debate. This can lead local people to resist and not participate even when they are called for. Hence, the research has shown that to make a dynamic ecological policy and an effective waste management, a combination of both top-down and bottom-up approaches are needed. A top-down approach guarantees constant framework while the bottom-up approach encourages local community involvement. In this study, the significance of local community involvement, church advocacy, and pressure in making waste management policy function constitute a key finding. Without active involvement of local people in planning, designing, implementing, monitoring, evaluating, and the decision-making process participation, the earth management may never take place. Therefore, the challenge remains for the government, the church, and the private sector to draw and define methods to attain economic development, protect ecological and civil society. / Christian Spirituality, Church History and Missiology / M. Th. (Missiology)

This multidisciplinary, applied study investigated whether the township church can be repositioned or re-discovered as an asset, which could be used to form strong community structures in local communities and in turn be the foundation for community development and Local Economic Development (LED) for Tshwane (specifically Soshanguve and Hammanskraal (S&H)). The concept of oikos is of central importance in the understanding of the ecological dimension of mission in relation to LED and was used in this thesis defined as oikomissiology which has a Christological basis and broadens the scope of mission by reinterpreting missio Dei and various socio-theological themes in order to realise the vision of collective wellbeing or shalom). Oikomissiology provided a framework / worldview for analysis, description, reflection and planning for action which releases the world, economics, the church and conventional Christian theology / missiology from the traps of anthropocentrism. A narrative approach enabled the “uncovering” of the voices of grassroots communities, giving grassroots participants (i.e. local church ministry representatives) freedom to tell their stories and share their experiences as far as LED is concerned, such that major economic concepts were spoken of in these stories in laymen’s language. The narratives were supplemented by interviews with experienced practitioners and church leaders, which resulted in gaining richer perspectives on LED and on how township congregations that participated in this research are attempting to respond to current socioeconomic crises in Tshwane (S & H). A literature study and a study of the physical space were performed in dialogue with narratives and interview findings. The findings of this applied study established that the township church, in relation to other community organisations and structures, is an asset that could play a number of vital roles towards improving LED in Tshwane (S & H). / Christian Spirituality, Church History and Missiology / D.Th. (Missiology (Urban ministry))