Over recent years scholars have become increasingly interested in the nature and development of the rituals of remembrance after war. Little research, however, has been conducted into these matters in relation to Scotland, and the Church of Scotland in particular, and this thesis attempts to fill this gap. During the course of the twentieth century the people of Scotland have on many occasions been united in a bond of bereavement after war as they grieved for their dead and sought to come to terms with their losses. The principal objective of this thesis is to assess the extent to which the national services of thanksgiving and remembrance after four major wars - the First World War, the Second World War, the Falklands War and the Gulf War - served to meet the needs of the Scottish people. In order to achieve this each of the four national services have been examined in turn, focusing firstly on the ritual context, then the ritual act and finally the functions of the ritual. In this way it is hoped that the extent to which the services were able to give comfort to the bereaved will be illustrated, and that some insights will also be given into the development of remembrance rituals in Scotland during the twentieth century. Research has shown that in the services after the First and Second World Wars the political function of the ritual was dominant, but that in the services after the Falkland and Gulf Wars the pastoral function was prevalent. In this sense it can be argued that the national services have increasingly come to meet the needs of the Scottish people.

At a time when many denominations and church groups in the UK are declining, one "family of churches" is experiencing growth and opening new churches at an increasing rate. This thesis examines this phenomenon by considering the practice of church planting in the UK within a group of churches known as Newfrontiers, and seeks to suggest reasons for their growth and expansion. In doing this, it considers four main questions: • How has Newfrontiers developed and maintained a programme of intentional church planting? (Section 1); • How does Newfrontiers go about planting churches? (Section 2); • What might a "successful" church plant look like? (Section 3); • What makes a "successful" church plant? (Section 4). In the course of this thesis, two main sources of information are used. They are the primary sources of Newfrontiers (in-house magazines, books, and audio/audio visual material), and empirical research carried out by the author. This research included a series of interviews with senior and other relevant leaders within Newfrontiers, as well as a survey and follow up interviews with leaders of a number of current/recent Newfrontiers new churches.

The twenty-first century presents a hostile face to millions of children in every African country. Firstly, this thesis examines the response of Scripture Union Zimbabwe (SUZ) to the growing problem of street children. Taking Zimbabwe as a case study, empirical research was conducted in its four major cities of Harare, Bulawayo, Mutare and Masvingo. Since SUZ does not operate a street youth project in Harare, the capital city, StreetsAhead (SA), a long established Non-Faith based street youth project in Harare was included to paint a more holistic picture of the street children situation in the country. Secondly, the thesis reveals that street children experience untold suffering in their families and when they try to seek refuge on the streets, their plight is exacerbated by some of those who purport to help them. Thirdly the thesis explores the challenges and lessons learnt by SUZ and SA in their work with street children. It further proposes some Christian basis for street children work, in the hope of provoking further debate. Jesus' words in Luke 18: 16 continue to challenge all those who are involved in shaping the future of nations by nurturing eternal values in children. Within the context of this Christian principle, street children are presented as the poor, who because of their poverty become more vulnerable, making them dependent upon God's protection. Therefore, those involved with children's wellbeing should view them `as fragile creatures of God who need to be both safeguarded and reformed, ' primarily within the family context. Thus the child's future and very existence are of great concern. Lastly, further avenues of development in the field are explored, focusing on the importance of family environment, vocational skills training and employment creation, thereby empowering children to own the intervention and preventive programmes implemented as a means of finding a permanent and sustainable solution to this problem.

It is well documented that church attendance figures in Great Britain fell consistently throughout the twentieth century and there is little sign of the trend abating at the beginning of the twenty-first century. There are scholars who argue that this decline in traditional religiosity has been accompanied by diverse expressions of alternative spiritualitites. This study explores and maps the contemporary quest for spirituality through an examination of the visitors to St Davids Cathedral in West Wales, the birthplace and home of the patron saint of Wales, St David. Within this context, four aspects of spirituality were investigated, characterised as: Spiritual Awareness, Spiritual Experience, participation in the Spiritual Revolution, and Spiritual Health. The study used both quantitative and qualitative methods of data collection, employinga questionnaires urvey( which yieldeda round2 700r esponses)in, terviews, and case studies. The analysis of the questionnaire survey explored whether individual differences of sex, age, church attendance and psychological type preferencesa ffect individual spirituality. Analysiso f the datas uggeststh at visitors to St Davids Cathedral are very much spiritually aware and undergo various spiritual experiences. The evidence presented in this study also concurs with Heelas and Woodhead(2 005)t hat, while therei s an undoubtedin creasein the participationo f the holistic milieu, it is premature to suggest Britain is undergoing a spiritual revolution. It also showst hat the visitors to St Davids Cathedraal re in goods piritual health.

This thesis takes the form of an exploration and discourse on koinonia (a New Testament concept meaning 'communion' used by St Paul in his discussions of the nature of the church) and its potential application to the shaping of a better understanding of music for worship and its use in liturgical worship. It falls into three parts. While the investigation is relevant and applicable to the Western Church in general, the thesis relates specifically to the locale, culture and religious traditions of Scotland. Part One (chapters 2-5) begins with a consideration of recent debate on liturgy and music, taking as its starting point the outcomes of the 1997 congress of Societas Liturgica on that theme. This is followed (chapter 3) by a review of recent theological writings about music and music in worship, and (chapter 4) a consideration of five dimensions of koinonia derived in particular from reports of recent ecumenical dialogue and a related ecclesiological model (following on from Gordon Lathrop) as the basis for an alternative mode for discourse on music in worship with greater potential for application and implementation in the local church. This part ends with a summary overview of selected branches of musicology as resources to enhance theological discussion of liturgical music. Part Two consists of just one long chapter (chapter 6). Here the findings from wider theological discourse on music and the insights gained from aspects of musicology are used to inform the investigation of each of the five dimensions of koinonia as the basis for the evaluation of liturgical music within an ecclesiological model: eucharistic community, relational community, community growing into maturity in Christ, diaconal community, diverse community. Part Three is more applied. Three contrasting case studies are explored (chapter 7) for signs of koinonia that might illuminate the preparation of a usable resource derived from the findings of Part Two. Each is directly related to the writer's own experience: the preparation of the third and fourth editions of the Scottish-produced Church Hymnary; the Wild Goose Worship Group of the Iona Community; the Craigmillar Festival. As evidence of current practice and attitudes, two enquiries into local churches are reported (chapter 8). The final chapter offers an outline for a discourse based on the findings of the thesis so far in a form that might be used in a local church. Taking each of the five dimensions of koinonia, this addresses both the strengthening of that church and its individual members through the discussion of music, and the better understanding of the evaluation and use of music in worship through the exploration of faith and the nature of church.

No description available.

Young graduates are a group who have much to offer to the life of the church, but there are many who do not make a transition from belonging to a church while students to belonging after graduation. This thesis explores the experiences of recent graduates as they seek out new church communities. In doing so it seeks to build a greater understanding of the challenges they face, the processes by which they search for and find belonging in new church communities, and why some do not succeed in finding a church to which they feel they can belong. It offers a survey of literature relating to church leaving and, taking an interdisciplinary approach drawing upon material related to theories of social capital and consumer culture, as well as theological perspectives, examines a range of understandings of belonging. Using a qualitative longitudinal research method it explores the experience of recent graduates. Building on analysis of the data generated, it develops a model that illustrates the process by which those graduates searched for, and moved towards, belonging to new church communities. This model is illustrated through biographies of belonging, formulated for each of the participants. The thesis offers theological reflection upon three themes that emerge from the data analysis. First, it explores the relationship between consumer approaches to belonging and faith. Secondly, it examines what it means to receive an invitation to contribute to the life of the church community. Thirdly, it reflects upon what it means to dwell with God. Finally, the thesis draws upon its findings in offering suggestions for the transformation of practice among three groups of people: university chaplains and others who work with Christian students; churches that receive new graduates; and students who are preparing to leave university.

The purpose of the dissertation is to assess where and how full-time, stable, lay ministry is developing in Scotland and to understand the ways in which lay ministry could grow and thrive with adequate resources and formation. The background to the dissertation is the changing circumstances of the Roman Catholic Church in Scotland. Numbers of priests and consecrated religious have sharply declined in recent decades and there has been an on-going decline in levels of practice. Parishes are increasingly relying on their greatest asset: the laity. Within this cohort some are called to positions of pastoral leadership as pastoral assistants, chaplains, or youth workers. My interest in this topic arises from my work in such contexts over the last thirty years. Despite the emerging reality I found a dearth of literature about lay ministry or new models of ministry in the Roman Catholic Church in Scotland. Noel Timms’ extensive research project Diocesan Dispositions and Parish Voices (2001) does, usefully, include findings from two Scottish dioceses. In contrast the pastoral reality of lay ministry has been extensively researched in the United States and the thesis draws on the considerable study of Lay Ecclesial Ministry that has taken place there. The new ecclesiological vision which emerged from Vatican II emphasised the common priesthood of all the baptised. This, together with a renewed historical consciousness, has led some theologians to call for a greater diversity in ministry within the Roman Catholic Church. Other theologians believe that change is only possible through deconstruction of the Tradition. In this thesis I aim to pursue the following lines of enquiry: - What place does lay ministry have in the changing reality of Scottish Catholicism? What factors make for effective lay ministry? What elements would need to be put in place to enable the further development of lay ministry? The research process involved semi-structured interviews with diocesan personnel in seven of the eight Scottish dioceses and two case-studies of parishes with lay ecclesial ministers. The research found that ministry flourishes where there is an attitude of openness, where positive relationships are built, where there is the motivation and intention to actively create a total ministering community and where there is the practice of pastoral planning. The research revealed that across all the dioceses there are considerable theological and psychological barriers to be overcome before lay ministry can flourish. Contradiction and ambiguity in ecclesiological understanding has further contributed to the hesitant acceptance of lay ministers in Scotland. At the present time there is also a lack of synchronisation between the hermeneutical lens operating in postmodern culture and the philosophical understanding underpinning magisterial statements made in a pre-modern or modern era. Dialogue, solidarity and community were noted to be of particular importance for mission and ministry in postmodernity. A ministerial model of collaboration and co-responsibility can provide the vitality needed to enable this mission.

No description available.

This thesis presents a new approach to pastoral care called problem-solving. Part I begins with a discussion of the nature and purpose of pastoral ministry, then looks at methods of care in the field of social work practice. Problem-solving is discussed as a comprehensive and flexible model for pastoral care; a process that can be adapted to work with individuals, groups, and the community at large, and thereby a means of expressing the social concerns of the Christian Gospel. Part II presents a theory of human behavior for interpreting and explaining problems encountered in ministry. The theory is the product of an interdisciplinary approach which correlates insights from systematic theology with insights from the social and psychological sciences. Two fundamental units of interaction, the human relationship and social transaction, are examined in the theological perspective. Several diagnostic tools are presented for analyzing problem situations in social and theological context. Part III sketches in broad outline a program for pastoral ministry that integrates the three generic methods of social work practice: casework, group work, and community work into one comprehensive approach to pastoral care. In distinction from Part II, here is a theory about how behaviour can be changed or modified in the act of care - it is, in other words, practice theory. Illustrations and examples are provided which are based on my experience as a minister and community worker in the city of Glasgow. Part IV discusses the writings of three major pastoral theologians: Eduard Thurneysen, Thomas Oden, and Seward Hiltner. The work of each author is presented and then critiqued in regards to methodology, knowledge base, practice theory, and theological frame of reference. The preference is for a methodology which encourages two-way dialogue and correlation between theology and the human sciences; a theory of human behavior which includes insights from both psychology and the social sciences; a practice theory that can be adapted to human needs at different levels of social involvement; and a theological frame of reference which expresses the social dimensions of God's plan for the world. The purpose of this section is also to draw attention to a two-fold danger, commonly found in much of pastoral literature, of doing pastoral theology from a static, closed, and individualistic perspective or with no systematic theological frame of reference at all. Part V seeks to avoid this two-fold danger by adopting a new theological framework for pastoral ministry. Pastoral care is described as a ministry of word-in-deed in response to a theological understanding of God's Word as God's deeds in the midst of human events. Attention is directed to the importance and purpose of the "world" in God's redemptive plan and the Church is described as an instrument of God's mission to the world. The aims and goals of pastoral care are discussed in the context of the Kingdom of God and problem-solving is seen as a mode of preparation; a way of becoming intentional about the demands of Christian ministry. This section completes the search for a new frame of reference by offering a theology of the Word which is dynamic in perspective and social in scope.