Baptists, who have traditionally emphasised the authority of Scripture, agree strongly that New Testament teaching and practice allows them to baptize only believers upon profession of ~aith. There are, however, many remaining questions concerning the relation of children to God and the place of children in the church which are not as straightforwardly answered in Scripture; here Baptists often display little consensus. Although the principles of corporate solidarity and of individual responsibility operate in both Testaments, the development of individual responsibility, already apparent within later Old Testament history, is carried further in the New Testament where there is evidence of some breakdown in family solidarity and of division on the basis of individual allegiance to Jesus. Discussion of the place of the child in the early church to the fourth century centres around questions of original sin, the 'innocence' of children, the rise of infant baptism and the catachumenate. The historical survey also investigates the development of Anabaptist, early Baptist and modern Baptist views of childhood from the sixteenth to the twentieth centuries. Baptist perspectives in relation to four current issues in the theology of the child are considered: original sin and the 'age of accountability', infant salvation, 'faith development' and child evangelism. The South African situation is analysed by identifying amd interpreting areas of agreement and areas of uncertainty indicated by the results of a detailed questionnaire distributed amongst Baptists during 1990-1991. Baptists need to recognize that children of believers, although not necessarily saved, are in a creative relationship with the church, somewhat similar to that of the catechumenate in the early church. Two particularly problematic areas are the question of the appropriate age for baptism, church membership and communion of children. This is partly because although linked with faith rather than with ~ pastoral wisdom is needed to assess the evidence for true faith in particular cases. In spite of the difficulties to be faced, Baptist congregations and all Christians and churches have much to gain from a careful consideration of the theological issues related to the place of the child in the church. / Philosophy, Practical & Systematic Theology / D. Th. (Systematic Theology)

Thesis (PhD)--Stellenbosch University, 2004. / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: The purpose of this study is to identify didactic strategies for the use of lyrics in children's religious education. This is done to enhance and facilitate children's spiritual growth by means of singing lyrics. The study pays particular attention to the recognition of the role of lyrics in Christian religious education as a maturing agent. Lyrics help to provide children with the opportunity to communicate with God by revealing God's characteristics through theoretical and doctrinal content in an artistic form. Lyrics enrich children's religious development by helping them to express their joy and praise of God. Lyrics can also help children to experience a special quality of fellowship when they sing together. Lyrics ease the stiffness which can occur during the process of education. The survey of lyrics in Christian history also reveals that lyrics played an essential role in the lives of Christians throughout history. Lyrics have been used for worship, education, evangelisation and fellowship. Lyrics have functioned as a medium in which people have conversations with God and worship Him. They have also been a delightful source through which people learn about God through joyful experiences. Lyrics have helped Christians to establish true fellowship in their faith by singing together. The study reveals, however, that lyrics today do not seem to be effective in supporting people, including children, in their encounters with God. As much as lyrics can help children, they can also be obstacles to children's spiritual growth because of their inappropriate contents or improper ways of presentation. Children might misunderstand religious concepts by acquiring "unfamiliar" doctrine from lyrics. It seems that children can also develop inappropriate ideas and attitudes about worshipping under the influence of self-oriented or fun-seeking styles of lyrics. This potential of lyrics to influence children either positively or negatively is often overlooked. The question that may be raised is: what should be done to facilitate the lyric's maturing role and to keep it from being a hindrance in children's religious education? This study attempts to identify systematic and scientific didactic approaches of teaching lyrics as a way of heightening the positive role of lyrics in children's spiritual growth. For the identification of didactic strategies which are best suited for children's spiritual growth, the study presents approaches in which systems of coherent ideas, findings, activities and views concerning instruction and learning are performed. The didactic strategies are illustrated in three main phases, i.e. introductory, executive and assessment phases. Essential characteristics of the instruction-learning phenomenon in all its facets are absorbed into the theory as an overall guide for every teaching situation. The study makes an effort to apply these didactic strategies to the practical situation of teaching lyrics. Korean children are chosen as the subjects for the teaching oflyrics and their religious development is empirically investigated as the basic research on the understanding of the learner in the didactic situation. The application of the general approaches to the definite and specific situation of teaching Korean children is explained. Didactic approaches are redesigned, taking the specific didactic situation of Korea, including Korean children's specific religious characteristics, into consideration. These programmes can be effectively applied to other didactic situations, keeping them flexible in the light of the uniqueness of each lesson. The ultimate aim of this study - the recognition of systematically organised didactic strategies and exemplification of their practical application to the detailed situation of teaching lyrics - is to maximise the effectiveness of lyrics for children's spiritual goodness, particularly in enriching children's religious knowledge and experience. / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Die doel van hierdie studie is om didaktiese strategieë te identifiseer vir die gebruik van lirieke in kinders se religieuse opvoeding. Dit word gedoen om leerders se sprituele groei deur middel van die sing van liedjies te fasiliteer. Die studie fokus in die besonder op die herkenning van die rol wat lirieke, in hoofsaaklik Christelike religieuse onderrig, in die proses van volwassewording speel. Lirieke verskaf aan kinders die geleentheid om met God te kommunikeer deurdat God se eienskappe deur middel van teoretiese en dogmatiese inhoud as 'n vorm van kuns openbaar word. Lirieke verryk kinders se religieuse ontwikkeling deurdat dit hulle help om hul blydskap en eer vir God uit te druk. Lirieke kan kinders ook help om 'n besondere kwaliteit van gemeenskap ("fellowship") te ervaar wanneer hulle saam sing. Deur die gebruik van lirieke kan die stramheid wat dikwels met die opvoedingsproses gepaard gaan, in 'n groot mate verlig word. Die opname wat van lirieke in die Christelike geskiedenis gedoen is toon aan dat lirieke dwarsdeur die geskiedenis 'n baie belangrike rol gespeel het in die lewens van Christene. Lirieke is deur die eeue gebruik vir aanbidding, opvoeding, evangelisasie en geloofsgemeenskap. Lirieke funksioneer as 'n medium waardeur mense in gesprek tree met God en Hom aanbid. Dit dien ook as 'n bron waardeur mense deur vreugdevolle ervaring van God leer. Lirieke help Christene om ware geloofsgemeenskap deur hul samesang te bewerkstellig. Dit blyk uit die studie dat lirieke vandag nie meer effektief is om mense, insluitende kinders, in hulontmoeting met God te ondersteun nie. Alhoewel lirieke kinders kan help, kan hulle in dieselfde mate struikelblokke wees in kinders se sprituele groei weens onaanvaarbare inhoud of onvanpaste aanbieding. Kinders kan religieuse konsepte misverstaan deurdat hulle met "vreemde" dogmas vanuit lirieke gekonfronteer word. Dit blyk dat kinders ook onaanvaarbare idees en houdings oor aanbidding kan ontwikkel weens die invloed van die selfgeoriënteerde of pretsoekende styl van sommige lirieke. Die potensiaal van lirieke om kinders óf positief óf negatief te beïnvloed word dikwels misgekyk. Die vraag wat ontstaan is: Wat moet gedoen word om die lirieke se rol in die verwerwing van volwassenheid te fasiliteer en te verhoed dat dit 'n hindernis in kinders se religieuse opvoeding word? Hierdie studie poog om sistematiese en wetenskaplik-didaktiese benaderings te identifiseer om die onderrig van lirieke te bevorder ten einde die positiewe rol van lirieke in kinders se spritiuele groei te versterk. Om didaktiese strategieë te identifiseer wat die beste by kinders se spirituele groei pas, bied die studie benaderings aan wat stelsels van samehangende idees, bevindinge, aktiwiteite en sieninge betreffende onderrig en leer behels. Die didaktiese strategieë word in drie hooffases geïllustreer, nl. die inleidende fase, die uitvoerende fase en die assesseringsfase. Essensiële kenmerke van die onderrig-leerverskynsel in alle fasette daarvan is in die teorie opgeneem as 'n allesomvattende riglyn vir elke leersituasie. Die studie poog voorts om hierdie didaktiese strategieë toe te pas in 'n praktiese lirieke-onderrigsituasie. Koreaanse kinders is gekies as proefpersone vir die onderrig van lirieke, en hul religieuse ontwikkeling is empmes ondersoek as die basiese navorsing ten opsigte van die begrip van die leerder in die didaktiese situasie. Die toepassing van die algemene benaderings tot die bepalende en spesifieke situasie van onderrig aan Koreaanse kinders word verduidelik. Didaktiese benaderings word herontwerp met inagneming van die spesifieke didaktiese situasie in Korea. Koreaanse kinders se besondere religieuse karaktertrekke word tegelykertyd in aanmerking geneem. Hierdie plooibare programme kan ook effektief op ander didaktiese situasies toegepas word, wat beteken dat hulle by elke unieke les aangepas kan word. Die uiteindelike doel van hierdie studie - die erkenning van sistematies georganiseerde didaktiese strategieë en die toeligting van hul praktiese aanwending in die onderrig van lirieke - is om die effektiwiteit van lirieke vir kinders se sprituele welsyn te optimaliseer en veralom leerders se religieuse kennis en ervaring te verryk.

The assumption of the study was that children are capable of an intimate and real relationship with God. The question that is often asked is, "How does the church best help children to grow in that relationship?" The lack of an agreed upon definition and understanding of spirituality and the need for a sound and practical approach to helping children develop spiritually was the catalyst behind this research. The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between ministry praxis and spiritual development milestones in the lives of Nazarene children. The literature review began with an examination of the history of spirituality, the biblical call to children's spiritual nurture, and the history of psychology and developmentalism. Attention was given to the typologies presented by Urban Holmes and David Kolb culminating in analysis of Michael Anthony's Children's Spiritual Formation Typology. A mixed methods approach was used to gather data. The process for development of the research instrument and the procedures used for implementation were clearly explained. The online instrument was completed by 201 (64.4% of the population) Nazarene children's pastors and analysis of the data was conducted using ANOVA testing. The respondents were assigned to one of the four ministry models based on their responses to the 24 statements on the survey instrument. By determining one's preferred ministry model and analyzing a variety of self-reported data, analysis of the relationship in the four spiritual development milestones was possible. In addition to the four spiritual milestones, growth rate of each of the ministry models was analyzed. The research was completed by conducting two focus group interviews to provide qualitative analysis of the data gathered from the survey instrument. Open-ended questions were presented to each focus group which further validated the analysis of the data. The statistical analysis of the data concluded that there are no significant statistical differences in the four ministry models and the four spiritual development milestones. Key words: child, children, development, formation, growth, milestones, ministry, nurture, praxis, spiritual, spirituality / This item is only available to students and faculty of the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary. If you are not associated with SBTS, this dissertation may be purchased from <a href="http://disexpress.umi.com/dxweb">http://disexpress.umi.com/dxweb</a> or downloaded through ProQuest's Dissertation and Theses database if your institution subscribes to that service.

The churches concern for the youth and children is not a new concern. This concern has been a topic of the church for many generations. The church has responded in the past by establishing programs such as Sunday school and youth group. Of more recent years, the church has sought ways in which to raise the perception of the parents in the church. Some churches have taken strides in an effort to raise the awareness of the parents' responsibility in the home, and others to raise the awareness of the possibilities available at church. This two-phase sequential mixed methods study explored the best practices for training parents for household family discipleship among churches identified as holding, and conducting, a family ministry approach. The first phase of this study quantitatively surveyed parents to determine the practices and perceptions within the home. The second phase of this study qualitatively explored the practices and customs of the identified churches to better understand which practices may or may not be most effective in training parents for household family discipleship. The quantitative data were collected via an online hosting company, and the results then run through a variety of analysis such as Pearson's r, ANOVA, and a full regression analysis. The data indicate that the better a parents' perception of their role as the primary discipler, the more frequent the discipleship practices. Overall, 7 specific practices were identified through the qualitative data collection as being effective practices to train parents in household family discipleship. KEYWORDS: family discipleship, family ministry, family integrated, family equipping

The purpose of this interdisciplinary study was to examine children's and adolescents' (aged 6 to 16) thoughts of God that were hypothesized to reflect the child's religious context and to be related to a child's cognitive maturity and gender. The following four objectives guided the study: (1) to examine children's thoughts of God within a particular religious school environment, (2) to investigate age-related changes in children's representations of God as indicated by their narrative texts, (3) to explore children's (female and male) representations of God as described in their narrative texts, and (4) to suggest transitions in the developmental structure of children's narrative texts about God across levels of cognitive maturity. The children (N=114) selected for the study were chosen from a Christian school setting where religious instruction was part of the curriculum focus. Each child, upon parental consent, participated in a one-to-one interview and accomplished a series of developmental tasks including generating a story about God, responding to a story about Jesus, answering questions about God, and completing a short memory task. Parents were asked to complete a questionnaire about religious life inside and outside the family home. A review of the religious education curriculum was conducted. The collected data were analyzed using both qualitative and quantitative research methodologies. The results were fourfold. First, the study found that the religious school environment (e.g., religious education program and religious activities both inside and outside the family home) had the potential to influence children's changing thoughts about God. Second, there were differences in female and male representations of God. Third, there were significant changes in children's representations of God as they matured. These changes were based not only on children's cognitive maturity but also as a result of the children's religious knowledge acquired within their religious environment. Also, these changes reflected unique subtle differences in children's conceptual understandings of God. Fourth, as children cognitively matured, there were changes in the structure of their narratives about God. These changes paralleled the narrative structure posited by McKeough (1992a) and the stages and substages posited by Case (1992a).

Baptists, who have traditionally emphasised the authority of Scripture, agree strongly that New Testament teaching and practice allows them to baptize only believers upon profession of ~aith. There are, however, many remaining questions concerning the relation of children to God and the place of children in the church which are not as straightforwardly answered in Scripture; here Baptists often display little consensus. Although the principles of corporate solidarity and of individual responsibility operate in both Testaments, the development of individual responsibility, already apparent within later Old Testament history, is carried further in the New Testament where there is evidence of some breakdown in family solidarity and of division on the basis of individual allegiance to Jesus. Discussion of the place of the child in the early church to the fourth century centres around questions of original sin, the 'innocence' of children, the rise of infant baptism and the catachumenate. The historical survey also investigates the development of Anabaptist, early Baptist and modern Baptist views of childhood from the sixteenth to the twentieth centuries. Baptist perspectives in relation to four current issues in the theology of the child are considered: original sin and the 'age of accountability', infant salvation, 'faith development' and child evangelism. The South African situation is analysed by identifying amd interpreting areas of agreement and areas of uncertainty indicated by the results of a detailed questionnaire distributed amongst Baptists during 1990-1991. Baptists need to recognize that children of believers, although not necessarily saved, are in a creative relationship with the church, somewhat similar to that of the catechumenate in the early church. Two particularly problematic areas are the question of the appropriate age for baptism, church membership and communion of children. This is partly because although linked with faith rather than with ~ pastoral wisdom is needed to assess the evidence for true faith in particular cases. In spite of the difficulties to be faced, Baptist congregations and all Christians and churches have much to gain from a careful consideration of the theological issues related to the place of the child in the church. / Philosophy, Practical and Systematic Theology / D. Th. (Systematic Theology)

The purpose of this interdisciplinary study was to examine children's and adolescents' (aged 6 to 16) thoughts of God that were hypothesized to reflect the child's religious context and to be related to a child's cognitive maturity and gender. The following four objectives guided the study: (1) to examine children's thoughts of God within a particular religious school environment, (2) to investigate age-related changes in children's representations of God as indicated by their narrative texts, (3) to explore children's (female and male) representations of God as described in their narrative texts, and (4) to suggest transitions in the developmental structure of children's narrative texts about God across levels of cognitive maturity. The children (N=114) selected for the study were chosen from a Christian school setting where religious instruction was part of the curriculum focus. Each child, upon parental consent, participated in a one-to-one interview and accomplished a series of developmental tasks including generating a story about God, responding to a story about Jesus, answering questions about God, and completing a short memory task. Parents were asked to complete a questionnaire about religious life inside and outside the family home. A review of the religious education curriculum was conducted. The collected data were analyzed using both qualitative and quantitative research methodologies. The results were fourfold. First, the study found that the religious school environment (e.g., religious education program and religious activities both inside and outside the family home) had the potential to influence children's changing thoughts about God. Second, there were differences in female and male representations of God. Third, there were significant changes in children's representations of God as they matured. These changes were based not only on children's cognitive maturity but also as a result of the children's religious knowledge acquired within their religious environment. Also, these changes reflected unique subtle differences in children's conceptual understandings of God. Fourth, as children cognitively matured, there were changes in the structure of their narratives about God. These changes paralleled the narrative structure posited by McKeough (1992a) and the stages and substages posited by Case (1992a). / Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies / Graduate

Experts do not agree on the definition of spiritual development although positive spiritual development benefits society in many ways. Without agreement on the definition of spiritual development and a common understanding of spiritual development, parents, teachers, and pastors who are entrusted with the task of fostering positive spiritual development in Christian settings face the challenges of determining what spiritual development is (definition), the desired goals (culmination) of spiritual development, and the most effective ways to meet those goals (context and content). The purpose of this study was to use data, from the social sciences and Christian points of view, to inform Christian education programs and arrive at recommendations for fostering young children's spiritual development. Data sources include textual literature from the social science and Christian points of view. In addition, the researcher gathered interview data from twenty children's pastors. Research results included: 1. It is possible that spirituality is associated with sensory awareness. 2. Examining spirituality as sensory awareness may lead to focusing on innate qualities of spiritual capacity with a more focused inclusion of children with special needs in faith-based programs, a God-given conscience, and consideration that children may be born with spiritual gifts to express their spiritual nature. 3. Congregations/parishes under utilize intergenerational activities, time for quiet and reflection, and opportunities to talk to children about spiritual matters.

The purpose of this study is to determine to what extent the teacher’ manual, The Methodist Teacher V-VI, Fall, Winter, and Spring 1964-65, published by the Graded Press, Nashville, Tennessee, succeeds in providing insights for church school teachers in understanding the developmental patterns of the late elementary years in order to encourage and guide the child intelligently in his Christian growth.

Thesis (MTh)--Stellenbosch University, 2011. / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: The purpose of this research was to identify the role of the Christian children’s worker in the spiritual nurturing of children living in the context of poverty. The nurturing of about twelve million poverty-stricken children in South Africa is an overwhelming task. This is especially true when these Christian children’s workers are an unrecognised force and unsure what such nurturing entails. Unintentionally children could be harmed by hurtful actions. This research is placed within the field of Practical Theology and has been undertaken from a Christian spiritual perspective. The thesis is designed as a literature study and utilised Bronfenbrenner’s ecological systems approach as a lens in the research. It considered the effects of poverty on children and investigated children’s spiritual development in a context of poverty. An exploration of childhood poverty revealed that poverty is by nature complex, multidimensional and never stands on its own. Children’s lives are entangled within the web of poverty affecting all their life contexts. The invisible “violence” of poverty shapes all areas of children’s lives, leaving scars on their physical, cognitive, educational, emotional, behavioural, social and spiritual development which is carried throughout life. An investigation of children’s spiritual development revealed a renewed interest in children’s spirituality from different perspectives, which resulted in different emphases. Children’s spirituality, like a diamond which has multiple dimensions, includes relational consciousness, awareness-, mystery- and value-sensing, and concerns the wellness of the whole-person. Christian children’s spirituality, in addition, emphasises a conscious relationship with God in Jesus Christ through the Holy Spirit. Context, contextual learning and care for the whole child, which is based on a Christian premise, are essential aspects in the process of a child’s spiritual journey. The role of the Christian children’s worker is to ensure that spiritual nurture embraces all aspects of the lives of poverty-stricken children Practical theological reflections revealed that the perceptions of the Christian children’s worker can influence the effectiveness of ministry. Dangers of having a god complex, dualistic views, compartmentalising ministry and a flawed anthropology of children result in ineffective ministry. In contrast, even though poverty affects all relationships, God is already present with the poor, and the face of God can be found in each child. This requires treating them with dignity and guiding them in restored relationships. The principal conclusion was that the Christian children’s worker can play an important role in the spiritual nurturing of poverty-stricken children. The role includes providing a context of regular relationships with a high level of warmth, support and loving care and offering a Christ-centred Christian children’s ministry where children become aware of God’s presence in their lives. The challenge of conflicting tensions, such as financing resources, meaningful relationships with larger groups and ministry to non-Christian children, will remain. Further research is needed on the interplay between spiritual development and childhood poverty and how to explore God’s presence in larger groups among South Africa’s poor children. / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Die doel van hierdie navorsing was om die Christelike kinderwerker se rol in die geestelike versorging van kinders in ‘n konteks van armoede te bepaal. Die geestelike versorging van die sowat 12 miljoen kinders in Suid-Afrika vasgevang in armoede is ʼn ontsaglike taak, veral in kontekste waar Christelike kinderwerkers nie juis veel erkenning ontvang nie en boonop onseker is van wat geestelike versorging in hierdie konteks behels. As gevolg hiervan kan ondeurdagte optrede kinders onopsetlik skade aandoen. Hierdie navorsing word vanuit ‘n Praktiese Teologiese- en ʼn Christelike-geestelike hoek gedoen. Die tesis is ontwerp as ʼn literatuurstudie, en gebruik Bronfenbrenner se ekologiesesisteembenadering as analitiese lens. Die navorsing handel oor die uitwerking van armoede op kinders, en ondersoek veral kinders se geestelike ontwikkeling in ‘n konteks van armoede. ʼn Verkenning van kinderarmoede bring aan die lig dat armoede van nature kompleks en multidimensioneel is en nooit alleen staan nie. Kinderlewens is verstrik in die web van armoede, wat ál hulle lewenskontekste raak. Die onsigbare ‘geweld’ van armoede het ʼn uitwerking op alle gebiede van kinders se lewens, en laat letsels op kinders se fisiese, kognitiewe, opvoedkundige, emosionele, gedrags-, sosiale en geestelike ontwikkeling wat hulle lewenslank met hulle saamdra. ʼn Ondersoek na kinders se geestelike ontwikkeling dui op hernude belangstelling in dié onderwerp uit verskillende perspektiewe, wat natuurlik ook verskillende aspekte beklemtoon. Soos ʼn diamant met sy veelvuldige dimensies, sluit kindergeestelikheid ʼn relasionele bewussyn sowel as ʼn bewustheids-, misterie- en waardebesef in, en handel oor die welstand van die persoon in sy geheel. Christelike kindergeestelikheid plaas voorts die klem op ʼn bewuste verhouding met God in Jesus Christus deur die Heilige Gees. Konteks, kontekstuele leer, en versorging van die kind in sy geheel – alles gegrond op Christelike beginsels – is noodsaaklike komponente van ʼn kind se geestelike reis. Die rol van die Christelike kinderwerker is om te verseker dat geestelike versorging alle aspekte van die lewens van armoedige kinders omsluit. Praktiese Teologiese refleksie toon dat die opvattings van die Christelike kinderwerker die doeltreffendheid van bediening kan beïnvloed. Die gevare van ʼn godkompleks, dualistiese sienings, die kompartementalisering van die bediening, en ʼn gebrekkige antropologie van kinders lei tot ondoeltreffende bediening. Desondanks, selfs al beïnvloed armoede alle verhoudings, is God alreeds by die armes teenwoordig, en waar kinders is, is Hy in hulle sigbaar. Daarom moet hulle met waardigheid behandel en tot herstelde verhoudings begelei word. Die hoofgevolgtrekking is dat die Christelike kinderwerker ʼn belangrike rol in die geestelike versorging van armoedige kinders kan speel. Dié rol sluit in die voorsiening van ʼn omgewing van bestendige verhoudings met baie warmte, steun en liefderike sorg, en die bied van ʼn Christusgerigte Christelike kinderbediening waardeur kinders bewus word van God se teenwoordigheid in hul lewens. Tog duur die uitdaging van botsende spanninge, soos hulpbronfinansiering, sinvolle verhoudings met groot groepe, en bediening aan nie- Christenkinders, voort. Verdere navorsing is nodig oor die wisselwerking tussen kinders se geestelike ontwikkeling en kinderarmoede, en hoe om groot groepe uit Suid-Afrika se arm kinders God se teenwoordigheid te laat beleef.