Evangelical churches hold evangelism as a hallmark of their movement, but evangelism and conversion rates are in decline. Might this decline be the result of absent or inadequate evangelistic equipping on the part of the church? This project presents a phenomenographic analysis and critique on how congregations are being equipped for evangelism. It employs both surveys of congregational members as well as pastoral leaders. Follow-up interviews with pastoral leaders have also been used to clarify findings from the initial surveys. These interviews have been analyzed to discover the qualitatively different understandings that are evident in the data regarding the phenomenon of evangelistic equipping. These understandings are categorized, and a description of each category type is provided. The results of these findings provide a more expansive understanding of the equipping task and offer specific ways in which the task of evangelistic equipping can be expanded to serve the Evangelical church better.

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Florencio Segura, bilingual in Spanish and Quechua languages, belonged to the Andean culture of southern Peru spanning most of the 20th century. A convert to evangelical Christianity, Segura chose to identify with the Quechua world. The inculturation of the Bible into his Quechua milieu, interpreted from an evangelical perspective, was in large part due to his work. He used his own original hymns to teach the message in an oral culture, drawing on a rich legacy of traditions. He recognised that sung theology was the quickest way for the Quechua to incorporate a heart theology into their evangelical communities. The thesis focuses on Segura and his hymnody. It examines the man in his culture, his appropriation of that culture and his dismissal of certain areas of it, his use of Quechua including his interpolation of Spanish, and his teaching methods. It is a thesis about missiological communication and the medium of hymns as interpreters in that process. Chapter one examines how the Quechuas view their world in order to give the cultural framework for Segura’s biblical interpretation via hymns. Chapter two reviews the historical framework that influenced Segura - particularly the role of evangelical missionaries and the reasons for his commitment to evangelical rather than Roman Catholic Christianity. Chapter three undertakes an examination of Segura’s use of the biblical narrative, comparing and contrasting it with parallel literature in the Inca and Roman Catholic tradition and analysing the theology of the hymnody. The focus on the content of Segura’s hymnody allows the conclusion to reflect on the theological significance of Segura’s work and its implications for the continuing development of Andean hymnody.

Thesis (M.A. Rel.)--School of Theology, Anderson University, 1988. / Vita. Abstract. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 105-117).

Thesis (D. Min.)--Trinity International University, 2003. / Abstract. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 288-292).

Thesis (D. Min.)--Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary, Charlotte, NC, 2002. / Abstract and vita. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 180-188).

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Christianity and Islam are both missionary in nature, but they are founded on different beliefs, values and practices, especially with regard to mission. The former believe in Jesus Christ and recognise His divine role as the saviour of the world, while the latter regard Him as a prophet who, after all, was rejected by His people, the Jews, as a result of which God sent Mohammed as His last messenger to the world. These varying and often conflicting beliefs have made it increasingly difficult for the Christian evangelical churches, including those at Eldoret, Kenya, to advance mission to the people of other faiths, the Muslims in particular. The differing views can offend the very essence of mission, namely God‘s mandate that is founded on the entire Bible. A proper understanding of mission as a concept is essential for effective mission to people of other faiths. Theologians refer to the Christian understanding of mission as the missio Dei. There is hardly any dispute among missiologists that God in His triune nature is the initiator, implementer and sustainer of mission, but the concept of the missio Dei is yet to attain an acceptable definition. Its nature and content remain problematic to theologians, missiologists, churches and other stakeholders in mission. This study critically examines mission to Muslims by five selected evangelical churches in Eldoret, Kenya, in light of the missio Dei. These are the Reformed Church of East Africa, the African Inland Fellowship Church, the Faith Baptist Church, the Presbyterian Church of East Africa and the Anglican Church of Kenya. The research investigates how and the extent to which these churches have sought to implement the mandate. Mainly using data collected from oral interviews, the study finds that mission engagement to Muslims is slow and disjointed. The churches face challenges that include the lack of a concrete understanding of God‘s mandate i.e. mission, internal wrangling, financial constraints and neglect of the women and the youth. The study concludes that there is a need for the selected churches to reassess and reconsider their missionary approaches with a view to enhancing their ways of engaging with Muslims. In the final instance the study formulates a viable model for that purpose. / PhD (Missiology), North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2013

Christianity and Islam are both missionary in nature, but they are founded on different beliefs, values and practices, especially with regard to mission. The former believe in Jesus Christ and recognise His divine role as the saviour of the world, while the latter regard Him as a prophet who, after all, was rejected by His people, the Jews, as a result of which God sent Mohammed as His last messenger to the world. These varying and often conflicting beliefs have made it increasingly difficult for the Christian evangelical churches, including those at Eldoret, Kenya, to advance mission to the people of other faiths, the Muslims in particular. The differing views can offend the very essence of mission, namely God‘s mandate that is founded on the entire Bible. A proper understanding of mission as a concept is essential for effective mission to people of other faiths. Theologians refer to the Christian understanding of mission as the missio Dei. There is hardly any dispute among missiologists that God in His triune nature is the initiator, implementer and sustainer of mission, but the concept of the missio Dei is yet to attain an acceptable definition. Its nature and content remain problematic to theologians, missiologists, churches and other stakeholders in mission. This study critically examines mission to Muslims by five selected evangelical churches in Eldoret, Kenya, in light of the missio Dei. These are the Reformed Church of East Africa, the African Inland Fellowship Church, the Faith Baptist Church, the Presbyterian Church of East Africa and the Anglican Church of Kenya. The research investigates how and the extent to which these churches have sought to implement the mandate. Mainly using data collected from oral interviews, the study finds that mission engagement to Muslims is slow and disjointed. The churches face challenges that include the lack of a concrete understanding of God‘s mandate i.e. mission, internal wrangling, financial constraints and neglect of the women and the youth. The study concludes that there is a need for the selected churches to reassess and reconsider their missionary approaches with a view to enhancing their ways of engaging with Muslims. In the final instance the study formulates a viable model for that purpose. / PhD (Missiology), North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2013