[pt] O tema da Senhora Pobreza, abraçado por São Francisco, e o tema da Sobriedade Feliz, indicado na encíclica do Papa Francisco, Laudato Si , são estudados na espiritualidade franciscana, com origens na história medieval, na Regra Franciscana e um conjunto de documentos papais, junto da Laudato Si . Esses temas são importantes não só para o bem da Igreja, mas também para o mundo contemporâneo e para as gerações futuras. O objetivo principal é destacar o importante legado deixado por São Francisco, a sua compreensão da pobreza evangélica e apreciar sua relevância. Deste estudo, destacam-se os seguintes pontos: a pobreza evangélica se reflete na questão da aquisição de bens e na pastoral desenvolvida em diferentes lugares do mundo onde a presença franciscana é vista em ação; a relação entre a pobreza evangélica vivida por São Francisco e os ensinamentos do Papa Francisco. A metodologia implementada incluiu uma seleção de obras pertinentes ao tema, a análise desses textos, a comparação dos principais pontos relativos à espiritualidade e à pastoral, a constatação de eventuais continuidades e a compreensão de como a espiritualidade franciscana reacende e pode ajudar na busca por valores ou pode ser sustentada com o papado de Francisco. Os vários documentos e mensagens publicados pelo papa refletem a sua direção para uma Igreja pobre e preocupada com os mais necessitados, seguindo o projeto que vem de Jesus Cristo. Este projeto encontra-se no documento Laudato Si, e fala das preocupações socioambientais e da resposta do ser humano que pode alcançar vivendo uma vida de sobriedade feliz. A tese também contribui para apresentar uma melhor compreensão da Senhora Pobreza. A pobreza evangélica, seguida por São Francisco de Assis, é analisada e se baseia em diversos textos do Antigo e do Novo Testamento. A pesquisa inclui comentários de vários franciscanos que propiciam uma melhor compreensão sobre o tema e permitem entender o legado da pobreza, servindo como tecitura entre as ideias de São Francisco e do Papa Francisco. Concluindo, este estudo deduz que há uma continuidade entre a pobreza da Igreja evangélica, abraçada por São Francisco de Assis – a Senhora Pobreza –, e a Laudato Si na conversão de valores para uma vida de sobriedade feliz. O estudo aprofundado confirma que os temas considerados são importantes hoje em relação ao evangelho, especialmente para os jovens, em termos de busca de uma vida melhor, que em essência seria uma vida com sobriedade feliz / [en] The theme of Lady Poverty, embraced by Saint Francis, and the theme of Happy Sobriety, indicated in Pope Francis encyclical, Laudato Si, are studied through the Franciscan spirituality, with origins in medieval history, the Franciscan Rule, and a set of papal documents, alongside Laudato Si. These themes are important not only for the good of the Church but also for the contemporary world and for future generations. The primary objective is to highlight the important legacy left by Saint Francis, his understanding of evangelical poverty and to appreciate its relevance. From this study, the following points are relevant for consideration: evangelical poverty is reflected in the matter of acquiring goods and in the pastoral care developed in different places around the world where the Franciscan presence is seen at work; the relationship between evangelical poverty experienced by Saint Francis and the teachings of Pope. The methodology implemented included a selection of works relevant to the topic, the analyzation of these texts, the comparison of the main points regarding spirituality and pastoral care, the noting of any continuities and the understanding of how Franciscan spirituality rekindles and can help in the search for values or can be sustained with the papacy of Pope Francis. During his pontificate, Pope Francis released several documents and messages that reflect his direction of a poor Church that is concerned about those in most need. It follows the project that comes from Jesus Christ. This project is found in the document Laudato Si, and speaks of socio-environmental concerns, and the response of human beings living a life of happy sobriety. Moreover, the thesis also contributes to presenting a better understanding of Lady Poverty. In addition, evangelical poverty, followed by St. Francis of Assisi, is analyzed, and is based on several texts from the Old Testament and the New Testament. The thesis includes commentaries from several Franciscans that help us understand the developed legacy of poverty and serves as a legacy of continuity between the idea of Saint Francis and Pope Francis and texts from Pope Francis that serve as pathways for young people. In conclusion, this study deduces that there is a continuity between evangelical church poverty, embraced by Saint Francis of Assisi – Lady Poverty –and Laudato Si and the conversion of values with a life of happy sobriety. The indepth study confirms that the themes considered are important today in relation to the gospel, particularly for young people, in terms of searching for a better life, which in an essence would be a life with happy sobriety.

This thesis contends that the pastoral role is significant to the effective functioning and well-being of the church. Therefore, the initial selection of a pastor is a vital component and contributes to those desirable outcomes. The question being considered within this thesis is: What are the factors within a church hiring process which may play a role in successful or unsuccessful pastoral ministry? As there are many variables even within this process, the scope of this thesis is limited to the identification and selection of pastoral leadership from the perspective of the pastoral participants. This perspective is drawn from one denominational association in Ontario —the Fellowship of Evangelical Baptists (FEB hereafter) within the Central region of Canada. In examining this question, an empirical, mixed-methodology is used. The triangulation of a literature review, surveys, personal interviews and a biblical, theological treatment allowed for the most comprehensive perspective and treatment of the research question (Leedy, 2010, p. 99). There is a significant amount of inductive reasoning included, based upon personal interactions within cultural contexts and experiences. This is due to the inadequacy or lack of current theories and available literature relative to the question being studied. This motivates me towards the inclusion of a grounded theory methodology as a component of this study (Leedy, 2010, p. 142). Hiring the right pastor is a challenge at the best of times. As the church struggles to respond to a rapidly changing and diverse culture it presents greater challenges. Rates of pastoral turnover are high and the general duration of pastoral ministry is low. This, in turn, impacts ministry effectiveness. This study of hiring practices and pastoral experiences begins to identify elements as to why some pastors are successful and others are not. It allows for the reflection and consideration of whether the church is, what I have termed, “Equipping the Called, or Calling the Equipped”. There is cause for hope, as there always is within God’s church. This thesis identifies concerns, as well as some positive practices and experiences that can be helpful to inform practice and potential change. As Osmer acknowledges, “observing good practice in other congregations is a powerful source of normative guidance” (Osmer, 2008, p. 152). / Practical Theology / M. Th. (Practical Theology)

<p>This thesis is a contribution to the scholarly debate on how African Independent Churches (AICs) relate to outside partners. It is a case study from the perspective of the periphery of Ethiopia, which explains the origins of the Mekane Yesus Church in Kambata Hadiya</p><p>The diachronic structure of the study with a focus from 1944 to 1975 highlights how a group of Christians reacted to cultural pressure and formed a local independent church, the Kambata Evangelical Church 2 (KEC-2). The KEC-2 established relations with external partners, like a neighbouring mainstream conference of churches, a neighbouring mainstream church, an international organisation, and a mainstream overseas church and its mission. These relations influenced the KEC-2 to develop into a synod of the Ethiopian Evangelical Church Mekane Yesus (EECMY). The diachronic approach is augmented by synchronic structural analyses, illustrating how aspects in the independent KEC-2, like polity, worship, doctrine and ethos were changing.</p><p>The study contends that "Ethiopian Evangelical Solidarity" was a crucial factor in the development of the independent KEC-2 into a synod of the EECMY. As this factor helped the Ethiopians to transcend barriers of ethnicity, social status and denominationalism, it is not unreasonable to assume that the study has relevance for a wider African context.</p><p>This thesis builds on material taken mainly from unpublished printed sources in various languages from archives in Ethiopia, Finland, Sweden, Switzerland and the USA. These are supplemented by interviews made by the author.</p>

This thesis is a contribution to the scholarly debate on how African Independent Churches (AICs) relate to outside partners. It is a case study from the perspective of the periphery of Ethiopia, which explains the origins of the Mekane Yesus Church in Kambata Hadiya The diachronic structure of the study with a focus from 1944 to 1975 highlights how a group of Christians reacted to cultural pressure and formed a local independent church, the Kambata Evangelical Church 2 (KEC-2). The KEC-2 established relations with external partners, like a neighbouring mainstream conference of churches, a neighbouring mainstream church, an international organisation, and a mainstream overseas church and its mission. These relations influenced the KEC-2 to develop into a synod of the Ethiopian Evangelical Church Mekane Yesus (EECMY). The diachronic approach is augmented by synchronic structural analyses, illustrating how aspects in the independent KEC-2, like polity, worship, doctrine and ethos were changing. The study contends that "Ethiopian Evangelical Solidarity" was a crucial factor in the development of the independent KEC-2 into a synod of the EECMY. As this factor helped the Ethiopians to transcend barriers of ethnicity, social status and denominationalism, it is not unreasonable to assume that the study has relevance for a wider African context. This thesis builds on material taken mainly from unpublished printed sources in various languages from archives in Ethiopia, Finland, Sweden, Switzerland and the USA. These are supplemented by interviews made by the author.

This thesis contends that the pastoral role is significant to the effective functioning and well-being of the church. Therefore, the initial selection of a pastor is a vital component and contributes to those desirable outcomes. The question being considered within this thesis is: What are the factors within a church hiring process which may play a role in successful or unsuccessful pastoral ministry? As there are many variables even within this process, the scope of this thesis is limited to the identification and selection of pastoral leadership from the perspective of the pastoral participants. This perspective is drawn from one denominational association in Ontario —the Fellowship of Evangelical Baptists (FEB hereafter) within the Central region of Canada. In examining this question, an empirical, mixed-methodology is used. The triangulation of a literature review, surveys, personal interviews and a biblical, theological treatment allowed for the most comprehensive perspective and treatment of the research question (Leedy, 2010, p. 99). There is a significant amount of inductive reasoning included, based upon personal interactions within cultural contexts and experiences. This is due to the inadequacy or lack of current theories and available literature relative to the question being studied. This motivates me towards the inclusion of a grounded theory methodology as a component of this study (Leedy, 2010, p. 142). Hiring the right pastor is a challenge at the best of times. As the church struggles to respond to a rapidly changing and diverse culture it presents greater challenges. Rates of pastoral turnover are high and the general duration of pastoral ministry is low. This, in turn, impacts ministry effectiveness. This study of hiring practices and pastoral experiences begins to identify elements as to why some pastors are successful and others are not. It allows for the reflection and consideration of whether the church is, what I have termed, “Equipping the Called, or Calling the Equipped”. There is cause for hope, as there always is within God’s church. This thesis identifies concerns, as well as some positive practices and experiences that can be helpful to inform practice and potential change. As Osmer acknowledges, “observing good practice in other congregations is a powerful source of normative guidance” (Osmer, 2008, p. 152). / Philosophy, Practical and Systematic Theology / M. Th. (Practical Theology)

Text in German / Die vorliegende Arbeit ist der Kybernetik zuzuordnen, einer Unterdisziplin der Praktischen Theologie. In einer empirischen Untersuchung wird Führungsangst im Pastorendienst am Beispiel von Pastoren im Bund Freier evangelischer Gemeinden erforscht. Ausgangspunkt ist die Frage, welche Ängste Pastoren beim Führen haben. Dabei wird nach Ursachen, Erklärungen und Folgen dieser Ängste gefragt. Ziel ist, den Einfluss von Angst im Führungsverhalten von Pastoren besser zu verstehen, um damit bewusster umgehen zu können. Das Literatur-Kapitel erklärt Begriffe und stellt relevante Literatur dar. Dabei werden Angstklassifikationen, Angstabwehrmechanismen sowie systembedingte und individuelle Angstauslöser näher gefasst. In der empirischen Forschung wurden erfahrene Pastoren größerer Freien evangelischer Gemeinden interviewt. Die Datenanalyse erfolgte mittels der Methode Grounded Theory. Macht und Angst wurden als Tabu-Themen deutlich, die wenig reflektiert werden. Sie führen zu Konflikten, Machtkämpfen und zu überforderten, kranken oder gemobbten Pastoren. Die Arbeitshypothese wurde bestätigt: Führungsangst ist Pastoren nicht fremd. Allerdings ist sie eine verdrängte Form ihrer Arbeitsrealität und sozialen Wirklichkeit. / From within the field of cybernetics, a sub-discipline of Practical Theology, the fear for roles of leadership in pastoral ministry is examined empirically, through interviewing pastors of the Covenant of Free Evangelical Churches in Germany. The specific fears pastors experience when leading congregations, as well as the causes and effects of these fears, are examined from relevant sources of literature. The classification of fear and defense mechanisms, as well as system-specific and individual-specific triggers, are also discussed. For the empirical part, experienced pastors of larger Free Evangelical Churches were interviewed and data was analyzed according to the Grounded Theory method. Power and fear are identified as factors which can lead to conflict and power struggles and to overworked or ill pastors. Seen as taboo topics, pastors tend to ignore these issues. The study shows that the fear for leadership, although repressed, is a reality in the lives of pastors. / Philosophy, Practical and Systematic Theology / M. Th. (Christian Leadership)

This study investigates the role of the Ethiopian Evangelical Church Mekane Yesus (EECMY) in the development of the Oromo language. The main aim of the study is to provide an account of the contribution of this particular church to the maintenance and development of Oromo, which is spoken by the largest speech community in Ethiopia. The study draws on theoretical and methodological frameworks from the field of language planning and development. The main source of data was interviews and focus group discussions conducted with church leaders at different organisational levels and other members of the church community. In addition, documents found in the church archives were analysed. The findings indicate that a number of church activities have contributed to the maintenance and development of the language. These activities include translation and transliteration work of the Bible and other religious literature, literacy and educational programmes, media work as well as use of Oromo in the liturgy and church services. This study also examined the obstacles that hindered the development of Oromo. The main obstacle was the conflict within the EECMY that arose in 1995 over the use of the language. The study unearths the roots of the controversy through a brief historical examination of the church’s attempts to develop the language, despite opposition from the Ethiopian Orthodox Church and earlier regimes, which proscribed the use of the vernacular languages in Ethiopia. Thereafter it focuses on the internal conflict after the change to a democratic government when the situation in Ethiopia became more favourable towards use of vernacular languages. It identifies the causes of the conflict, the way in which it was resolved and the effects which it had on the development of the language. Recommendations are made for further research and some suggestions are given regarding ways to promote the future development of the Oromo language. / Linguistics and Modern Languages / D. Litt. et Phil. (Linguistics)

This theses researches the bequest of The Unity of the Brethren in the lore and practice of the contemporary protestant churches in the Czech Republic. The first part evaluates numerous sources to concretize the bequest of The Unity of Brethren to ten points, which represent the most specific characteristics of its lore. The second part focuses on comparison of the previously specified bequest of The Unity of Brethren with practice and lore of particular contemporary churches. Through analysis of church sources and structured interviews with the heads of contemporary churches the thesis shows which points of the bequest of The Unity of Brethren actually appear in the lore of the examined churches and to what extend these points influence the real life of the communities. The main objective of the thesis is to examine whether the rich Brethren tradition can be found in today's Czech churches. Moreover this work also asks to what extend these churches manage to keep the Brethren bequest alive in the modern social environment.

Nothing has influenced and affected the Lutheran Church in the U.S.A. in the past century more than the doctrine of the Church and its Ministry. When the first Norwegian immigrants entered the U.S. in the middle of the 19th century, there were not enough Lutheran pastors to minister to the spiritual needs of the people. Some of these immigrants resorted to a practice that had been used in Norway, that of using lay-preachers. This created problems because of a lack of proper theological training. The result was the teaching of false doctrine. Some thought more highly of the lay-preachers than they did of the ordained clergy. Consequently clergy were often viewed with a discerning eye and even despised. This was one of the earliest struggles within the Norwegian Synod. Further controversies involved whether the local congregation is the only form in which the church exists. Another facet of the controversy involves whether or not the ministry includes only the pastoral office; whether or not only ordained clergy do the ministry; whether teachers in the Lutheran schools are involved in the ministry; and whether or not any Christian can participate in the public ministry. Is a missionary, who serves on behalf of the entire church body, a pastor? If only the local congregation can call a pastor, then a missionary cannot be a pastor because he serves the entire church body in establishing new congregations. Is a seminary professor, who trains future pastors, a pastor? If only the local congregation can call a pastor, a seminary professor cannot be a pastor because he is called by the seminary board of control and not one particular congregation. In seeking to develop a statement that clearly defines the doctrine of the Church and its Ministry, a controversy exists within the church body known as the Evangelical Lutheran Synod (ELS), the successor synod to the Norwegian Synod. The reason for the controversy is that two different views of how to develop a doctrinal statement exist in the ELS. Some go directly to Scripture and set forth a position. Others follow an example found in C.F.W. Walther's theses on Church and Ministry. They misunderstand and misuse this approach that was developed only for use in a controversy against an erring Lutheran pastor, Johannes Grabau of the Buffalo Synod. Many of those who utilize this approach are former members of the Lutheran Church Missouri Synod (LCMS), of which Walther was one of the founders. As a result of the two distinct approaches, there has been an inability to unanimously agree on the wording of the statements on the doctrine of the Church and its Ministry. It is the conclusion of the author that it is this reliance on statements made by individuals in previous centuries regarding particular situations that has caused the struggle to develop and serves to prolong it. / Systematic Theology and Theological Ethics / D. Th. (Systematic Theology)

Nothing has influenced and affected the Lutheran Church in the U.S.A. in the past century more than the doctrine of the Church and its Ministry. When the first Norwegian immigrants entered the U.S. in the middle of the 19th century, there were not enough Lutheran pastors to minister to the spiritual needs of the people. Some of these immigrants resorted to a practice that had been used in Norway, that of using lay-preachers. This created problems because of a lack of proper theological training. The result was the teaching of false doctrine. Some thought more highly of the lay-preachers than they did of the ordained clergy. Consequently clergy were often viewed with a discerning eye and even despised. This was one of the earliest struggles within the Norwegian Synod. Further controversies involved whether the local congregation is the only form in which the church exists. Another facet of the controversy involves whether or not the ministry includes only the pastoral office; whether or not only ordained clergy do the ministry; whether teachers in the Lutheran schools are involved in the ministry; and whether or not any Christian can participate in the public ministry. Is a missionary, who serves on behalf of the entire church body, a pastor? If only the local congregation can call a pastor, then a missionary cannot be a pastor because he serves the entire church body in establishing new congregations. Is a seminary professor, who trains future pastors, a pastor? If only the local congregation can call a pastor, a seminary professor cannot be a pastor because he is called by the seminary board of control and not one particular congregation. In seeking to develop a statement that clearly defines the doctrine of the Church and its Ministry, a controversy exists within the church body known as the Evangelical Lutheran Synod (ELS), the successor synod to the Norwegian Synod. The reason for the controversy is that two different views of how to develop a doctrinal statement exist in the ELS. Some go directly to Scripture and set forth a position. Others follow an example found in C.F.W. Walther's theses on Church and Ministry. They misunderstand and misuse this approach that was developed only for use in a controversy against an erring Lutheran pastor, Johannes Grabau of the Buffalo Synod. Many of those who utilize this approach are former members of the Lutheran Church Missouri Synod (LCMS), of which Walther was one of the founders. As a result of the two distinct approaches, there has been an inability to unanimously agree on the wording of the statements on the doctrine of the Church and its Ministry. It is the conclusion of the author that it is this reliance on statements made by individuals in previous centuries regarding particular situations that has caused the struggle to develop and serves to prolong it. / Systematic Theology and Theological Ethics / D. Th. (Systematic Theology)