Prof. W.J. Hattingh Prof. H. Viviers

D.Litt. et Phil. / Having lost its prominent position at the centre of Western society, the church currently finds itself in a post-Christian era. This position leads to a drastic loss of members (Braaten & Jenson 2002:21). Estrangement in churches therefore brings about a new dialogue regarding the identity of the congregation which constitutes the essence of its reason for being (Greenwood 2002:21 ). The identity of the congregation as a missional faith-community is indispensable to a healthy, growing congregation (Van Engen 1996:26; Frost & Hirsch 2003:15; Guder 1998:3). Theologians agree that the loss of this identity constitutes one of the main reasons for churches declining influence. This necessitates a reorientation of the true essence of being church. The changing of the times is an important factor, because it challenges the local congregation to grow towards becoming the missional faith-community that God has in mind. A missional faithcommunity is exemplified by a congregation that rethinks its essential identity and purpose for existence. This reorientation restores the local congregation's true nature to God's original plan and objective, thus enabling it to meaningfully embody the Missio Dei. It was therefore important to undertake a comprehensive literary study in order to ascertain the definition of a faith-community, how it is formed, how it is sustained and how it may demonstrate its missional purpose. This study has a dual contribution in that it presents a systematic PracticalTheological study of the essence of church and that it allows for the development of a contextual model. This model was developed and tested through a process of participative action research in the context of two AFM-congregations. The method also allowed for the formation of a measuring-instrument which will enable congregations to do self-evaluation. In the future this PracticalTheological study may form a guideline for meaningful church-development while the developed incarnation model will enable the local congregation to function as a missional faith-community.

The study originated with the assumption that the praxis of the Apostolic Faith Mission of South Africa (AFM) shows that pastors are possibly so busy with numerous duties, responsibilities and many demands made on them, that they have difficulty in mobilizing their assemblies for effective ministry (Eph. 4:12). The majority of assemblies in the AFM are functioning as institutional model assemblies. In these assemblies most of the ministries are primarily performed by the pastors, permanent staff members and a small group of the laity. The consequences are that such assemblies do not effectively fulfill the Great Commission (Matt. 28:19). Assembly mobilization implies a process whereby the laity is empowered to discover, develop and perform voluntary works of service (ministry). The study was undertaken based on the social sciences and implementing an analytical and critical approach, to develop an enhanced understanding of the way the church functions, as the body of Christ and as a living organism. The potential for growth in the body of Christ involves the mutual contribution of every member so that the whole might be built up and achieve maturity. Consequently the body of Christ metaphor was suggested as preferential for the future functioning and practice of assembly ministries, because:  The metaphor presents a principal expression of the Biblical will of God for the way in which an assembly functions in carrying out the Great Commission;  The disadvantages of institutionalism are counteracted and neutralized by this metaphor;  Both qualitative and quantitative assembly growths occur where this metaphor is implemented. The study seeks to emphasize the importance of the fact that equipping the laity has to be an ongoing process in local assemblies. With the aforementioned as point of departure, it is argued that:  All persons should be equipped to competent levels to enable them to contribute to the growth and development of the assembly through various ministries;  The fivefold ministry (Eph. 4:12) should accept the responsibility to equip the laity for their ministry;  Every lay person is gifted by God (Eph. 4:7) and should accept responsibility to minister using their gifts to build up and benefit the assembly;  Equipping and empowering the laity are crucial elements to accomplish the Great Commission. The objective was to develop the body of Christ metaphor for assemblies that focus on utilizing the gifts of the laity. This study argues that assemblies will not accomplish this objective until pastors see it as their primary responsibility to mobilize their assemblies. The challenge facing pastors lies in whether they will be able to make the following paradigm shifts:  Leadership shift from ministers to equippers;  A ministry shift from consumers to contributors. Creating a new culture and promoting the equipping and empowerment of the laity should therefore be given priority by pastors in local assemblies as a whole. These changes will enable the body of Christ to contribute to carry out the Great Commission. The program that was designed is suitable for the discovery, equipping and empowerment of the potential of the laity for voluntary works of service (ministry). The study seeks to create a general development strategy to empower the laity in assemblies. It purposefully engineers certain paradigm shifts, changes structures, creates a new management approach and introduces new processes. The spiritual growth and autonomy of any assembly depends partially on effective organization. In order to function effectively assemblies need to apply sound managerial techniques. Assemblies are to pay attention to the critical judgment of current theories. Lastly, the assembly is seen as an organization with a strong spiritual component consisting mainly of volunteers. An assembly structured according to the body of Christ metaphor will benefit greatly when it implements a “utilization of people” management theory. This thesis is a contribution aimed at assisting the leadership not only to create a culture for assembly mobilization, but also to assist them in restructuring to ensure that the process will be managed effectively. / Dr. M. Nel Prof. L. Nortjé-Meyer

M.Th. / The calling of the church is put in no uncertain terms. A lost word must be reached with the good news that there is salvation and new life in Christ Jesus. The local congregation is mainly carrying the responsibility for this. In the modern, rapid changing, consumer oriented society, congregations don't always succeed in reaching the people in their neighbourhood with this good news. A new genration of church growth experts suggest that good marketing principles can be helpful. Although the congregations already make use of certain marketing practices, a new world of marketing is opened up in the church. Church marketing originate from this. This is, however an unknown area for the most congregational leaders and require thorough study. The Apostolic Faith Mission of South Africa is standing within a rapid changing context, that direct enormous challenges to the local congregation. With great social crisis, a rapid changing society and drastic internal changes, there are almost unlimited opportunities for congregations. The question is thus, how these new tendencies in church marketing can help congregations in the the Apostolic Faith Mission of South Africa to meet these challenges. In this study an incisive inquiry is conducted into the new tendencies of church marketing, in order to get insight into marketing practices. Next, the specific situation of the Apostolic Faith Mission of South Africa is investigated in order to identify how church marketing can help local congregations. Practical guidelines for church marketing in the Apostolic Faith Mission of South Africa are suggested in order to help church leaders with implementation.

Theological training is in a crisis worldwide. Although the role that Theological Seminaries have fulfilled is acknowledged, there is a growing concern about the ability of these institutions to serve the upcoming generations of Christian leaders. Some warn they may not be well tailored for our post-modern age. Many people feel that the Seminary as an institution is in danger of extinction due to irrelevancy. Seminaries, in general, are perceived as not connecting to the needs of today’s church. The Auckland Park Theological Seminary (ATS), whose training is the subject of this research, is not excluded from this concern of the Church for relevant theological training. Many pastors of the AFM of SA are of the opinion that the training offered at the ATS does not effectively train pastors for the ministry. The purpose of this research is to investigate and describe how pastors who studied at the ATS experienced their theological training, as well as to offer guidelines to the Church and the ATS to develop a more effective model for theological training. Semi-structured, phenomenological interviews were conducted with a number of pastors. These interviews were taped with their permission. The question asked during each interview was: “How do you experience the theological training offered at the ATS as preparation for the ministry?”. The research has revealed a number of themes and sub-themes that should be addressed by a new model for theological training. They are as follows: • There is a need of a thorough theological education as foundation, especially in the areas of Bible knowledge and Dogmatics. • The focus of the training is mainly cognitive and not practical. There should be a greater emphasis on the “how” of doing ministry. • The respondents indicated that they have a need that their own spiritual gifts and ministries should be developed. • They experience a lack of training in interpersonal skills. There is especially a need for training on how the pastor’s family should effectively function in ministry. • The research has shown that the ATS should take co-responsibility to develop the character and spirituality of their students. • The students expressed a need that the lecturers should be their mentors. • The greatest needs were in the areas of management and ministerial skills. The students felt that they were not adequately prepared in the areas of leadership, management of personnel, team building, developing a vision for ministry, marketing and funding, preaching and communication skills, how to mobilize the members of their churches, the Missiological purpose of the Church, youth – and children’s ministry, the planning of church services, music and worship, technical skills such as video productions, the use of multimedia, and computer skills, and general skills such as the practice of the sacraments, hospital visitation, and the role of statistics. • The research has shown that the students have a need for specialized training in accordance with their gifts and ministries. Based on these results, guidelines are then offered for a more effective model for theological training. / Dr. B.J. Geyser

The purpose of this study is to suggest a paradigm shift that will enable the traditional pastor to effectively mobilize his congregation. An in depth look at the early history of the pastor of the Carletonville-AFM congregation and his idea of the ministry was undertaken. Due to certain frustrations he experienced trying to do everything himself, the Body of Christ model was proposed for the congregation whereby every member of the congregation has a function in fulfulling the Great Commision. Certain statistics of the Carletonville-AFM congregation were analysed to obtain information about membership involvement in service ministry. It became clear that a process for the mobilisation of the congregation was needed. Mobilising the congregation should be seen as the purpose of the pastor and considered to be very important. The pastor’s managerial approach was scrutinized from the paradigm shift of ‘purposefulness,’ and the recommendation made that as the leader, he should build a strong team around himself to whom he can delegate work, thus making his work load lighter. This will empower him to concentrate on the purpose of mobilising the congregation. The study argues that there is no such thing as an untalented member, in other words, everybody has received a talent to do service ministry. The potential in people must be developed by way of equipping the members. The pastor is responsible for this development and equipping of the members. This study is a contribution that endeavours to focus the managerial approach of the pastor in the mobilisation of the Body of Christ. / Prof. W.J. Hattingh

This study is motivated out of a concern for the declining church attendance of young adults. The goal of this study is the identification of the needs of young adults in relation to the church service and the measurement of the success of the Apostolic Faith Mission of South Africa (A.F.M. hereafter) in meeting these needs. The reseach is done through an exploratory-descriptive literature study and an empirical study within certain A.F.M. congregations. In the literature study the developmental tasks, context and needs of young adults are identified and these needs are explained within the framework of several need-models from psychology and other sciences. The context of young adults is explained by the generation gaps as described by Codrington (1999). The identified needs of Carroll (1991), a sense of meaning, belonging and empowerment, forms the focus of this study. In the literature study the church service, within the context of the A.F.M. Church is explored, as well as how the liturgical elements are able to meet the needs of Carroll. The needs of young adults in relation to the church service and how the A.F.M. Church succeeds in meeting these needs, are explored through the use of self-administered questionnaires. The most important finding of the empirical study, is that young adults do agree with the needs identified by Carroll. A surprising result in contradiction with the literature, is that young adults do have a strong sense of social responsibility and want to be empowered to make a difference in the world. The four participating A.F.M. congregations, Goodwood, Strandfontein, Doxa Deo Langeberg and the Paarl Protea Worship Centre, were positively evaluated by respondents in terms of meeting the needs of Carroll. There was however, a significant statistical difference between the respondents’ evaluation of Carroll’s needs and the success of the participating churches’ success in meeting these needs. The study is concluded with recommendations for the planning of church services within the context of the A.F.M. as well as follow-up studies. The conclusion of this study is that the true character of the church service must be reflected in the planning of the liturgical elements. Enough freedom for the functioning of the Holy Spirit must also be created in such a way that the needs of young adults can be met. The planning of the church service must be focussed on the worshipping of God, the preaching of the gospel in such a way that people can find new meaning in their lives, the facilitating of a meeting between congregation and God, the creating of a loving community and the empowerment of people to make a difference in the world. In this way, the commands of God and the needs of young adults are kept in balance. / Prof. W.J. Hatting

The aim of this study was to research the content of the Robertsham AFM congregation, as well as to identify growth areas in the congregation and to design and implement guidelines for mobilisation. The Robertsham AFM congregation was evaluated, in order to determine its profile at the commencement of the study. This profile enabled the pastor to offer members of the congregation the opportunity to join the growth towards bigger involvement. Questionnaires were used to conduct the evaluation. The mobilisation process of the Robertsham AFM congregation was preceded by a preparatory process, during which the pastor as well as the congregation were prepared. Church leaders had to be prepared in terms of mobilisation, a serious reflection on their reason for existence (raison d¡¦etre) and the way ahead. The upliftment of both the congregation and members of the congregation contributed as follows: ƒá The way members of the congregation experienced God, was promoted by positive preaching, word school presentations and spiritual growth classes. The church going experience of the congregation was enhanced, by implementing specific essential actions. ƒá The image of a congregation that had been uplifted created pride within members of the congregation. Currently, more members of the community are aware of what Robertsham AFM congregation stands for. ƒá Member¡¦s experience of their fellow human beings was promoted by interpersonal relationships and by creating specific opportunities. ƒá The needs of poor members of the community were addressed by implementing a number of services. These services also promoted job creation. Eight quality characteristics of growing churches, according to CA Schwarz, are currently still being used to evaluate and monitor the congregational context. A questionnaire was used to determine to what extent members of the congregation benefitted from the development process at an early stage. Testimonies from members of the congregation were provided to supplement the personal enrichment process. The research demonstrated the importance of knowledge of the background of members of the congregation, as well as the profile of the congregation. The preparation of the pastor is of importance, in order for the mobilisation process to support and promote the correct upliftment, resources and development of members of the congregation. The research contributes towards mobilising and structuring the Robertsham AFM congregation in such a way that it will result in members of the congregation developing their potential to the maximum. In turn, this will enable them to help develop other people¡¦s potential to the maximum. / Prof. W.J. Hattingh

This dissertation is a study about the faith action called "care" and covers the area of premarital pastoral work and marital pastoral work (marriage enrichment). Much has been written about the issue that marriage pastoral care and counselling is more than just dealing with troubled marriages or marital problems. The fact can't be ignored that pastoral care and counselling when it comes to married life have an important role to play in the sense of prevention and equipping. Premarital pastoral work in the form of marriage preparation and marital pastoral work in die form of marriage enrichment, focus on the prevention and equipping approach. The focus of this dissertation is prevention and equipping. In an effort to achieve this, this study looks at how pastors are doing premarital pastoral work with prospective marital couples, and marriage enrichment with married couples. This is done according to a twofold process. The first step focuses on the content of the programmes that the pastors present to prospective marital couples when they do premarital pastoral work. The second step in the study focuses on the needs of prospective marital couples. In this regard the focus is on the themes for marriage preparation that prospective marriage couples would like to see the pastor address when doing premarital pastoral work with them. Further this research deals with the preferences of prospective couples as to the timing, duration and presentation process with regard to marriage preparation sessions. In this study empirical research was undertaken to determine how pastors of the Apostolic Faith Mission in the Western Cape are doing premarital pastoral work and marriage enrichment, and how this is related to the needs of prospective marriage couples. The research problem was to determine whether pastors are addressing the needs of prospective couples when they are doing premarital pastoral work. The purpose of this study is to provide some guidelines which pastors can utilize when they are doing premarital pastoral work and marriage enrichment. / Practical Theology / D. Th. (Practical Theology)

Text in Afrikaans / Summaries in English and Afrikaans / 'n Onderskeidende kenmerk van die Pinksterbeweging (waarvan die AGS deel is) wat aan die begin van hierdie eeu tot stand gekom het, was die funksionering van die pneumatika (die geestelike gawes in 1 Korintiers 12:7-11 genoem) in die lewens van lidmate en in die liturgie van die erediens. Die opkoms van die Charismatiese beweging vanaf die sestigerjare het hierdie fenomeen opnuut onder die aandag van die kerk gebring. Histories blyk dit dat die funksionering van die pneumatika 'n integrale deel van die bemoeienis van God met die mens was. Sommige van die pneumatika was reeds in die Ou Testament teenwoordig, is prominent in die bediening van Jesus gesien tydens sy vleeslike bestaan, en was kenmerkend van die kerklike lewe in apostoliese tye. In die na-apostoliese tye was daar 'n merkbare afuame hiervan, maar het selfs in die middeleeue nooit heeltemal van die toneel verdwyn het nie. Vanaf die twaalfde eeu was daar weer 'n gestadigde toename in die voorkoms van die pneumatika wat sy klimaks bereik in die wereldwye Pinksterherlewing aan die begin van die twintigste eeu. Die teoretiese teologiese teorie binne die AGS hou die ideaal voor dat die pneumatika steeds op Nuwe Testamentiese wyse (soos deur die AGS geinterpreteer) in die erediens sal funksioneer. 'n Empiriese ondersoek met behulp van 'n situasie-analise (Wallace se model van deduktiewe en induktiewe redenering) toon aan dat daar 'n beduidende verskil tussen ideaal en praktyk is - die pneumatika funksioneer slegs sporadies in die eredienste, terwyl lidmate se betrokkenheid daarby en kennis daarvan dienooreenkomstig van beperkte aard is. n V erstelde praktykteorie word voorgestel. Dit behels 'n model wat die interathanklikheid en relasie aandui tussen Christus as Hoof van die gemeente en Bron van die pneumatika, lidmate en pastore se houding en kennis in verband hiermee, en die ruimte vir en implementering van die pneumatika in die erediens. Fasiliterend tot hierdie interaktiewe proses is die doping in die Heilige Gees, opleidingsprogramme, en kleingroepe. Hierdie praktykteorie is oop vir toekomstige toetsing en verstelling - alles moet lei na die herstel van die funksionering van die pneumatika tot opbou van die gemeente en meerdere verheerliking van God. / A distinctive characteristic of the Pentecostal Movement (of which the AFM is a part), formed at the beginning of this century, was the functioning of the pneumatics (the spiritual gifts mentioned in 1 Corinthians 12:7-11) in the lives of members and in the liturgy of their worship service. The Charismatic Movement arising in the sixties brought this phenomenon under the attention of the church anew. Historically it seems that the pneumatics were a integral part of the activities of God with his people. Some of the pneumatics were already present in the Old Testament, were seen in the earthly ministry ofJesus, and were distinctive of the apostolic period. In the after-apostolic period there was a marked decline in the appearance thereof From the twelfth century onwards there was an increase in the appearance of the pneumatics that climaxed in the worldwide Pentecostal revival at the beginning of this century. The theoretical theological theory in the AFM presents the ideal that the pneumatics would still be operating, as in New Testament times (i.e. as interpreted by the AFM), in their worship services. An empirical survey with the aid of a situation analysis (yv allace' s model of deductive and inductive reasoning was used), shows that there is a marked difference between ideal and practice - the pneumatics are operating sporadically and on a limited scale in the worship services, whilst the participation of the members and their knowledge in this regard are accordingly limited. An improved practice theory is suggested. It entails an interactive model that shows the interdependency and relation between Christ as head of the church and source of the pneumatics, church members and pastors whose attitude and knowledge in connection with this are of utmost importance, and the place for and implementing of the pneumatics in the worship service. Facilitating this interactive process is the baptism in the Holy Spirit, teaching programmes, and small groups. This practice theory is open for future testing and improvement - this must all lead to the restoring of the functioning of the pneumatics for the edification of the church and the greater glorifying of God. / Philosophy, Practical & Systematic Theology / Th. D. (Practical Theology)