Thesis (D. Min.)--Midwestern Baptist Theological Seminary, 2006. / Abstract. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 145-148).

The purpose of this thesis is to establish a theological basis for an ecclesiology which takes account of the claim which the Lordship of Jesus Christ asserts over his appointed servants and the appropriate response from the Christian community corporately and from the members of the community individually. The interpretation and application of Christian discipleship by liturgical acts of the community in which the individual members participate and are prepared, trained and nourished for the purpose of equipping them for their corporate and individual task of witness is based on the promise and command of Jesus Christ recorded in Acts 1:8. The theological interpretation of the key concepts of the promise of power in the Holy Spirit and the commission to witness in the world is based on the theology of Karl Barth. Chapter I outlines the immediate context of the doctrine of vocation and the sending of the Christian community and the wider context of the doctrine of reconciliation and its place in the whole of theology. Chapters II and III enlarge on the vocation of man and the sending of the Christian community in the power of the Holy Spirit as the two parts of the doctrine of reconciliation which have particular relevance for our interpretation of the great commission. Chapter IV is devoted to a hypothesis of a special ethic based on Barth's unfinished work and Appendix A to methodological outline. Appendix B considers the practicality of this hypothesis in the light of two contemporary ecumenical interpretations and applications of the great commission. A concluding critique recognises the problems of the hypothesis and the inevitable problems that arise from any attempt to formulate a system or to define in precise categories the unique event of God's free and gracious love poured out and given to us in his Son, Jesus Christ our Lord.

Thesis (D.S.M.)--Northland Baptist Bible College, Shannon, Ill., 1998. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 275-281).

Thesis (D. Min.)--Trinity Evangelical Divinity School, 1996. / Abstract. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 275-277).

Thesis (DTh)--Stellenbosch University, 2002 / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: This dissertation seeks an answer to the following question: To what extent has the discipling ministry of The Evangelical Alliance Mission (TEAM) in Southern Africa produced disciples with a holistic perspective of the Christian mission. The specific group studied is the Coloured community found in Swaziland and South Africa. The specific period covered is from 1921-1999. After an introductory chapter which provides orientation to the subject and also gives a brief history of the founding of TEAM and of the Coloured Church called EBC (Evangelical Bible Church), TEAM's understanding of the Great Commission is evaluated in the light ofan exegetical and theological study of the Great Commission. The study shows that what is called the Great Commission cannot be arbitrarily derived from one key text such as Matthew 28: 18-20, but needs to be grasped in its total significance from the entire Bible. Matthew 28: 18-20 is treated in this study as a pivotal text which turns towards the Old Testament and the New Testament, including the context of the Gospel of Matthew itself. The conclusion of the theological study of the Great Commission, is that TEAM drastically reduced the focus to one main task - church planting, with primary emphasis on evangelism and personal salvation. In this way, the horizontal implications of the Christian mission were relegated to "support ministries" which were aimed at supporting the main task of evangelism and church planting. Thus, TEAM lacked a comprehensive theology of mission which would have connected both the vertical and horizontal aspects of its work in Southern Africa. Chapter 3 of the dissertation, describes TEAM's pioneering efforts among the Coloured people of Southern Africa. WIth the exception of their work in Swaziland, the TEAM missionaries concentrated almost exclusively on leading people to faith in Christ and establishing local churches which would function according to the principles of self propagating, self-supporting, self-governing, and self-instructing. This pioneer stage proved then that TEAM basically executed its own narrowed understanding of the task ofrnaking disciples. Added to the narrow practice of mission, was the homogeneous approach to church planting, which accommodated itself to the segregationist policies of the government, and produced three segregated denominations - all the offspring of TEAM. Chapter 4 of this study shows that TEAM missionaries and other key missionaries from what was called South Africa General Mission (SAGM), entrenched the onesided approach to the Christian mission in three Bible colleges which played a leading role in training Coloured leaders for the ministry. It was simply a matter of time before the nationals themselves reproduced what they had learned at TEAM-related colleges in their own efforts of church planting which were viewed as the fulfilment of the Christian mission. This national effort by key nationals in EBC, forms the substance of chapter 5 of the dissertation. Chapter 6 of this study discusses the road ahead for both TEAM and EBC. It focuses on six crucial matters: The need for thanksgiving for the good which has been done; the need for confession for failures in theology and practice; the need to formulate a holistic theology of mission; the need for practice consistent with a holistic theology which would assist TEAM and EBC in reconciling both the vertical and horizontal dimensions of the Great Commission; the need to practise the principles of unity and mission, and finally, the need for evaluation of TEAM's Relational Reconfiguration in order to determine what can be done to promote better relationships between TEAM and the TEAM-related churches. / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Die doel van hierdie proefskrif is om die volgende vraag te beantwoord: Tot watter mate het die dissipelskap bediening van "The Evangelical Alliance Mission" (TEAM) in Suider Afrika, volgelinge met 'n omvattende perspektief van die Christelike sending voortgebring? Die spesifieke groep wat bestudeer word, is die Kleurling gemeenskap van Swaziland en Suid Afrika. Die spesifieke tydperk wat gedek word, is vanaf 1921 tot 1999. Hoofstukl beskryfkortliks die geskiedenis van die stigting van TEAM, deur die werk van Fredrik Franson in 1890. Sy motiveering tot sending, is duidelik, deur sy geloof in die naderende wederkorns van Christus. Die werk van TEAM in Suid Afrika het gelei tot die ontstaan van die Evangelical Bible Church (EBC) en het drie afsonderlike verbonde of kerke tot gevolg. Hulle staan bekend as Kerk 1 (Swartes), Kerk 2 (Kleurlinge) en Kerk 3 (Indiers). Die fokus van hierdie studie is gemik op die Kleurling denominasie, alhoewel die ander groepe ook bespreek word, vanwee hulle betrokkenheid by die Kleurling kerk. Hoofstuk 2 evalueer TEAM se begrip van die Groot Opdrag in die lig van 'n breedvoerige studie van die Christelike sending, gebaseer op die totale boodskap van die Bybel. Die hoofteks aangaande die Groot Opdrag (Mt. 28: 18-20), word beskou as 'n sentrale teks wat beide die Ou Testament sowel as die Nuwe Testament betrek. Op hierdie wyse is dit duidelik dat die volle Missio Dei, wat ook die fokus van die Christelike sending insluit, in die visier kOID.Die slotsom van hierdie teologiese studie, is dat TEAM as sending van 'n gebrekkige Bybelse teologie van sending, die hooftaak van die Groot Opdrag beperk het tot Kerk stigting. Sodoende was TEAM in staat om die vertikale aspek van sending te beklemtoon met die klem op evangelisasie en kerk stigting, maar kon nie aan die horisontale dimensie omvat, wat volgens die Skrif 'n wesenlike aspek van die Groot Opdrag is, reg laat geskied nie. Inteendeel, bedienings wat nie direk verband hou met kerkstigting nie, was beskou as "ondersteunende bedienings", nie as wesenlike bedienings nie. Hoofstuk 3 beskryfTEAM se vroegste pogings onder die Kleurling gemeenskap van Suid Afrika. Klaarblyklik, met die uitsondering van die werk in Swaziland, het TEAM sendelinge daarop gekonsentreer om mense tot geloof in Christus te lei en om plaaslike kerke te stig. Dus in die baanbreker stadium, is TEAM se beperking van die Evangelie tot persoonlike saligheid en lidmaatskap duidelik. Die enger fokus van die Groot Opdrag is ook sigbaar in die tipe opleiding, wat die lidmate by TEAM - verwante Bybel kolleges ontvang het. Hierdie verhaal word vertel in Hoofstuk 4 van hierdie proefskrif Hoofstuk 5 beskryf die werk van die inheemse lidmate en bewys dat hierdie werk basies kerk stigting was, ooreenkomstig die benadering van TEAM. Die horisontale omvang van sending was afwesig, behalwe vir individuele pogings, byvoorbeeld kleuterskool bediening. Hooofstuk 6 van hierdie studie bespreek die pad vorentoe vir beide TEAM en EBC. Die fokus is gerig op ses kardinale aspekte. Die behoefte aan danksegging vir al die goeie dinge wat gedoen was; die behoefte aan belydenis vir die route in teologie en die uitvoering daarvan; die behoefte om 'n alles omvattende teologie van sending te omskryf, die behoefte om daardie teologie op 'n holistiese wyse te beoefen en wat beide TEAM en EBC sal help om beide die horisontale en vertikale dimensies van Die Groot Opdrag, met mekaar te versoen; die behoefte om die beginsels van eenheid en sending uit te oefen, en laastens die behoefte aan evaluering van TEAM se "Relational Reconfiguration" om vas te stel hoe om beter verhoudings tussen TEAM en TEAM-verwante kerke te bewerkstellig.

This study analyzed representative works of John Mott and Bill Bright using Ernest Bormann's method of fantasy theme analysis. The analysis confirmed that Mott and Bright, as leaders of two organizations that encourage college students to engage in evangelism, share an identical rhetorical vision. This vision can be labeled the Great Commission and is identical in thought and content to the words of Christ found in Matthew 28. The shared rhetorical vision encourages members of the rhetorical community to acknowledge the needs of the world and seek to meet those needs by sharing the gospel message of Christ.In addition to a shared rhetorical visions, the works considered in this study also share identical fantasy types: "Fetching Good Out of Evil," and the quest. The fantasy type of the quest has received little interest in other studies. This study suggests that the type might provide rhetorical critics with a useful form for future studies. Several fantasy themes also were found to exist within each artifact. The presence of shared fantasy types and the commonalties that exist between the fantasy themes verifies the presence of the shared rhetorical vision, the Great Commission. / Department of Speech Communication

Thesis (D. Min.)--Midwestern Baptist Theological Seminary, 2006. / Abstract. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 145-148).