No description available.

This dissertation is an attempt to promote complementarity among churches in order to affect their activities in doing mission in the Vaal Triangle region. The study tends to uncover the potential of cooperation, unity and partnership in the Body of Christ in the area which may also be an example to the churches in other cities outside the Vaal Triangle. The purpose of this is to raise the consciousness of specialization of ministries in mission to achieve greater results through target evangelism. The literature review in the second chapter revealed the biblical and theological basis of the concept. In this context complementarity is explained as churches, Para church organizations, ministers and to a certain extent, government agencies, working together to complement one another with their distinctive resources, skills and abilities to tackle the crucial issues in their communities. The complementary approach that was implemented by the Apostles during the early church show case that we have different callings which when they are all put together, work in such a way that there can never be competition but partnership. Diversity of callings directs a diverse approach to a diverse society. The literature review also highlights that a complementary approach has been there even in the Old Testament and gives insight into other related concepts like stewardship and target evangelism. Due to the fact that there are diverse groups and that the Gospel must be preached to such, it becomes imperative to target such groups with 'specialists' that will meet the exact challenges among those groups. The growing understanding that Vaal Triangle with its political history is becoming a complex area with all diverse demographics, bring to light the possibility of churches working together as an organism in spite of their distinctiveness. These fast changing demographics oblige the churches to develop complementary strategies that will match the urban growth challenges in the area as well as the evolving societal problems. There are still some underlying challenges that the churches need to do in mission work to heal the traumatic effects resulting from the previous violent era. An empirical study done among few churches found out that the churches believe that a complementary approach is necessary. Although there has been a healthy cooperation and unity in the Vaal Triangle churches history, duplication and competition have also grown like weeds and has resulted in membership recycling (moving from church to church) and less fresh new conversions. As the city evolves, there are new dynamics that requires winsome partnerships, diversity, and ministry specialization as well as target evangelism. The conclusions that the research arrived at, gave rise to recommendations that are very practical to the context of the Vaal Triangle churches. / Thesis (M.A. (Biblical Studies/Theology))--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2010.

This dissertation is an attempt to promote complementarity among churches in order to affect their activities in doing mission in the Vaal Triangle region. The study tends to uncover the potential of cooperation, unity and partnership in the Body of Christ in the area which may also be an example to the churches in other cities outside the Vaal Triangle. The purpose of this is to raise the consciousness of specialization of ministries in mission to achieve greater results through target evangelism. The literature review in the second chapter revealed the biblical and theological basis of the concept. In this context complementarity is explained as churches, Para church organizations, ministers and to a certain extent, government agencies, working together to complement one another with their distinctive resources, skills and abilities to tackle the crucial issues in their communities. The complementary approach that was implemented by the Apostles during the early church show case that we have different callings which when they are all put together, work in such a way that there can never be competition but partnership. Diversity of callings directs a diverse approach to a diverse society. The literature review also highlights that a complementary approach has been there even in the Old Testament and gives insight into other related concepts like stewardship and target evangelism. Due to the fact that there are diverse groups and that the Gospel must be preached to such, it becomes imperative to target such groups with 'specialists' that will meet the exact challenges among those groups. The growing understanding that Vaal Triangle with its political history is becoming a complex area with all diverse demographics, bring to light the possibility of churches working together as an organism in spite of their distinctiveness. These fast changing demographics oblige the churches to develop complementary strategies that will match the urban growth challenges in the area as well as the evolving societal problems. There are still some underlying challenges that the churches need to do in mission work to heal the traumatic effects resulting from the previous violent era. An empirical study done among few churches found out that the churches believe that a complementary approach is necessary. Although there has been a healthy cooperation and unity in the Vaal Triangle churches history, duplication and competition have also grown like weeds and has resulted in membership recycling (moving from church to church) and less fresh new conversions. As the city evolves, there are new dynamics that requires winsome partnerships, diversity, and ministry specialization as well as target evangelism. The conclusions that the research arrived at, gave rise to recommendations that are very practical to the context of the Vaal Triangle churches. / Thesis (M.A. (Biblical Studies/Theology))--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2010.

Master of Science / Counseling and Student Development / Christy D. Craft / Throughout my undergraduate and graduate work at Kansas State University, I have been fascinated with students’ faith development. Sharon Parks’ Theory of Faith Development for the College Years (Parks, 2000) outlines four stages of faith during the four to five years of college. As students enter into college, most start with a faith that is bound by authority and is dependent on others to function in a socially acceptable way. Healthy development continues until students enter a mature adult faith—one in which they have gained interdependence between their personal faith and the faith of others. They are open to those who are different and welcome diversity. With this in mind, how a campus ministry approaches a student may be vastly different depending on their stage of development. My report focuses on comparing and contrasting Sharon Parks’ Theory of Faith Development (Parks, 2000) and Susan Komives Stages of Leadership Identity Development (Komives, Owen, Longerbeam, Mainella & Osteen, 2005) in order to better understand the ability at which students can lead depending on their faith development. I concentrated on college age students who attend a non-denominational Christian campus ministry group. After completing my review of the similarities and differences of the two theories, I engaged in conversations with those involved in the ministries about each theory and how they are applicable to their faith leadership position within their organization. Having been heavily involved in a campus ministry, both as a participant and an observer, I have gained great knowledge about the ministries and how students get involved. Adding my classroom experience learning about faith development and leadership development, I feel that researching and presenting information about leadership and faith development to campus leaders would be beneficial. Educating campus leaders about student leadership development and faith development will better help equip them to reach students at the students’ level.

Thesis (D. Min.)--Trinity Evangelical Divinity School, 2001. / Abstract. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 320-331).

Thesis (M.R.E.)--Conservative Baptist Theological Seminary, 1968. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves [48]-50).

Thesis (D. Min.)--Trinity Evangelical Divinity School, 2001. / Abstract. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 320-331).

Thesis (D. Min.)--Trinity Evangelical Divinity School, 2001. / Abstract. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 320-331).

Thesis (Th. M.)--Dallas Theological Seminary, 1984. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 45-47).

Using person-centred ethnography and narrative analysis, this work provides an account of how 16 same-sex attracted Christian men retrospectively constructed experiences of sexual-moral crisis and healing. The first of its kind to explore such experiences in their entirety and reflect on the relationships between various successes, failures, events, and encounters therein, it outlines a shared narrative structure composed of: 1) early experiences of anomie and difference, 2) the unmaking of self and world with the emergence of same-sex attraction, 3) a phase of personal disintegration and ineffective coping, 4) the quest for new possibilities and engagement with various remedial institutions, 5) personal commitment to particular redressive strategies, 6) experiences of healing; and 7) the call to performance and service in the wake of crisis. The author argues that sexual-moral crisis cannot be solely attributed to religiosity nor resolved through evasive strategies of self-bifurcation and denial. Rather, overcoming this conflict requires a reconstruction of self and world capable of restoring personal integrity and bringing the spiritual, moral, and sexual selves into harmonious alignment. This task is primarily social and entails the appropriation of public symbolic devices – explanatory models, plots, and metaphors - to reconfigure one’s experience of self and world. The author outlines three distinct figures that emerge from this transformative process: the sexual ascetic, the ex-gay man, and the gay survivor. Each is associated with a distinct understanding of self and embodies a unique sexual, moral, social, and spiritual existence. Drawing on theories of reading, the author argues that these divergent approaches reflect four considerations: the persuasiveness of the remedial discourse, its relevance to subjective experience, its socio-political acceptability, and its perceived therapeutic efficacy. Ultimately, participants in all three groups described remarkably similar experiences of healing and characterize their current lives as highly satisfying despite complex experiences of growth, loss, and continued struggle. The work effectively eschews binary approaches to sexual orientation and encourages the reader to recognize a diverse array of sexualities, spiritualties, moralities, and selves present in contemporary North American society. Implications for policy development, ethical debate, and psychological practice are discussed.