Abstract This thesis examines the evangelical strategy for the Men’s Missionary Union in Southeastern Nigeria. Chapter 1 gives the introduction to the study, which also comprises the background, the statement of the problems, the limitations and delimitation, the literary review and the methodology. Chapter 2 is a study that views the geography and ethnography of Southeastern Igboland. In this chapter, the geographic location, the ethnographic data and the religion of the people were examined. Chapter 3 focuses on the historical background of the people of southeastern Nigeria. The areas of interest include: the historical background, cultural portraits, social life, and the religious and traditional beliefs of the people. Chapter 4 looks at the history of missions in Southeast Nigeria. The areas of focus include: Christian Missions in Southeast Nigeria, Baptist Missions in the Southeast Nigeria, the Southern Baptist Missions in Nigeria, the Nigerian Baptist Convention Missions and the Men’s Missionary Union in the Southeastern Nigeria. Chapter 5 explores the Evangelistic Strategy for the Men’s Missionary Union in Southeastern Nigeria. The thesis suggests the following strategies for the area: the theological importance of evangelism in Southeastern Nigeria, the economic empowerment, social ministry, personal evangelism, recreational and sporting ministry, house/cell group scheme, and prayer/power evangelism. Chapter 6 discovers some hindrances to evangelism in the area and then makes some recommendations toward evangelizing the Southeast people of Nigeria. According to the observation of the thesis, the Southeastern people of Nigeria are assumed to have been Christianized, but the gospel-centered message of Christ is still lacking in the area. Therefore, this thesis explores possible evangelistic strategies that will galvanize the ministry of the Men’s Missionary Union of Baptist Churches in Southeastern Igbo ethnic group in Nigeria. It discovers that the seven evangelistic strategies when applied in the area will help reach the people with the gospel message of Christ.

Magister Philosophiae - MPhil / The problem that will be investigated in this research project may be formulated in the following way: Which tendencies may be identified in the mission programmes of the Methodist Church of Southern Africa during the period from 1980 to 2000? This thesis will provide a critical historical overview of missionary tendencies in the Methodist Church of Southern Africa from 1980 to 2000 with particular emphasis on the Journey to a New Land Convocation held in 1995. From 2000, the Methodist Church of Southern Africa had begun to reconsider the changes implemented following the Journey to a New Land Convocation. It will investigate such tendencies in the light of the emerging ecumenical paradigm of Christian mission as postulated by David Bosch. I will argue that three phases may be identified in the focus of the mission of the Methodist Church of Southern Africa during this period, namely 1) a period of ecumenical involvement from 1980-1993, 2) the introduction of the process called a “Journey to a New Land” from 1993 to 1995 and 3) the impact of this process on the mission of the Methodist Church of Southern Africa from 1995 to 2000. The thesis will provide an overview and critical analysis of these phases in order to assess whether the emerging ecumenical paradigm of Christian mission as postulated by David Bosch is reflected in each of these phases. A literary review indicates that the missionary focus of the Methodist Church of Southern Africa does not reflect the emerging postmodern paradigm of working towards togetherness. Nor does it proclaim a vision of unity but shows a tendency towards denominational needs. It does not embrace a diversity thereby enriching its missionary focus to give substance to the emerging ecumenical paradigm but shows more divergence than integration. There is also clear evidence that it opted for a holistic rather than a pluralistic approach to defining its missionary focus.

In South Africa the small town or hamlet, nestling - as is so often the case - at the foot of a mountain, frequently proclaims its identity to the traveller by inscribing its name in great, white-washed letters of stone upon the side of the hill. If this were the case with Bethelsdorp, the temptation would be to write on those bare, rocky hills, that form the back-drop for the drama a century and a half have seen on its stage, the one word, "Ichabod." For the glory has departed. And some would even question whether any of its days had been glorious. Around this small outpost of Christendom have centred, from its earliest beginnings, both praise and contumely. It is the purpose of this investigation to attempt to judge between these opinions, in an attempt to arrive at the truth, by a survey of the years Bethelsdorp enjoyed under the direction of Johannes Theodorus van der Kemp. He has had many critics, many protagonists: perhaps of no other man in the short history of this land has there been such diversity of opinion. Before the judgments of historians and biographers can be assessed, however, the facts of his work must be appreciated, and the effort towards understanding must be preceded by a brief description of the circumstances antecedent to the foundation of that station, which marked the summt of his life and work.

MAAS / Centre for African Studies / The institution of African traditional royal leadership herein after referred to as Vhuhosi, may at times be seen to be falling short in fulfilling its function. Arguably, symptoms such as the misunderstanding of the role and powers of traditional royal leaders, the never-ending land disputes, as well as issues of political transition in South Africa, can be traced back to the introduction of missionary activism. Amid a myriad of challenges, the proposed study seeks to investigate the influence of missionary work on the institution of Vhuhosi. The study’s focus will specifically be on the efficiency, or lack thereof, of the institution to perform its functions following the historical interface with missionary activism. The study will employ a mixture of research methodologies, amongst them the literary study of archive materials, the empirical investigation of the current state of the institution, and the appraisal of the prevalence of mission activities in the modern-day era all of which fall under the qualitative research design. It is envisaged that the results of the study will benefit current traditional royal and religious leaders, government officials in understanding the historical explanation of current trends and tendencies. Most importantly, the study will equip those involved in improving the situation and changing the course of history. Furthermore, the study will benefit scholarship by providing relevant and constructive research material that could inform and/or shape the calibre of leadership in these institutions. / NRF

This dissertation analyzes the role of missionaries in the inception of the transnational adoption movement between East Asia and United States from 1949 to 1960. While copious psychological and social scientific scholarship on adoption exists, the history of the adoption movement is relatively understudied. Recent research has accentuated adoption history from a geopolitical perspective, yet it fails to note the complex and diversified theological distinctiveness among the missionaries associated with the movement. By examining archival materials written by missionaries, this study narrates a more nuanced historical account of the transnational adoption movement, with a significant emphasis on racial issues and the theme of global friendship. Chapter one provides historical context by situating the transnational adoption movement between America and East Asia in the decades after the Second World War. Chapter two argues that Robert Pierce and Everett Swanson solidified the link between child sponsorship and adoption, consequently establishing the foundation for the later adoption movement. In chapters three and four, the study demonstrates that Pearl Buck and Helen Doss alleviated racism in America by opposing “racial matching” via their potent prose and adoption narratives. Chapter five examines Harry and Bertha Holt’s unconventional method of placing adoptees exclusively in Christian homes and the conflict with social workers that ensued. This study departs from the dominant perspective that the formation of the transnational adoption movement was directly related to the creation of neo-colonial relations between America and East Asia. Simultaneously, it refutes the prevalent hagiographic accounts that depict missionaries’ engagement as rescue missions focused exclusively on child welfare. By situating missionaries’ stories in the context of postwar America, the study demonstrates that the transnational adoption movement was part of a broader social phenomenon. Changing definitions of families, postwar prosperity, missionaries’ active anti-racism propaganda, and their increasing interest in global friendship all contributed to the inauguration and spread of transnational adoptions in the United States. / 2024-03-31

No description available.

The Morleyville Methodist Mission located near Morley, Alberta, was occupied from 1873 to 1921 (approximate date of abandonment). The Reverend George McDougall and his son John were responsible for the establishment of the mission. Both men were prominent figures in the history of the settlement and development of Alberta and the Canadian northwest. John was a major participant in the settlement of Treaty 7 and the arrival of the N.W.M.P. in the west.<p> The mission site was excavated over two field seasons in 1984-85 by Dr. Margaret A. Kennedy, now of the University of Saskatchewan. The resultant artifact assemblage contains in excess of 25,000 items, largely in a fragmentary state. Of this number approximately 3,000 artifacts were considered for analysis.<p> The focus of this current research is an examination of the mission's domestic sphere, specifically as it applied to women and Methodism. For the purpose of this research only the categories of "Ceramics", "Other Glass",and "Bottles and Jars" were considered. Though the Morleyville Mission was occupied during the Victorian era, historic literature and documents tell us little of the reality of the domestic sphere at a frontier site. The domestic elaboration of the Victorian era has been well documented. However, whether such elaboration was the case at the mission site was open to some speculation.<p> Therefore, these categories were assessed as providing the most accurate reflection of the domestic life of the mission households. It is believed that the presence and absence of specific ceramic waretypes and the identification of patterned sets will help illuminate this issue. It was hoped that, by using these categories to examine the domestic life of these middle-class Victorian Methodists a more accurate picture of the domestic life of the inhabitants of a mission on the northwest frontier of Canada could be developed.<p> However, it is with caution that I put forth my conclusions for the Morleyville Mission. Though the Archeological evidence does not support my initial objectives, this thesis has succeed in providing important information regarding the domestic lifestyle at the Morleyville Mission and indicates that other factors were active at the site.

The Morleyville Methodist Mission located near Morley, Alberta, was occupied from 1873 to 1921 (approximate date of abandonment). The Reverend George McDougall and his son John were responsible for the establishment of the mission. Both men were prominent figures in the history of the settlement and development of Alberta and the Canadian northwest. John was a major participant in the settlement of Treaty 7 and the arrival of the N.W.M.P. in the west.<p> The mission site was excavated over two field seasons in 1984-85 by Dr. Margaret A. Kennedy, now of the University of Saskatchewan. The resultant artifact assemblage contains in excess of 25,000 items, largely in a fragmentary state. Of this number approximately 3,000 artifacts were considered for analysis.<p> The focus of this current research is an examination of the mission's domestic sphere, specifically as it applied to women and Methodism. For the purpose of this research only the categories of "Ceramics", "Other Glass",and "Bottles and Jars" were considered. Though the Morleyville Mission was occupied during the Victorian era, historic literature and documents tell us little of the reality of the domestic sphere at a frontier site. The domestic elaboration of the Victorian era has been well documented. However, whether such elaboration was the case at the mission site was open to some speculation.<p> Therefore, these categories were assessed as providing the most accurate reflection of the domestic life of the mission households. It is believed that the presence and absence of specific ceramic waretypes and the identification of patterned sets will help illuminate this issue. It was hoped that, by using these categories to examine the domestic life of these middle-class Victorian Methodists a more accurate picture of the domestic life of the inhabitants of a mission on the northwest frontier of Canada could be developed.<p> However, it is with caution that I put forth my conclusions for the Morleyville Mission. Though the Archeological evidence does not support my initial objectives, this thesis has succeed in providing important information regarding the domestic lifestyle at the Morleyville Mission and indicates that other factors were active at the site.

In the thesis, Korean Missionaries in Southern Africa: A discussion and evaluation of Korean Missionary activity in Southern Africa (1980-2006), the researcher discusses the coming of missionaries from Korea to Southern Africa during the period 1980-2006. He evaluates their endeavours, activities, the specific challenges they had to face, various problems that they had to overcome, as well as opportunities and challenges beckoning from the future. Chapter Two describes the history of missions in Korea as well as the coming of Korean missionaries to Southern Africa. By almost any measurement, the growth of Christianity in Korea during the last century is one of the most amazing stories of our time. The Korean church has rapidly changed significantly from being a mission field to a sending field, over a period of 100 years. For the last three decades, over 250 Korean missionaries have committed themselves to the Great Commission of the Lord and are involved in 17 types of ministry in Southern African countries. In Chapter Three it is established that the Korean missionaries did their best to understand the complexities of the context of the country which they were serving. They overcame their mono-cultural background, and tried to adapt to and relate to the Southern African culture. They are still in the process of doing so. The most important matters the Korean missionaries encountered, as reported on in Chapter Four, were understanding the local context, language and cultural acquisition, meeting the expectations of the local people and local churches, as well as those of the sending churches in Korea. On a personal level missionaries have to cope with family concerns, maintaining their spiritual life, health problems, financial concerns, frustration as well as unfulfilled ideals. In Chapter Five, the Korean missionaries reported on their missionary work. Using a comprehensive definition of mission (containing the perspectives of kerygma. diakonia, koinonia and leitourgia) as yard stick, the missionaries contributed in many and creative ways in presenting the gospel of Christ in the country they came to serve. The chapter further discusses the five major challenges missionaries have to face and the seven personal challenges with regards to their attitude towards the people to whom they minister. / Thesis (PhD)--University of Pretoria, 2008. / Science of Religion and Missiology / PhD / unrestricted

Proselyting has always been an important part of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and in recent history the proselyting message has remained primarily the same. But that was not the case in the earliest days of the Church. When Joseph Smith received his First Vision and started to share that experience to others, the proselyting message of the Church was born. But that message, the message of the Restoration, did not linger on that event for too long. In fact the message of the Restoration underwent a series of evolutions and modifications as the Lord continued to reveal His will to the Church. At times these changes were small and seemed to be the next natural step in the development of the Church and its teaching, and at other times the change was more dramatic. But with every change the Lord was directing the work and had a purpose for the change. The members of the Church did not always understand the reason for the change, but God did and because of His careful crafting of the messages of the Restoration, the Church and its message grew in strength and number.