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1	Working with the wisdom of the congregation : theology, learning and organizing in the local church Impey, Richard January 2013 (has links) This thesis contends that a pattern of training entitled Parish Development devised by the author in the course of his professional role as a training officer in the Church of England is a new, versatile and valuable training resource for training and development in the Church of England (and potentially for other churches too.) This pattern of training engages with the congregation as a whole, unlike traditional training methods which focus on the individual who is being prepared for, or supported in, a leadership role within and on behalf of the local church. Parish Development enables a congregation to discover important aspects of its own wisdom by constructing an account of its story, size, purposes, outlook, stage on a life cycle and shared values in belonging to this particular congregation. The resulting account will have implications for the way the congregation organizes its life and activities which usually imply that some improving or developmental action can be taken. The account is also relevant to several issues facing congregations both in the normal course of change, like the appointment and induction of a new vicar, or in more substantial change like merging with another parish or sharing clergy. This new pattern of training has been constructed from insights to be found in Congregational Studies and turned into exercises designed to enhance the self understanding of the congregation as a whole. It employs a pedagogy which draws inspiration from Freire, Vella and Wickett in focussing on dialogue and conversation designed to reveal the wisdom already present within the congregation and to build on that. The notion of the wisdom of the congregation has roots in Aristotleʼs use of phronesis, a concept familiar to practical theologians through the writings of Browning and Graham, but just as importantly, it makes sense to congregational members themselves. The theological purpose driving this pattern of training is the desire to build up the local church as the body of Christ. This accords with the congregation as koinonia, an important ecumenical understanding of the church, which is always in need of oikodome or building up. The research interprets data about the impact of this training on four selected case studies. The data consists of locally published reports of the training events, interviews with participants looking back on what happened, and the results of a questionnaire designed to explore the status of contrasting accounts. It also uses eight metaphors for organizations identified by Morgan to provide further insights into the complexity of what is happening. The method is shown to be versatile enough to respond positively to difficult decisions and changes in parish life. It harnesses a hitherto largely ignored resource to explore and contribute to solving significant problems facing the contemporary church. To demonstrate its implementable validity the thesis concludes with a practical proposal for employing this method to address the challenge of declining clergy numbers. An Appendix offers a theological commentary on Parish Development showing that this proposal is in line with contemporary Anglican ecclesiology.
2	Assessing the Boundaries of Participatory Democracy within an Emancipatory Political Framework: The Case of Parish Development Committees in Jamaica Thomas, Marc Anthony 17 June 2015 (has links) This dissertation empirically expands the existing knowledge on participatory democracy through a study of Jamaica's Parish Development Committees (PDCs). These groups offer an avenue for Jamaicans to inform government policy, and this analysis explored the extent to which supportive institutional, infrastructural and superstructural (referring to the society's culture and power configurations) conditions for robust implementation of this democratization initiative existed. This inquiry involved observing more than one hundred hours of PDC activities at locations across Jamaica and conducting sixty key informant and four focus group interviews with relevant stakeholders. The analysis was bolstered by an appreciation of emancipatory politics employed by the country's general population since slavery not only to survive oppression, but also to influence the nation's political agenda. Riots during slavery and in the present day, for example, have offered citizens an avenue towards self-determination. This study found that the emergence, survival and thriving of PDCs in Jamaica is determined largely by the extent to which emancipatory political tactics are successfully applied by PDC stakeholders to combat a number of continuing challenges in these committee's environments. The democratization initiative symbolized by the PDCs promotes inclusiveness yet is led predominantly by older, educated middle class individuals with talents and capacities garnered from several years of experience in various fields. The dissertation argues that the opportunity cost of a more inclusive order explains this fact, in that Jamaica's finite resources mean there is limited space for a learning curve and the cash strapped committees have only been able to survive when their members could help to defray the cost of their operations. The dissertation explores other central challenges confronting the PDCs and the strategies these participative organizations have employed to address each. Primarily, this analysis provides a micro-scale view of the interaction of the factors that have shaped the power and possibility of Jamaica's democratization initiative. / Ph. D. Jamaica emancipatory politics Parish Development Committees participatory democracy
3	Charismen Entdecken: Eine praktisch-theologische Untersuchung in der Evangelischen Landeskirche in Baden / Discovering Chrismata : a practical theological inquiry in the United Lutheran Church of Baden Baumert, Manfred Otto Willi 03 1900 (has links) Summary and key words in German and English / Every church faces the challenge of procuring capable workers for the multifaceted task of ministry. For several decades now official denominational statements and the discipline of Practical Theology have been calling for a new understanding of giftedness in ecclesial service. As yet little fundamental research has been done in this area. This dissertation seeks to make a contribution both empirically and theologically. It marks the first time in the German–speaking world of Practical Theology that the issue of how one discovers charisms is addressed academically. The specific field of research is located in the Protestant Regional Church of Baden in southwest Germany. Nevertheless the findings can be applied more broadly since the research is based on thorough exegetical and systematic–theological analysis and has been verified empirically. There has been a quest for the charisms of the Spirit since the beginning of the twentieth century and even more so now in the face of the societal challenges of postmodernity. In the discussion of the different theological positionens arise as result that charisms have to be seen with an triune approach. In addtion, besindes the fact that charisms have a habitual meaning, they first of all have a relational dimension. The empirical research involved online–interviewings of pastors, plus interviews of church members. One of the major findings was that the views of pastors on how church members receive gifts is determined by their theological understanding of the charisms. Pastors discover gifts, not according to Pauline criteria, but largely according to emotional aspects, as proved by this research. It became apparent that protestant pastors are of the opinion that New Testament charisms are not first received at baptism, but already at birth. Another interesting finding is that members of both protestant main stream churches and pentacostal-charismatic churches hold the same believes about how to receive charisms. The only difference is their repertoire of gifts. This dissertation focuses on developing guidelines for the discovery of charisms within the congregation as the local body of the Church. / Fähige Mitarbeiter für eine vielgestaltige Gemeindearbeit zu finden, ist in jeder Kirche eine bleibende Aufgabe und Herausforderung. Seit einigen Jahrzehnten wird in kirchlichen Verlautbarungen und in der Praktischen Theologie verstärkt das Konzept einer gabenorientierten Mitarbeit betont. Dieses Feld ist noch wenig grundsätzlich erforscht. Die vorliegende Arbeit greift empirisch und theologisch in die aktuelle Diskussion ein. Innerhalb der Praktischen Theologie im deutschsprachigen Raum liegt mit ihr zum ersten Mal eine wissenschaftliche Untersuchung zur Frage vor, wie Charismen im Forschungsfeld der Evangelischen Landeskirche in Baden entdeckt werden. Die Ergebnisse reichen aber weit über diesen Rahmen hinaus und können grundsätzlich gelten, weil sie auf dem Hintergrund exegetischer und systematisch-theologischer Grundlagenarbeit in einer sorgfältigen empirischen Methodik erhoben, reflektiert und ausgewertet wurden. Die Ausführungen zeigen, dass die Suche nach Charismen seit Beginn des 20. Jh. angesichts der gesellschaftlichen Umbrüche im Kontext der Postmoderne zu einem großen Thema geworden ist. Aus den theologischen Positionen erwuchs die wesentliche Einsicht, dass Charismen trinitarisch einzuordnen sind und neben dem habituellen Charismenverständnis vor allem die relationale Dimension vorliegt. Die empirische Forschungsarbeit umfasst eine Online-Befragung von Pfarrern, ergänzend dazu wurden Gemeindeglieder interviewt. Als eines der Hauptergebnisse stellte sich heraus, dass die Meinung der Pfarrer, wie Gemeindeglieder Gaben empfangen, durch ihr theologisches Gabenverständnis bestimmt wird. Wie Pfarrer Gaben entdecken, richtet sich weithin nicht nach den paulinischen Kriterien, sondern nach emotionalen Gesichtspunkten, wie in der vorliegenden Arbeit nachgewiesen werden konnte. Wie sich herausstellte, sind Pfarrer der Überzeugung, dass neutestamentliche Gaben nicht erst bei der Taufe empfangen werden, sondern mit der biologischen Geburt. Ein weiterer interessanter Aspekt belegt, dass Gemeindeglieder der evangelischen Landeskirche im Vergleich zu charismatisch-pentekostalen Gemeindegliedern Gaben nach ihren subjektiven Glaubensüberzeugungen in derselben Weise empfangen, lediglich das Gabenrepertoire unterscheidet sich. Die vorliegende Arbeit zielt darauf ab, Leitlinien zum Entdecken von Charismen im Kontext der lokalen Gemeinde zu entwickeln. / Practical Theology / Thesis (D. Th. (Practical Theology)) Charisma Charismata Gifts of the spirit Giftednes Cybernetics Evangelische Landeskirche Spiritual gifts questionnaire Nature-grace Practical theology Empiricism Capabilities Understanding of charisms Theology of creation Anthropology Pneumatology Revelation Supranaturalism Thomas von Aquin Martin Luther Friedrich D. E. Schleiermacher Max Weber Discovering of charisms Spiritual gifts questionnaire Church Parish Parish development Church governance State church Free church Charismatic movement Pentecostal movement Identity, personality Self esteem Teamwork Trying out Self confirmation Confirmation from outside Role model, imitation Learning by doing Trust Role and self image of the pastor, Elders Coworkers Empirical Theology Online research Qualitative research Statistic. Geistesgaben Begabungen Fähigkeiten Verständnis von Charismen Schöpfungstheologie Anthropologie Pneumatologie Offenbarung Supranaturalismus Natur-Gnade Thomas von Aquin Martin Luther Entdecken von Charismen Gabentests Kirche Gemeinde Gemeindeaufbau Gemeindeleitung Kybernetik Evangelische Landeskirche Freikirche Charismatische Bewegung Pfingstbewegung Identität Persönlichkeit Selbstwert Teamarbeit Ausprobieren Selbstvergewisserung Bestätigung von außen Vorbild, Nachahmung Vertrauen Wahrnehmung Pfarrerinnen und Pfarrer Älteste Mitarbeiter Praktische Theologie Empirie Empirische Theologie Onlineforschung Qualitative Untersuchung Statistik 284.094346 Pentecostalism -- Germany -- Baden
4	Charismen Entdecken: Eine praktisch-theologische Untersuchung in der Evangelischen Landeskirche in Baden / Discovering Chrismata : a practical theological inquiry in the United Lutheran Church of Baden Baumert, Manfred Otto Willi 03 1900 (has links) Summary and key words in German and English / Every church faces the challenge of procuring capable workers for the multifaceted task of ministry. For several decades now official denominational statements and the discipline of Practical Theology have been calling for a new understanding of giftedness in ecclesial service. As yet little fundamental research has been done in this area. This dissertation seeks to make a contribution both empirically and theologically. It marks the first time in the German–speaking world of Practical Theology that the issue of how one discovers charisms is addressed academically. The specific field of research is located in the Protestant Regional Church of Baden in southwest Germany. Nevertheless the findings can be applied more broadly since the research is based on thorough exegetical and systematic–theological analysis and has been verified empirically. There has been a quest for the charisms of the Spirit since the beginning of the twentieth century and even more so now in the face of the societal challenges of postmodernity. In the discussion of the different theological positionens arise as result that charisms have to be seen with an triune approach. In addtion, besindes the fact that charisms have a habitual meaning, they first of all have a relational dimension. The empirical research involved online–interviewings of pastors, plus interviews of church members. One of the major findings was that the views of pastors on how church members receive gifts is determined by their theological understanding of the charisms. Pastors discover gifts, not according to Pauline criteria, but largely according to emotional aspects, as proved by this research. It became apparent that protestant pastors are of the opinion that New Testament charisms are not first received at baptism, but already at birth. Another interesting finding is that members of both protestant main stream churches and pentacostal-charismatic churches hold the same believes about how to receive charisms. The only difference is their repertoire of gifts. This dissertation focuses on developing guidelines for the discovery of charisms within the congregation as the local body of the Church. / Fähige Mitarbeiter für eine vielgestaltige Gemeindearbeit zu finden, ist in jeder Kirche eine bleibende Aufgabe und Herausforderung. Seit einigen Jahrzehnten wird in kirchlichen Verlautbarungen und in der Praktischen Theologie verstärkt das Konzept einer gabenorientierten Mitarbeit betont. Dieses Feld ist noch wenig grundsätzlich erforscht. Die vorliegende Arbeit greift empirisch und theologisch in die aktuelle Diskussion ein. Innerhalb der Praktischen Theologie im deutschsprachigen Raum liegt mit ihr zum ersten Mal eine wissenschaftliche Untersuchung zur Frage vor, wie Charismen im Forschungsfeld der Evangelischen Landeskirche in Baden entdeckt werden. Die Ergebnisse reichen aber weit über diesen Rahmen hinaus und können grundsätzlich gelten, weil sie auf dem Hintergrund exegetischer und systematisch-theologischer Grundlagenarbeit in einer sorgfältigen empirischen Methodik erhoben, reflektiert und ausgewertet wurden. Die Ausführungen zeigen, dass die Suche nach Charismen seit Beginn des 20. Jh. angesichts der gesellschaftlichen Umbrüche im Kontext der Postmoderne zu einem großen Thema geworden ist. Aus den theologischen Positionen erwuchs die wesentliche Einsicht, dass Charismen trinitarisch einzuordnen sind und neben dem habituellen Charismenverständnis vor allem die relationale Dimension vorliegt. Die empirische Forschungsarbeit umfasst eine Online-Befragung von Pfarrern, ergänzend dazu wurden Gemeindeglieder interviewt. Als eines der Hauptergebnisse stellte sich heraus, dass die Meinung der Pfarrer, wie Gemeindeglieder Gaben empfangen, durch ihr theologisches Gabenverständnis bestimmt wird. Wie Pfarrer Gaben entdecken, richtet sich weithin nicht nach den paulinischen Kriterien, sondern nach emotionalen Gesichtspunkten, wie in der vorliegenden Arbeit nachgewiesen werden konnte. Wie sich herausstellte, sind Pfarrer der Überzeugung, dass neutestamentliche Gaben nicht erst bei der Taufe empfangen werden, sondern mit der biologischen Geburt. Ein weiterer interessanter Aspekt belegt, dass Gemeindeglieder der evangelischen Landeskirche im Vergleich zu charismatisch-pentekostalen Gemeindegliedern Gaben nach ihren subjektiven Glaubensüberzeugungen in derselben Weise empfangen, lediglich das Gabenrepertoire unterscheidet sich. Die vorliegende Arbeit zielt darauf ab, Leitlinien zum Entdecken von Charismen im Kontext der lokalen Gemeinde zu entwickeln. / Philosophy, Practical and Systematic Theology / Thesis (D. Th. (Practical Theology)) Charisma Charismata Gifts of the spirit Giftednes Cybernetics Evangelische Landeskirche Spiritual gifts questionnaire Nature-grace Practical theology Empiricism Capabilities Understanding of charisms Theology of creation Anthropology Pneumatology Revelation Supranaturalism Thomas von Aquin Martin Luther Friedrich D. E. Schleiermacher Max Weber Discovering of charisms Spiritual gifts questionnaire Church Parish Parish development Church governance State church Free church Charismatic movement Pentecostal movement Identity, personality Self esteem Teamwork Trying out Self confirmation Confirmation from outside Role model, imitation Learning by doing Trust Role and self image of the pastor, Elders Coworkers Empirical Theology Online research Qualitative research Statistic. Geistesgaben Begabungen Fähigkeiten Verständnis von Charismen Schöpfungstheologie Anthropologie Pneumatologie Offenbarung Supranaturalismus Natur-Gnade Thomas von Aquin Martin Luther Entdecken von Charismen Gabentests Kirche Gemeinde Gemeindeaufbau Gemeindeleitung Kybernetik Evangelische Landeskirche Freikirche Charismatische Bewegung Pfingstbewegung Identität Persönlichkeit Selbstwert Teamarbeit Ausprobieren Selbstvergewisserung Bestätigung von außen Vorbild, Nachahmung Vertrauen Wahrnehmung Pfarrerinnen und Pfarrer Älteste Mitarbeiter Praktische Theologie Empirie Empirische Theologie Onlineforschung Qualitative Untersuchung Statistik 284.094346 Pentecostalism -- Germany -- Baden

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