The aim of this work, Missional Focus, Form and Function are Redefining American Christianity, is to capture and express a cohesive account of a developing missional church movement in the United States and its influence across the American religious landscape resulting from an intentional emphasis on context (focus), and how that focus informs ministry form and function. The transition from the twentieth to the twenty-first century witnessed significant changes in ministry philosophy and practice not seen since the founding of the nation, and presents evidence substantiating that a redefinition of American Christianity is taking place. Achieving the aim of this work necessarily includes not only a recounting and interpretation of current shifts across activities of the Church in the United States in its broadest sense, but also the incorporation of other important and contributing influences such as historical elements and their contribution to the development and formation of American Christianity, specifically the relationship between religion and populist efforts to achieve national liberty, as well as the rise of secularism, and the entrance into the Post-Christendom era. Unquestionably, an important influence is that of contemporary voices speaking to the need for change in American Christianity and helping to redefine Christianity in the United States along missional concepts. Significant voices speaking into the greater international missional conversation and influencing missional efforts in the United States include Ryan K. Bolger, Neil Cole, Eddie Gibbs, Darrell Guder, Alan Hirsch, CJP Niemandt, Alan Roxburgh, Ed Stetzer, Craig Van Gelder, and others. Churches employing the term missional to describe their understanding, conceptualization, and approach to ministry are an additional and essential influence. Using unique forms demonstrating a non-traditional focus that result in a variety of functions atypical for American churches, these ministries are adding to the evidence of a redefinition process already in motion. Among the five ministries included in this work are two noteworthy examples of churches pursuing missional ministry: the Life in Deep Ellum ministry in Dallas, Texas, and Tampa Underground, a network of micro churches in Tampa, Florida. The activities of these and other churches demonstrate the relationship between focus, form, and function as embodied in a missional approach to ministry. Certainly, change is evident across the landscape of American Christianity, but how extensive and far-reaching must be determined. The goal of this work is not simply to confirm or dispute a redefinition of American Christianity as a result of missional church activity, but also in a broad and more overall fashion, to contribute to the larger dialogue addressing missional ministry in the United States, encouraging a greater understanding and embracing of missional ministry in American churches, and an energetic and effective pursuit of missional Christianity and church ministry in the United States. / Thesis (PhD)--University of Pretoria, 2017. / Science of Religion and Missiology / PhD / Unrestricted

Den kristna kyrkan i väst befinner sig i en brytningstid. Från att ha haft en självklar plats och röst i samhället förlorar man mer och mer mark i ett postmodernt samhälle. Ideologen Stuart Murray analyserar detta skifte inom den neoanabaptistiska tankeströmningen, och detta arbete syftar till att studera hans tankar i ljuset av annan forskning. Ett urval av Murrays kyrkohistoriska, ecklesiologiska och missiologiska böcker har lästs och jämförts med andra författares texter. De tematiska områden som studerats är främst begreppen kristendom, efterkristendom och den västliga kyrkans ecklesiologiska och missiologiska utmaningar. Kristendomstiden präglar Europas kristenhet på många plan. Murray drar slutsatsen att kyrkan måste dekonstruera och rekonstruera sin lära och sin praxis för att vara trogen sitt ursprung och kunna möta det postmoderna samhällets utmaningar. Arbetet finner att Murrays tankar är användbara verktyg för kristna när de söker vägar ur dagens förtroendekris.

In this thesis the researcher has investigated which of the two concepts: believing before belonging or belonging before believing, is a more accountable perspective in regards to ministry in post-Christendom society. With the final stages of the modern period the power of hegemonic ideologies is coming to an end as people identify less with grand ideologies and more with subcultures related to technology and social and economic networks of different kinds. The post-Christendom phase has begun and is radically challenging Christendom notions of ministry. We have to assume that among post-Christians the familiarity with Christian concepts will fade as the decline of Christendom has meant that Christianity has been losing its status as a lingua franca, only to be understood in the long run, by those who are professing Christians. It is therefore important that the church will anticipate longer journeys towards faith and not move on to disciple new converts too quickly. Post- Christendom evangelization will consequently take longer, start further back and move more slowly. In the context of post-Christendom, knowledge of Christianity is rather limited and people need to come to an understanding of what Christianity entails. For those seekers, exploratory participation at first is safer than making a definite commitment. Postmodern society is also suspicious of institutions and eager to find whether Christian beliefs also work in practice and not only in theory. Therefore is belonging before believing very much necessary for seekers to test whether Christians live out in their communities what they claim to be true? / Christian Spirituality, Church History and Missiology / D. Th. (Missiology)

L’Eglise est en continuelle émergence. Parce qu’elle a vocation à naître à nouveau dans chaque nouveau contexte, là où elle se retrouve en situation de postchrétienté, l’Eglise doit relever à frais nouveaux le double défi de la fidélité à l’Evangile et de la pertinence culturelle. Dans un premier temps, cette thèse explore les nouvelles formes d’Eglises qui cherchent à relever ce défi et qui voient le jour depuis quelques années et ont été identifiées sous l’appellation d’Eglises émergentes. Se développant dans les pays occidentaux, au sein ou en marge de tout le spectre des champs confessionnels, ces communautés s’essayent à pratiquer la voie de Jésus au sein des cultures postmodernes. Elles cherchent donc à être fidèles à leurs lieux et à leur temps. Centrées sur la mission, sur le développement communautaire ou sur l’innovation liturgique, ces Eglises proposent des approches variées mais ont néanmoins des lignes de force communes. Elles ouvrent la voie à une réflexion plus large sur certains enjeux ecclésiologiques contemporains, qui constitue la deuxième partie de cette étude. Faisant notamment dialoguer les auteurs du mouvement des Eglises émergentes avec le théologien missionnaire anglais Lesslie Newbigin, se dessine une Eglise missionnelle, incarnationnelle et expérientielle. / The Church is constantly emerging. With a calling to be reborn in each new context, the Church in post-Christendom must rise to the dual challenge of remaining faithful to the Gospel while being fresh and culturally relevant. In the first section, this thesis examines new types of Churches, identified as “Emerging Churches” which, in recent years, have been trying to meet this challenge. These communities, developing in western countries either within or on the fringes of the entire denominational spectrum, are trying to practice the way of Jesus within postmodern cultures. They are, thus, seeking to be faithful to their place and time. These Churches, by focusing on mission, community development or innovative worship, offer various approaches while nevertheless sharing a common driving force. They pave the way for a more open consideration of certain contemporary ecclesiological issues which make up the second part of this study. Bringing together the writings and ideas of the authors and leaders of the Emerging Church movement with those of British missionary theologian Lesslie Newbigin creates a vision of a missional, incarnational and experiential Church.

This thesis explores the missional ecclesiology of the Emerging Church Movement and its relationship to Evangelicalism. The rise of post-Christendom, post-modernism and the increasing marginalisation of the church in Western Culture has created a situation where it needs to ask the basic missiological questions of its own identity and structures. In contrast to many within traditional Evangelicalism, the Emerging Church Movement views these changes as a positive development and, in a social context much more akin to that of the early church, an opportunity to rediscover the essential nature of its calling as Church. It is in a narrative reading of Scripture and understanding of Jesus' proclamation of the kingdom of God that the ECM believes the answers are to be found. As a result, the ECM finds itself working through a gradual process of dismantling and reconstructing the faith of their Evangelical heritage as they reflect on the meaning of the gospel as they see it expressed in the life and ministry of Jesus Christ and His interpretation of the Old Testament narrative. For the ECM, the gospel is much bigger than merely personal salvation and is best understood as God's great and gracious mission in the world of making new all that has been corrupted by sin and evil. Missional churches realise that they have been invited to participate with God in his redemptive mission and formulate their identity, structures and values accordingly. The ECM engages in intentional , subversive ministry from its new place at the margins of society flowing from the realisation that mission is not an activity to be carried out by members of the church in certain contexts, but rather the essential character and calling of the church community wherever it may exist. / Dissertation (MA(Theol))--University of Pretoria, 2010. / Practical Theology / unrestricted

This research is guided by the assertion that, as American society journeys through the post-modern transition, many established churches are struggling to respond adequately to cultural change within a fragmented generational context. It further is argued that the resulting ineffectiveness of many of these churches in transmitting the Christian tradition to Gen Xers, the first post-modern generation, threatens the ability of these churches to sustain their witness through this period. This project advances the hypothesis that, if established churches are to sustain their witness through the post-modern transition, they must engage in a process of missional renewal that encompasses Generation X. When considered from both a sociological and a theological perspective, this process must be seen as entailing a commitment to intergenerational reconciliation and justice. Chapter one provides an introduction to this study and explains how it is situated within the discipline of Practical Theology. Following Heitink (1999:6), Practical Theology is defined as “the mediation of the Christian faith in the praxis of modern society.” Chapter two offers additional theoretical foundations through an exploration of the intergenerational praxis of the church within the intergenerational praxis of society. In chapter three, essential historical background is provided through an exploration of the influence of modernity in shaping the praxis of American society, as well as the influence of the Christendom paradigm in guiding the church’s praxis. This chapter also explores the emergence of institutional structures that have fostered distance between the generations, as well as the impact of these changes upon the intergenerational praxis of the church. Chapter four examines the complexities associated with the post-modern paradigm shift. Generation X is introduced as a generation whose formative years most closely approximate this period. Generation X is shown to be a misunderstood and maligned generation possessing discontinuous cultural values. In chapter five, the “marriage” of Christendom and modernity is shown to limit the ability of established churches to respond faithfully to the post-modern turn. The intergenerational dynamics of these churches also are shown to hinder their response. This chapter demonstrates that the resulting absence of the first post-modern generation from these churches places their continued viability at risk. Chapter six explores the need for these churches to experience missional renewal. A case is made for the participation of Generation X as a crucial consideration in this pursuit. The issue of “process” is shown to be important in helping churches negotiate the challenges of missional renewal. Chapter seven advances the assertion that, from both theological and sociological perspectives, intergenerational reconciliation and justice must be seen as integral dimensions of the missional renewal process. In chapter eight, the argument developed in the preceding chapters is subjected to empirical evaluation. The results of a survey conducted among churches from five denominations lend credibility to this study’s hypothesis. The final chapter (nine) introduces the “Missional Change Model” as one strategic framework through which established churches might be guided in pursuing missional renewal. This chapter also demonstrates how this model might help to facilitate intergenerational reconciliation and justice. / Thesis (DPhil)--University of Pretoria, 2009. / Practical Theology / unrestricted

In this thesis the researcher has investigated which of the two concepts: believing before belonging or belonging before believing, is a more accountable perspective in regards to ministry in post-Christendom society. With the final stages of the modern period the power of hegemonic ideologies is coming to an end as people identify less with grand ideologies and more with subcultures related to technology and social and economic networks of different kinds. The post-Christendom phase has begun and is radically challenging Christendom notions of ministry. We have to assume that among post-Christians the familiarity with Christian concepts will fade as the decline of Christendom has meant that Christianity has been losing its status as a lingua franca, only to be understood in the long run, by those who are professing Christians. It is therefore important that the church will anticipate longer journeys towards faith and not move on to disciple new converts too quickly. Post- Christendom evangelization will consequently take longer, start further back and move more slowly. In the context of post-Christendom, knowledge of Christianity is rather limited and people need to come to an understanding of what Christianity entails. For those seekers, exploratory participation at first is safer than making a definite commitment. Postmodern society is also suspicious of institutions and eager to find whether Christian beliefs also work in practice and not only in theory. Therefore is belonging before believing very much necessary for seekers to test whether Christians live out in their communities what they claim to be true? / Christian Spirituality, Church History and Missiology / D. Th. (Missiology)

The problem this study addresses is that the Christian church in the postmodern west is in a condition of zero growth and even decline. Conventional strategies intended to reverse this condition have tended to focus on improved implementation of traditional methodologies of church growth. Despite the application of such strategies the church continues to decline, indicating the urgent need for additional approaches. Practical theology suggests such an additional approach: greater engagement with the local community. Certain churches have been identified whose congregations, acting, it is believed, under the leadership of the Spirit, are engaging their immediate communities in a wide variety of ways often with the result that people touched by the church respond with a new or renewed interest in the Christian faith and in some instances join or rejoin the Christian family. The implication, and the hypothesis of the study, is that widespread application of the practices of such community-engaging congregations, called “holistic” congregations, might have a positive impact in terms of growth in the wider church community. To determine the validity of this implication a small-scale inductive, empirical, effect-to-cause study was undertaken. Combining qualitative and quantitative research methods intended to identify the ethos of those churches that meet the developed criteria of “holistic” churches, as compared to a second group of “non-holistic” churches, the study addresses the question: Is it possible to discover the ethos of holistic churches with a view to reproducing that ethos in other churches? Analysis of the data gathered during the study identifies a number of specific characteristics shared by the holistic churches. In addition to suggesting strategies that may profitably be investigated and implemented by churches that wish to become, or become more, holistic in terms of their outreach ministry, the results also advocate the further study of holism as a possible key feature to the future of the Church. / Thesis (PhD (Practical Theology))--University of Pretoria, 2005. / Practical Theology / unrestricted