Knowledge of the characteristics of beginning students in ministerial training programs is important if those programs are to adequately prepare persons intellectually, emotionally, socially, and spiritually to be effective ministers. The purpose of this study was to answer the question: What are the important characteristics of the 1990 student population entering into the ministerial training programs of The Wesleyan Church?Sixty students who enrolled during the 1990 fall semester in programs leading to ordination in The Wesleyan Church were studied. These programs existed on the campuses of five colleges governed by the Church and six seminaries approved to provide graduate theological education for the Church's ministers.A survey instrument collected data on the students' backgrounds, attitudes, values, educational motivations, beliefs, and perspectives regarding the future. The responses of the Wesleyan ministerial students were analyzed to define the differences between students involved in different ministerial education programs of the Church and to compare their responses with national norms established by the 1989 Cooperative Institutional Research Program study which is administered annually to freshmen in American colleges and universities.Wesleyan freshmen ministerial students were older, had lower average grades in high school, and were less motivated to pursue graduate studies than students in the national study. The ability to finance their education was a major concern and they were very dependent upon government aid and borrowed money to pay for their education.The ministerial students studied had a wide variety of experiences which have had traumatic effect upon them. The students were highly motivated in their desire to help people. On most issues, they held traditional values and life style expectations which are promoted by the church. There were points at which their belief as to appropriate behavior for Christians did not characterize their own behavior. A high percentage of the students indicated they did not fully understand theological terms which are basic in church doctrine.The results from the study of Wesleyan ministerial students indicated the need for developing greater cooperation between the formal academic programs offered at the church's colleges and seminaries, and the non-formal learning opportunities which should occur through all levels of church organization. / Department of Educational Leadership

The work of Western missionaries has helped the Christian faith take deep root in Africa over the past two centuries, and today the African continent is home to the most rapidly growing segment of the global church. This rapid growth has generated a need for greater numbers of biblically-equipped pastors to lead the African church. This qualitative, multi-case study explores the influence of select pastor-equipping methodologies employed by Western mission agencies engaged in the effort to develop pastors in Kenya. The programs of three mission agencies are observed as individual cases in this study, and a profile of the typical pastor equipped in each case is developed. The literature review in chapter 2 includes a model profile for shepherd leadership consisting of three categories – content, character, and competence – identified through exegetical study of the shepherd-leader motif in Scripture. This model profile provided the categories used for researching and developing the profiles associated with each case study. Each case study included interviews with program directors and students, site observations, document analysis, and informal discussions. Analysis of each case individually, as well as cross-case analysis, identifies emerging themes, constructs, and patterns which describe the effect of the selected pastor-equipping methodologies in developing Kenyan pastors. This research found that Kenyan pastors consistently identified courses in biblical interpretation or hermeneutics as the most influential aspect of their pastoral development. This finding was consistent across all three case studies. Additional implications and applications of the research findings are discussed in chapter 5.

Through a qualitative study utilizing in-depth interviews, practitioner opinion was gathered regarding how Christian institutions of higher education, primarily Baptist seminaries, may better utilize formal and continuing education to prepare clergy for pastoral leadership. The sample of ten subjects for this study, drawn from the 550 active senior pastors in the Dallas Baptist Association and the Kauf-Van Baptist Association, was selected based on a maximum variation sampling method. The intention was to provide a better understanding of the leadership skills required by senior pastors, to help develop pastoral ministries curriculum and to assess the potential effectiveness of continuing education for pastoral leadership. The subjects indicated that the formal degree program of their seminary did equip them with the basic knowledge needed for pastoral leadership but it did not provide them in sufficiency with the necessary, practical skills for pastoral leadership. The pattern that emerged from the data indicates that, overall, seminaries are providing a quality education in preparing pastors for the ministry in their formal degree plans. However, seminaries may have opportunities to be of further service and to gain a competitive advantage vis a vis other seminaries by enhancing and expanding their continuing education programs.

This study examined the relationship between the continuing professional education practices of Southern Baptist pastors and their tenure in their pastoral positions. A survey questionnaire was designed to collect data about the pastors' continuing education and pastoral tenure. A stratified sample of 500 pastors was selected from the 36,235 Southern Baptist churches according to church membership. A total of 217 (43 percent) of the questionnaires was returned and used in the data analysis. Thirty percent of the pastors reported spending no days in continuing education during the past year. Sixty-two percent spent five days or more in continuing professional education. Tenure was not significantly linked to continuing education among the pastors. A personal perception of ministerial competency was positively related to continuing education. The majority of pastors felt accountable to God and themselves in terms of their competency. They strongly resisted any move toward certification or accreditation. The majority of the pastors did not view mobility as an alternative to becoming involved in continuing education. However, the reasons reported for mobility could be interpreted as needs assessment addressed by professional growth. A majority of the pastors strongly agreed that a basic seminary education did not alone prepare a minister for the pastorate. In addition, they were personally committed to being lifelong learners. However, only a small minority had developed a personal strategy for continuing education for the coming year. Neither part-time nor full-time work status nor past formal education influenced the amount of days spent in continuing education. The level of formal education did increase the pastors' commitment to being "lifelong learners." However, there seemed to be missing links between the following: 1) formal ministerial preparation and continuing professional development, 2) mobility and needs assessment, 3) competency and accountability, and 4) a commitment to lifelong learning and a practical strategy for continuing education.

This dissertation identifies three countries where the Bible storying strategy has been utilized for training local church leaders. Chapter 1 introduces and defines chronological Bible storying and the need for it in oral-society leadership training. An acknowledgment of requiring a new methodology for training oral communicators has produced chronological Bible storying. A concise discussion of study's purpose and an explanation of the dissertation's methodology conclude this chapter. Chapter 2 identifies oral communicators. First, the researcher examines oral-society cultures--their learning and teaching styles--concentrating on Southern Sudan, the Southern Philippines, and Orissa State of India. Furthermore, this chapter examines the qualities that leaders possess in oral societies. Moreover, this chapter shows the extent of oral communicators around the world, especially in those three areas. Chapter 2 proves the need for story-format-training materials with identifying culture and characteristics of orality. Chapter 3 presents the history of Chronological Bible storying, and examines missionaries changes to Chronological Bible storying. This chapter touches on various mission fields, but it focuses on Southern Sudan, the Southern Philippines, and Orissa State of India. The beginning of the development process is explored, such as the Chronological Bible Story Teaching approach, Chronological Bible Telling materials, Chronological Bible storying. Chapter 4 addresses the currently applied Bible storying approaches for oral communicators in the countries mentioned. After method's goal is examined and the materials are described, the viability of each material as a leadership-training strategy is evaluated. The chapter includes the results of employing the Bible storying method in the three countries. Chapter 5 analyzes the principles and practices used in the countries, and the recommended principles and practices of the Bible storying method. The chapter explains the common principles that are successful practices used in the focused areas. A Bible storying strategy is suggested for training the local leadership that incorporated the rapid church-planting movement. This chapter seeks effective principles and practices commonly employed in the focused areas as well. It concludes with a brief suggestion, and furnishes recommendations for further study of Bible storying for preparing local leaders in oral societies. / This item is only available to students and faculty of the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary. If you are not associated with SBTS, this dissertation may be purchased from <a href="http://disexpress.umi.com/dxweb">http://disexpress.umi.com/dxweb</a> or downloaded through ProQuest's Dissertation and Theses database if your institution subscribes to that service.

This thesis comprises a survey and analysis of the 'formation' of students, as part of the curriculum, in theological institutions. It contends that students attending institutions that are heterogeneous in terms of denominations, culture, and gender are not impaired in their formation; on the contrary there are great benefits to be derived from such an environment. This survey has been conducted by means of literature research on formation in North America, Asia and Africa, and personal interviews with staff and students of the Pietermaritzburg Cluster of Theological Institutions that consists of St Joseph's Theological Institute at Cedara, The School of Theology (University of Natal-Pietermaritzburg) and The Evangelical Seminary of Southern Africa. The thesis briefly examines the history of formation from a Christian theological perspective. A cross section of institutions is taken and their various approaches to formation noted. Three issues are addressed namely: ecumenical, multicultural and gender questions. This thesis proposes that these issues are integrated through reflection on the image of God and the faith community of God. The formators' task revolves around the students' identity in their context. This identity includes three dominant aspects - identity in relation to God, in relation to self, and in relation to society. A practical approach such as mentoring is suggested. The pastoral identity of the graduate is anticipated as it pertains to the role of ordained women and particularly the changing status of clergy in a postmodem world. The thesis concludes that if the outcome of formation is the integration and establishment of an individual's identity in relation to the image of God, self and community then a heterogeneous theological institution is an enriching environment. / Thesis (M.Th.)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, Pietermaritzburg, 2003.

The ELCT Southern Diocese is recognised by the ELCT as having made substantial and exciting strides in Theological Education by Extension (TEE). It has further acquired the reputation of having a strong philosophical commitment to the cause of the TEE programme and of having a conviction regarding the importance of TEE as a means of improving Christian education among its members as well as increasing the number of church workers. The TEE programme has been running since 1990 when the ELCT Southern Diocese embarked on the TEE philosophy transformation. TEE is considered capable of playing a major role in achieving TEE goals and aspirations. The year 1990, in particular, when the plan was launched, marks a concrete take-off point for the rapid improvement of adult Christian education especially for parish workers, on a kind of scale which had hitherto been unprecedented. This thesis is an attempt to document the spirit and substance of TEE development in the ELCT Southern Diocese. The scope of the different kinds of development that have taken place in TEE during this time is too wide to give a detailed and comprehensive treatment of the subject within the covers of a thesis of this size. An attempt is made to highlight the major features of TEE development in the Southern Diocese between 1990 and 1997. The thesis is supported by extensive reference to primary and secondary sources on TEE. Interviews with key informants from the various churches provide rich information. The thesis describes the TEE philosophy and policies behind the programme. The success story of the TEE programme is supported by a number of tables and the problems are given some possible solutions. / Thesis (M.Th.)-University of Natal, Pietermaritzburg, 1998.

M.Ed.

Theological training is in a crisis worldwide. Although the role that Theological Seminaries have fulfilled is acknowledged, there is a growing concern about the ability of these institutions to serve the upcoming generations of Christian leaders. Some warn they may not be well tailored for our post-modern age. Many people feel that the Seminary as an institution is in danger of extinction due to irrelevancy. Seminaries, in general, are perceived as not connecting to the needs of today’s church. The Auckland Park Theological Seminary (ATS), whose training is the subject of this research, is not excluded from this concern of the Church for relevant theological training. Many pastors of the AFM of SA are of the opinion that the training offered at the ATS does not effectively train pastors for the ministry. The purpose of this research is to investigate and describe how pastors who studied at the ATS experienced their theological training, as well as to offer guidelines to the Church and the ATS to develop a more effective model for theological training. Semi-structured, phenomenological interviews were conducted with a number of pastors. These interviews were taped with their permission. The question asked during each interview was: “How do you experience the theological training offered at the ATS as preparation for the ministry?”. The research has revealed a number of themes and sub-themes that should be addressed by a new model for theological training. They are as follows: • There is a need of a thorough theological education as foundation, especially in the areas of Bible knowledge and Dogmatics. • The focus of the training is mainly cognitive and not practical. There should be a greater emphasis on the “how” of doing ministry. • The respondents indicated that they have a need that their own spiritual gifts and ministries should be developed. • They experience a lack of training in interpersonal skills. There is especially a need for training on how the pastor’s family should effectively function in ministry. • The research has shown that the ATS should take co-responsibility to develop the character and spirituality of their students. • The students expressed a need that the lecturers should be their mentors. • The greatest needs were in the areas of management and ministerial skills. The students felt that they were not adequately prepared in the areas of leadership, management of personnel, team building, developing a vision for ministry, marketing and funding, preaching and communication skills, how to mobilize the members of their churches, the Missiological purpose of the Church, youth – and children’s ministry, the planning of church services, music and worship, technical skills such as video productions, the use of multimedia, and computer skills, and general skills such as the practice of the sacraments, hospital visitation, and the role of statistics. • The research has shown that the students have a need for specialized training in accordance with their gifts and ministries. Based on these results, guidelines are then offered for a more effective model for theological training. / Dr. B.J. Geyser

Marriage is perhaps the most popular voluntary institution in Canadian society. Fifty-six percent of British Columbians choose to be married in a Christian church. Most of these couples will find that they are required to participate in a marriage preparation program. Little is known about these marriage preparation opportunites, or about the individuals who provide these opportunites. Recent studies (Bader, Riddle & Sinclair, 1981; Ridley, Avery, Harrell, Leslie & Dent, 1982) have begun to demonstrate the effectiveness of the field of marriage preparation, but no studies examine the qualifications of educators. This study had two objectives: 1) to measure the knowledge of marriage and family concepts of marriage educators providing marriage preparation and 2) to re-test Wright's (1976) finding that clergy do not perceive themselves to be competent providers of marriage preparation. A random sample of 25% of Anglican Church in Canada and United Church of Canada congregations in British Columbia (n=117) resulted in 62 marriage educators responding to this study. This represents a response rate of 57.7%. The respondents were asked to complete a self-administered questionnaire which allowed for the collection of demographic information about the congregations and respondents as well as the measurement of the dependent variable perceived competence, six independent variables and four control variables. As no instruments to measure knowledge of marriage and family concepts were available, a measure was developed for this study and is known as the Knowledge of Marriage and Family Concepts Instrument (KMFC). Respondents were found to have moderate scores on KMFC and perceived themselves to be reasonably competent providers of marriage preparation. No significant results were found for the relationships between either of the dependent variables and the independent variables. Post hoc analysis determined significant relationships between knowledge of marriage and family concepts and gender, and between perceived competence and total number of hours spent in marriage preparation. This study implies that clergy need increased training in content areas relevant to marriage preparation. Further research studies are suggested. / Education, Faculty of / Curriculum and Pedagogy (EDCP), Department of / Graduate