The goal of the research was to explore the ongoing problem of Baptist Pastors leaving the ministry and to attempt to discover the impact of this problem upon Baptist Churches by means of "focus group" interviews. The dissertation links the problem with a Baptist ecclesiology and seeks to understand the Baptist belief in the autonomy of the Local Church and the praxis of accreditation for pastoral ministry, plus the existence of so-called "subterranean Pastors" which has contributed toward pastoral termination. / Practical theology / M.Th. (Practical Theology)

This dissertation examines the use made of the Myers Briggs Type Indicator in the pastoral work of Anglican Clergy. The practical theological focus of the study is reflection on praxis. Various theories of pastoral work are discussed. The history and development of the MBTI is given as well as the Jungian background to it. A qualitative research, grounded theory approach, is utilised. Interviews of 14 Anglican clergy generate the data for the research. The research questions are: "Why do Anglican clergy use the MBTI?"; "How do Anglican clergy use the MBTI?" The research findings show that Anglican clergy use the MBTI for the purpose of personal growth, clergy self-care, and understanding relationships. Anglican clergy attend workshops which encourage the application of MBTI insights in pastoral work. / Philosophy, Practical and Systematic Theology / M Th. (Practical theology)

The dissertation starts from the premise that we are living in an increasingly individualistic and secular society. The church is seen as a worshipping community, where mutual care emanating from true Christian community could serve as a corrective to current fragmentation. A theory is developed of the church as a caring and worshipping faith community which exists alongside other communities. The church therefore exists to enable people to embody the gospel ideals in their lives. The whole Christian community must thus be seen to be offering the love, compassion and acceptance that is needed today. This role can be enhanced by encouraging training in caring skills. The faith community exercises its nurturing support system through the fusion of horizons as members seek to give expression to their faith. This faith community functions against the background of the myriad of relationships and different communities in which its members find themselves in. / Philosophy, Practical and Systematic Theology / M. Th. (Practical Theology)

Virtue can be seen as a core construct of pastoral theology when it is understood as a relational dynamic which includes the experience of suffering and the pastoral response of compassion. This thesis probes the philosophical theology of Jonathan Edwards, who proposed that virtue is a form of beauty defined as "consent to being." Edwards' construct of virtue is examined from its inception in his pastoral work at Northampton parish. Although it was offered in the context of the 18th century debates in moral philosophy, it is argued that Edwards' idea of virtue is a unique theological contribution to our understanding of the nature of virtue. The implications of this conception of virtue are weighed against current discussions in ethics and moral philosophy on the theme of virtue. Edwards' idea of "consent to being" is expanded from a pastoral theological perspective to include the notion of compassion as an integrative motif. The structure of experience and how we speak about our experiences are explored in relation to this aesthetic understanding of virtue as a form of beauty. This leads to the notion of compassion as ontological consent. Since language is the vehicle by which our experiences are conveyed, the thesis probes the issue of how moral vision is expressed in "experience-near" language through parable, poem, and lament. Moral vision is articulated most adequately through such language, the formulation of which takes the form of a necessary quest. The thesis concludes with a constructive proposal concerning a mature pastoral theology of virtue. This may be seen as an expansion of Edwards' concept of "consent to being" from the vantage point of pastoral theology. It is argued that a dynamic vision of virtue requires some connection between the experience of suffering and the inward striving toward the greatest good. The essence of virtue can be best understood, from a pastoral theological perspective, as the relational dynamic of "suffering with" another human being. / Philosophy, Practical and Systematic Theology / D.Th. (Practical Theology)

Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior / O cuidado pastoral, em meio ao contexto, hospitalar recebe o nome de capelania hospitalar. Os três primeiros capítulos do trabalho apresentam uma reflexão em torno de temáticas apresentadas como fundamentos bíblico-teológicos da capelania hospitalar. O primeiro elucida o conceito cuidar, o significado dessa atitude e sua importância para com a própria vida humana e busca relacionar a atitude do cuidar com o tema da dignidade humana fundamentada a partir da teologia da imago Dei, conforme Gênesis 1.26-27. A segunda parte do trabalho apresenta o ser humano à luz da antropologia bíblica, a partir dos conceitos alma, coração, carne e corpo. Estas noções antropológicas apresentam o ser humano em termos existenciais basicamente e como uma unidade viva animada por Deus. A terceira parte apresenta as características da ação pastoral a partir do conceito poimênica. Esta expressão remete à metáfora do pastorear o rebanho de Deus e fundamenta-se na imagem bíblica do Deus-Pastor e do Cristo como sendo o Bom Pastor. Assim, o capítulo visa a elucidar e conceituar, sobretudo, a partir da passagem bíblica de João 10, o ministério pastoral de Cristo, bem como apresentar o ministério da poimênica como uma expressão da comunidade cristã ao longo da história da Igreja. O quarto capítulo faz uma breve incursão histórica em torno do hospital, busca fundamentar uma assistência hospitalar humanizada a partir do tema da dignidade humana e aponta para a necessidade de cuidados integrais para com a pessoa internada. Encerra-se o trabalho abordando o surgimento do treinamento em clínica pastoral, seu contato com a psicologia e apresentando os conteúdos descritos nos capítulos anteriores como fundamentos bíblico-teológicos da capelania hospitalar: a dignidade humana, a antropologia bíblica e o ministério pastoral de Cristo. / Pastoral care in the context of hospital visiting is entitled hospital chaplaincy. The initial three chapters of this paper analyze themes which are the biblical theological foundations of hospital chaplaincy. The first deals with the concept of taking care, the meaning of this action and its importance towards human life grounded on the theology of imago Dei, according to Genesis1.26-27. The second part of the paper presents the human being based on the biblical anthropology and the concepts of soul, heart, flesh and body. These anthropological notions present the human being solely in terms of existence and as a live unit animated by God. The third part describes the features of pastoral action related to the concept of pastoral care. The term refers to the metaphor of pastoralising the herd of God and is founded by the biblical image of God-shepherd and Christ as the good shepherd. Therefore, the chapter sheds light to conceptualizing, mainly from John 10, the pastoral ministry of Christ, as well as it introduces the pastoral care ministry as a means of expression of the Christian community along the history of the Church. The fourth chapter is briefly developed under a historical perspective of the hospital, it aims at grounding the hospital assistance as a human act from the theme of human dignity. Moreover, it leads to the necessity of integral care to the patient. The paper finishes by approaching the beginnings of Clinical Pastoral Training and its borders to psychology, it also ends by presenting the contents which were described in the previous chapters as biblical theological foundations of hospital chaplaincy: the human dignity, the biblical anthropology and the pastoral ministry of Christ.

[pt] A experiência mistagógica presente nas fontes da tradição eclesiástica, principalmente nos séculos III e IV, é momento forte e determinante no processo de Iniciação Cristã. Dentre os Padres da Igreja que representam a instituição do catecumenato, Cirilo de Jerusalém assinala o eixo mistagógico em suas Catequeses Mistagógicas. Através de suas homilias, Cirilo de Jerusalém orienta o processo de Iniciação Cristã como um caminho catecumenal, no qual a teologia subjacente suscita a abertura à dinâmica da Revelação na experiência pessoal e comunitária, à Palavra revelada nas Escrituras, à Tradição, ao Magistério da Igreja e às interpelações que a sociedade apresenta. Em tempos de novas configurações da subjetividade humana e de mudanças paradigmáticas na sociedade, a Iniciação Cristã de Adultos vem sofrendo um processo de revisão e de avaliação entre as comunidades locais, à luz das orientações do Magistério da Igreja e das interpelações de natureza pastoral. Nessa trajetória, nos aproximamos da experiência de Catecumenato com Adultos em uma comunidade particular, onde estabelecemos um diálogo teológico-pastoral-pedagógico na linha da pesquisa participante. A partir deste processo de elaboração entre a teologia sistemática e a experiência pastoral apresentamos algumas contribuições para que a Mistagogia identificada nas orientações de Cirilo de Jerusalém à Igreja de seu tempo, possa tornar-se fundamento e princípio orientador para a Iniciação Cristã com Adultos nas comunidades atuais. Nosso objetivo é motivar a atitude mistagógica na Iniciação Cristã de Adultos hoje, como um carisma fundamental no âmbito da Igreja, sinal não apenas para o Catecumenato com Adultos, mas para a evangelização atual. / [en] The mistagogic experience present in the sources of ecclesiastic tradition, especially in the third and fourth centuries, is a strong and decisive moment in the process of Christian Initiation. Among the Church Fathers representing the institution of catechumenate, Cyril of Jerusalem marks the mistagogic axis in his Mistagogic Catechesis. Through his homilies, Cyril of Jerusalem guides the process of Christian Initiation as a catechumenal way, in which the underlying theology raises the opening of the dynamics of the Revelation in personal and community experience, to Word revealed in the Scriptures, to the Tradition, to the Magisterium of the Church and to the requests that the society presents. In times of new configurations of human subjectivity and paradigmatic changes in society, the Christian Initiation of Adults has been experiencing a process of review and evaluation among local communities, under the guidance of the Magisterium of the Church and questions of pastoral nature. On this path, we approach the experience of Catechumenate with Adults in a local community, where we established a theological-pastoral- pedagogical dialogue on the line of participatory research. From this process of drafting between systematic theology and pastoral experience we present some contributions so that the Mistagogy identified in the guidelines of the Cyril of Jerusalem to the Church of his time can become a basis and guiding principle for the Christian Initiation with Adults in communities today. Our aim, therefore, is to motivate the mistagogic attitude in the Christian Initiation of Adults today, as a key charisma within the Church, reason not only for the Catechumenate with Adults, but also for evangelization today.

[pt] A dissertação analisa o contexto histórico que marca a origem da função de capelão de navio no mundo; também procura refletir como esta tradição tornou-se comum nos navios brasileiros. Ao refletir sobre o nascedouro do capelão naval, a pesquisa analisa o perfil dos primeiros capelães navais e os desafios que envolveram os primórdios da assistência religiosa em uma embarcação. Por meio de pesquisa bibliográfica, mapeia a presença do capelão naval na historiografia brasileira e de sua Marinha, abarcando o desenvolvimento histórico desta função nas fases da Colônia, Império e República, e da Marinha durante a Armada Real Portuguesa, na criação da Armada Imperial e Nacional, bem como na fase atual da Marinha do Brasil. Embora grande parte da pesquisa se suceda no campo da História, a motivação por trás da interpretação dos eventos é teológica e pastoral, promovendo uma interpretação protestante sobre a missão de um capelão naval na atualidade. A pesquisa reflete sobre a identidade do capelão naval, sua missão, seus desafios pastorais, os saberes que deve possuir e as atribuições deste ministério, revelando a necessidade de o capelão naval corresponder às exigências da instituição que representa, tendo a maturidade para pastorear um grupo heterogêneo e heterodoxo, dialogando com o ecumenismo e a inter-religiosidade, sem descaracterizar-se de sua confessionalidade. Impulsionado pelo desígnio de cumprir sua tríplice missão – assistência religiosa, assistência espiritual e apoio as atividades de educação moral – o capelão naval também é impelido teologicamente pela motivação cristã de servir as pessoas, testemunhando o evangelho de Cristo. / [en] This dissertation analyzes the historical context that sets the origin of the function of ship chaplains in the world; it also tries to reflect on how this tradition became common in Brazilian ships. Upon reflecting on the nascency of the naval chaplain, the research analyzes the profile of the first naval chaplains and the challenges involving the beginnings of religious assistance aboard a vessel. Through bibliographical research, the thesis maps the presence of the naval chaplain in Brazilian historiography and Navy, encompassing the historical development on the Colony, Empire and Republic phases, and the Navy during the Portuguese Royal Armada, in the creation of the Imperial and National Armada, as well as the current phase of the Brazilian Navy. Although a majority of the research takes place in the field of History, the motivation behind the interpretation of the events is theological and pastoral, enabling a Protestant interpretation about the mission of a naval chaplain nowadays. The research reflects on the identity of the naval chaplain, his mission and pastoral challenges, the knowledges he must have and attributions of the ministry, revealing the need for the naval chaplain to correspond to the demands of the institution he represents, having the maturity to shepherd a heterogeneous and heterodox group, whilst dialoguing with ecumenism and inter-religiosity, not losing the characteristics of his confessionality. Driven by the design of fulfilling his triple constitutional mission – religious assistance, spiritual assistance, and support on moral education activities – the naval chaplain is also theologically impelled by the Christian motivation of serving people, witnessing Christ s Gospel.

Recent years have seen a plethora of research accomplished with respect to OT poetic prayers, predominantly in relation to the Psalter, with a least one ramification being a lack of engagement with the full spectrum of expressions especially within OT prosaic prayers. In addition to this, contemporary pastoral literature continues to exhibit an underdevelopment with respect to the full anthropological spectrum of expressions amidst grief especially within intercultural contexts. Observing both lacunas in scholarship, this dissertation operationalizes a Revisionist Method of Mutual Critical Correlation as its metamethod while incorporating Renewed Form Criticism, Hermeneutical Phenomenology, annd a Liberative Intercultural Praxis as it pursues a twofold objective: 1) an examination of the multivalent expressions (i.e., verbal, physical, and emotional) that leading Israelites pray-ers within the ancient context of OT prosaic prayers communicated to/before God while in the crux of disorientation, and 2) an investigation into the multivalent expressions (i.e., verbal, physical, and emotional) that leading Christian pray-ers wtihin an intercultural context (i.e., among Canadian immigrants from Guyana and Vietnam) communicated to/before God amidst the phenomenon of grief. At the heart of attending to this twofold mission is the configuration of an expressive domain of anthropological expressive modalities of disorientation communicated to/before God, along with their essence or meaning. Sensitized to such an expressive domain with its multivalent significance, contemporary pastoral caregivers would thus be better equipped to foster compassionate, liberative intercultural pastoral care for intercultural Christian communities coping with grief.

This thesis examines the challenges faced by the ministers of religion in Churches of Christ (Restoration Movement) in Bicol, Philippines. The goal is to do theology from below, not from above, as pastoral ministry must come from the experience of those who practice it, not from textbooks. The pastoral perspectives of the dilemmas that the ministers raise are heard, observed, documented, and then reflected upon. To do this, case studies of four preachers are used and the mga problema that they present are explored with them. As a result, first, I introduce some of those challenges which are perplexing on the ground level and which appear to be under-researched in serious theological circles, especially in an Asian context. Second, I hope that these case studies can be used to stimulate reflection in ministerial and spiritual formation. Third, I document some of the theology and methodology of the Churches of Christ, particularly as practiced in the Philippines. Chapter 1 explores the dichotomy between the perceived satisfaction in the pastoral ministry with the crisis of role and identity. In particular, issues such as forced exits and stress are presented while baptism and preaching are scrutinized. Chapter 2 centres on the conundrums experienced in planting a new church and being the lone planter. Chapter 3 examines three challenges–the task of ministering in a home congregation, the issue of accreditation in ministerial training, and how the minister can be a success and grow the church. Never far from the thoughts and actions of any of the Bicolano ministers is the problema of poverty, so Chapter 4 considers some of the Filipino, personal, and spiritual complexities of poverty, delineates a number of factors that need to be taken into consideration in any effort to overcome this malady and concludes with a particular reference to ministry.

Children detained in juvenile detention centers in the United States are a unique population. They are neither incarcerated, nor are they free to live in society. Although some popular literature does exist on juvenile detention, such literature is minimal. Further, there are few research studies on this population in any field of inquiry. Indeed the entire subject of juvenile detention has been largely overlooked by research scientists, as well as theologians. The focus of this empirical study is the theology and spirituality of children in a single juvenile detention center in New Jersey, US. Currently, there are no studies on this topic. This study begins to address that void and represents the first theological research of its kind on this population. The methodological approach of the thesis is multi-disciplinary. While the study addresses theology and spirituality as separate categories, it also integrates theology with research in psychology and clinical mental health. The project itself consists of 200 individual, face-to-face interviews with male juvenile residents detained in the Ocean County Juvenile Detention Center, Toms River, New Jersey, US. An original questionnaire has been developed by the author as a research tool. This empirical research adds to the academic literature on children in juvenile detention centers in the United States and recommends ways that staff may communicate with children to begin a theological dialogue. Further, this thesis offers a specific methodology and research tool to be duplicated for use in other juvenile detention centers toward working with children in a concrete, evidence-based, spiritual context. v This study also includes a chapter on the evolution of the author’s spirituality and theology in the course of the project and attempts to locate the self of the researcher within the study. Finally, this thesis presents an outline for a new hermeneutic in working with children in a juvenile detention setting. This new approach represents a practical step toward bridging an existing gap between a stated need for a new hermeneutic for working with children in theological literature and its inception. / Philosophy, Practical and Systematic Theology / D. Th. (Practical Theology)