Thesis (M.A. (Biokinetics))--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2010.

This research reviewed the neglect of cities in the mission work of the Reformed Churches in Southern Africa with a special reference to churches of Synod Soutpansberg. The biblical passage, Jeremiah 29:1-14 was used, as a representative of other biblical passages, to shed light on the role of cities in mission work of the church while addressing misconceptions and false theology about the cities and the role they played and still play in the mission work of the church. The same biblical message is confirmed by many missiology literature, including, "Cities, Missions' New Frontier" by R.S. Greenway and T.M. Monsma (1989); "City of God - City of Satan" by R.C. Linthicum(1991) and "Discipling the City" by R.S. Greenway (1992). The biblical message and the missiology literature mentioned above were the basis from which the neglect of the role of the cities in the history of the mission work of the Reformed Churches in Southern Africa was studied. From these basis, the causes, implementations and effects of such neglect in the mission work of the Soutpansberg churches was studied in Chapter 3. The empirical research was conducted using the interview questionnaire in Chapter 4. The empirical results and findings, which were presented in this research, can direct churches towards a remedy of the neglect of the cities in their mission work as far as the strategies is concerned. The neglect of the cities in the history of the mission work of the Reformed Churches in Southern Africa was studied with an aim that churches learn from it and hence avoid the past neglect in their present and future mission plans, strategies and programs. In other words, the lesson is important for churches to view the role of the secular cities as important instruments used by God to speed up not only the planting and growing big holy churches from those secular cities outwards, but also the biblical reformation of the rural - orientated theories, strategies and practice! / Thesis (M.A. (Theology))--North-West University, Vaal Triangle Campus, 2008.

The objectives of this research were to investigate ministers' job demands and job resources, to study the relationship between the different job demands and job resources that ministers experience, to investigate the effects of job demands and job resources on minister's burnout and engagement, to investigate the factors impacting on the health and congregational commitment of ministers, to analyse the effects of job demands and job resources on ministers' psychological conditions of meaningfulness, safety and availability, to determine whether engagement can mediate the impact that psychological conditions have on levels of congregational commitment and to investigate the effects of religious coping on ministers' psychological conditions. The research method for each of the three articles consisted of a brief literature review and an empirical study. A non-probability purposive voluntary sample of 115 ministers was used. A qualitative design was used in article one to determine the relevant job demands and job resources of ministers. A cross-sectional design, with a survey as the data collection technique was used. The Job Demands-Resources Questionnaire (JD-RQ), 14 items of the Maslach Burnout Inventory (MBI), eight items of the Oldenburg Burnout Inventory (OLBI), the Work Engagement Scale (WES), 26 items of the General Health Questionnaire (GHQ-28), the Congregational Commitment Questionnaire (CCQ), the Psychological Conditions Questionnaire (PCQ), the Religious Coping Questionnaire (RCQ) and a biographical questionnaire were administered. The statistical analyses were carried out with the help of the SPSS program. The statistical methods utilised in the three articles consisted of descriptive statistics, Cronbach alpha coefficients, principal factor analysis, Pearson product-moment correlation coefficients and regression analyses. The results indicated that the job demands experienced by ministers were: pace and amount of work and emotional demands and job resources were: growth opportunities, instrumental support, congregational support, autonomy, social support, and job significance. It was found that pace and amount of work correlated positively with emotional demands while, emotional demands correlated negatively with growth opportunities, autonomy, instrumental support, congregational support and social support. Furthermore, pace and amount of work and a lack of growth opportunities and to a lesser extent emotional demands and a lack of congregational support were indicators of exhaustion. Mental distance was best predicted by emotional demands. Growth opportunities, social support and job significance were predictors of engagement. As for health, somatic symptoms were best predicated by exhaustion while depression was found to be predicted by exhaustion and mental distance. Poor social functioning was found to be predicted by exhaustion, mental distance, and low engagement. Affective commitment was found to be best predicted by engagement and low mental distance. Furthermore, psychological meaningfulness was best predicted by less emotional demands and more growth opportunities whereas psychological availability was best predicted by a lower pace and amount of work and more social support. Engagement was found to mediate the relationship between psychological meaningfulness and affective commitment but not the relationship between psychological availability and affective commitment. It was also found that engagement was best predicted by psychological meaningfulness and psychological availability, but if engagement were not controlled, engagement and psychological meaningfulness predicted affective commitment. Furthermore, religious coping affected perceptions of pace and amount of work, social support and psychological availability. / Thesis (Ph.D. (Industrial Psychology))--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2009.

Thesis (M.A. (Biokinetics))--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2010.

This thesis is a historical study and evaluation of the form of church government practised by the Particular Baptists of the 17th and 18th centuries, from the years 1650 to 1750. This study is based on confessional statements, the ecclesiological literature, and the extant church books of the Particular Baptists. It is shown that the Particular Baptists practised a definitive form of church government known traditionally as Independency, similar to that expounded by John Owen, minus infant baptism. Under the principle of the autonomy of the church the Particular Baptists practised believer’s baptism, an explicit church membership, and upheld covenant theology. Under the principle of the headship of Christ, they practised the separation of church and state, upheld the divine right of the magistrate, and also believed in the liberty of conscience. Under the principle of rule by elders the majority of the Particular Baptists practised a plurality of elders in which there was a distinction made between the roles of the pastor or minister and the ruling elders, although they occupy the same basic office of rule. However, deviation from a plural eldership took place, leading to the singlepastor- and-multiple-deacons situation, accompanied by the disappearance of ruling elders and the practice of congregational democracy in governance. This arrangement is characteristic of modern Congregationalism. Under the principle of the communion of churches the regional associations of churches accomplished much good, while a number of issues remained unresolved, including open and closed communion, congregational hymn singing, and the training of ministers. In the final chapter, the study attempts to resolve some ecclesiological issues controverted among Reformed Baptists today by applying the lessons learned from the Particular Baptists. To the Particular Baptists, Independency was the jus divinum (divinely ordained) form of church government used by God as the vehicle to carry out the Great Commission with a view to establishing biblically ordered churches, which upheld the 1689 Baptist Confession of Faith. These three components of church life − mission-mindedness, biblical church order, and the 1689 Confession of Faith − arose from the thorough biblicism of the Particular Baptists. / Thesis (Ph.D. (Church and Dogma History))--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2012

The reformation was a very complicated process which coffected all spheres of social and personal life. Its research can be carriet out in many scietific studies and its importance can be reflected upon from different points of view. The trend of the reformation which developed in Switzerland is colled differently in different historical sources: helvetian after the old name of Switzerland (Helvetia); Calvinizm, after the name of a famous religions reformer J.Calvin. The Calvinist church in the Grand Dutchy of Lithuania was colled the Evangelical Reformed Church, in short-the reformed Church. Since its establishment in 1555 the Evangelical reformed Church was independent. The activities and the relationship of the Evangelical reformed Church with Lithuanian state during the period of independence in 1918-1940 is analized in this thesis, the main part of the thesis is devoted to the analysis of the self-govermment of the Evangelical reformed Church, which is the fundamental thing in the reformed Church. The reformed Church has never been governed by a hierarchic structure. Its higest self-governing institution was the Synod. The analysis shovs how the Synod of the Reformed Church independently, without direct interference of the state and without demand for special conditions managed to reorganize its administration and territorial network, retaining self-governing, real property and cult buildings under the changed political circumstances 9after Vilnius, the... [to full text]

No abstract available.

Thesis (Th.M.)--Dallas Theological Seminary, 2006. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves [45]-49).

Thesis (D.W.S.)--Institute for Worship Studies, 2004. / Abstract. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 197-202).

Thesis (M.A.)--Dallas Theological Seminary, 2003. / Available. Bibliography: leaves 55-60. Issued also in microform.