M.A. / The church does not only exist for its own sake but it functions as an extension of God, in Christ, towards a world, which is getting lost. The understanding of the church as a missionary entity remains a core question (Net 1994:25). In response to this question different church models have tried to interpret their calling in a given situation in terms of metaphors. This has resulted in various patterns of ministry, describing to us the historical stature of the church. The Apostolic Faith Mission of South Africa was established as a missionary endeavour coming from America. It had not been the intention to establish a church (Burger 1995:166). The passion for people who are getting lost was a feature of the Apostolic Faith Mission of South Africa in its early years. A unique pattern of ministry developed over the years, linked to a specific socio- historical history of origin. The pattern of ministry resulted in a Pentecostal tradition where the gifts of the Holy Spirit were regarded as the answer to the missionary calling of the church. Healing, glossolalia, prophecy and to a lesser degree also other gifts of the Spirit became an integral part of the liturgy. Conversion has been regarded as momentary and each service was characterised by a strong appeal to nonbelievers. Over the years the Apostolic Faith Mission of South Mission has experienced a definite tension between freedom and formalism in the liturgy.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:netd.ac.za/oai:union.ndltd.org:uj/uj:2468 |
| Date | 06 June 2012 |
| Creators | Geyser, Daniël Theodorus |
| Source Sets | South African National ETD Portal |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Thesis |
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