A project management model for efficient and effective church management became important as we noticed the shift from a modern to a postmodern culture. The shift obviously requires new theological reflection. This culture shift bring a new self- and world understanding with it. The positioning of the church in this new context is therefore important. The church (theology) has to reflect on the implications and compatibility of this new understanding of self and world for a Christian understanding of reality as revealed in the Bible. Up front in this research (not in detail) some dimensions of the culture shift that is occurring were described. This research then briefly reflects on the challenges and opportunities that they offer to theologians and the church. The intention was to formulate appropriate management responses to enable the church (theologians, clergy and other Christians) to cope with these challenges and opportunities. This research was therefore undertaken to determine the place and function of Project Management in the church. Attention was given to Project Management as a solution to the current management needs in congregations. It was found that Management per se as a science is not unfamiliar in the church, but that it is merely neglected. Project Management will have to uphold the nature, being, character, purpose and structure of the congregation according to the Word of God. Project Management will have to find its place as a gift of the Spirit of God to specific believers in congregations. Project Management will have to be a process whereby believers, as people in active congregational service, continuously engaged in congregational activities, try to use human and other resources as efficiently as possible, in order to fulfil all the ministry needs of the congregation and to achieve specific goals. To have been able to achieve this, the basic Project Life Cycle of initiating, planning, executing, control and closing were researched and applied. This research showed that members of the church do not yet use Project Management, as a science. It is recommended that the church should apply Project Management principles in order to enable the church to become according to the will/intention of God. It is expected of the pastor and members to exhibit project management expertise for which he/she has never been trained. For the first time a member of the congregation (he/she) is confronted with the management of people, tasks and projects within a church environment. Despite this lack of project management knowledge, the church expects a member to perform this new responsibility with the same degree of dexterity as they have performed their normal congregational duties and functions. The purpose of this investigation was to provide a project management process model to the church environment. The objective of this study was to provide the project manager and congregational members with a generic project management process model. This process model can be seen as a rout map of the project management process within the project management discipline. It should enable all project stakeholders to identify the project management processes, as well as understand how they are linked together, and what their interaction with one another is. The relevant project management theory that is applicable to each process and sub-process of project management, and which needs to be applied, is handled comprehensively. The result of this study is nothing more than a step by step process to project management for the church. Up front this study defines project management and put it into the context of the church. It then defines what a project is. The needs and growth of this management discipline for the church was then emphasizing. This study shows that project management consists of four generic phases namely, project initiation, project planning, project execution and project closure. The relevant tools and techniques used in each of these four phases, as well as the problems to project manager might experience, are emphasized and discussed. The project management process was then put in the context of a project management system. The project management system was in turn then put in the context of the congregation and its relevant congregational functions. This project management process model should enable all members of the congregation, to get an overall picture of project management in the church environment. It will facilitate the church to understand the project management process and its sub-processes. / Thesis (PhD (Practical Theology))--University of Pretoria, 2006. / Practical Theology / unrestricted
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:netd.ac.za/oai:union.ndltd.org:up/oai:repository.up.ac.za:2263/27450 |
| Date | 22 August 2005 |
| Creators | Van den Berg, A.A. (Adreaan Albertus) |
| Contributors | Vos, C.J.A. (Casparus Johannes Adam), 1945-, upetd@ais.up.ac.za |
| Source Sets | South African National ETD Portal |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Thesis |
| Rights | © 2003, University of Pretoria. All rights reserved. The copyright in this work vests in the University of Pretoria. No part of this work may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, without the prior written permission of the University of Pretoria. |
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