A Future Horizon for a Prophetic Tradition: a Missional, Hermeneuical, and Pastoral Leadership Approach to Education and Black Church Civic Engagement

Luther Seminary Digital Commons @ Luther Seminary Doctor of Philosophy Theses Student Theses 2012 A Future Horizon For a Prophetic Tradition: A Missional, Hermeneuical, and Pastoral Leadership Approach To Education and Black Church Civic Engagement David L. Everett Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalcommons.luthersem.edu/phd_theses Part of the Practical Theology Commons, and the Religious Thought, Theology and Philosophy of Religion Commons Recommended Citation Everett, David L., "A Future Horizon For a Prophetic Tradition: A Missional, Hermeneuical, and Pastoral Leadership Approach To Education and Black Church Civic Engagement" (2012). Doctor of Philosophy Theses. 3. https://digitalcommons.luthersem.edu/phd_theses/3 This Thesis is brought to you for free and open access by the Student Theses at Digital Commons @ Luther Seminary. It has been accepted for inclusion in Doctor of Philosophy Theses by an authorized administrator of Digital Commons @ Luther Seminary. For more information, please contact [email protected], [email protected]. A FUTURE HORIZON FOR A PROPHETIC TRADITON: A MISSIONAL, HERMENEUICAL, AND PASTORAL LEADERSHIP APPROACH TO EDUCATON AND BLACK CHURCH CIVIC ENGAGEMENT by DAVID L. EVERETT A Thesis Submitted to the Faculty of Luther Seminary In Partial Fulfillment of The Requirements for the Degree of DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY ST. PAUL, MINNESOTA 2012 © 2012 by David L. Everett All rights reserved ABSTRACT A Future Horizon for a Prophetic Tradition: A Missiological, Hermeneutical, and Leadership Approach to Education and Black Church Civic Engagement by David L. Everett This mixed-methods study performed among six congregations explored how the historical framework, fabric, and focus of the Black Church have changed throughout a modern/postmodern context. An exploratory approach was used to study congregations identified by a 10-person pastoral focus group using methods of interviews and questionnaires. This researcher hypothesized that the social gospel dimensions and prophetic radicalism of the historic Black Church have diminished, but that it might reestablish itself as a pillar in the community through a retrieval of its prophetic voice and social gospel roots which caused it to be missional-minded and civically-engage. It is anticipated that this perspective will assist the Black Church in reclamation of its heritage by confirming its purpose and affirming its position within the missional context that God has placed it. ii ACKNOWLEDGMENTS I would like to acknowledge and dedicate this work to my mother Janette. Though she did not get to see its completion, her support, comfort, and wisdom throughout the endeavor was invaluable, instrumental, and inspiring. I love you and miss you dearly. iii TABLE OF CONTENTS ABSTRACT ........................................................................................................................ ii ACKNOWLEDGMENTS ................................................................................................. iii 1. INTRODUCTION .........................................................................................................1 Research Question, Methodology, and Design .....................................................3 Missional Church ...................................................................................................4 Black Church & Civil Society/Civic Engagement ................................................9 Civil Society and Civic Engagement Discourse ..........................................11 Social Gospel ................................................................................................16 Community ...................................................................................................18 The Functional Drift of the Black Church ...........................................................19 Missional Ecclesiology and the Black Church: Reclamation, Recontextualization, and Renewal ...............................................................23 Rationale ..............................................................................................................24 Overview of Argument ........................................................................................27 2. MISSIONAL ECCLESIOLOGY.................................................................................31 Introduction .........................................................................................................31 Framing Conversation .........................................................................................32 Ecclesial Aspect ...................................................................................................34 Culture Clash .......................................................................................................37 Black Culture/Church Reconstitution of Mission ...............................................39 Black Church Beginnings ....................................................................................41 The ―Invisible Institution‖ ...................................................................................43 The Slave Quandary .....................................................................................46 The Appropriation of Scripture ....................................................................48 The Early Black Church ......................................................................................49 Black Church Missional Ecclesiology .................................................................51 Integration of Mission, Liberation, & Participation .....................................51 Conclusion ...........................................................................................................53 3. THEOLOGICAL FRAMEWORK ..............................................................................55 Introduction .........................................................................................................55 The Legacy of the Black Church .........................................................................56 The Civil Rights Movement .........................................................................64 The Importance of Pastoral Leadership ...............................................................69 Liberation and Prophetic Engagement ................................................................78 Religion and Politics ............................................................................................80 Institutional Interaction ................................................................................83 Institutional Tension .....................................................................................87 iv Conclusion ...........................................................................................................89 4. THEORETICAL FRAMEWORK ...............................................................................91 Introduction .........................................................................................................91 Opiate versus Stimulant ...............................................................................92 Pragmatic Accommodationism ...........................................................................94 Prophetic Radicalism ...........................................................................................97 Multidimensional and Multifunctional ................................................................99 Gadamer‘s Fusion of Horizons ..........................................................................101 Leadership, Change Theory, and Networked Organization ..............................112 Conclusion .........................................................................................................124 5. RESEARCH METHOD & DESIGN .........................................................................126 Introduction .......................................................................................................126 Mixed-Methods Research ..................................................................................126 The Cultural Dimension ....................................................................................128 The Black Church as Central Mediating Structure ....................................130 The Black Church Tradition as Civic-Minded ...........................................132 An Account of Research Design .......................................................................133 Congregation Selection ..............................................................................134 Pastoral Backgrounds .................................................................................138 Focus Group Make-up ................................................................................142 Data Gathering ...........................................................................................143 Data Analysis .............................................................................................144 Rationale .....................................................................................................145 Ethical Considerations .......................................................................................147 Role of Researcher .....................................................................................147 Data Collection and Storage .......................................................................148

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