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https://theses.gla.ac.uk/ Theses Digitisation: https://www.gla.ac.uk/myglasgow/research/enlighten/theses/digitisation/ This is a digitised version of the original print thesis. Copyright and moral rights for this work are retained by the author A copy can be downloaded for personal non-commercial research or study, without prior permission or charge This work cannot be reproduced or quoted extensively from without first obtaining permission in writing from the author The content must not be changed in any way or sold commercially in any format or medium without the formal permission of the author When referring to this work, full bibliographic details including the author, title, awarding institution and date of the thesis must be given Enlighten: Theses https://theses.gla.ac.uk/ [email protected] Community Involvement as a Model of Mission for the Local Urban Church A Thesis submitted for the degree of Master of Theology by Andrew Martin Williams © Andrew Martin Williams, 2000 Tu e Faculty of Divinity L niversity of Glasgow March 2000 ProQuest Number: 10390843 All rights reserved INFORMATION TO ALL USERS The quality of this reproduction is dependent upon the quality of the copy submitted. In the unlikely event that the author did not send a com plete manuscript and there are missing pages, these will be noted. Also, if material had to be removed, a note will indicate the deletion. uest ProQuest 10390843 Published by ProQuest LLO (2017). Copyright of the Dissertation is held by the Author. All rights reserved. This work is protected against unauthorized copying under Title 17, United States Code Microform Edition © ProQuest LLO. ProQuest LLO. 789 East Eisenhower Parkway P.Q. Box 1346 Ann Arbor, Ml 48106- 1346 Abstract This thesis attempts to answer the question ‘Can community involvement be a model of mission for the local urban church?’ The research is introduced with a discussion of the author’s experience of church community involvement and the questions which arise from it. The changing social context of the Church in England and Scotland is outlined, before exploring recent developments in missiology and community involvement. The research methodology led to the exploration of mission through community involvement in two case studies of churches and their local communities. The case study research sought to be distinctive by listening primarily to people from the community speak about their perceptions of church community involvement. From analysis of this qualitative data, the key themes discovered in each case study are discussed and brought into dialogue with the author’s questions and the literature on missiology and community involvement. The study concludes by pointing towards community involvement as a model of mission, whilst recognising that is an authentic and costly way of being the church in a local urban community. The author ends with some reflections on the implications of the research for personal practice in mission and ministry. Acknowledgements I would like to express my thanks to the churches who allowed their community involvement to be studied and to all those who were interviewed. I am grateful for the conversation and friendship of the minister at ‘Leavale’ and the Project Leader at ‘Thorncliffe’. The help of my supervisors in encouraging and questioning has been essential. I would also like to thank Joanna Williams for all her support, and Sion Baptist Church for their flexibility in helping me to reach the finishing line. Contents CHAPTER ONE: COMMUNITY INVOLVEMENT AND MISSION ........................................................ 1 1.1 Introduction...................................................................................................................................................................1 1.2 P ersonal experience, reflections an d key q uestio n s..............................................................................1 1.3 A C h anging Social C ontext for the Church in M issio n .....................................................................4 1.3.1 Paradigm Shifts in Mission.......................................................................................................... 6 1.4 C om m unity Involvem ent an d Contextual M is s io n ..............................................................................8 1.4.1 Mission as the Church-With-Others...............................................................................................8 1.4.2 Mission as Contextualization........................................................................................................10 1.4.3 A Liberation Approach to Local Theology...................................................................................11 1.4.4 The Notion o f Community..............................................................................................................13 1.4.5 Church Community Involvement.................................................................................................. 16 1.5. Pa r tn er sh ip.................................................................................................................................................................18 1.5.1 A Common Agenda for Partnership.............................................................................................18 1.5.2 Stakeholder Partnership................................................................................................................20 1.6 T ransformation........................................................................................................................................................22 1.6.1 Towards the transformation o f local community........................................................................23 1.6.2 Towards the transformation o f the church................................................................................. 24 1.6.3 Towards the transformation o f mission.......................................................................................25 1.7 Comm unity Involvem ent an d C hristian discipleship............................................................................ 27 1.8 Co n c l u sio n ..................................................................................................................................................................29 CHAPTER TWO: RESEARCH METHODOLOGY ......................................................................................... 30 2.1 Introduction............................................................................................................................................................... 30 2.2 Research D esig n....................................................................................................................................................... 30 2.2.1 The Aim o f the Case Studies.........................................................................................................33 2.2.2 Selecting Appropriate Case Studies............................................................................................ 33 2.2.3 Interview Method.......................................................................................................................... 35 2.3 The E thics of Research a n d the Role of the Researcher................................................................. 38 2.4 A P rofile of Le avale Church a n d its Co m m u n it y .................................................................................39 2.5 A Profile of T horncliffe Church a n d its Co m m u n it y ........................................................................42 2.6 Co n c l u sio n ..................................................................................................................................................................45 CHAPTER THREE: LEAVALE NEIGHBOURHOOD CENTRE ..............................................................47 3.1 Introduction..............................................................................................................................................................47 3.2 B ringing People To g e t h e r .................................................................................................................................. 47 3.2.1 Factors which help to explain the response to the Neighbourhood Centre............................53 3.3 Perceptions of the C hurch .................................................................................................................................. 54 3.3.1 A Dramatic Contrast.....................................................................................................................54 3.3.2 Perceptions o f the Leavale Church in Comtnunity Involvement..............................................57 3.4 Spirituality................................................................................................................................................................ 62 3.4.1 Spirituality beyond the Church.....................................................................................................62 3.4.2 Care, faith and funding................................................................................................................. 66 3.4.3 Tensions over daily worship......................................................................................................... 68 3.5 Challenges to the Church from L eavale..................................................................................................70