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The Matthew 28:18-20 Concept of Discipleship and the Class System: a Study of the Effiduase Diocese of the Methodist Church Ghana

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The Matthew 28:18-20 Concept of Discipleship and the Class System: a Study of the Effiduase Diocese of the Methodist Church Ghana THE MATTHEW 28:18-20 CONCEPT OF DISCIPLESHIP AND THE CLASS SYSTEM: A STUDY OF THE EFFIDUASE DIOCESE OF THE METHODIST CHURCH GHANA BY OBENG ADJEI SAMPSON (REV.) AUGUST, 2013 i DECLARATION I hereby declare that this submission is my own work towards the award of Master of Philosophy and that, to the best of my knowledge, it contains no material previously published by another person nor material which has been accepted for the award of any other degree of the University, except where due acknowledgment has been made in the text. Obeng Adjei Sampson (Rev.) ........................................... .............................. (Student) Signature Date Certified by: Rev. Jonathan E.T. Kowurnu-Adjaottor ....................................... .................... (Supervisor) Signature Date Certified by: Rev. Dr. Nathan Iddrisu Samwini ..................................... .............................. (Head of Department) Signature Date ii DEDICATION This work is dedicated to my mother Elizabeth Mensah also known as Maame . And to my wife, Lily Obeng-Adjei (Mrs) and our children: Abigail Obeng-Adjei, Priscilla Obeng-Adjei, Yaa Benewaa-Adjei and Alfred Boakye for their prayer support and encouragement. iii ACKNOWLEDGEMENT I am indeed grateful to God Almighty who has seen me through to the successful completion of this work. I am indebted also to the Rev. Jonathan E.T. Kuwornu-Adjaottor, the one who took pains and interest to supervise this work. Again, I appreciate him together with Very Rev. Dr. Nathan Iddrisu Samwini for their meaningful criticisms, suggestions, guidance and encouragement. I am equally thankful to Mrs Zenia Ossei, a lecturer at KNUST who took pains to edit the entire work and made suggestions to help improve this work. I am also grateful to the Methodist Church Ghana for giving me the permission to pursue this programme. The prayer support of my wife Mrs Lilly Obeng-Adjei who also typed most of the work is highly appreciated. Further, to the Rt. Rev. Moses Quayson, the Bishop of the Effiduase Diocese who gave me the opportunity to conduct interviews and administer some questionnaires at Diocesan meetings. I wish to express my appreciation to Asawasi Circuit, De-Graft Memorial Methodist Society and the Very Rev. James Osei, for their support during my studies. Mention should also be made to the Very Rev‘ds. Kenneth Oteng Dapaah, Joseph Owusu Atuahene and Seth Afful Sackey for their encouragement. To all who have in diverse ways contributed to make this study possible, I say God richly bless you. Notwithstanding the contributions of the aforementioned persons, I am entirely responsible for any error as well as shortcomings in this work. Obeng Adjei Sampson (Rev.) August, 2013 iv LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS MCG Methodist Church Ghana WBL Weekly Bible Lessons BOM Board of Ministries SO Standing Order GDM General Director of Ministries CM Class Meeting RSV Revised Standard Version LBQ Lesson Bible Quarterly v ABSTRACT The Methodist Church is known for its Class System. It is an important discipleship process which all members in the church are required to be part of. It is a response to the Great Commission found in Matthew 28:18-20. The exegesis of the text revealed that the main command is ―make disciples‖ whilst ―going‖, ―baptising‖, and ―teaching‖ are participles supporting the main command. Making disciples encompasses evangelism and establishing the members won which would result in both qualitative and quantitative growth. The study is conducted at the Effiduase Diocese of Methodist Church Ghana (MCG) through the administration of questionnaire, interviews and examination of the Diocesan statistical reports. A number of relevant written materials such as biblical commentaries and handbooks were consulted. The research has revealed that Matthew 28:18-20 concept of discipleship and the Class System as practised by the Effiduase Diocese of MCG together with the use of Weekly Bible Lessons have improved biblical understanding of the members and some social issues as well. It further revealed that the numerical growth of the Diocese is low since the Diocesan growth rate of one point two percent (1.2%) is below national growth rate of two point five percent (2.5%) against the backdrop of the Church‘s own projection of twenty percent (20%) yearly growth rate from 2004 to 2009. The study recommends intensification of outreach programmes and attendance to Class Meetings. These would ensure qualitative and quantitative growth of the Diocese. vi Table of Content Page Declaration ................................................................................................................................ii Dedication ................................................................................................................................iii Acknowledgement ....................................................................................................................iv List of Abbreviation ..................................................................................................................v Abstract ....................................................................................................................................vi Table of Content .................................................................................................................vii-ix Chapter One: General Introduction 1.1 Introduction .........................................................................................................................1 1.2 Background to the Study .....................................................................................................1 1.3 Statement of Problem ..........................................................................................................3 1.4 Objective of the Study .........................................................................................................5 1.5 Research Questions .............................................................................................................5 1.6 Scope of Study ....................................................................................................................5 1.7 Study Approach and Methodology .....................................................................................6 1.8 Theoretical Framework .......................................................................................................6 1.9 Significance of the Study ....................................................................................................7 1.10 Delimitation of the Study ..............................................................................................7 1.11 Problems Encountered ..................................................................................................8 1.12 Literature Review ..........................................................................................................8 1.13 Profile and brief history of the Effiduase Diocese ......................................................22 1.14 Organisation of the Research ......................................................................................23 Chapter Two: The Background, Message and Exegesis of Matthew 28:18-20 2.1 Introduction .......................................................................................................................24 2.2 Background of the Gospel of Matthew .............................................................................24 2.3.1 Synopsis .........................................................................................................................29 2.3.2 Infancy Narrative ............................................................................................................30 2.3.3 The Passion story and Resurrection ...............................................................................31 2.4 Discipleship: The Concluding Command of Jesus (Matthew 28:18-20) ..........................34 vii 2.5 The New Testament Text and Translation of Matthew 28:18-20 .....................................36 2.6 Exegesis of Matthew 28:18-20 ..........................................................................................38 2.7 Three Main Division of Matthew 28:18-20 ......................................................................44 2.8 Content of Discipleship .....................................................................................................50 2.9 Conclusion .........................................................................................................................50 Chapter Three: History, Development, and Practice of the Methodist Class System 3.1 Introduction .......................................................................................................................52 3.2 Brief History of the Class System .....................................................................................52 3.3 The Meaning of the Class System .....................................................................................56 3.4 Membership of the Class System ......................................................................................58 3.5 The Leadership of the Class System .................................................................................59 3.6 Religio-Economic Purposes of the Class System .............................................................64 3.7 The Benefits of the Class System ......................................................................................66
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