Ministry Formation of Emerging Christian Leaders
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ABSTRACT MINISTRY FORMATION OF EMERGING CHRISTIAN LEADERS: EQUIPPING EMERGING LEADERS TO MINISTER AMONG THE MARGINALIZED by Sithembiso Hlophe In South Africa, more men and women enter the vocation of Christian ministry on a continuous basis. Some do this in an informal way; whereas, others follow certain prescribed processes of their churches which ultimately leads to them being ordained to pastoral roles. However, the gap between the rich and the poor continues to widen at an exceedingly high rate in South Africa. This means that the context in which the church serves is characterized by many social ills. As a result, those who live on the margins of society are the biggest sufferers of our fractured and broken society. Therefore, the question is: what type of ministry practitioners should the church have in order to ensure that their practice of ministry responds to the transformational needs of their local contexts? This study addressed the question of ministry formation of the emerging leaders in the churches of different traditions. The literature review provided helpful models and guides for the effective formation of leaders. These were subsequently explored further by engaging with nine emerging ministry leaders/pastors, nine senior church leaders, as well as four executives of theological institutions. A combination of individual interviews, as well as a focus group, further created awareness among the participants of the need for those aspiring to enter (or have just entered) ministry to become fully aware of the context to which God is inviting them to serve. More importantly, the process of spiritual, ministry, and strategic formation of a Christian leader was highlighted. MINISTRY FORMATION OF EMERGING CHRISTIAN LEADERS: EQUIPPING EMERGING LEADERS TO MINISTER AMONG THE MARGINALIZED A Dissertation Presented to the Faculty of Asbury Theological Seminary In Partial Fulfillment Of the Requirements for the Degree Doctor of Ministry by Sithembiso Hlophe May 2021 © 2021 Sithembiso Hlophe ALL RIGHTS RESERVED TABLE OF CONTENTS Page LIST OF TABLES ...................................................................................................... viii LIST OF FIGURES ........................................................................................................ ix ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ............................................................................................. x CHAPTER 1 NATURE OF THE PROJECT .................................................................. 1 Overview of the Chapter ..................................................................................... 1 Personal Introduction .......................................................................................... 2 Statement of the Problem .................................................................................... 5 Purpose of the Project .......................................................................................... 5 Research Questions .............................................................................................. 6 Research Question #1 ............................................................................... 6 Research Question #2 ............................................................................... 6 Research Question #3 ............................................................................... 6 Rationale for the Project ....................................................................................... 6 Definition of Key Terms ..................................................................................... 9 Delimitations .................................................................................................... 11 Review of Relevant Literature ............................................................................ 12 Research Methodology ...................................................................................... 14 Type of Research ................................................................................... 15 Participants ............................................................................................ 15 Instrumentation ...................................................................................... 16 Data Collection ...................................................................................... 17 iii Data Analysis ........................................................................................ 17 Generalizability ..................................................................................... 18 Project Overview .............................................................................................. 19 CHAPTER 2 LITERATURE REVIEW FOR THE PROJECT ....................................... 20 Overview of the Chapter .................................................................................... 20 Biblical Foundations .......................................................................................... 21 Examples of Leadership Formation in the Old Testament ....................... 21 Examples of Leadership Formation in the New Testament ...................... 26 Bible Centered and Authentic Spiritual Leadership ................................. 32 Leadership Defined: Secular vs Spiritual/Religious ................................ 33 Christian Ministry Leadership and Christlikeness — Lead like Jesus ...... 36 Theological Foundations .................................................................................... 39 Divine Empowerment: Leadership Formation as the Work of Holy Spirit. ..................................................................................................... 39 Trinity: Relational Nature of Ministerial Leadership Formation………………………………………………………………...42 Priesthood of All Believers in Ministry Leadership Formation………….44 Christian Leadership Development..……………………………...…………..…46 Holistic Ministry Leadership Formation…………………………………50 Pastor/Church Leader Formed through Preaching ................................... 78 Ministry Leadership and Local Context (African Culture and the Marginalized). ........................................................................................ 81 Research Design Literature ............................................................................... 89 Summary of Literature ...................................................................................... 91 CHAPTER 3 RESEARCH METHODOLOGY FOR THE PROJECT……………….....93 iv Overview of the Chapter…………………………………………………...…….93 Nature and Purpose of the Project ...................................................................... 93 Research Questions ............................................................................................ 94 Research Question #1 ............................................................................. 94 Research Question #2 ............................................................................. 95 Research Question #3 ............................................................................. 95 Ministry Context ................................................................................................ 96 Participants ....................................................................................................... 97 Criteria for Selection ............................................................................. 97 Description of Participants ...................................................................... 97 Ethical Considerations ............................................................................ 99 Instrumentation ................................................................................................ 100 Expert Review ...................................................................................... 100 Reliability & Validity of Project Design .............................................. 101 Data Collection ................................................................................................ 102 Data Analysis ................................................................................................... 104 CHAPTER 4 EVIDENCE FOR THE PROJECT ......................................................... 106 Overview of the Chapter ................................................................................. 106 Participants ..................................................................................................... 106 Research Question #1: Description of Evidence .............................................. 109 Traditional Theological Education ........................................................ 110 Organization and Inter-personal Relations Skills................................... 110 v Spiritual Disciplines seeking to form Christ-like Character ................. 111 Research Question #2: Description of Evidence .............................................. 114 Research Question #3: Description of Evidence .............................................. 116 In-house Ministerial Formation Programs ............................................. 117 The Practice of Ministry (Theory and Practice) .................................... 119 Summary of Major Findings ............................................................................ 120 CHAPTER 5 LEARNING REPORT FOR THE PROJECT ......................................... 122 Overview of the Chapter ................................................................................. 122