DOCSLIB.ORG

A Soteriology from God's Perspective

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
A Soteriology from God's Perspective Doctoral Project Approval Sheet This doctoral project entitled A SOTERIOLOGY FROM GOD’S PERSPECTIVE: STUMBLING INTO GOD’S RIGHTEOUSNESS FOR A PENTECOSTAL MISSION STRATEGY FOR JAPAN Written by PUI BAK CHUA and submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Ministry has been accepted by the Faculty of Fuller Theological Seminary upon the recommendation of the undersigned readers: _____________________________________ Dr. Cindy S. Lee _____________________________________ Dr. Kurt Fredrickson Date Received: February 5, 2020 A SOTERIOLOGY FROM GOD’S PERSPECTIVE: STUMBLING INTO GOD’S RIGHTEOUSNESS FOR A PENTECOSTAL MISSION STRATEGY FOR JAPAN A MINISTRY FOCUS PAPER SUBMITTED TO THE FACULTY OF THE SCHOOL OF THEOLOGY FULLER THEOLOGICAL SEMINARY IN PARTIAL FULFILLMENT OF THE REQUIREMENTS FOR THE DEGREE DOCTOR OF MINISTRY BY PUI BAK CHUA FEBRUARY 2020 Copyrightã 2020 by Pui Bak Chua All Rights Reserved ABSTRACT A Soteriology from God’s Perspective: Stumbling into God’s Righteousness for A Pentecostal Mission Strategy for Japan Pui Bak, Chua Doctor of Ministry 2020 School of Theology, Fuller Theological Seminary Building upon theology; scriptural principles; and religious, cultural, and social studies, this doctoral project aims to implement a discipleship process utilizing the modified Twelve Steps concept (N12) for Niihama Gospel Christ Church (NGCC) and Japanese Christians. In mutually caring closed groups and in God’s presence where participants encounter the Scriptures and their need to live a witnessing life, N12 aims for eventual habit change, ministry empowerment, and development of Christlikeness translated into culturally-relevant witnessing. Part One will begin by describing the general trend of decline in both the community and church contexts. It will also form the introductory portion of the N12 group agenda. It addresses the obstacles for growth and the needs for theological, foundational, and leadership changes. Part Two will engage the relevant resources for a theological foundation in light of the ongoing work of the Holy Spirit in the world—His sanctifying and empowering works in the church for ministry partnership. It includes an exegesis on biblical righteousness for a holistic view of God, of His image-bearers, and of the world He is passionate about. It is hopeful that this corrective view by itself will liberate and transform the N12 participants. Part Three will explore the applications of the above theological findings and decipher them in the N12 group. The structure and content for the pilot project will be elaborated; the roles of facilitators and the participating community explained; the timeline, the various group dynamics and the use of testimonials briefed. Assessment for modification, enhancement, and future recruitment will also be discussed. ACKNOWLEDGMENTS The Doctor of Ministry journey has been an expensive one in every sense of the word. Standing now at the completion of the Doctoral Project, I am humbled, grateful, and keenly aware that it is but the beginning of real works ahead. Honor and acknowledgement must first be made public for the private contributions that helped make today's result a reality. I am grateful first of all to my wife Megumi for her encouragement for me to embark in the almost decade-long journey with Fuller Theological Seminary and her consent to stretch our limited resources, as well as her help with the diagrams and tables in this paper. My thanks to Charis, my eldest daughter who became a children pastor at ten years of age—the youngest I have ever known. She endearingly called me a "nocturnal" for my years of lifestyle contrary to hers because of my study at Fuller. With her younger sister Channah, their diligence and motivation in their respective homeschooling have been my inspirations. Most of all, praise and glory to our Lord Jesus and the immanent Holy Spirit to whom Channah has been offering her availing prayers to, and who has counted me worthy to take a small part in the "battle" to finish the writing task. A word of thanks to my parents-in-law, Shozo and Tomiko Kusu, the senior pastors of NGCC, for allowing me time for study. Special thanks to NGCC for being my prayer partners and the testing ground for the Project. My heartfelt gratitude for the financial help from my elder sister Mui Chai; elder brother Steven; the late Pastor Steven Lee and his wife Sally, and my first pastors Bruce and Lynn Harpel of Maranatha Church in Minneapolis where Christ found me in 1987. Remembering also the late Rev. Dr. Rick Seaward who sent my wife and I to Sapporo, Japan as missionaries in 2003. My prayer is that your fruit on this Earth will not only remain but will be multiplied a hundred fold over. Last but not least, my gratitude extends to Dr. Veli-Matti Kärkkäinen for his initiatory supervision and Dr. Cindy Lee for her subsequent guidance; Dr. Craig Detweiler who encouraged me for the research on righteousness, and Dr. Amos Yong who helped to confirm the direction of my Project. Thank you! God bless you all! iii TABLE OF CONTENTS ACKNOWLEDGMENTS iv PART ONE: MINISTRY CONTEXT INTRODUCTION 2 CHAPTER ONE: OVERVIEW OF NIIHAMA GOSPEL CHRIST CHURCH IN NIIHAMA, JAPAN 16 PART TWO: THEOLOGICAL REFLECTION CHAPTER TWO: REVIEW OF RELEVANT LITERATURE FOR A CULTURALLY APPROPRIATE OUTREACH AT NGCC 27 CHAPTER THREE: GOD’S UNFATHOMABLE LOVE AND HUMAN RESPONSIBILITY 57 PART THREE: MINISTRY STRATEGY CHAPTER FOUR: MISSION STRATEGIES, ALTERNATIVES, SOLUTIONS, AND OUTREACH IDEAS 132 CHAPTER FIVE: N12 PILOT PROJECT IMPLEMENTATION AND THE ESTABLISHMENT OF A DEPARTMENT OF DISCIPLESHIP 167 SUMMARY AND CONCLUSION 176 APPENDICES 178 BIBLIOGRAPHY 195 iv PART ONE MINISTRY CHALLENGE/CONTEXT INTRODUCTION It is a well-known fact that though Japan has the most missionaries per capita, that though Japan was exposed to Christianity earlier than countries like Korea, this branch of Abrahamic faith is still struggling to take root in the land of the rising sun. It seems as though God has left Himself without a witness in this beloved land where my two daughters were born. Gratefully, this paper seems to point in a contrary direction. This paper began as a research study for Niihama Gospel Christ Church (NGCC) in Niihama City, Japan, where I have had the honor to serve for more than ten years, to engage its unbelieving community. It is a Pentecostal church established in 1972, affiliated with the Japan Assemblies of God. Though it suffers dwindling membership in terms of its physical, financial, and numerical criteria, it is considered to be a model church compared with the majority of the Japanese churches whose congregations range from fifteen to fifty in weekly attendance. The Challenge of Church Growth in Japan Like most churches in Japan, NGCC’s remedies for the perennial setback on growth has been staked back and forth between the simplistic Pentecostal strategy of (more) prayer on the one hand, and the duplication of limitless mega- 2 church models on the other, both of which have been found wanting. The church nationwide engages in activities such as evangelistic efforts, “cell groups” systems, and other recruitment drives. Interest-based outreaches such as English lessons, Gospel music choirs, and entertainment-oriented programs such as food or music festivals are regularly conducted. Nevertheless, the limitations of all these activities outweigh their strengths. Seen as church programs orchestrated more for themselves, most Christians who take part do so seasonally and routinely. In the midst of their perpetual career-related busyness, they join in for its entertainment and social values, altogether lacking compelling acumen and evangelistic dynamics. The lack of results often determines the lifespan of these programs. A recent doctorate dissertation on a related subject by Naoki Inoue, a native Japanese who is also one of the contributors in a cutting-edge book about the unseen spiritual world entitled Interdisciplinary and Religio-Cultural Discourses on a Spirit-Filled World: Loosing the Spirits,1 affords great insights and delight. Inoue believes that one of the reasons Christianity is stagnant in Japan is due to the cultural-theological “mismatch” between the Christian message of a transcendent God and the Japanese pantheistic cultural practice that 1 Naoki Inoue, “Spirit and Spirits in Pantheistic Shintoism; A Critical Dialogue with Christian Panentheism,” pages 55-70 in Interdisciplinary and Religio-Cultural Discourses on a Spirit-Filled World: Loosing the Spirits, eds. Veli-Matti Kärkäinnen, Kirsteen Kim, and Amos Yong (New York: Palgrave Macmillan, 2013). 3 embraces a view of gods or kami existing everywhere. He asserts that Christianity has been taught as a transcendence religion at the expense of the people’s “reality, sociality and daily lives.”2 To add to Inoue’s observations, perhaps “transcendence” also reveals their view of Christianity as impersonal. The sun- goddess as the mother from whom they believe to have originated is after all more personable and more suited to their natural temperate personality. Centering on the unbelievers at the receiving end, Inoue basically points out the ineffectiveness in outreach. This study agrees with his appraisal. In honest assessment on the ground, however, it is also easy to see that the presumed givers—the passive believers—are responsible as well: no outreach equals no growth.3 The Crux of the Matter The root of the problem has to do with the personal mentality and reasons for practicing the faith. This study contends that the reason for the low population of Christians in Japan is that Christians in general do not impact the unbelievers around them. They lack both spiritual zeal and reason for outreach, let alone 2 Naoki Inoue, “Toward a Japanese Contextual Pneumatology: A Critical Dialogue with Japanese Pantheistic Spirituality and Jürgen Moltmann’s Panentheistic Pneumatology” (PhD Diss., Fuller Theological Seminary, 2019), 247, UMI Number: 3588216. 3 Personal discipleship is the missing element in most churches.
Load more

Recommended publications
  • CALL NUMBER AUTHOR TITLE COPYRIGHT 152.1 Skoglund
    CALL NUMBER AUTHOR TITLE COPYRIGHT 152.1 Skoglund,Elizabeth More Than Coping 1979 152.4 Jampolsky, Gerald Good-Bye to Guilt 1985 152.4 Valles, Carlos G. Let Go Of Fear Tackling Our Worst Emotion 1991 153.4 Peale, Norman Imaging The Powerful Way to Change Your Life 1982 155.2 Littauer, Florence Personality Plus How To Understand Others By Understanding Yourself 1992 155.67 Doka, Kenneth (edited by) Living with Grief: Loss in Later Life 2002 155.9 Callanan, Maggie Final Gifts Understanding Special Awareness Needs, and Communications of the Dying 1992 155.9 Doka, Kenneth (edited by) Coping with Public Tragedy 2003 155.9 Doka, Kenneth (edited by) Living With Grief: Who We Are How We Grieve 1998 155.9 Enright, Robert D. Phd Forgiveness Is A Choice A Step-by-Step Process for Resolving Anger and Restoring Hope 2001 155.9 Grollman, Earl Bereaved Children and Teens 1995 155.9 Hay, Louise You Can Heal Your Life 1984 155.9 Hellwig,Monika What Are They Saying About Death and Christian Hope? 1978 155.9 Hover, Margot Caring For Yourself When Caring For Others 1993 155.9 Kubler-Ross, Elizabeth Living With Death and Dying 1982 155.9 Kushner, HaroldWhen All You've Ever Wanted Isn't Enough 1986 155.9 Osmont, Kelly More Than Surviving:Caring For Yourself While You Grieve 1990 155.9 Simon, Dr. Sidney B. Forgiveness:How to Make Peace with Your Past and Get on with Your Life 1990 155.9 Williams, Donna Grief Ministry Helping Others Mourn 1992 158 Canfield, Jack A 2nd Helping of Chicken Soup for the Soul 1995 158 Canfield, Jack A 3rd Helping of Chicken Soup for the Soul 1996 158 Casey, Karen In God's Care:Daily Meditations on Spirituality in Recovery 1991 158 Jones, Laurie Beth Jesus CEO Using Ancient Wisdom for Visionary Leadership 1994 158 McGee, Robert S.
    [Show full text]
  • Meserete Kristos Church Leadership During the Ethiopian Revolution (1974-1991)
    Thriving under Persecution: Meserete Kristos Church Leadership during the Ethiopian Revolution (1974-1991) BRENT L. KIPFER* Abstract: Under persecution during the Ethiopian Revolution (1974-1991), highly committed men and women led the Meserete Kristos Church (MKC) through remarkable transformation and growth. Although persecution has been an enduring reality in the global church, leadership in that context has received scant research attention. Drawing on interviews and other first-person accounts of faithful MKC leaders in the Derg era, this essay explores the dynamics of their experience using the leadership theory of Robert E. Quinn as a conceptual lens. Persecution forced MKC leaders to clarify the priority of their commitment to Jesus and the mission of the church. Prepared to die for the sake of the gospel, they demonstrated leadership marked by a highly effective pursuit of purpose, compelling integrity under pressure, attractive love, and remarkable creativity—leading to extraordinary results. Between 1974 and 1991 the Meserete Kristos Church (MKC)—an Anabaptist Christian renewal movement in Ethiopia—experienced a profound transformation. Under pressure from a Marxist regime bent on eradicating evangelical Christianity from the country, the MKC grew from 800 to 34,000 baptized members, greatly expanded its geographic reach, dramatically increased the pool of people in active ministry, became financially self-supporting, adopted a radically new ministry structure, and nurtured a contagious spiritual vitality among its members. A remarkable group of leaders—both men and women—played an essential role in this transformation, leading the MKC with courageous purpose, integrity, love, and creativity. This essay, based largely on extensive interviews with twenty-four MKC leaders, explores the dynamics of leadership that enabled the MKC not only to survive but also to flourish under circumstances of persecution and extreme hardship.
    [Show full text]
  • Five Principles to Make and Multiply Disciples Through the Small Group Ministry
    LIBERTY BAPTIST THEOLOGICAL SEMINARY FIVE PRINCIPLES TO MAKE AND MULTIPLY DISCIPLES THROUGH THE SMALL GROUP MINISTRY DOCTOR OF MINISTRY PROJECT A Thesis Project Submitted to Liberty Baptist Theological Seminary in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree DOCTOR OF MINISTRY By Timothy W. Yates Barboursville, West Virginia November, 2012 ii Copyright © 2012 by Timothy W. Yates All Rights Reserved iii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS In January of 2009, my Pastor, Dr. David Lemming began to realize the traditional Sunday school was no longer effective as a means of evangelism and discipleship. Consequently, Pastor Lemming asked me to investigate the small group model. Thank you Pastor for having the wisdom and fortitude to leave a traditional model in order to embrace a more effective means of making disciples. Thank you for entrusting me with this ministry. Fortunately, that same year, I enrolled at Liberty Baptist Theological Seminary and eventually became a disciple of Dr. Dave Earley and Dr. Rodney Dempsey. I want to thank these two godly men for sending me on the most incredible journey of my life. You time, training, and friendship have been invaluable and life changing. I also want to thank my wife (soul mate) who also joined me in my mission. Thank you for being an incredible small group leader, disciple-maker and multiplier. You have the uncanny ability to see the big picture and the incredible potential of multiplication. It is a joy serving Jesus shoulder-to-shoulder with you. I also want to thank my mentor, Dr. Charles Davidson and my reader, Dr. Rodney Dempsey. Your constant encouragement has inspired me to forge ahead during the difficult days of writing.
    [Show full text]
  • Rethinking Discipleship at Faith Methodist Church in Singapore: Making Disciples Through Effective Small Groups
    Please HONOR the copyright of these documents by not retransmitting or making any additional copies in any form (Except for private personal use). We appreciate your respectful cooperation. ___________________________ Theological Research Exchange Network (TREN) P.O. Box 30183 Portland, Oregon 97294 USA Website: www.tren.com E-mail: [email protected] Phone# 1-800-334-8736 ___________________________ ATTENTION CATALOGING LIBRARIANS TREN ID# Online Computer Library Center (OCLC) MARC Record # Digital Object Identification DOI # Ministry Focus Paper Approval Sheet This ministry focus paper entitled RETHINKING DISCIPLESHIP AT FAITH METHODIST CHURCH IN SINGAPORE: MAKING DISCIPLES THROUGH EFFECTIVE SMALL GROUPS Written by MOH-YING WONG and submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Ministry has been accepted by the Faculty of Fuller Theological Seminary upon the recommendation of the undersigned reader: _____________________________________ Kurt Fredrickson Date Received: December 13, 2015 RETHINKING DISCIPLESHIP AT FAITH METHODIST CHURCH IN SINGAPORE: MAKING DISCIPLES THROUGH EFFECTIVE SMALL GROUPS A MINISTRY FOCUS PAPER SUBMITTED TO THE FACULTY OF THE SCHOOL OF THEOLOGY FULLER THEOLOGICAL SEMINARY IN PARTIAL FULFILLMENT OF THE REQUIREMENTS FOR THE DEGREE DOCTOR OF MINISTRY BY MOH-YING WONG DECEMBER 2015 ABSTRACT Rethinking Discipleship at Faith Methodist Church in Singapore: Making Disciples through Effective Small Groups Moh-Ying Wong Doctor of Ministry School of Theology, Fuller Theological Seminary 2015 The goal of this paper is to develop an intentional communal disciple-making process at Faith Methodist Church that will help foster life transformation among its members. At Faith Methodist Church, a transformed life is defined as one growing in the areas of Fellowship (community), Adoration (worship), Involvement (service), Transformation (discipleship), and Harvest (evangelism).
    [Show full text]
  • 80513 Bibliography
    8 80513 BIBLIOGRAPHY Ahlstrom, Sydney E. A Religious History of the American People. New Haven, CT: Yale University Press, 1972. Allen, Roland. Missionary Methods: St. Paul’s or Ours? Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1962. __________. The Spontaneous Expansion of the Church. Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1962. Alexander, Archibald. The Log College. Edinburgh: Banner of Truth Trust, 1968. Anderson, Neil, and Elmer L. Towns. Rivers of Revival: How God is Moving & Pouring Himself Out on His People Today. Ventura, CA: Regal, 1997. Arn, Win, Elmer Towns, and Peter Wagner. Church Growth: State of the Art. Wheaton: Tyndale, 1989. Autrey, C. E. Renewals Before Pentecost. Nashville: Broadman, 1968. ________. Revivals of the Old Testament. Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1960. Baer, Hans A. African-American Religion in the Twentieth Century: Varieties of Protest and Accommodation. Knoxville: University of Tennessee Press, 1992. Bahr, Robert. Least of All Saints: The Story of Aimee Semple McPherson. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice Hall, 1979. Bainton, Roland. Yale and the Ministry. New York: Harper, 1957. Baker, Ernest. The Revivals of the Bible. London: Kingsgate Press, 1906. Banks, Robert J. Paul’s Idea of Community: The Early Church Houses in Their Historical Setting. Peabody, MA: Hendrickson, 1994. Barrett, David B. Evangelize! A Historical Survey of the Concept. Birmingham, AL: New Hope, 1987. Beardsley, Frank G. A History of American Revivals. New York: American Tract Society, 1904. Beasley-Murray, Paul, and Alan Wilkinson. Turning the Tide: An Assessment of Baptist Church Growth in England. London: Bible Society, 1981. Beere, Joel R. Puritan Evangelism—A Biblical Approach. Grand Rapids: Reformation Heritage Books, 1999. Blumhofer, Edith L.
    [Show full text]
  • Young Pastors Give Their Take on the Church of God by Carl Stagner
    August 2011 In this issue Young Pastors Give Their Take Young Pastors Give Their Take on the Church of on the Church of God By Carl Stagner God, 1 Macro Missions in Micro- nesia, 2 he Church of God Leadership Summit 2011 Put is rich in diversity. Faith into Action, 3 The spectrum of Tbackgrounds, cultures, Social Media Keeps the Church Connected, 4 perceptions, and ages is Tear ‘n’ Share Permeates broad. I asked Jonathan Local Eateries During NAC Frymire (30), Erin Taylor 2011, 5 (30), and Chris Denney Jonathan Erin Taylor Chris Denney Choosing Unity, 6 (34), a series of questions to Frymire 55th In Service Training get a sense of the Church of Institute Convenes in God from the perspective stand the call to follow Christ as both Leader Anderson, 7 of young pastors. and Forgiver until high school. While attend- Martha Black: E-mail ing college, we were part of a significant Encourager, 8 CGM: How were you called into ministry? revival in our college town, and it was during MACU to Launch Worship Frymire: My calling came gradually. The that time that God called me to a deeper walk Certificate Program, 9 first nudges toward ministry probably came with him and also to a life of ministry. For Leaven’s Sake: Targeting in high school; however, I was extremely Our Own Kind, 12 reluctant to follow that path. With so many CGM: What are your specific ministry passions? Subscribe pastors in the family, I didn’t want to go into Frymire: When it comes to Christianity, I ministry just because it was what I knew.
    [Show full text]
  • The Millennial Church?: Defining the Newspring Virtual Church
    Clemson University TigerPrints All Theses Theses 5-2013 The iM llennial church?: Defining the NewSpring virtual church Lauren Rauchwarter Clemson University, [email protected] Follow this and additional works at: https://tigerprints.clemson.edu/all_theses Part of the Religion Commons Recommended Citation Rauchwarter, Lauren, "The iM llennial church?: Defining the NewSpring virtual church" (2013). All Theses. 1629. https://tigerprints.clemson.edu/all_theses/1629 This Thesis is brought to you for free and open access by the Theses at TigerPrints. It has been accepted for inclusion in All Theses by an authorized administrator of TigerPrints. For more information, please contact [email protected]. THE MILLENNIAL CHURCH?: DEFINING THE NEWSPRING VIRTUAL CHURCH A Thesis Presented to the Graduate School of Clemson University In Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree Master of Arts Communication, Technology, and Society by Lauren Rose Rauchwarter May 2013 Accepted by: Dr. Travers Scott, Committee Chair Dr. Brenden Kendall Dr. Karyn Jones Abstract NewSpring Church is an interesting case study in understanding the rich complexities, which comprise a church community. Through the use of Relational Dialectics Theory, this study has found five dialectical pairs which exemplify the characteristics of the NewSpring community: Flawed/Perfect, Individual accountability/God’s responsibility, Church is faith/Faith is beyond church, Take risks/Accept destiny, Your God/Everyone’s God. These dialectics found only partially reflect the values and beliefs of the Millennial generation, providing a new wrapping on the old, traditional ideas of the church. Therefore, NewSpring needs to reflect and adapt in order to maintain its relevance and livelihood in the future.
    [Show full text]
  • In Their Own Words
    DEPARTMENT OF MEDICINE ANNUAL REPORT 2017 Department of Medicine Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center 330 Brookline Avenue, Boston, MA 02215 617-667-7000 bidmc.org/medicine IN THEIR OWN WORDS Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center is a patient care, teaching and research affiliate of Harvard Medical School and consistently ranks as a national leader among independent hospitals in National Institutes of Health funding. BIDMC is in the community with Beth Israel Deaconess Hospital-Milton, Beth Israel Deaconess Hospital-Needham, Beth Israel Deaconess Hospital-Plymouth, Anna Jaques Hospital, Cambridge Health Alliance, Lawrence General Hospital, Signature Healthcare, Beth Israel Deaconess HealthCare, Community Care Alliance and Atrius Health. BIDMC is also clinically affiliated with the Joslin Diabetes Center and Hebrew SeniorLife and is a research partner of Dana-Farber/Harvard Cancer Center and The Jackson Laboratory. BIDMC is the official hospital of the Boston Red Sox. For more information, visit www.bidmc.org. The Department of Medicine wishes to thank the many individuals who contributed to this report, including department and division leaders. We also thank Gigi Korzenowski and Jerry Clark of Korzenowski Design, and Jennie Greene, Meera Kanabar, and Jacqueline St. Onge of the Department of Medicine. The photography in this report was done by BIDMC’s Jim Dwyer and Danielle Duffey, who also helped with photo research. Jane Hayward, of BIDMC Media Services, provided expert copy editing and design consultation. We also thank several members of the Development and Communications Departments for their input. Last but not least, we wish to thank all of the individuals featured in these pages for contributing their time and perspectives to this year’s annual report.
    [Show full text]
  • Paul J Worsnop June 2000 Chester-Ie-Street, Co Durham
    Durham E-Theses Facilitating mission in British Methodist churches: lessons from historical and contemporary models Worsnop, Paul J How to cite: Worsnop, Paul J (2000) Facilitating mission in British Methodist churches: lessons from historical and contemporary models, Durham theses, Durham University. Available at Durham E-Theses Online: http://etheses.dur.ac.uk/4206/ Use policy The full-text may be used and/or reproduced, and given to third parties in any format or medium, without prior permission or charge, for personal research or study, educational, or not-for-prot purposes provided that: • a full bibliographic reference is made to the original source • a link is made to the metadata record in Durham E-Theses • the full-text is not changed in any way The full-text must not be sold in any format or medium without the formal permission of the copyright holders. Please consult the full Durham E-Theses policy for further details. Academic Support Oce, Durham University, University Oce, Old Elvet, Durham DH1 3HP e-mail: [email protected] Tel: +44 0191 334 6107 http://etheses.dur.ac.uk 2 FACILITATING MISSION IN BRITISH METHODIST CHURCHES LESSONS FROM HISTORICAL AND CONTEMPORARY MODELS The COI)yright of this thesis rests with the author. No quotation from it should he IlUhlished in any form, including Electronic and the Internet, without the author's prior written consent. All information derh'ed from this thesis must he acknowledged aJ)l,ropriately. Paul J Worsnop June 2000 Submitted to the University of Durham for degree of Master of Arts (Theology Department) \"I '; ,"'- ~-I- ~ 7 JAN lUUl FACILITATING MISSION IN BRITISH METHODIST CHURCHES LESSONS FROM HISTORICAL AND CONTEMPORARY MODELS Paul J Worsllop - MA Degree (Durham) - JUlie 2000 ABSTRACT The recent rapid decline and current ageing membership of British Methodism has given rise to questions as to whether it has a viable future.
    [Show full text]
  • Buddhism BULLETIN World Religions
    Interfaith Evangelism BELIEF Buddhism BULLETIN World Religions Founder: Siddhartha Gautama, a prince from northern India near modern Nepal who lived about 563-483 B.C. Scriptures: Various, but the oldest and most authoritative are compiled in the Pali Canon. Adherents: 323,894,000 worldwide; 920,000 in the United States. (Source: www.zpub.com/un/pope/rdig.html [cited 21 March 2001]) General Description: Buddhism is the belief system of those who follow the Buddha, the Enlightened One, a title given to its founder. The religion has evolved into three main schools: 1.Theravada or Southern Buddhism (38%) is followed in Sri Lanka (Ceylon), Myanmar (Burma), Thailand, Cambodia (Kampuchea), and Vietnam. 2.Mahayana or Eastern Buddhism (56%) is strong in China, Korea, and Japan. 3.Vajrayana, or Northern Busshism (6%) is rooted in Tibet, Nepal, and Mongolia. Theravada is closest to the original doctrines. It does not treat the Buddha as deity and regards the faith as a worldview—not a type of worship. Mahayana has accommodated many different beliefs and worships the Buddha as a god. Vajrayana has added elements of shamanism and the occult and includes taboo breaking (intention- al immorality) as a means of spiritual enlightenment. Growth in the United States Core Beliefs Buddhists regard the United States as a prime mission Buddhism is an impersonal religion of self-perfection, field, and the number of Buddhists in this country is the end of which is death (extinction)—not life. The growing rapidly due to surges in Asian immigration, essential elements of the Buddhist belief system are endorsement by celebrities such as Tina Turner and summarized in the Four Noble Truths, the Noble Richard Gere, and positive exposure in major movies Eightfold Path, and several additional key doctrines.
    [Show full text]
  • The Cell Group Church Structure: an Evaluation
    The Cell Group Church Structure: An Evaluation Peter Koh INTRODUCTION The modern Cell Church movement that emerged over the last two and a half decades of the 20th Century has been hailed by some as the Second Reformation1. It has been credited for the rise of huge churches in many parts of the world, with membership running into the thousands. I would like to deal with one specific model in the Cell church movement. It is a model formulated by church growth specialist, Ralph Neighbour Jr., and fleshed out by several large churches in Singapore and Malaysia2. For a while it received star billing here and overseas as a definitive answer to the growth and outreach needs of the church. Using Neighbour’s terminology, we shall refer to this type of church format as the Cell Group Church, or CGC for short3. 1 By authors such as William Beckham in The Second Reformation – Reshaping the Church for the 21st Century (Houston: Touch Publications, 1997), and Greg Oden in The New Reformation – Returning the Ministry to the People of God, (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1990). 2 The methodology of this church format is definitively set out in: Ralph Neighbour Jr., Where Do We Go From Here? A Guidebook for the Cell Group Church (Houston: Touch, 1990), and Lawrence Khong, The Apostolic Cell Church (Singapore: Touch Ministries, 2000). 3 The CGC format is commonly regarded as a Western adaptation of David Yonggi Cho’s pioneer mega cell church in Seoul, South Korea. In his CGC Guidebook, Neighbour made many references to the mega cell churches in Seoul.
    [Show full text]
  • New Hope-Solebury Middle School Art and Literary Magazine Spring 2013 Mr
    Alex Wachob Through Our Eyes New Hope-Solebury Middle School Art and Literary Magazine Spring 2013 Mr. Charles Malone, Principal Dr. Raymond Boccuti, Superintendent Breezes run through the trees Making chills come to me, Red and green leaves circle around Making a swooshing sound, Bright sun shining in my face This is a perfect place, The long and sturdy roots Green grass sticking to my boots, The patterned bark feels rough on my hand As I think of this wonderful land, Aaron Hafner Clouds as white as can be dance in the sky Dark clouds Everything very relaxed as if nature is giving one big sigh, Cover my window Shutting out all the light Tree tall, reflecting the memories of the past A fleeting nightmare I know these important memories will last. Covered by a scarf I begin to move… Goodbye Anne Chapin Even now I don’t understand Goodbye As if calling out to the utter stillness Letting out all my emotions to the world Goodbye Please sing for me… Grief is not the sea, you can drink it down to the bottom! The white snow Blows through the wind Putting splotches on the moon I hear death By the calling of the crow I begin to move… Goodbye Even now I don’t understand Goodbye Calling out to the stillness Shutting out all of my emotions I am changing! So I sing to the …world Adrian Roji Heather Borochaner 1 Juliette Dignan Wind sweeps across an open meadow Rippling like ocean waves Wisps of white cotton float aimlessly through blue Vivid light shines down from above Watching over the animals below Twenty four pairs of paws tread Dad, a lumbering elephant Mother the watchful bear Sister deer leaping Youngest readying to pounce Eldest horse is patient, observing the scene from a reserved eye While brother, the dog sniffs the air, always curious In the green of the grass the family of six is quite a mix.
    [Show full text]