REPUBLIQUE DU CAMEROUN REPUBLIC OF CAMEROON ************ ************ PAIX – TRAVAIL – PATRIE PEACE – WORK – FATHERLAND ************ ************ FACULTE DE THEOLOGIE CAMEROON FACULTY OF EVANGELIQUE DU CAMEROUN EVANGELICAL THEOLOGY TOWARD A MODEL OF MAKING DISCIPLES OF JESUS AMONG MUSLIMS: CASE OF THE MBORORO MUSLIMS OF NORTH WEST REGION OF CAMEROON By Fuhbang Emmanuel Tanifum A Dissertation Submitted to the The School of Intercultural Studies CAMEROON FACULTY OF EVANGELICAL THEOLOGY In Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree Doctor of Philosophy in Intercultural Studies Under the Supervision of Mogens Stensbæk Mogensen Samuel Kwak Yeokyung June 2019 ABSTRACT This study proceeds with the conviction that our approaches to making disciples of Jesus among Mbororo Muslims in the North West Region of Cameroon must be examined in order to identify those that do not raise unnecessary barriers to the reception of the gospel message. The study explores the relevance of current disciple making models among the Mbororo in the North West Region of Cameroon and also investigates possible perspectives that might lead to the most appropriate model of making disciples of Jesus among these Mbororo. The study uses a qualitative research methodology and field data are analyzed using the grounded theory. The research results demonstrate that Mbororo Background Followers of Jesus in the region are rare. The research results also demonstrate that theories and methods of contextualization among Muslims in general and the FulBe in particular do not hold absolutely in the Mbororo context of the North West Region of Cameroon because of its own specificities which must be taken into consideration. Therefore, the Mbororo context in the North West Region of Cameroon presents strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats for the making of disciples of Jesus. In order to consolidate the strengths, transform the weaknesses, exploit the opportunities and curb the threats, this research proposes the holistic transformation model as the most appropriate model for making disciples of Jesus among the Mbororo of the North West Region of the Republic of Cameroon. The holistic transformation model advocates that the discipler (missionary) enters the Mbororo context in a holistic and transformed manner and continues in that way throughout the stages of the disciple making process (reaching, teaching, training, and sending or conversion, edifying, equipping, extending). It is only in doing this that the discipler can be culturally relevant and therefore becoming effective in making disciples of Jesus among the Mbororo. Key Words: Church, Ecclesia, Mbororo, Disciple, Model, Contextualization, Disciple making, Muslims, Model, FulBe, Islam. i RÉSUMÉ Cette étude procède de la conviction que nos approches pour faire des disciples de Jésus parmi les musulmans Mbororo dans la région du Nord-Ouest du Cameroun doivent être examinées afin d'identifier celles qui ne constituent pas des obstacles inutiles à la réception du message de l'Évangile. L’étude explore la pertinence des modèles actuels de formation de disciples parmi les Mbororo de la région et étudie également les perspectives qui pourraient conduire au modèle le plus approprié pour faire des disciples de Jésus parmi ces Mbororo. L'étude utilise une méthodologie de recherche qualitative et les données de terrain sont analysées à l'aide de la ‘Grounded Theory’. Les résultats de la recherche démontrent que les disciples de Jésus d’arrière-plan Mbororo sont rares. Les résultats de la recherche démontrent également que les théories et les méthodes de contextualisation chez les musulmans en général et les Foulbé en particulier ne marchent absolument pas dans le contexte des Mbororo de la région du nord-ouest Cameroun en raison de ses spécificités qui doivent être prises en considération. Par conséquent, le contexte Mbororo dans la région présente des forces, des faiblesses, des opportunités et des menaces pour la formation de disciples de Jésus. Les points forts comprennent: La Parole toujours transformatrice de Dieu, accompagnée de la présence de Dieu et des miracles. Les faiblesses du contexte incluent : une forte ecclésia institutionnelle et multiple dénominations, des faiseurs des disciples incompétens, des obstacles internes et un christianisme syncrétique. Les opportunités incluent : un contexte sociopolitique favorable de la région et l’islam non radical de Mbororo. Les menaces du contexte incluent : les obstacles externes, l'Islam et le pulaaku. Cette recherche propose le modèle de transformation holistique comme modèle le plus approprié pour faire des disciples de Jésus parmi les Mbororo de la région du Nord-Ouest du Cameroun. Mots clé : Eglise, Ecclésia, Mbororo, Disciple, Modèle, Contextualisation, Faire des disciples, Musulmans, Modèle, Foulbé, Islam. ii DEDICATION To My Lord and Savior Jesus Christ and the memory of Mrs Asanji Winfard, my junior sister, who died on the 28th of September, 2018. iii ACKNOWLEDGMENTS I am very grateful to my mentors, Dr. Mogens Stensbæk Mogensen, who guided me through all the stages of this dissertation, and Rev. Dr. Samuel Kwak, who initially encouraged me to embark on this study and has been very supportive. I am also grateful to Rev. Dr. David Bjork who has provided his great expertise and resources to me in an unbiased manner through all the stages of this Ph.D. program. I am also grateful to my external reader Dr. Steve Sang-Cheol Moon and member of jury Rev. Dr. Ndongmanji Felix Niba who provided valuable inputs for my dissertation. My gratitude also goes to the fifteen Christian leaders in the North West Region, who co-operated with me in this research. Furthermore, my gratitude goes to Missionary Satre Scot, Mr. Tah and Mr. John who read through this dissertation and corrected the grammatical errors. I also appreciate Deaconess. Yeo Kwi Seon, who made this study possible with financial support. I want to especially thank my wife, Amabel, and our daughter, Abongnwi, who have given me their unfailing support and continual encouragement, without which this project would not have been possible. iv TABLE OF CONTENTS ABSTRACT ........................................................................................................................ i DEDICATION ................................................................................................................. iii ACKNOWLEDGMENTS……………………………………………………………….iv TABLE OF CONTENTS ................................................................................................... v LIST OF TABLES ............................................................................................................. x LIST OF FIGURES .......................................................................................................... xi LIST OF MAPS .............................................................................................................. xii LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS ........................................................................................ xiii CHAPTER 1 THE RESEARCH ISSUE ........................................................................... 1 Background. ................................................................................................................... 1 The Purpose .................................................................................................................... 6 Central Research Question ............................................................................................. 6 Significance .................................................................................................................... 7 Delimitations .................................................................................................................. 8 Definitions ...................................................................................................................... 9 Chapter Summary and Conclusion…………………………………………………....21 CHAPTER 2 RESEARCH METHODOLOGY ............................................................ 24 Library and Archival Research ..................................................................................... 24 Field Research Methodology ........................................................................................ 42 Sampling ................................................................................................................... 45 Data Collection ......................................................................................................... 50 Data analysis ............................................................................................................. 69 Ethics, Validity and Reliability ................................................................................. 79 v Chapter Summary and Conclusion ........................................................................... 82 CHAPTER 3 THE MBORORO OF NORTH WEST REGION OF THE REPUBLIC OF CAMEROON ................................................................................................................... 86 The Republic of Cameroon .......................................................................................... 86 The North West Region ................................................................................................ 93 Sociological and Anthropological Understanding of the Mbororo in the North West Region .......................................................................................................................