LIFE AND WORSHIP: A PRACTICAL THEOLOGICAL INQUIRY INTO THE ACTIVITIES OF THE PERTH ASIAN CHRISTIAN COMMUNITY By GAIL SMIT Submitted in accordance with the requirements for the degree of DOCTOR OF THEOLOGY In the subject PRACTICAL THEOLOGY At the UNIVERSITY OF SOUTH AFRICA PROMOTER: PROF. DR. JACQUES P J THERON NOVEMBER 2009 Declaration Student Number: 434 6874 I declare that “LIFE AND WORSHIP: A PRACTICAL THEOLOGICAL INQUIRY INTO THE ACTIVITIES OF THE PERTH ASIAN CHRISTIAN COMMUNITY” is my own work and that all the sources I have used or quoted have been indicated and acknowledged by means of complete references. Gail Smit November 2009 [i] KEY TERMS New Life City Church, Asian Christian Church, wall-less church, House Churches, Post- Christian, Western church, Paul Hattaway, Brother Yun, The Great Commission, church growth, founder members, first-generation Christians, Christian education, worship, conversion growth, Joshua-Life, Twelve Stones. [ii] ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS This thesis is in partial fulfilment of my calling by God to be a watchman over His house, an intercessor for the lost and those suffering in His service. This study is in His service for His glory to be revealed to all the nations. Thank you to my promoter, Prof Jacques Theron, for his expertise and encouragement. Thank you for being patient with my computer illiteracy. To my dear, wonderful husband, Hennie Smit, who has stood by me throughout this study, encouraging me in my work and supporting me every step of the way. Thank you that you live Jesus in all facets of your life. Thank you to our daughters, Bronwyn and Genevieve who have been patient with me even while they too are full time students. Thank you to my parents, Bob and Sue Trollip for their constant prayers. Thank you Pastor Yat Wan. You opened the church to me and invited everyone to participate in the study. Thank you to all those members in the NLCC who participated in the interviews and made me feel at home. Thank you NLCC for your prayers and for showing me how a wall-less church operates. I dedicate this study to the martyrs who have given their lives when they took up the call to help complete the Great Commission and the living martyrs who still suffer for their efforts. May God bless you all. [iii] ABSTRACT The focus of this practical theological study is the analysis of the life and worship of the Perth Asian Christian Community in the New Life City Church, where we note fast maturation of Christians with a desire to complete the Great Commission. As participant observer using the qualitative method, I was able to identify how the NLCC is wall-less by interviewing different groups within the church and two Western sample groups. To accomplish this, Chapter two analyses the Western and Asian churches’ understanding of the concepts ‘church’ and ‘church growth’. The evaluations showed a difference in understanding. This prompted an inquiry in chapter three into their understanding of the Great Commission from the Western and Asian viewpoint against the Biblical understanding thereof. The intention of NLCC groups interviewed in Chapters four to eight was to detect what they perceived as helping them mature as Christians, considering many are first-generation Christians. The groups interviewed included founder members, first-generation Christians, youth group leaders, returned NLCC missionaries and the pastor. By Chapter nine it was established that the Asian Christian understood worship in a broader context. Chapter ten summarises the interpreted data of the groups interviewed and identifies stimulants for maturation of individual Christians in a post-Christian environment. The broader understanding of worship is discussed. These guidelines form the building blocks for a practical theological theory of church growth. [iv] TABLE OF CONTENTS LIFE AND WORSHIP: ............................................................................................... i A PRACTICAL THEOLOGICAL INQUIRY INTO THE ACTIVITIES OF THE PERTH ASIAN CHRISTIAN COMMUNITY ........................................................................................ i Declaration ............................................................................................................ i KEY TERMS ............................................................................................................ ii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ......................................................................................... iii ABSTRACT ............................................................................................................. iv CHAPTER 1 ............................................................................................................ 1 INTRODUCTION .................................................................................................... 1 1.1 Problem stated ........................................................................................ 1 1.1.1 General overview of the Western Church ......................................................... 1 1.1.2 The Asian Church – an opposite scenario? ........................................................ 6 1.2 Rationale of research .............................................................................. 9 1.2.1 Background ........................................................................................................ 9 1.2.2 A solution? ....................................................................................................... 11 1.3 Aim of the research ................................................................................ 15 1.4 Thesis defined ........................................................................................ 15 1.5 Background for selecting The New Life City Church ................................. 17 1.6 Methodology of the research .................................................................. 18 1.6.1 What is practical theology? ............................................................................. 18 1.6.2 Positioning in practical theology ..................................................................... 28 1.7 Resources of research ............................................................................. 31 1.7.1 The interviews ................................................................................................. 31 1.7.2 Other resources in the research ...................................................................... 33 1.8 Definitions and limitation ....................................................................... 35 1.9 The arrangement of the thesis ................................................................ 41 1.10 Summary ................................................................................................ 45 CHAPTER 2 ........................................................................................................... 47 CHURCH AND CHURCH GROWTH .......................................................................... 47 2.1 The background to understanding the need to compare the Western and Asian church .......................................................................................... 47 2.2 The Western church ................................................................................ 51 2.2.1 Sinner’s prayer ................................................................................................. 54 2.2.2 Maturation of individual Christians, discipleship and relativism .................... 54 2.2.3 Obedience ........................................................................................................ 57 2.2.4 Repentance ...................................................................................................... 59 2.2.5 Meeting needs ................................................................................................. 60 2.2.6 Performance and power .................................................................................. 62 2.2.7 Fragmented body ............................................................................................ 64 2.2.8 Connection or community? ............................................................................. 66 2.2.9 A move of the Holy Spirit or a move of man? ................................................. 67 [v] 2.2.10 Entrepreneurial spirit or Holy Spirit? ............................................................... 69 2.2.11 Counter-culture or sub-culture? ...................................................................... 71 2.2.12 Seeker-sensitive ............................................................................................... 73 2.2.13 Clergy and laity ................................................................................................ 74 2.2.14 Humility and servant-hood .............................................................................. 75 2.2.15 Summary on the Western church.................................................................... 76 2.3 The Asian church .................................................................................... 78 2.3.1 Serving God or church? ................................................................................... 80 2.3.2 Personal experience of Jesus ........................................................................... 81 2.3.3 Submission ....................................................................................................... 81 2.3.4 Repentance .....................................................................................................