Doctoral Degrees (Practical Theology and Missiology)

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Browsing Doctoral Degrees (Practical Theology and Missiology) by browse.metadata.advisor "Cloete, Anita Louisa"

Now showing 1 - 6 of 6
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    Breaking the silence : sexual reproductive health as a challenge and opportunity for youth ministry in the Church of Central Africa Presbyterian (CCAP) synod of Livingstonia
    (Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University, 2024-03 ) Gondwe, John; Cloete, Anita Louisa; Stellenbosch University. Faculty of Theology. Dept. of Practical Theology and Missiology.
    ENGLISH ABSTRACT: The study was motivated by the increased prevalence of unwanted pregnancies, early marriages, unsafe abortions, and school dropouts among the youth due to a lack of Sexual Reproductive Health (SRH) knowledge. The aim of the study was to explore and establish whether the Church of Central Africa Presbyterian (CCAP) is silent on issues of SRH, and if so, how the Synod can break the silence. This study investigated how the CCAP Synod of Livingstonia can engage theological concepts to break the silence on SRH as a challenge or opportunity for youth ministry. The study focused on human dignity as the main theological concept that pays attention to the image of God (imago dei). The theological concept of human dignity focused on some attributes of the image of God, such as inviolability among others. Every human being, in the image of God, should be able to exercise their rights. It further explored how the church must consider SRH services as part of holistic ministry. The literature studied further indicated that there are some SRH determinants such as social and cultural behaviours, social-religious beliefs, and poor health facilities. The empirical research was conducted within the CCAP catchment area where the interviewees were either church elders, church ministers, or youth. Usingin-depth semi-structured interviews and focus group discussions, the views and opinions of those participants mentioned above were gathered. The data was analyzed using thematic analysis, and subjected to theological interpretations. The study findings showed that Synod had an SRH policy in place. However, that policy had not been implemented since the package of SRH contradicts its church doctrines that emphasize abstinence among the youth. Further, findings indicated that the church was not doing much to promote SRH among the youth because should the Synod be engaged in SRH issues, it might be seen as promoting immorality among the youth. Nonetheless, almost all respondents accepted that individuals are aware of the importance and appreciate the package in SRH as it will be able to protect the youth from the consequences of lack of SRH. The findings further confirmed that the church had witnessed youth being suspended due to unwanted pregnancies despite continuous preaching of abstinence. One of the worst scenarios mentioned by participants was the deaths of young women in the church suspected to have died from complications of unsafe abortions. However, church policies do not allow the Synod to promote SRH services.
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    Communicating the Gospel in a digital age : a case study of the Dioceses of Kampala and Namirembe in the Anglican Church of Uganda
    (Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University, 2022-12) Kitayimbwa, Lydia Nabunya Nsaale; Cloete, Anita Louisa; Peel, Clayton; Stellenbosch University. Faculty of Theology. Dept. of Practical Theology and Missiology.
    ENGLISH ABSTRACT: In response to the influx of digital media use in daily life and church work, with a specific interest in the Anglican Church of Uganda (COU), this study explores and examines the communication of the gospel in the digital age: a case study of Namirembe and Kampala Dioceses in the Anglican Church of Uganda. The Church across the globe is integrating digital media into ministry and especially in the communication of the gospel. Through different digital media gadgets, platforms and applications via the internet, spiritual information is shared and accessed. In the COU’s Vision 2025 document, the COU encourages its priests and leaders to integrate digital media into church work to communicate the gospel and Christian values. However, the church leaders’ attitudes towards digital media use are not known. There is a gap in knowledge, and great need for theological guidance, approaches, training, and strategy for digital media use to communicate the gospel. To address the situation at hand, there was a need to do research to understand the digital communication situation and to engage in theological reflection on the digital media communication of the gospel. The research study set out to explore the COU’s understanding, attitude and approaches towards the use of digital media to communicate the gospel. To carry out the study, I made use of both literature and empirical elements to respond to the research question. As a study in practical theology, I employed Osmer’s Practical Theology framework. This qualitative case study design research set out to obtain in-depth and detailed information from the selected samples to understand the situation. To collect the data, I employed focus group discussions and Individual interviews with the selected participants. The Data analysis followed inductive coding via Atlas-ti computer software. In the findings, it was discovered that although the majority of the church leaders showed a positive attitude towards digital media use, they integrated it amidst technological, economic, social, and theological challenges. Participants expressed a need for an urgent technological and theological training to guide the users. I argue that the gospel message and theologies ought to be communicated via online faith communities using a blend of media converged into digital media while also applying theological approaches based on a theologically informed strategy. To communicate the gospel in the digital age, the study provides a theological reflection on possible approaches to digital communication of the gospel. It also proposes a theologically informed digital communication strategy, which may be employed in training church leaders and may also be applied in digital communication of the gospel.
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    Critical evaluation of mentoring programmes in theological seminaries of the Evangelical Church of West Africa (ECWA)
    (Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University, 2012-12) Chiroma, Nathan Hussaini; Cloete, Anita Louisa; Stellenbosch University. Faculty of Theology. Dept. of Practical Theology and Missiology.
    ENGLISH ABSTRACT: The concept of mentoring has received substantial attention in the literature, as is evidenced by the quantity and quality of empirical and theoretical scholarship on the topic. In the post-modern era, we have seen a proliferation of evangelical schools engaging in the effort to better equip our present and future leaders. No longer can it be assumed that incoming seminary students have a working knowledge of the basics of the Christian faith. The aim of this study is an attempt to explore the impact of mentoring in theological seminaries. It is true that mentoring programmes are increasingly popular interventions strategies in many organizations; and although successful mentoring relationships can promote a range of positive developmental outcomes, relationships that fail can lead to decrements in a person’s functioning and self-esteem. This study explores the various mentoring programmes in three ECWA (Evangelical Church Winning All formerly Evangelical Church of West Africa. See details of name change in footnote 3, Chapter 1) seminaries and evaluates its impact on both the graduates and the mentors. The study further explored if mentoring can contribute to the holistic development of seminary students, and what avenues there are for mentoring involvement in the seminaries under consideration. Graduates between 2011 and 2005 of the 3 seminaries who went through mentoring programmes while at the seminary, current faculty mentors and the heads of the 3 institutions were included as respondents. A qualitative approached was used, applying focus groups and individual interviews to obtain data. The empirical findings of this research reveal that mentoring plays an important role in the holistic development of seminary students especially in three areas, namely spiritual formation, character and ministry formation. It has shown that integration of mentoring in theological seminaries is both biblically necessary and practically possible. Despite the fact that respondents identified mentoring as helping them in their holistic development as graduates, they still believed that mentoring is not effective in the seminaries. The heads of institutions and the faculty respondents also agreed that even though mentoring is taken place in the 3 seminaries, it lacks several aspects of effectiveness, i.e. lack of documentation on mentoring, lack of supervision of mentors, lack of proper mentoring administration, lack of standardized procedures with regards to mentoring, lack of training for mentors, etc. The study makes several recommendations as to improve the effectiveness of mentoring, with special focus on the youth.
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    The ministry strategy of the church of pentecost in ACCRA with specific focus on children : a exploratory study
    (Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University, 2015-03) Mans, Philippus Rudolph; Cloete, Anita Louisa; Grobbelaar, Jan; Stellenbosch University. Faculty of Theology. Dept. Practical Theology and Missiology.
    ENGLISH ABSTRACT: Children represent more than half of the total African population and therefore form a significant and strategic part of the church in Africa. Visits to churches and children’s ministries in Africa raised questions on the being of the church and children’s inclusion into church life. My personal exposures to the Church of Pentecost (COP) lead to this reflection on the children’s ministry of the Church. I was in particular interested to learn what ministry strategies and related theological underpinnings support their children’s ministry. It appears from literature that children does not enjoy the same attention from systematic theologians when central theological themes such as the human condition, nature of faith, language about God, the church and the nature of religion, is discussed. The apparent absence of clearly defined theological positions on children by the COP and limited African theological discussions and academic works on children matters, contributed further to conclude the following problem statement: The church needs children’s ministry strategies that includes children as integral part of church life. In support of such strategies, the Church needs theological underpinnings for a Christian theological approach to children and the role and responsibilities of families and faith communities. My choice for an African church relates to my exposures to and relationships with churches in Africa. The COP is viewed as a significant church in Ghana, provided an ideal opportunity to explore an African church within the framework of the broader Christian landscape in Ghana. The research question is: What was the ministry strategy focusing on children of the Church of Pentecost between 1970 and 2010? Chapter 1 deals with the motivation, objectives, research question and strategies of enquiry. Chapter 2 describes the genesis history of the COP as to explore possible strategic children’s ministry elements. Chapter 3 focuses on theological underpinnings for a church as a particular ministry environment where children could be integrated into church life. The study worked with a key meta theoretical assumption that God is dynamically working in the church and society. Theological themes and characteristics raised in the study of the Old Testament people of God suggested a possibility that the New Testament church might be a continuation of the Old Testament people of God’s way of living. This theological exploration of the church contributed to inform the proposed ministry practices in chapter 6. Chapter 4 dealt with the design and operationalisation of the empirical research strategies to explore church members’ perceptions of church, based on their childhood experiences. The empirical data were analysed and interpreted in chapter 5 to serve the study in the conclusions in the last chapter. Chapter 6 concluded with the finding that the COP did have a number of non-intentional elements interpreted as possible ministry strategies for the children’s ministry as well as an intentional strategy. The findings concluded that the COP seriously needs theological underpinnings for an intergenerational approach to children’s ministry. The last part proposes children’s ministry processes that could assist the COP to become an intergenerational church.
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    Missiological responses to the wounded youth : a case study of the campus ministry of Scripture Union in the Kumasi metropolis of Ghana
    (Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University, 2023-12-21) Awuah-Gyawu, Daniel; White, Peter; Cloete, Anita Louisa; Stellenbosch University. Faculty of Theology. Dept. of Practical Theology and Missiology.
    ENGLISH ABSTRACT: This study, Missiological Responses to the Wounded Youth: A Case Study of the Campus Ministry of Scripture Union in the Kumasi Metropolis of Ghana, is premised on the missiological assumption that mission proceeds from a place of needs and that the youth is expected to receive responses that address their needs. It, therefore, investigates the missional approaches of Scripture Union (SU) Ghana, a parachurch faith community, in response to the youths in the Senior High School (SHS). The study also investigates the corresponding impact of these approaches. The main theory that drives the study is the Anglican Consultative Council’s ‘Five Marks of Mission’, which was summarised by Chris Wright and the Church of England and espoused in Andrew Walls and Cathy Ross’ ‘Five Marks of Global Mission’. The case study approach is used to explore the campus ministry activities of Scripture Union Ghana. To gain a deeper understanding of the impact of SU’s campus ministry, the lived experiences of people exposed to it are explored phenomenologically. Four qualitative data collection methods were used, which comprised documentary analysis, narratives, participant observation, and interviews. Ten participants—five current and two former SU staff members who were purposively sampled and three volunteers who were sampled by snowballing—were interviewed. Using thematic analysis from the transcribed interviews, the data was discussed, considering the research objectives. Scripture Union’s responses include leadership training, school missions, campus crusades, post-mission follow-up, evangelistic rallies, and school group fellowships. Other programmes are the purity campaign and the integrity campaign, which seek to address issues of sexual immorality and cheating, respectively. These evangelism-driven activities embed role modelling, counselling and mentoring. The SU’s SHS campus ministry has filled the youth ministry gap in the SHSs, offering students the opportunity to have salvation experiences, be nurtured, and be equipped with leadership skills that set the foundation for campus and future leadership in society. Through guidance and counselling, SU identifies some of the emotional, material, academic, and social needs of students and addresses them. The study demonstrates that SU is not a nascent organisation. However, it seeks to regularly improve upon its praxis through a feedback system from students. This in-depth study of SU’s campus ministry fills the research gap about the SHS campus ministry in Ghana and concludes that the youth who are exposed to appropriate nurturing experiences are not just recipients of missiological interventions but prospective participants in the missio Dei.
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    Restoring the circle of courage in the lives of youth at risk through mentoring
    (Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University, 2017-12) Oosthuizen, Johannes Jacobus; Cloete, Anita Louisa; Stellenbosch University. Faculty of Theology. Dept. of Practical Theology and Missiology.
    ENGLISH ABSTRACT: All youth are at risk. Some youth are just more at risk than others. The concept of youth-at-risk has received substantial attention in literature within various different disciplines and sciences. Sociology, Biology, Psycology and Theology all seek an understanding of what is causing youth to be at-risk, what to do to lower risk and how to intervene in the lives of those that are already at-risk. Each field makes its own contribution to address the problem, which unfortunately, leads to no unified concept of what the term youth-at-risk means or unified approach to intervention. The concept of mentoring, as an intervention approach for youth-at-risk however, has drawn attention from many social sciences. Mentoring as an intervention, understood as being primarily a relational approach, between an older, unrelated adult and a younger person, seems to be a promising vehicle to intervene in the lives of youth that are at-risk. It is especially the rise of Resilience Theory that has led to a greater understanding of the power of mentoring as an intervention tool. Resilience theory generally holds healthy adult relationships are necessary for young people to develop in various areas of their lives in order to live with strength and integrity even when faced with life’s most difficult challenges. One model that has developed from this theory, is that of the Circle of Courage that focuses on developing the belonging, mastery, independence and generosity of young people through relationships. Whether a mentoring approach, which integrated the Circle of Courage model to build resilience in the lives of youth, can be properly implemented within a high risk community, where violence, gangsterism and broken relationships are rife, was the aim of this study. The research is a programme implementation evaluation study and was concerned with the proper implementation of the programme as well as the experience of participants. The studies of other reseachers, such as Keller (2005) and the Elements of Effective Practice in Mentoring (2015), were used to develop a framework for programme implementation, as well as a detailed description of every element that should be implemented in such a programme. It was in light of this framework and these elements that the programme was evaluated. The youth-at-risk intervention organisation, LifeXchange NPC, was responsible for the design and implementation of the programme. 18 Mentors were recruited, screened, trained and matched with 18 young people classified in the imminent or active risk categories, by the programme staff. Even though a school referred the young people to the organisation, the project was a community-based project, thus mentors met with mentees, off-site and in the community. For twelve months the study collected various programme reports, surveys, questionnaires and interviews to learn from the implementation process and mentor/mentee experiences, using data triangulation methods. The need for a South African mentoring best practice model, the reluctance of the church to get involved in mentoring youth at risk and the overall mentor and mentee experiences of the implementation, are a few themes that emerged in the study. Since the study was improvement orientated, several recommendations as to how to improve the implementation of mentoring intervention programmes within a high risk community were made.