Author

Yea-Hui Wang

Publication Date

11-1-2013

Abstract

Chinese Community Church of South Bay (hereafter, CCCSB) is located in Lomita, CA, a city in the South Bay area of Los Angeles. The members of CCCSB are mostly affluent, working professionals, who emigrated from Taiwan. Influenced by their social-economic status and Chinese culture, they do not seem to identify and understand those who are suffering and the disabled. As a result, church members appear indifferent toward the disabled. To address this challenge, this doctoral project seeks to guide the way for the church members to be more Christlike by small group meetings, sermons, practicing Lectio Divina, and meditative prayer.

The purpose of this project is to change CCCSB members‘ attitudes toward disabled persons and their families and help them to grow in Christlikeness. A pilot project will be created to which disabled persons and their families as well as the able-bodied will be invited. Together the group will attend small group meetings to practice Lectio Divina and meditative prayer.

This paper is divided into three parts. Part One will analyze the surrounding community of CCCSB and the ministry of the church. As for community context, particular attention will be given to the historical overview of the South Bay area, the Chinese churches in this area, and the characteristics of the Chinese mindset. Understanding the church and community context will advise the strategy as it is developed. Part Two will provide a comprehensive literature review pertaining to this topic, such as spiritual practices that can be implemented with members of CCCSB and an overview of disability ministry. Church theology will be addressed in terms of a church‘s primary functions, such as edification, fellowship, discipleship, and evangelism. This section will also discuss the idea that the body of Christ needs to work collaboratively in order to care for the disabled; no part is dispensable. The necessary work of the Holy Spirit and the theology of wholeness will also be discussed as these pertain to changing the attitudes of the church members toward the disabled. Part Three will focus on creating a strategy that is supported by the theological data. The first stage of the strategy will include a sermon series, and the second stage will include a ten-week pilot small group series. The goal of both of these stages will be to bring deeper awareness to the congregation of the need to care for the disabled.

Theological Mentor: Kurt Fredrickson, PhD

Date Created

April 2018

Collection Number

DMin125

Document Type

Dissertation

Source

DMin125-0150

Language

English

Rights

Material is subject to copyright.

Comments

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