Title
Developing Missional Church Leaders through Spiritual Fathering In Liberia
Publication Date
3-2019
Abstract
Liberia, Africa's oldest republic was literally founded for mission. However, the lack of missional leaders in Liberia has hindered the capacity of the church to develop a missional church culture where God's people can fully participate in the missio Dei.
This dissertation explores the development of missional leaders in Liberia with the goal to understand how pastoral leaders and church culture can impact the development of missional leaders in Liberia. In part I, I argue from the literature that missional leadership development utilizing a spiritual fathering approach is vital for a missional culture in the Liberian church. Part II presents case studies utilizing active interviews, participant observation, and surveys to study the impact of pastoral leaders and church culture on mission-centered discipleship in Liberia. From the data, I submit that in order to see God's people in Liberia develop a missional church culture in which they fully participate in the missio Dei, missional leaders should be developed in the context of community, utilizing spiritual fathering as an approach. In part III, I develop a model for the cultivation of missional culture that focuses on developing missional leaders through spiritual fathering in the context of community. I also offer a one-year development plan that seeks to help pastors and church leaders in Liberia develop missional leaders through spiritual fathering.
Degree Name
Doctor of Intercultural Studies (DIS)
First Advisor
Weaver, Alan
Document Type
Dissertation
Language
English
Keywords
Christian leadership, Liberia, Discipling, Fatherhood, Spiritual direction, Mentoring, Missions
Disciplines
Christian Denominations and Sects | Christianity | Missions and World Christianity
Upload File
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Embargo Period
6-23-2020
Comments
Public Access: If you attend a college or university, you may be granted access for free through your school library subscription to ProQuest Theses & Dissertations. Copies may be available for purchase via ProQuest Dissertations Publishing https://dissexpress.proquest.com/search.html