https://ir.unisa.ac.za/handle/10500/434 2026-08-03T11:21:38Z 2026-08-03T11:21:38Z Mngadi, Paul Themba Thembinkosi https://ir.unisa.ac.za/handle/10500/32760 2026-07-23T13:28:48Z 2026-05-01T00:00:00Z

Commercialisation and commodification of the gospel in South African Neo-Prophetic churches: A missiological self-regulation framework Mngadi, Paul Themba Thembinkosi The exponential rise of neo-prophetic churches and ministries in South Africa necessitates this investigative study. The recent preponderance of such churches reveals that Christianity lacks a regulatory framework to guide the establishment of churches in South Africa. The commercialisation and the commodification of Christianity in neo-prophetic churches and ministries have led to many abuses and vulnerabilities, and revealed a certain gullibility amongst congregants. The primary research gap this study addresses is the development of a neo-prophetic regulatory framework, with a missiological focus that aligns with the Constitution of South Africa, to curb the malpractices of Neo-Prophets where these occur. Missional imagination serves as a theoretical framework by means of which the phenomenon under study has been conceptualised. The key operational concepts of the study include Missio Dei, Missio Hominum, and Motus Dei, where the missional church is understood as a polycentric entity. The research adopts a qualitative research method, utilising focus groups, in-depth interviews, and observations to generate data. The primary purpose and contribution of this study is to advocate for the establishment of a Neo-Prophetic Council of Churches. This body ought to have the same voice and status as other existing Council of Churches in South Africa. Its primary purpose is to develop a neo-prophetic missional regulatory framework to standardise and regulate practices among neo-prophetic churches and ministries in South Africa. New themes for future study may investigate such a critical intervention as contributing to the reinstatement of Christianity as a credible and humanising religion in South Africa.

2026-05-01T00:00:00Z Eichenberger, Boris https://ir.unisa.ac.za/handle/10500/32429 2026-05-26T11:17:41Z 2025-01-01T00:00:00Z

Transformation und wirkung : ein methodologisch-theologischer Rahmen zur Erfassung der gesellschaftlichen Wirkung kirchlichen Handelns Eichenberger, Boris Diese Masterarbeit lädt dazu ein, neu über die gesellschaftliche Rolle der Kirche nachzudenken. Sie fragt: Wie lassen sich Spuren des Reiches Gottes inmitten unserer Welt sichtbar machen? Ausgangspunkt ist die Einsicht, dass kirchliches Handeln zwar auf Transformation zielt, seine Wirkung aber oft schwer messbar bleibt. Im Gespräch mit der Wirkungsforschung werden zentrale Begriffe wie Missio Dei, Kirche, Transformation und Reich Gottes geklärt und miteinander verknüpft. Daraus entsteht ein „Reich-Gottes-Konstrukt“ mit sieben Elementen – Gerechtigkeit, Liebe, Spiritualität, Schönheit, Freiheit, Wahrheit und Macht. Dieses Konstrukt dient als Linse, durch die kirchliche Praxis in ihrem gesellschaftlichen Resonanzraum wahrgenommen werden kann. Für jedes Element werden Wege aufgezeigt, wie Wirkungen auf makro-, meso- und mikrosozialer Ebene plausibel gemacht werden können – von statistischen Indikatoren bis zu qualitativen Deutungen im Alltag. Dabei bleibt klar: Die Wirkungen des Reiches Gottes sind nie vollständig messbar, sondern stehen unter einem eschatologischen Vorbehalt. Der vorgeschlagene Rahmen versteht sich deshalb nicht als fertiges Messinstrument, sondern als Einladung zur Reflexion: ein Werkzeug, das Kirchen ermutigt, ihre Spuren in der Gesellschaft wahrzunehmen, zu deuten und so ihre Sendung bewusst und verantwortungsvoll zu gestalten.; This thesis invites readers to reconsider the societal role of the church by asking: How can traces of the kingdom of God be made visible in today’s world? The starting point is the recognition that while church practices aim at transformation, their impact often remains difficult to articulate. Engaging in dialogue with impact evaluation research, the study clarifies and interrelates key concepts such as Missio Dei, church, transformation, and the kingdom of God. On this basis, a “kingdom of God construct” is developed, consisting of seven elements—justice, love, spirituality, beauty, freedom, truth, and power. This construct functions as a lens through which the societal resonance of church practices can be perceived. For each element, pathways are suggested to make impact plausible at macro, meso, and micro levels of society—ranging from statistical indicators to qualitative interpretations of everyday life. Yet the thesis stresses that the kingdom’s impact cannot be measured conclusively; it must always be understood under an eschatological proviso. Thus, the framework offered here is not a rigid measuring device but an invitation to reflection: a tool that encourages churches to notice and interpret their societal traces, and to engage their mission with greater awareness and responsibility. Abstracts in German and English

2025-01-01T00:00:00Z Mahfouz, B. David https://ir.unisa.ac.za/handle/10500/32326 2026-06-29T19:19:28Z 2024-08-01T00:00:00Z

Global innovations in theological education of the global leadership development initiative: discovering new insights through an empirical missiological evaluation Mahfouz, B. David The International Mission Board of the Southern Baptist Convention (IMB) launched a strategic emphasis in 1997 called New Directions, which changed its involvement in theological education. International Baptist seminaries found themselves without professors, funding, and support due to the IMB’s withdrawal. The delivery of theological education and the training of the next generation of Baptist leaders around the globe declined at the IMB’s former partners. This research examines the Global Leadership Development (GLD) partnerships at the overseas Baptist seminaries in Guatemala City, Guatemala; Havana, Cuba; Rio De Janeiro, Brazil; Lisbon, Portugal; and Arusha, Tanzania. Partnerships are inaugurated after GLD receives an invitation from a seminary, and the two entities have developed a covenant agreement. GLD then implements its Effective Seminary Framework for Theological Education to provide a basis for diagnostic contextualisation to the needs of each overseas Baptist Seminary through its three-step process for continuous improvement. This framework increases the focus on the current practices of a seminary and its data, narrows the focus by addressing the needs, and seeks to build capacity aligned to the framework. Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary launched the GLD initiative in response to requests for assistance in theological education from international Baptist seminaries as a mission strategy. The Global Leadership Team visits seminaries abroad, teaches courses, and strategises with their administration on how to become more effective. It safeguards the freedom of the seminaries abroad to develop their own curricula and design contextualised courses. The response to the assistance in theological education from around the globe has been phenomenal. GLD currently relates to more than ninety global partners, and requests come in each week for assistance in theological education. Partnering seminaries have experienced growth in enrolment, the acquisition of new technology, and strengthened research capability.

2024-08-01T00:00:00Z Ambuchi, Alex O. https://ir.unisa.ac.za/handle/10500/32178 2026-03-05T08:29:50Z 2025-11-11T00:00:00Z

Missiological study on perception of ancestral veneration and death among the Iteso Adventistists - Kenya Ambuchi, Alex O. The study examined why ancestor veneration remains active and persuasive among Iteso Adventists in Kenya, and how beliefs about the dead continue to shape responses to death, illness, and social insecurity. The research took place in Teso North, Amagoro sub-county (Busia County) using an ethnographic missiological approach, drawing on participant observation, structured interviews, and focus groups with both Adventist and non-Adventist participants in five town centres. Data were analysed using content, narrative, and grounded theory methods to interpret the theological, social, and missiological implications. Findings show that ancestor veneration among Iteso Adventists is not just a leftover “traditional” habit. It functions as a living moral and cosmological system. Death is not seen as the end of personal agency, but as transition. It is widely claimed that “the dead are not dead”; rather, they remain present in the household, capable of influence, approval, and punishment. This is expressed in concrete ritual: food and other offerings are made to the dead, graves are visited and supplied, and misfortune or sickness is commonly interpreted as ancestral displeasure. Clergy and lay members alike explained illness in some cases as a sign that the ancestors must be appeased. Ancestors are understood as morally qualified elders who continue to oversee family well-being, fertility, social order, and conflict resolution. They are treated as domesticated spirits within the kin network, to whom the living owe honour, obedience, and periodic consultation. This relationship is seen as a reciprocal economy of protection and loyalty, not as “worship of demons,” and it normalises ongoing interaction with the dead as rational social insurance. The persistence of these practices inside an Adventist community that officially rejects them is driven by three reinforcing factors. First is ontological continuity: the line between living and dead is not final, only a shift in status within the same family, so kin obligations extend past biological death. Second is social and spiritual insurance: in a context of sickness, uncertainty, and vulnerability, ritual attention to the ancestors is experienced as a prudent strategy for securing protection, not as idolatry. Third is moral authority: the ancestor embodies accumulated wisdom, longevity, and seniority, and therefore remains a binding source of guidance and discipline. Ignoring such a figure is felt as rejecting communal ethics and even threatening family unity. These pressures remain powerful for Adventist converts, who are still embedded in Iteso kinship systems that regulate burial, naming, healing, and obligations to the dead. Syncretism, therefore, is not simply “weak doctrine”; it is also a survival strategy within tightly woven social structures. In light of this, the study argues that Adventist mission cannot rely only on condemnation of ancestral rites. Ancestor veneration persists because it gives moral order, interpretive clarity, and emotional security in crisis, and because it is fused with memory and kinship. The recommendation is that Adventist ministry among the Iteso must be biblically authoritative and culturally literate. Clergy should teach Scripture as the final reference for death, memory, and authority, insisting that loyalty, protection, and intercession belong to Christ alone, not to the ancestors. They should also present a clear, contextual theology of death, hope, and resurrection that speaks directly to fear of ancestral anger, sickness, and post-mortem presence. Finally, local congregations must provide practical solidarity in moments of illness, bereavement, and material vulnerability, so that the believer experiences the body of Christ, rather than ancestral ritual, as the first line of help and protection.

2025-11-11T00:00:00Z