THE DIFFERENCES IN PASTORAL ROLE EXPECTATION BETWEEN RURAL AGRARIAN

212 Pages·1998·10.3 MB·English

THE DIFFERENCES IN PASTORAL ROLE EXPECTATION
BETWEEN RURAL AGRARIAN CHURCHES AND URBAN CHURCHES
IN THE BAPTIST GENERAL CONFERENCE IN ALBERTA
A Project-Dissertation
Presented to
the Faculty of
Canadian Theological Seminary
In Partial Fulfilment
of the Requirements for the Degree
Doctor of Ministry
by
Kenneth Lome Bender
April 1997
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iii
ABSTRACT
The Differences in Pastoral Role Expectation
Between Rural Agrarian Churches and Urban Churches
in the Baptist General Conference in Alberta
Kenneth Lome Bender
This study was motivated by the problems and
challenges that pastors and seminary graduates often face
when they have had all their ministry experience and
training in an urban context and then are called to a rural
agrarian context for pastoral ministry, or conversely,
where their training and ministry were in a rural agrarian
context and then they are called to an urban setting.
The study attempted to identify the pastoral role
expectations of the members of two rural agrarian parishes,
one with longer pastoral stays, and one with shorter
pastoral stays. I t also attempted to identify the pastoral
role expectations of the members of two urban parishes, one
with longer pastoral stays, and one with shorter pastoral
stays.
The study was conducted by way of four church case
studies, two from a rural agrarian setting and two from an
urban setting. Five leaders from each of these four
churches were chosen by a "snowballing or chain sampling"
technique to participate in the study. These leaders were
asked to complete three survey instruments and participate
in an open-ended standardized interview procedure to gather
the data for the study. The data from the interview was
collated according to pre-determined pastoral role
categories, as well as any new categories that might
emerge. This interview data was then triangulated with the
data from the survey instruments.
The study also attempted to define the Biblical role
of the pastor and then compare the parameters of the
Biblical role with the pastoral role expectations that were
found in the churches studied,
The conclusions of the study were as follows:
1. The laity ranked spirituality as the most important role
of the pastor.
2. The rural agrarian churches ranked the relational role
of the pastor as more important than the preaching role,
whereas the urban churches reversed that ranking.
3. The Biblically defined pastoral role was pastoral care
that included pastoral nurture and pastoral direction.
4. The pastoral role expectations from the four churches in
the study fell within the parameters of the Biblically
defined role of the pastor.
INDEX WORDS: Baptists--Clergy, Bible--Shepherds, Christian
Education, Church, Church Work, Church--Baptists,
City Churches, City Clergy, Clergy-Appointment,
Clergy--Office, Clergy--Relocation, Country
Churches, Country Ministry, Laity--Baptists,
Pastoral Theology, Role Expectation, Rural
Church, Rural Clergy
TABLE OF CONTENTS
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
LISTOFTABLES ix
Chapter
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
1 INTRODUCTION 1
. . . . . . . . . . . . .
Definition of Terms 4
. . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Problem Statement 8
Purpose Statement
. . . . . . . . .
Significance of the Project 13
. . .
Assumptions
. .
Delimitations
. . . .
Population
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Projectoutline 19
. . . . . . . . .
2 REVIEW OF THE BIBLICAL LITERATURE 22
Role of the Pastor in the Biblical Literature 22
.
. .
3 REVIEW OF THE HISTORICAL LITERATURE 38
. .
Role of the Pastor from Church History 39
Role of Pastor from Early Church to the
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
MiddleAges 39
. . .
Role of the Pastor in the Middle Ages 43
Role of the Pastor during the Continental
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Reformation 45
.
Role of the Pastor in the British Islands 46
. . . .
Role of the Pastor in Early America 52
Role of the Pastor in America: 1850 .1 950 . 55
Role of the Pastor in Modem America:
. . . . . . . . . . . . .
1950 to Present 59
. . . . . . . . . .
Summary of Similar Studies 75
Role of the Pastor in the Baptist General
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Conference 79
Rural Prairie Culture versus Urban Prairie
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Culture 86
. . . . . . .
The Pastor in the Rural Setting 94
. . . . . . .
The Pastor and Rural Community 95
.
The Pastor and the Rural Church 96
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Summary 100
. . . . . . . . . .
4 RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODOLOGY 103
.
Population and Sample Selection 106
. . . . . . . . .
Data Collection Methodology 113
. . . . . .
Data Analysis and Reporting 120
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Summary 121
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Introduction 123
. . . . . . . . . . . . .
Description of Sites 123
. . . . . . .
Ellerslie Road Baptist Church 124
. . . . . . .
Castle Downs Baptist Church 124
. . . . . . . . . .
Killam Baptist Church 126
. . . . . . . . .
Arrowwood Gospel Church 126
. . . .
Findings of the Interview and Surveys 127
. . . . . . . . . . . . .
Triangulation 127
. . . .
Survey Findings from Rural Churches 131
vii
. . .
Interview Findings from Rural Churches 133
. . .
Survey Findings from Urban Churches 135
.
Interview Findings from Urban Churches 136
Findings related to Longer versus Shorter
. . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Pastoral Stays 137
Differences Between Rural and Urban Churches 139
.
Emerging Categories from Interviews 140
Findings from the Biblical Role of the Pastor 141
Comparison of the Biblical Role of the Pastor
with the Lay Expectations found in the
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Churches 142
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
6 SUMMARY AND CONCLUSIONS 148
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Introduction 148
. . . . . . . . . . . .
Summary of Findings 148
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Discussion 151
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Conclusions 154
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Critique 158
. . . . .
Recommendations for Further Research 160
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Conclusion 162
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
REFERENCES 164
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
APPENDIXA 178
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
APPENDIX B 180
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
APPENDIXC 189
viii
LIST OF TABLES
Table Page
1- Compilation of the Rankings Based on the
. . . . . . . . .
"7 Practitioner Rolesw Survey 192
2. Compilation of the Rankings Based on the
. .. . . . . .
"35 Pastoral Functionsu Survey 193
3. Compilation of the Rankings Based on the
. . . . . . . .
"Scheduling Priorities" Survey 194
- . . - . . - .
4. Composite of the Three Surveys 195
5. Composite of the "Roles" and "Functions" Surveys 196
6. Composite of the "Roles" and "Functions" Surveys
. . . . .
for Rural Churches and Urban Churches 197
7. Composite of the "Roles" and "Functions" Surveys
for Longer Stay Churches and Shorter Stay
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Churches 198
8. Collation of the Interview Data from
. . . . . . . . . . . . .
Ruralchurches 199
9. Collation of the Interview Data from
. . . . . . . . . . . . .
Urbanchurches 200
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
The author wishes to acknowledge the following for
their contributions to this study.
Dr. Kelvin Friebel, as advisor and committee
chairperson gave numerous hours and invaluable guidance.
Professor Rod Remin and Dr. David Buschart helped
critique and sharpen various aspects of the study.
Janice Rodgers for her behind the scenes work, such as
scheduling, administrative details and encouragement.
Keith Burgess for his editorial comments and
suggestions.
Dr. Calvin Netterfield for his helpful critique and
willingness to allow the study to be done in his district.
To my wife, Eleanor, for her countless hours of
reading, editing, and acting as a research assistant.
Without her continual encouragement and support, this
project would have been much more difficult.
To my last two interim charges, Castle Downs Baptist
and Ridgewood Baptist in Edmonton that allowed me to pastor
part-time and the flexibility of schedule to complete this
.
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