The gifts of leadership and administration in the United Congregational Church in the Western Cape

298 Pages·2011·2.58 MB·English

by  Leonard Basil Prof

THE GIFTS OF LEADERSHIP AND ADMINISTRATION IN
THE UNITED CONGREGATIONAL CHURCH IN THE WESTERN CAPE:

A PRACTICAL THEOLOGICAL STUDY

b y

Basil Cedric Leonard

Submitted in fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of
Doctor Theologiae in the Department of Religion and Theology,
University of the Western Cape

Supervisor
Prof Denise M Ackermann
Co-Supervisor
Prof H Jurgens Hendriks

November 2000

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“I declare that
The Gifts Of Leadership And Administration In
The United Congregational Church In The Western Cape:
A Practical Theological Study
is my own work and that all the sources I have used or quoted
have been indicated and acknowledged
by means of complete references”

Basil C Leonard

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ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

The recognition of the contributions made by certain individuals and groups, is a tacit acknowledgment

that the completion of this research study was very much a group effort. I am humbled by the fact that
these acknowledgments also bear witness to the f act that God has gifted each of us to make some
contribution to the building up of the Body until we all reach maturity in the faith.

Prof Denise Ackermann, I always found our discussions thought provoking and challenging. While your
guidance was of the highest academic calibre, your critique was constructive and thorough. I thank
God for you.

Also the other two members of my thesis committee, Proffs Daan Cloete and Johannes Adonis. I
appreciate the input you gave to the different chapters and also for serving on the thesis committee.

Prof Jurgens Hendriks, your very practical and pastoral insights as well as your guidance with regard to
the empirical research was outstanding.

Alex, I thank God for you, and especially for your patience and understanding during those times I
could not spend with you. Liesl and Michelle, I know that you did not always understand what I was
talking about, but thank you for listening.

To the ministers of the seven UCCSA churches for the assistance received from them and those in
leadership on the church councils, my thanks and appreciation: Daniel George (Bellville), Lemuel
Stalmeester (Bishop Lavis), Peter Anderson (East Claremont), Les Mathys (Gleemoor), Tammy Mooi
(Langa), Abe Maart (Paarl), Douglas Bax (Rondebosch).

Also to the pastors and congregations of other denominations who allowed me to have Bible Studies
and seminars on Spiritual Gifts with their congregations. I especially thank the Rev Brian Herbert
(Evangelical Community Church), Pastor Elred Robertson (Kensington Docks Mission), Pastor Malan
(Heathfield Baptist Church) and the colleagues and friends of the Moravian Church of South Africa.

A special thank you to Marilyn Combrinck, Deputy Principal at Labiance Primary School, for reading the
final manuscript for language correctness.

A word of appreciation must also be extended to Sanlam for allowing me to complete this research
amidst my other duties. A special thank you to Coenie Le Grange for giving me the necessary time off
during the last months of crunch time.

The greater gratitude goes to my Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ, for the opportunity afforded me to not
only exercise the gifts I have been given, but even more so to have the opportunity to teach and instruct
others concerning His great and wonderful works.

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DEDICATION OF DISSERTATION

This research study is dedicated to the one congregationalist who exemplifies

the gifts of leadership and  administration, my boetie
Johannes Sam  uel Leonard

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OUTLINE OF DISSERTATION

Title i

Declaration   ii

Acknowledgments   iii

Dedication iv

Outline of Chapters v

Chapter 1
Reflections On An Electoral System
1.1 Introduction 1
1.2 The problem 2
1.3 Personal interest and experience 3
1.4 A practical theological study 8
1.4.1 Reasons for pursuing a practical theological study 8
1.4.2 The Zerfass model for research 11
1.5 Hypothesis 13
1.6 Parameters of the research methodology 13
1.7 Ethics in practical theology 17
1.8 Significance of this study 20
1.9 Contents 22

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Chapter 2

Situating the “problem” within the UCCSA

2.1 Introduction   25

2.2 The founding of the UCCSA   26

2.3 Three church models considered 29

2.3.1 The Episcopal model 30

2.3.2 The Presbyterian model 31

2.3.3 The Covenant model 32

2.4 Characteristics of the covenant concept 33

2.5 Covenantal ecclesiology 36

2.6 Key concepts and specific terms 40

2.6.1 Congregationalism 40

2.6.2 What is meant by the phrase the congregation shall govern? 42

2.6.3 What is a member in good standing? 44

2.7 Some biblical perspectives on elections 44

2.8 An overview of pneumatology in UCCSA 56

2.9 An overview of Congregational Church Government 55

2.10 Weaknesses in the current election process 56

2.11 Conclusions 60

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Chapter 3

Perspectives on the gifts of the Holy Spirit

3.1 Introduction   62

3.2 Biblical overview of spiritual gifts   65

3.3 The term, charismata, in the New Testament 67

3.4 What are spiritual gifts? 69

3.5 Corinth: Appropriation of the gospel into a gentile context 74

3.5.1 Paul's responses to the glossolalia issue 75

3.5.2 Important inferences from the Corinthian situation 78

3.6 Final comments on the biblical perspective 89

3.7 The role of the Holy Spirit 90

3.8 Discovering spiritual gifts 95

3.9 Spiritual gifts and church offices 101

3.10 The relationship between gifts and ministries 103

3.11 The effective use of spiritual gifts 110

3.12 Concluding summary 113

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Chapter 4

The Gifts of Leadership and Administration

4.1 Introduction   116

4.2 The gift of leadership   116

4.2.1 Some business perspectives on leadership 117

4.2.2 A theological perspective on leadership 120

4.2.2.1 Characteristics of Christian leadership 121

4.2.2.2 Pitfalls in Christian leadership 125

4.3 The gift of administration 128

4.4 The relationship between leadership and administration 131

4.5 Related concepts 136

4.5.1 Responsibility 138

4.5.2 Accountability 140

4.5.3 Stewardship 142

4.5.4 Authority 144

4.5.5 Equity 148

4.5.5.1 Gender equity 149

4.5.5.2 Racial equity 153

4.6 The involvement of laity 155

4.7 Conclusion 159

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Chapter 5

An Empirical Study Of Leadership And Administration

In The United Congregational Church of South Africa

5.1 Introduction   162

5.2 General information concerning the churches 168

5.2.1 Church statistics 168

5.2.2 The training and equipping of members 169

5.2.3 Election procedures of the churches 1780

5.2.4 Spiritual gifts 170

5.3 Personal and ministry related information of leadership 171

5.3.1 Personal information of members 171

5.3.2 Information on gifts and ministries 173

5.4 Gift analysis questionnaire 176

5.5 Research results of individual churches 178

5.5.1 Bellville Congregational Church 179

5.5.2 Bishop Lavis Congregational Church 182

5.5.3 East Claremont Congregational Church 184

5.5.4 Gleemoor Congregational Church 187

5.5.5 Langa Congregational Church 190

5.5.6 Paarl Congregational Church 203

5.5.7 Rondebosch Congregational Church 192

5.6 Summary of research findings 198

5.6.1 Relationship of males to females 198

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5.6.2 Gift distribution amongst church council members 201
5.6.3 Age distribution of churches 202

5.6.4 Employment distribution amongst particip ants 20 2
5.6.5 Education distribution amongst participan ts 20 3
5.7 Evaluation and critique of findings   204
5.8 Conclusions 21 0

Chapter 6

A New Approach For Electing Members To Positions Of Leadership

6.1 Introduction 212

6.2 The current election process 21 3

6.3 A new proposal on election procedures 21 4

6.4 Different phases for the implementation of the new approach 215

6.4.1 Phase 1: Process of Discovery 21 5

6.4.2 Phase 2: Process of Development I 21 8

6.4.3 Phase 3: Process of Deployment 21 9

6.4.4 Phase 4: Process of Development II 222

6.4.5 The suggested process in summary 223

6.5 Critique of research study 224

6.6 Conclusion 22 6

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