This weblog will be dedicated to my doctoral thesis project: “Enabling Generational Transference of Ministry Leadership in the Local Church”.
The project seeks to discover common principles that have enabled local churches to transfer leadership of their ministries and vision from one generation to the next. Generational transference is the biblical pattern of ministry… where
one generation proclaims to the next… and where current leadership is equipping future leadership. The problem being addressed is that many local churches struggle to equip and release successive generations to continue in ministry within their local church setting. Many local churches exhibit patterns of generational dominance, where one generation dictates the vision, mission and ministry, to the omission of participation and ownership among other generations.
Positively, there exist churches today that have done well transferring leadership of their ministry to successive generations over a period of time. The project will interview 15-30 churches the North American Baptist conference in the United States and Canada that have exhibited healthy patterns of generational transference. From these interviews, it is hypothesized that common principles of generational transference will emerge.
To this point the thesis proposal has been approved and the Ethics application has been accepted by the administration of ACTS / Trinity Western University. The author is in process of contacting potential candidate churches for project in conjunction with the Regional Ministers of the NAB. So far, 35 potential churches have been identified in 12 of the 13 NAB regions across North America. (Just waiting to hear back from one region.) Arrangements to visit 15-30 of these churches will be made within the next few weeks… and all accepted churches will be interviewed in person by the author by the end of August, 2009.
This weblog will serve as a communication resource for project participants and others who are interested in the study. This weblog will also serve as a notation resource for the author. Along the way this page should serve well for progress updates and discovered materials.
Thank you to all those who are providing time, energy, resources and support for this project. Blessings,
Ken Castor
DMin student, ACTS / Trinity Western University
February 12, 2009
cool beans! relishing the chance to read your paper when it’s done Ken!
Ken,
I too will read with interest as you progress on your thesis. Best wishes as you juggle family, ministry and thesis. May the Lord grant you the wisdom to be a wise steward of the hours in each day that He blesses you with, and keep you and your family healthy through the process.
I look forward to having the opportunity to interact with you on your thesis.
Have you considered the possibility that generational transference has taken on the model of our culture. That it is more like the tribe passing on the mantel and rituals from one generation to the next, then releasing the next generation to Minister in power and might through God’s Spirit.
When it comes to matters of faith, hope and love, matters of obedience and trust there are as many or more examples in the Bible of the younger generation teaching and calling the older generations back to a life of faith, hope and love, to obedience, repentance and trust. To name a few – Josiah, Samuel, David, Timothy, Esther, Daniel, Deborah. All young men and women who God used mightily to impact all generations, not just their own. Many of whom did not have the benefit of generational transference because of the society / culture they lived in. At the same time there are men like Moses, Noah, Abraham and others who have a significant influence as an older generation.
As you work through your thesis / interviews
– What role did the local church have in developing their new leaders versus the role of God in choosing, equipping and enabling their new leaders?
– What limits, role expectations or pre-defined boxes is the older generation defining as to how the next generation is allowed to Minister / Serve the Lord within the local church?
– How does the older generation try to conform the younger generation to their world-view of how a Christian church should operate?
– How do these constraints / barriers, if they exist, hinder the growth of faith in the younger generation?
– What is the older generation doing to ensure that the next generation doesn’t lose their first love as they become the ‘older’ generation?
– Probably most importantly – what is it that the younger generation is called to teach the older generations – i.e. should generational transference really be working backwards and is it time for the younger generation to be released to call the older generation back to their first love?
I have to be careful what I say here, because I probably fall into that definition of ‘older generation’, or will in a few years?
James
Hi Ken,
I check in on your blog every few weeks, and am planning to follow your blog on generational transference, in hopes of gaining new insights. I will likely not comment much, but thought you should know that I am “lurking”.
Great topic. God bless.
MamaZ