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. This
project interviews 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.
The proposal for the project was accepted in November 2008 and the ethics application authorized on January 30, 2009 by the faculty and administration of ACTS / Trinity Western University.
Arrangements to interview candidate churches in conjunction with the Regional Ministers (RMs) of the NAB began in February. 35 potential churches were initially identified in 12 of the 13 NAB regions
across North America. Since that time, 3 churches proved unable to participate while 2 other churches were suggested by the RMs as being viable candidates.
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, Langley, BC
Pastor of Young Adults, Brentview Baptist Church, Calgary, AB