1,720,962 research outputs found
Development and the role of the church : exploring public pastoral care positioning within congregational ministry
Get PDFDiscussions on development have been ongoing for many decades. Within these discussions,
approaches such as human and community-focused development have gained prominence in
recent years. Churches are acknowledged as critical actors and vehicles that foster human
development. However, locating development within church discussions raises the question
of theological and praxeological relevance. This challenges theology and the church to both
develop theological and ecclesiological justification. Within that justification is embedded the
challenge of discerning and developing church ministry frameworks that interfaces with
people in communities to ensure authentic human and community-focused development
approaches. To that end, church public pastoral care is suggested, and its positioning needs to
be clearly established, while emerging issues requiring research unveiled for investigation.
This article describes the developments on the subject of development and the church, as well
as position church public pastoral care as an approach that drives church development while
highlighting questions for research on the subject.
Intradisciplinary and/or interdisciplinary implications: This study employs an
interdisciplinary approach whereby international development discussion and public role of
churches within congregations are integrated to propose the role of church pastoral care as a
ministry nexus. It contributes to public pastoral care and congregational ministry designs that
respond to poverty and community-social challenges. It employs a critical literature analysis
to make recommendations
Going Beyond Counting First Authors in Author Co-citation Analysis
Get PDFThe present study examines one of the fundamental aspects of author co-citation analysis (ACA) - the way co-citation
counts are defined. Co-citation counting provides the data on which all subsequent statistical analyses and mappings
are based, and we compare ACA results based on two different types of co-citation counting - the traditional type that
only counts the first one among a cited work's authors on the one hand and a non-traditional type that takes into
account the first 5 authors of a cited work on the other hand. Results indicate that the picture produced through this non-traditional author co-citation counting contains more coherent author groups and is therefore considerably clearer. However, this picture represents fewer specialties in the research field being studied than that produced through the traditional first-author co-citation counting when the same number of top-ranked authors is selected and analyzed. Reasons for these effects are discussed
Variations on the Author
Get PDF“Variations on the Author” discusses two of Eduardo Coutinho’s recent films (Um Dia na Vida, from 2010, and Últimas Conversas, posthumously released in 2015) and their contribution to the general question of documentary authorship. The director’s filmography is characterized by a consistent yet self-effacing form of authorial self-inscription: Coutinho often features as an interviewer that rather than express opinions propels discourses; an interviewer that is good at listening. This mode of self-inscription characterizes him as an author who is not expressive but who is nonetheless markedly present on the screen. In Um Dia na Vida, however, Coutinho is completely absent form the image, while Últimas Conversas, on the contrary, includes a confessional prologue that moves the director from the margins to the center of his films. This article examines the ways in which these works stand out in the filmography of a director who offers new insights into the notion of cinematic authorship
Appropriate Similarity Measures for Author Cocitation Analysis
Get PDFWe provide a number of new insights into the methodological discussion about author cocitation analysis. We first argue that the use of the Pearson correlation for measuring the similarity between authors’ cocitation profiles is not very satisfactory. We then discuss what kind of similarity measures may be used as an alternative to the Pearson correlation. We consider three similarity measures in particular. One is the well-known cosine. The other two similarity measures have not been used before in the bibliometric literature. Finally, we show by means of an example that our findings have a high practical relevance.information science;Pearson correlation;cosine;similarity measure;author cocitation analysis
Embodied grace: The implications of the incarnation to public practical theology in Sub-Saharan Africa
Get PDFJournal Article, Unit for Reformed Theology and Development in South Africa, Faculty of Theology, North-West University, Potchefstroom,Christian incarnation, illustrated through the example of Jesus Christ, involves the embodiment of God, the guardian of all creation and the manifestation of Christian beliefs. This divine incarnation operates through boundless love and concern, as demonstrated in God’s choice to intimately connect with humanity, as noted in John 3:16. Although global challenges abound, it is evident that sub-Saharan Africa faces unique difficulties, hindering its inhabitants from experiencing the fullness of life intended by God. There is a need to find solutions to the challenges faced by the African continent. In the context of sub-Saharan Africa, the question is: How can practical public theology, informed by the incarnation, be practised in tackling the challenges people face in Africa? The study addresses this inquiry, presenting the implications of the incarnation doctrine as a means to tackle African challenges. It posits incarnation as a foundation for comprehending God’s love for Africans and proposes practical ways for resiliently confronting their adversities. The article draws upon existing literature in the field of public practical theology to underpin the core argument of its thesis.
Contribution: This article contributes to the discussion on how theology should be used to address people’s concrete challenges in sub-Saharan Africa. The doctrine of incarnation is a unique example whose implications can help the enhancement of addressing people’s challenges in Africa
Dispelling the Myths Behind First-author Citation Counts
Get PDFWe conducted a full-scale evaluative citation analysis study of scholars in the XML research field to explore just how different from each other author rankings resulting from different citation counting methods actually are, and to demonstrate the capability of emerging data and tools on the Web in supporting more realistic citation counting methods. Our results contest some common arguments for the continued
use of first-author citation counts in the evaluation of scholars, such as high correlations between author rankings by first-author citation counts and other citation
counting methods, and high costs of using more realistic citation counting methods that are not well-supported by the ISI databases. It is argued that increasingly available digital full text research papers make it possible for citation analysis studies to go beyond what the ISI databases have directly supported and to employ more
sophisticated methods
Why is pastoral care crucial to Africa? Towards an African pastoral care perspective
Get PDFJournal Article, Unit for Reformed Theology and Development in South Africa, Faculty of Theology, North-West University, Potchefstroom,Without a doubt, pastoral care as the frontline ministry of the church has been crucial in Africa. Numerous obstacles confronting the African continent as a whole make pastoral care indispensable. Despite the fact that many scholars have acknowledged this, the distinctiveness of pastoral care in Africa has not been extensively investigated. What is it about pastoral care that makes it such an essential ministry in Africa? Other questions that must be addressed to clarify the primary question include: If pastoral care is essential, what is the church doing to expand pastoral care in Africa? What contributions are pastoral care theologians making to the academic impact of pastoral care discourse? This article examines why pastoral care is essential and how the church and pastoral care theologians can increase its impact in Africa. The article’s thesis is supported by extant research within the field of pastoral care.
Contribution: The article presents a discussion on the importance of pastoral care in Africa. The article helps elaborate on the need to have pastoral care in Africa that will effectively serve its people. Churches and pastoral care scholars in Africa will benefit from the discussion of this article as it helps in mapping the direction of pastoral care in Africa
Community development and the church : a public practical theology inquiry
Get PDFPhD (Pastoral Studies), North-West University, Vanderbijlpark CampusSub-Saharan Africa's underdevelopment raises questions about why this region remains mired in challenges that impede human progress. There are different responses to the question, but no significant regional changes indicate something is wrong. The study examined how churches interact with communities to address the challenge of underdevelopment. Specifically, the study examined the church's role in responding to community development within its social and ministerial spaces. The study recommended constructive and meaningful church and community engagement to address community underdevelopment. In response, a public practical theology was proposed as an integrated approach to church and society in addressing people’s challenges. This study examined Weltevreden Chapel Family Bible Church and Christ Revival Centre in Lenasia as case studies whose community interventions could indicate other ecclesial-community relationships.
In focusing on the church's role as a public pastoral care provider, the study emphasised the need for the church to be the salt of the earth and light for the world (Matthew 5:13-14). Churches are subsystems of society, placed by God in the world to represent Him. They must take an active role in addressing critical societal issues as ambassadors of God. The church must move away from closed-minded ministries and institutionalised theology to make a real difference in humanity. The study stressed the importance of using public theology as a theoretical lens to frame pastoral care ministries in the church.
Furthermore, it noted that public pastoral care should be a congregational responsibility characterised by holistic cooperation among congregants. The research proposes a church-focused community development model in South Africa in response to this need. In real contextual ministry, the church should systematically create synergies with community structures to broaden its human web of public pastoral care.
The study used Osmer’s (2008) framework for practical theological interpretation to answer the research questions and meet the objectives. Osmer (2008:4) develops a framework for practical theological interpretation in congregations by focusing on four key questions:
1. What is going on in a given context?
2. Why is this going on?
3. What ought to be going on?
4. How might the leader shape the context to better embody Christian witness and mission?
Based on the first question of the framework, the researcher examined the challenges people face in South African communities and the extent to which these challenges hamper people from
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living better lives. The study found that inequality, unemployment, poverty, gender-based violence (GBV) and racism are the significant challenges people are battling with. These persistent challenges affect people a big deal despite the government and other organisations’ efforts to combat these challenges.
An empirical study was conducted on how churches view community development and their involvement. The study results showed a need for church leaders to undergo training where they would have a comprehensive education on what community development entails and how they can effectively transform their communities. This was due to leaders not having a thorough knowledge of community development.
The study looked into the theological and biblical basis for community development. It was found that development is God’s idea. He is the One who created people in His image, and His intention from the beginning is that man enjoys fellowship with Him and lives a fruitful life in all aspects of His being. This can be achieved by churches actively participating in public pastoral care where people’s needs are met holistically. In light of this, the research set out to find a model for public pastoral care that is sensitive to community needs and is based on potential church engagement. The concept highlights the church's essential function as a microcosm of society with a significant role to play.
The recommendations given in this study were based on the information provided by the respondents regarding what they thought would help churches to be engaged with their communities effectively. The principles from the Bible that were found through careful exegesis were integrated with the respondents’ recommendations and literature to come up with practical suggestions that the church can follow to enhance its involvement in community development.Doctora
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