In the unlikely event that an author has not submitted a complete manuscript and pages are missing, these will be noted. Spiritual Education in the Old Testament 16 Spiritual Education in the New Testament 21 Historical Attitudes toward Children's Ministry 25 Spiritual Education in Contemporary Culture 30 Common Worship and the Place of the Child in the Church 35. The faculty and staff of The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary were the guiding support I needed to realize this endeavour.
I also could not have continued in this process if it were not for the camaraderie of the 07 cohort and the joint effort to encourage each other. Many members of the church took the time to ask how the research was going and to encourage me to finish. Bryan and Arlene Byler and Sherry LeSueur have been the backbone of my ministry at First Baptist Church, and I am eternally grateful for their faithful service that freed me to do this work.
Cleo Eugene "Jack" Jackson III has been the supportive pastor that every staff member hopes to serve with, and the pastoral and administrative staff each shared their concern as they too encouraged me to finish. I am deeply grateful to God for the family and friends God has blessed me with.
RESEARCH CONCERN
Some of the passages in the Epistles that do speak to children, their parents and their clergy. These two sides of the argument of children in worship appear to be motivated by theological. Currently, one of the rapidly spreading metaphors or models in children's ministry in the United States can be called the Carnival model.
Another concern about the generalizations of this study was the bias of the children's service contributors to be interviewed. This chapter presents the research data collected as a result of the interviews with recognized contributors to the children's service. This was another indicator of contributors' attitudes to their individual approaches to children's ministry.
The distinction to be made is when this exposure and eventual calling occurred in the lives of the contributors. The educational background of the contributors as a question in the research instrument did not reveal specific data related to the research questions. Children's ministry contributors were instructed to discuss the theological assumptions and specifically the theological section of the survey instrument, but their views emerged during the interviews.
The emergent category, apologetic of cultural relevance, is also listed in the cultural relevance findings, and the researcher examined its relationship with the. theological presuppositions of the contributors. An interesting example of the desire and intent of children's ministry contributors to be culturally relevant through their methodology was noted by the. The challenge and possible weakness was the reliance on the interpretation of the researcher in the coding process.
CONCLUSIONS
What are the prevailing attitudes toward the role of cultural relevance in children's ministry of known contributors to children's ministry. Which, if any, postmodern methods of children's ministry are considered by the contributors to be ineffective due to a lack of biblical correctness or. The first research question asked, "What are the dominant attitudes toward the culturally relevant role of known contributors to children's ministry?" To.
All contributors described an affirmative need to be culturally relevant in children's ministry. From the perspective of the contributors, cultural relevance was an essential factor in children's ministry. The second research question asked, "What are the dominant theological presuppositions regarding children and children's ministry of those who have made recognized contributions to the field?" Theological presuppositions were prevalent in the interview content, and those assumptions were found to influence the design of the contributors' ministries.
Through the admission of the contributors and observations of the researcher, theological issues were recognized as the foundational factors for their ministry. The third research question asked: "What are the common themes among the theology and attitudes expressed by the contributing leaders towards cultural relevance as a determining factor in children's ministry methodology. The dichotomy of theological issues and cultural relevance issues was not contradictory, but interdependent. , according to the answers provided by the contributors.
The fourth research question was: "Which classical child-serving methods are considered ineffective by the contributors because of their lack of cultural relevance to a postmodern culture?" The researcher identified classical childhood methodology as an emerging category in the structure of coding, but it turned out to be a fairly narrow category to code. 34; The answer to this question requires a different, less obvious answer due to the limited nature of the contributors' answers. The category of postmodernism in children's work seemed as uncertain as that of developmental aptitude.
The contributors also discussed their views of developmental science, but their responses were often limited similar to that of postmodernism in children's ministry. Some of the contributors either expressed a need for increased application of culturally-relevant methodology, or conversely, to be more biblically balanced with regard to culturally-relevant methods. The discovery of the desire among the contributors to lead the church to involve parents more in children's ministry and that parents should assume primary responsibility for the spiritual care of their children should be considered for additional research.
Personal Background
Theological and Philosophical Presuppositions
Developmentalism
The Relationship between Cultural Relevancy and Religious Traditions 1. Describe your understanding of the concept of cultural relevancy?
Postmodernism
Instructions: Read the accompanying summary of the proposed research and interview questions which are intended for use with individuals who have made recognized contributions to children's ministry. Are the questions designed to encourage children's work staff to think reflectively within the five categories? To what extent are the questions relevant to the field of children's work and the intention of the proposed research.
Which questions, if any, seem irrelevant to Children's Ministry or the purpose of understanding theological presuppositions and educational assumptions of Children's Ministry staff. In recent years, trends in the methodology of children's work have been rooted in educational assumptions (Ratcliff 2000, 66). Understanding the presuppositions and assumptions of key contributors to children's work should provide helpful understanding and subsequent meaning of the methods suggested by leaders, especially when the methods of children's work conflict.
The purpose of this descriptive phenomenological study is to identify commonalities and differences in the theology of children and attitudes toward cultural relevance of known contributors to children's ministry as defining factors. What are the prevailing theological presuppositions about children and children's ministry of those who have made recognized contributions in this field. What are the common themes between the theology and attitudes expressed by the contributing leaders toward cultural relevance as a determining factor in children's ministry methodology.
For this study, attention will be paid to the theological presuppositions about children and children's ministry. Describe your call to ministry and the major events that led to your decision to serve in some capacity in children's ministry. What is your current vision for your contribution to children's ministry as you influence many children's leaders in local congregations.
How do you think your biblical understanding of children has shaped your ministry to children and your contributions to children's ministry nationally? What are the specific elements of children's ministry that you believe should happen because of a biblical counsel. What are the specific concerns for the contemporary church to reflect biblical principles for children's ministry based on your theological paradigm.
The Relationship between Cultural Relevancy and Religious Traditions 1. Describe your understanding of the concept of cultural relevancy
In what ways have you applied the principles of childhood development in your ministry to children and in your influence with local church leaders? In what ways have you chosen to minister to children or influence leaders within the local church that conflict with the principles of childhood development? What should be the church's response to the significant influence of the media as the primary means of communication in the church.
The data collection schedule is to show the length of time involved in planning and conducting field research. Field research consisted of telephone interviews with contributors to the children's ministry and personal interviews with.
RESEARCH PROCESS
Historical Perspectives on Children in the Church: Resources for Spiritual Formation and a Theology of Childhood Today.
