Date

12-5-2022

Department

Rawlings School of Divinity

Degree

Doctor of Ministry (DMin)

Chair

Darren Hercyk

Keywords

fivefold ministry, theological training, apologetics, theology, equip, equipping, APEST, apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors, teachers

Disciplines

Practical Theology | Religious Thought, Theology and Philosophy of Religion

Abstract

God instructed believers to put forth their best work to rightly handle His Word of truth (2 Tim 2:15). Unfortunately, God’s truth is under attack and has been polluted with false teaching and incorrect understanding of Scripture. It is incumbent on the local church to combat this problem of incorrect biblical teaching head-on. Therefore, this action research project aims to demonstrate that through proper theological training in the church, this problem will be remedied. This action research assumes that arming the local church with theological training will strengthen its core. To this aim, this research project included teaching five theological training sessions on the fivefold ministry, baptism, prayer, counseling, and preaching for one hour each. Post-training surveys were completed on each topic to gauge the effectiveness of the training. Pre- and post-interviews were also conducted to understand the root causes of the lack of theological study in the church and determine other related themes. Quantitative data was collected from participants who joined the training sessions and contributed through post-training surveys. Qualitative data was organized by the researcher’s observations, which critical themes surfaced from pre and post-interviews and an hour focus group with participants. The research results indicate the participants believe the local church should offer theological training to its ministerial staff and leaders in order to combat false and incorrect teaching so that the church may be equipped as Christ intended.

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