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    English Baptist Denominational History as a Resource for Theological Reflection on Church Health

    Gorton, Catriona Julie Mae

    [Thesis]. Manchester, UK: The University of Manchester; 2011.

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    Abstract

    The University of ManchesterCatriona Julie Mae GortonMaster of PhilosophyDenominational History as a Resource for Theological Reflection on Church HealthYear of Submission: 2011‘Knowledge of their past will inform the decisions [Baptists] take today which will shape their tomorrow.’ These words of Baptist historian Barrie White along with some from Archbishop Rowan Williams, that to ‘engage with the Church’s past is to see something of the Church’s future’ which ‘makes for the health of the church…’ lie at the heart of my thesis that denominational history has the potential to form a valuable and engaging resource for theological reflection within the field usually termed church health, and specifically in the consideration of change, actual or potential, in pastoral practice. As a Practical Theologian, central to my approach is a belief that such reflection should be undertaken by and for the people who make up local congregations. My particular interest is in assisting local churches (congregations) to approach and manage change in ways that avoid the potential for destructive conflict: might it be that examples from denominational history form a valuable resource for reflection on processes that might be employed to approach contemporary issues? An initial survey of materials suggests that it might, but that in its current form it is largely inaccessible (literally and in relation to how it is presented). This submission presents a portfolio of work, based on the popular 'pastoral cycle' approach, exploring this possibility and establishing a way forward for developing a more accessible and engaging method to 'tell the story'.After a thorough literature, which presents an overview of developments in the disciplines of church health and history alongside an outline of readily available Baptist history, my publishable article develops a renewed vision for the Baptist Historical Society, the voluntary body which produces the majority of UK Baptist historical writing, taking account of insights gained. Specifically, the potential for a more narrative/literary approach with a recovery of theological/spiritual language is identified as a way forward in increasing accessibility and usability of this rich resource in the way I advocate. Three possible approaches to developing resources are identified and explored in the research proposal, ranging from almost entirely empirical to totally theoretical, with justification of why each constitutes Practical Theology. Emphasis shifts away from the central thesis in the reflective paper which explores questions of 'readers' and 'writers' in relation to my own work as a researcher and a practical theologian. A final reflection, in lieu of a conclusion, draws threads together and affirms my conviction that denominational history has the potential to provide a rich and fruitful resource for theological reflection in the area of church health.

    Layman's Abstract

    Church congregations are regularly faced with the need to negotiate changes, whether in worship, in mission, in administration or in pastoral care. All too often change brings with it unhelpful, even destructive conflict. Can anything be done to address this, and if so what? Church Health is an area of Practical Theology concerned with the study of congregations and how they might be enabled to 'live' more healthy 'lives.' There is extensive work, and wide-ranging literature, on conflict resolution but very little that addresses a more fundamental issue: can congregations handle change, or its potential, more healthily, and, if so what resources are there to help them? This thesis explores the possibility that denominational history (in this case, English Baptist) might be such a resource, but notes that in its current form it is far from ideal for this purpose. Key to its usability are questions of accessibility – both literally being able to obtain material and in relation to its style, focus and form.After a review of literature in the fields of Congregational Studies (the 'umbrella' of Church Health), of twentieth century developments in historiography and of publicly available English Baptist denominational history, consideration is given to how a method, or methods, might be developed to produce resources to assist local congregations in their endeavours to reflect theologically on questions of change. In addition to such materials being accessible to 'lay' people, the method would seek to restore a distinctive theological and/or spiritual tone to the writing of denominational history without losing the rigour of good historical method.

    Bibliographic metadata

    Type of resource:
    Content type:
    Form of thesis:
    Degree type:
    Doctor of
    Degree programme:
    Professional Doctorate in Practical Theology (PT)
    Publication date:
    Location:
    Manchester, UK
    Total pages:
    210
    Abstract:
    The University of ManchesterCatriona Julie Mae GortonMaster of PhilosophyDenominational History as a Resource for Theological Reflection on Church HealthYear of Submission: 2011‘Knowledge of their past will inform the decisions [Baptists] take today which will shape their tomorrow.’ These words of Baptist historian Barrie White along with some from Archbishop Rowan Williams, that to ‘engage with the Church’s past is to see something of the Church’s future’ which ‘makes for the health of the church…’ lie at the heart of my thesis that denominational history has the potential to form a valuable and engaging resource for theological reflection within the field usually termed church health, and specifically in the consideration of change, actual or potential, in pastoral practice. As a Practical Theologian, central to my approach is a belief that such reflection should be undertaken by and for the people who make up local congregations. My particular interest is in assisting local churches (congregations) to approach and manage change in ways that avoid the potential for destructive conflict: might it be that examples from denominational history form a valuable resource for reflection on processes that might be employed to approach contemporary issues? An initial survey of materials suggests that it might, but that in its current form it is largely inaccessible (literally and in relation to how it is presented). This submission presents a portfolio of work, based on the popular 'pastoral cycle' approach, exploring this possibility and establishing a way forward for developing a more accessible and engaging method to 'tell the story'.After a thorough literature, which presents an overview of developments in the disciplines of church health and history alongside an outline of readily available Baptist history, my publishable article develops a renewed vision for the Baptist Historical Society, the voluntary body which produces the majority of UK Baptist historical writing, taking account of insights gained. Specifically, the potential for a more narrative/literary approach with a recovery of theological/spiritual language is identified as a way forward in increasing accessibility and usability of this rich resource in the way I advocate. Three possible approaches to developing resources are identified and explored in the research proposal, ranging from almost entirely empirical to totally theoretical, with justification of why each constitutes Practical Theology. Emphasis shifts away from the central thesis in the reflective paper which explores questions of 'readers' and 'writers' in relation to my own work as a researcher and a practical theologian. A final reflection, in lieu of a conclusion, draws threads together and affirms my conviction that denominational history has the potential to provide a rich and fruitful resource for theological reflection in the area of church health.
    Layman's abstract:
    Church congregations are regularly faced with the need to negotiate changes, whether in worship, in mission, in administration or in pastoral care. All too often change brings with it unhelpful, even destructive conflict. Can anything be done to address this, and if so what? Church Health is an area of Practical Theology concerned with the study of congregations and how they might be enabled to 'live' more healthy 'lives.' There is extensive work, and wide-ranging literature, on conflict resolution but very little that addresses a more fundamental issue: can congregations handle change, or its potential, more healthily, and, if so what resources are there to help them? This thesis explores the possibility that denominational history (in this case, English Baptist) might be such a resource, but notes that in its current form it is far from ideal for this purpose. Key to its usability are questions of accessibility – both literally being able to obtain material and in relation to its style, focus and form.After a review of literature in the fields of Congregational Studies (the 'umbrella' of Church Health), of twentieth century developments in historiography and of publicly available English Baptist denominational history, consideration is given to how a method, or methods, might be developed to produce resources to assist local congregations in their endeavours to reflect theologically on questions of change. In addition to such materials being accessible to 'lay' people, the method would seek to restore a distinctive theological and/or spiritual tone to the writing of denominational history without losing the rigour of good historical method.
    Thesis main supervisor(s):
    Thesis co-supervisor(s):
    Language:
    en

    Institutional metadata

    University researcher(s):
    Academic department(s):

    Record metadata

    Manchester eScholar ID:
    uk-ac-man-scw:123507
    Created by:
    Gorton, Catriona
    Created:
    26th May, 2011, 08:14:50
    Last modified by:
    Gorton, Catriona
    Last modified:
    26th May, 2016, 09:28:29

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