The centenary of Assemblies of God in South Africa: Historical reflections on theological education and ministry formation

The Assemblies of God (AOG) celebrates its centenary in 2017. The paper aims to show the historical development of theological education and ministerial training and formation in this denomination. It starts by showing how internationally AOG embraced the Bible Institute movement as a way of evangelism, church planting and growth from the early decades of the 20th century after the birth of the Pentecostal Movement. Then there is a South African scenario, lamenting the de-emphasis of the importance of theological education, though there was emphasis on evangelism and missional endeavours on the grassroots. The research unfolds the development of institutions from 1949 to the present. All in all, 10 institutions are identified and briefly explained, some of them with their demise. The article concludes by historical reflections on what was taught and identifies the gaps by suggesting that the Pentecostal curriculum should be relevant to the context of Africa by embracing inclusivity: Hidden Curriculum, Gender Studies, Inculturation and Liberation ideals and renaissance of pneumatology.

Mentoring as a supportive pedagogy in theological training

This article contends that theological training supported by effective mentoring can contribute to the shaping of theology students in terms of their spiritual growth, character development and ministry formation. It is further argued that mentoring as a supportive pedagogy needs to be an essential element of theological education. Subsequently, guidelines for making mentoring an effective pedagogy in theological training are proposed. A lot has been written about mentoring; however this article focuses on the use of mentoring as a supportive pedagogy in denominational seminaries as a means of fostering the holistic development of theology students.

Activists and the academy: Proposals for social ministry formation learned from the lives of social activists

This paper is the fruit of a narrative inquiry in which the author interviewed Christian social activists from the Maritime Provinces to learn what was spiritually formative for their commitment to social ministry. It summarizes and reflects upon the research findings that indicate the types of contexts, people, relationships, experiences and activities that were influences on the participants' societal commitments. Feminist theological themes used to reflect on the findings include affirmation, connecting with difference, proximity to justice issues and risk, relationships, community and creative spirituality. The author suggests the presence of an implicit spiritually formative curriculum in the research participants' lives that is potentially formative for social ministry and suggests some possible implications for theological education.

“For the Hatching of our Hearts”: Friendship, Pastoral Care, and the Formation for Ministry

The author explores the notion of friendship by drawing on personal and ministry experience, as well as on philosophical and biblical insights, in order to suggest a dynamic practice of pastoral care and a process of ministry formation which transcends the professional paradigm and the peership principle. He suggests that the power to bless, the ability to extend grace, and the potential for change are dynamics of friendship which are effective both in pastoral care and in ministry formation.

The Integration of Clinical Pastoral Education with Seminary Learning: Fostering the Student's Ministry Formation

Describes and analyzes a colloquium designed to focus on the impact of Clinical Pastoral Education (CPE) on the theological curriculum and on ministerial formation. Claims that a seminary's goals are more fully achieved when the school provides forums for students to integrate their learning from congregations and world contexts with the academic/teaching enterprise. Concludes that a colloquium, similar to the one described and evaluated in this article, achieves this kind of desired integration.