Date of Award

2-2015

Document Type

Dissertation

Degree Name

Doctor of Ministry (DMin)

Department

Seminary

First Advisor

Phillip Carnes

Second Advisor

Marty Williams

Third Advisor

Amy Doherty

Abstract

"The Buzz About The Church: Re-Imagining Discipleship Through a Theology of Beekeeping", creates and awareness of the root problems of why the church has not passed on its sacred faith to future generations. Historically, some contributors to non-transmission have been Gnosticism, the Enlightenment, Consumerism and Moralistic Therapeutic Deism. The dissertation also focuses on movements which have sprung up in response to a declining church like the Emergent Church Movement and Missional Church Movement.

This dissertation argues the solution to the problem is reestablishment of the practice of discipleship as Jesus modeled. Beekeeping is used to reimagine the model of discipleship. The claim being made is the same process God used to mature life in creation is the same one Jesus used to make mature followers. The doctrine of creation is reestablished as normative revelation in to the life of God and as the means to introduce the sacredness of honeybees. A bridge has been built to merge discipleship and honeybees to create a theology of beekeeping which informs our understanding of how the church can make followers. The three main ideas that are cornerstones of Jesus' methodology and creation's process are Community, Incarnational/Missional posture and multiplication.

The solution to a church collapsing on itself is discipleship re-imagined by looking through the lens of creation. The second half of this dissertation is the creation of a popular book which explores the holy shape of a hexagon and the 6 necessary sides of discipleship which lead to fruitfulness. The metaphor of beekeeping is unpacked and engaged in modern analysis of the church. Lastly, the sacredness of honeybees in ancient culture is resurrected to a place of prominence.

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