Date of Award

2-2023

Document Type

Project Portfolio

Degree Name

Doctor of Leadership in Global Perspectives (DLd)

Department

Seminary

First Advisor

Rebecca Jeong, PhD

Second Advisor

Karen Tremper, PhD

Third Advisor

Jason Swan Clark, DMin, PhD

Abstract

This project portfolio addresses the following need, problem or opportunity (NPO): Hopelessness within African low-income communities highlights the need for equipping local agents with a Christian gospel that integrates discipleship with leadership development, vocational training, mental health and asset-based community development if we wish to see Shalom. Several insights emerged from this research. First, to foster holistic transformation within low-income communities, it is imperative for discipleship to include basic mental health and practical interventions such as vocational training. Second, each community, regardless of how impoverished, is blessed with assets (skills, experiences and relationships), that need to be leveraged for the community to thrive. Finally, local Christian agents such as community development practitioners, missionaries, pastors, and educators, are a critical resource in fostering transformational development. The context for this research is the densely-populated, low-income community of Duncan Village, a place akin to Harlem in New York. Established in the 1930s as an informal settlement for migrant workers, Duncan Village is located five kilometers from the central business district of East London, South Africa. However, unlike Harlem, which has developed significantly, Duncan Village has worsened. Inadequate infrastructure, poor sanitation, poverty and crime are widespread. Yet, it has also produced outstanding sportsmen, and it is welcoming to the gospel. The project is a comprehensive leadership training guide that unpacks four of the 11 chapters relevant to my NPO. Chapter one discusses contextualization and its importance to leadership development. The second chapter explores spiritual formation, providing details on several spiritual disciplines. Chapter three examines five mental health models from a biblical and indigenous African perspective. Finally, chapter four describes asset-based community development and why it is preferable to the traditional needs-based approach to community development in Africa.

Download

Share

COinS