TÁRGY KÓD ÉS NÉV “Urban and rural mission in Africa”

Travelling seminar in missiology in Kenya

Tantárgy felelőse: Féléves Órarendi beosztás: Előtanulmányi kötelezettségek:

Dr. Anne-Marie Kool óraszám: Blokkositott
N: February 12
Tantárgy előadója/i: L: Kenya seminar
Dr. Lovas András March 3-15, 2010
Debriefing: April 18.

Előadó fogadóórái: Meghirdetés féléve: Ajánlott Értékelés módja:

Kedd 13-14.30 3 kredit félév: f

Oktatás nyelve: Típusa: Értékelés módszere:

Magyar és Angol Órai referátum, házi
dolgozat

Introduction
This travelling seminar grew out of a visit of KRE students to the St. Andrew’s Presbyterian
Church in Nairobi, Kenya. This 11-day trip in September 2008 had three basic elements
involved:
1. an opportunity to learn about Christianity in Africa, more closely the life and mission of
a very influencing African urban church. The students were exposed to practices of
holistic mission in both urban and rural areas.
2. an opportunity to minister in various contexts. The student’s ministry involved preaching,
taking part in liturgy, testimonies and giving short expositions of Hungary to children in
schools. These ministry situations introduced the students to the reality of cross-cultural
ministry in a very real and experiential way.
3. exposure to Kenyan culture and nature.
This present travelling seminar builds on the same experiential elements, however also adds
formal aspects to the learning experience (primarily assigned readings and on-site lectures)

Content and goals of course

Christianity in Africa is growing in a remarkable way. This religion, traditionally viewed as
fundamentally Western,,, has become truly African. Christianity helped Africans to become
renewed Africans, not remade Europeans, comments Lamin Sanneh. At the same time we are
aware of the growing number of African Christians in Europe and the new (reverse) missional
phenomenon: African missionaries to the West. That movement of the Gospel, from the West to
Africa, and then from Africa to the West, raises the question of gospel and culture – both for the
African (Kenyan) and the European (Hungarian) churches. Given this background, the course
has the following goals:

1. Providing an introduction to the history and presence of Christianity in Africa (through

required readings before the course and presentations by professors in Nairobi)
2. Learning about the present challenges of the church related to gospel and culture in
Kenya
3. Understanding the spiritual dynamics of revival/renewal in an African mainline urban
church (St Andrew’s Presbyterian Church)
 4. Learning about the urban and rural mission of St Andrew’s with an emphasis on
understanding the social and cultural context and the church’s response in the light of the
gospel
5. Reflecting on cross cultural ministry experiences both in urban and rural areas

Course Requirements
1. A course journal of our entire time in Kenya. This will require three levels of work:
description, analysis and application or integration. Students are obliged to document
each session, both formal in class (lectures) or other ad hoc sessions throughout the week.
Describing, narrating and summarizing the essence of what they hear and see is the first
part of the assignment. Part two involves the analysis of what was said or not said, i.e. the
theological assumptions of the presentations, the social location of the presentation,
issues of gospel and culture, etc. In part three, students extrapolate the transferable
principles for their context and ministry and also reflect on their own ministry experience
in Kenya. The number of pages per day maximum 2 (without pictures). Be succinct;
don’t just insert your class notes into your journal. Use this as an opportunity to process
what you have heard, learned and seen.
2. Active participation in ministry in Kenya. Depending on skills and opportunities this can
be preaching in adult or youth services, leading singing at various places, creative
ministry among children, presenting Hungary and the RCH to both adults and children.
Ministry opportunities will be divided between students before leaving to Kenya as much
as possible. Serious preparation and spiritual commitment are expected. (All ministries
happen in English)
3. Required readings. Student will critique and report the assigned (English) texts

Grading: 40% - journal; 30% - ministry; 30% - reading interaction forms

Reading interaction forms are due one week before leaving to Kenya (February 25), either in
English or Hungarian at andras.lovas@votin.hu
Journals due on April 11, 2010 via e-mail, either in English or Hungarian
Preparation for the course and journey: February 12. 13.00-17.00, Budapest, KMTI
Debriefing: April 18, 10.00-14.00, Budapest, Gazdagret

Selected chapters from the bibliography will be provided as a reader (100 pages)

Bibliography
Asamoah-Gyadu, J. Kwabena. "African Initiated Christianity in Eastern Europe: Church of the
'Embassy of God' in Ukraine." International Bulletin of Missionary Research 30, no. 2
(2006): 73-75.
Bakke, Raymond J. "A Nagyváros Teológiája." Theológiai Szemle 41, no. 5 (1998): 306-12.
Bediako, Kwame. Christianity in Africa: The Renewal of a Non-Western Religion: Edinburgh
Univ. Press, 1995.
Gornik, Mark R. To Live in Peace. Biblical Faith and the Changing Inner City. Grand Rapids,
MI: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 2002.
Hill, Jonathan. The New Lion Handbook. The History of Christianity. Oxford: Lion Hudson,
2007.
Kalu, Ogbu. African Christianity : An African Story, Perspectives on Christianity Series. Series
5. Pretoria: University of Pretoria, Dept. of Church History, 2005.
Lingenfelter, Sherwood. Mindenkinek Mindenné. Kúlturális Különbségek Áthidalása. Budapest:
Harmat
KMTI, 2009.
Omenyo, Cephas Narh. "Pentecost Outside Pentecostalism : A Study of the Development of
Charismatic Renewal in the Mainline Churches in Ghana." Thesis (doctoral),
Boekencentrum,
Universiteit Utrecht, 2002., 2002.
Sanneh, Lamin O., and Joel A. Carpenter. The Changing Face of Christianity : Africa, the West,
and the World. Oxford ; New York: Oxford University Press, 2005.
Walls, Andrew F. The Cross-Cultural Process in Christian History : Studies in the Transmission
and Appropriation of Faith. Maryknoll, N.Y.
Edinburgh: Orbis Books ;
T&T Clark, 2002.
———. The Missionary Movement in Christian History: Studies in the Transmission of Faith:
Orbis Books, New York, 1996.