formation as a key practice of the Ukrainian baptist communities
ABSTRACT
community baptist religious
The aim of this dissertation is to investigate the practice of community formation and to see how it can be connected with our vulnerability as human beings. In this work I also attempt to explore what impact the practice of community formation could have on contemporary life particularly in Ukrainian Baptist context. I argue that community building should be a central point in the life of contemporary Christians. According to James McClendon, this practice needs to go along with two other subpractices which flow to the spheres of sharing and reconciliation. In this dissertation I consider sharing with a special focus on two aspects: shared meal and sharing ourselves. Then I look at reconciliation as the way of many steps which should be done toward the restoration of broken relationships.
INTRODUCTION
this dissertation I intend to explore the community formation as powerful practice following the thought of a Baptist theologian James Wm. McClendon, and to investigate what impact and influence it can have on the spiritual development of faith communities in Ukrainian Baptist context. I would like also to look at this practice through the lens of our vulnerability as human beings, and the ways how it can be overcame. I was motivated to explore this topic, first of all, by a great lack of investigation of the practice of community formation as such in the Ukrainian Christian literature and publications. The second reason for this exploration is my personal experience which I had in one Ukrainian Baptist community to which I was belonging more than 17 years.faith community exists already around 20 years. When this Baptist church was just emerging, the members of the community literally were burning to serve, to go forward, and to spread the good news among the people. I could evaluate that time as the period of growth and development. Unfortunately, later this flame died out. Therefore, after many years the consequences are that the community is getting smaller and smaller, excommunications are frequent, and constant conflicts and misunderstanding among the leaders and church members erode the community from inside. This Christian community is slowly dying. Consequently, during this investigation I am going to refer to this particular community as well.to my own observation, there is little understanding of the crucial importance and centrality of this practice, especially among the church leadership. However, development of community should be a major practice. Therefore, through this dissertation I also want to see how the practice of community formation can be applicable to faith communities such as this one. In the same time, I would like to address this work, first of all, to the church leadership in the context of Ukrainian Baptist communities. From my point of view, Christians need to consider more the example of leaders by which others should follow. Larry Spears suggests that it plays a fundamental role for the leadership. If the church leaders have this practice of community formation as a vision, and follow this vision, then others will follow it as well.practice of formation community gives a great meaning to Christian life. Community building should be a center and norm for Christian life for contemporary Christians as well as it was crucial for earliest Christian communities. The achievement of it requires intentional participants. Without this intentional attitude there will not be community s growth. However, the development of the practice of community formation needs to go along with two other Christian subpractices, as McClendon points. It contains sharing in the covenantal meal and reconciliation. Therefore, following this, my dissertation has been divided into two parts based on the practice of community formation. The first part named Shared Life. This title has a special meaning. McClendon in his Ethics focuses mainly on the sharing in the context of covenantal meal. However, from my point of view, this subpractice has a wider context. It could include not only sharing in the covenantal meal or meal itself, but also other aspects of sharing ourselves with others. Therefore, in light of these considerations, I focus more on the particular word sharing, which can include more than covenantal meal. The second part of my dissertation is called Reconciliation, based specifically on McClendon s approach.first part of this dissertation will examine the issue of sharing with its extended context. The first chapter gives a brief overview of the faith community as koinonia or fellowship. The next ...
