Two Different Modules in One Church Placement - Case Study Example

PLACEMENT REPORT AND JOURNAL OF TWO DIFFERENT MODULES IN ONE CHURCH PLACEMENT By City, State Date of Submission Part One Reflexive Journal on Theology and Leadership Style of the Church Introduction This is a placement report on the various modules of placement in church by a student pastor. These various modalities of placement enable an individual to experience the real life scenario of preaching experience as a man of god, and do the work placed in his or her hands of taking care of His flock with the right word and the right guidance. This is majorly because the church plays a very crucial role within the society in shaping its morals and correcting its vices, in order to bring about salvation and holistic living for the second coming of the Messiah. In addition, the church spreads the word of the Lord to the sinners and non-sinners, calling for the salvation of humankind from temptation and the treachery of the Devil so that they may, at the end of days, receive life and life in abundance by going to heaven. This placement program took place at one of the numerous global branches of the “God of Mercy Church – an evangelical prayers ministry church.” This church began its operations in the United Kingdom in 2011 as part of the global mission of the church to spread the word across the world. The pastor shepherding this church located in Canning Town, London, was Pastor Julie Alimi. She is the wife to the general overseer of the church, Pastor Gbolagade Alimi. This is one of the main branches of the church outside its home country in Nigeria, where the headquarters of the church are, and one of the many branches of the church spread across Europe. The church expands in order to create a global platform for the spreading of the gospel and salvation of humankind. As such, the numerous branches of the church across the world follow the doctrines of the mother church that began in Nigeria The Call of Pastor Alimi As mentioned earlier, the church I attended in London is just but a branch of the main church headquartered in Nigeria. The “God of Mercy Evangelical Ministries” began in Nigeria in 2001 when the Lord spoke to the general Overseer of the church, who also doubles up as the owner of the church through a dream message, to start a church that would shepherd His flock and bring the light to the world. This was in late 2002, and the General Overseer located the church at NNPC, Apata Ibadan, in Oyo state of the federal Republic of Nigeria. It is from this spring field that the church began its global mission of spreading the word of the Lord, that it led to its formation of numerous branches across the world, inclusive of Europe and particularly London city where I fellowship. Placement Experience at the Church The Sunday service began at 10.00 am whilst the Friday program began from 7 pm to 9 pm with the message “Enough is enough”. I had an opportunity to preach at the churn on March 16, where I tagged my message “Power for Recovery”, backed with several bible verses such as Isaiah 40:1-5, Isaiah 41:1-20, Ezekiel 37, Romans 8:31-38, and Roman 11:26-27. Furthermore, the church leadership also gave me an opportunity to lead in a prayer service in Friday March 14 on the “Enough is enough” message. I used David as my reference, especially during his attack on Goliath and killing the giant, thereby brining salvation to the people of Israel. The church leaders also instructed me to take the offering and pray for it. How the Pastors and Leaders of the Church Exercise Pastoral Care Pastoral care refers to an old age model of spiritual, as well as, emotional support found in numerous religions, traditions and cultures. The description of the modern concept of pastoral care is the individual and corporate patience that trained pastoral carers support the people in their churches, especially in carrying their anxiety, loss and pain, as well as, rejoicing in their victories, joys and triumphs. Historically, pastoral care refers to the ministry of care and counseling provided by chaplains, pastors, as well as, other leaders in the religious portfolio to the congregation or to the members of their church, or any other individual within the institutional setting of the church. This ranges in a number of perspectives, such as home visitations by pastors and other leaders of the church, and counseling provided by pastors licensed to offer counseling services. The God of Mercy Evangelical and Prayer Ministries church provides pastoral are to its congregation in a number of ways. This is in order to support its members to stand strong in the salvation and not to weaver or shake, especially in times of trials and tribulations. The church has a number of programs that presents the pastor with an opportunity to guide and comfort the faithfuls in the Lord. for instance, the church has counseling sessions, whereby the members of the church with pressing issues and in need of spiritual guidance to resolve their problems can meet the pastor and have a one-on-one session with her, where she can counsel them on how to attend to their needs, or resolve their problems. The church also has a home visitation program whereby the pastor visits the homes of various members of the congregation to support and encourage them to hold onto salvation. This also motivates the members to be strong followers of the church especially considering the importance given to the pastor’s visitation at their private residence. This means the church, and particularly the pastor, have great concern for their needs and problems. Furthermore, the church provides strong sermons during its services in order to encourage and empower the congregation to face their trials with faith and hope basing on its strong platform of the evangelical ministry. As for the needy adults and poor children within the church, the church conducts a program that supports them financially in order to empower them to meet all their needs and provide their requirements, such as the Gifts Aids program and the African Charity Program respectively. In order to grow the faith of the congregation, the church also holds various prayers and fasting sessions with them in order to support and encourage them to seek the face of the Lord earnestly. As such, the various programs undertaken by the church support its members to grow and develop in the salvation, which is a long and tempting journey. This also enables its members to grow and be free from the trials and temptations that may come along their way in the path of salvation. Theoretical Models of Pastoral Care A number of theoretical models govern the practice of pastoral care in the modern world today. Originally, the role of the pastor was to lead the congregation from the evil path to the path of righteousness. This is majorly because of the various hurdles found in the path of the righteous ones in the world today, such as temptations, backsliding in faith, and losing focus or morale in the word of the Lord. However, the events taking place within the surroundings of these individuals who form part of the congregation make their faith and trust in the Lord to wither and tear down, such as the hardships of life, the pleasures of life, and the temptations from the devil. As such, the world is in great need of pastoral care in order to lead the flock from the path of sinners and evil, to the path of light and righteousness. The first theoretical model of pastoral care evidenced in this God of Mercy church is the leadership model. As a leader, the pastor has to give advice and appropriate counsel to the people in order for these persons to follow the right path to their salvation. As such, the church in this sense provided sound leadership to its members and congregation, which in turn strengthened their faith and belief in Christianity. For instance, in less than a decade, a church formed out of the transformation of a Muslim faithful to a Christian prayer warrior expands and grows to become a global leader in the evangelical and prayer ministries. This is all thanks to the appropriate leadership provided by the senior pastor and general overseer of the church, Gbolagade Alimi, and strengthened by his wife who is also a practicing pastors and leader of one of the global branches of the church located in London, Pastor Julie Alimi. The second theoretical model of pastoral care as evidenced in this church is the model of shepherding. The bible says that Jesus was the good shepherd. A shepherd is a person who looks after his flock and protects them from harm. In addition, a shepherd ensures that his flock has enough to eat and drink by herding it within greener pastures, and taking them to a drinking place for water whenever the flock is thirsty. As such, the same applies to the role of pastoral care in modern day churches. The pastors are the shepherds, and the congregation or members of the church is the flock. Consequently, the pastors have to shepherd the congregation by protecting them from harm, especially from the numerous missiles thrown at those in the salvation such as temptations, trials and tribulations. Apart from protecting them, the shepherd has to graze them in greener pastures and take them for water, which is the word of the Lord. Therefore, the preaching and evangelical ministries performed by pastors at this church enable them to undertake the modalities of Pastoral care as drawn from the theoretical perspective of shepherding. This means that the pastor has to shepherd the congregation as the flock and guide them to the path of righteousness and glory, for the honor and praise of the Lord. The God of Mercy Church does this through its powerful sermons and other evangelical ministries, accompanied by a strong prayer session that protects and covers the congregation with the protecting blood of Jesus. On the other hand, the additional support and care given to the congregation by the church also enables the members of the congregation hold first onto the Lord and believe in His word and salvation in order to see heaven someday. Biblical Principles to Loving and Caring for People The bible provides various principles of love and care for other people. Jesus was the ambassador of love and care in the bible. God showed us how to express our love and care for other people, and so did Jesus teach the word how to this through his ministries across the world. The bible says that God loved the world so much that he gave his only begotten son to the world, such that whoever believes in Him gets saved and receives life more abundantly. This means that Jesus is the only way to salvation, and as such, accepting Christ as the personal savior makes an individual saved from the trials and tribulations of this world, as well as, empowers them to face and overcome the various temptations thrown at the path of the righteous. Jesus teaches that one should love their neighbors more than they love themselves. As such, they should always strive to achieve the happiness and comfort of their neighbors before seeking their own happiness. This is majorly through showing concern to the neighbors, giving them food, clothing, shelter and other necessities in life. Sharing with our neighbors what we have, as well as, teaching them the word, the word of the Lord that saved humankind from all sins. Consequently, the main biblical principle to love and care is love itself. People should love others first before loving themselves. This love should supersede other family and health relations, which in turn enable others to sacrifice for the sake of others, just as if the Lord Jesus Christ sacrificed Himself to the world by accepting to die on the cross and shed His Blood for the salvation of Humanity. However, there are five main principles that govern the practice of biblical teachings and pastoral care in order to ensure that the congregation at the church always comes out satisfied and filled with word and power of the Holy Spirit. The first principle requires the faithfuls to study and always obey the word of the Lord. God enshrined a number of teachings to Christianity in the word, and as such, the word plays a very phenomenal role in the growth of Christians. other important principles governing the practice of love and care are the need for Christians to continue praying incessantly, the need to fellowship with other Christians, the need to witness for Christ, as well as, the need to obey the Lord at all times. These principles are essential in encouraging and empowering the Christians to hold steadfastly in the word. Leadership Style of the Church The church has a lean leadership style that enables its leaders to reach out to the congregation, deliver their mission, and mandate to the world, which is to spread to word to all humankind and bring salvation to the world. The headquarters of the church are at Apata in Ibadan, Nigeria, and from this base, the church controls other branches from its tree spread across the world, especially in Europe. The leader of the church is the General Overseer, who also doubles up as the Senior Pastor of the church, Pastor Gbolagade Alimi. Incidentally, Pastor Alimi is also the founder of the God of Mercy Church, evangelical ministries and prayers. Under the Senior Pastor, there is a Parish pastor and a Resident pastor. These take care of the various branches that the church expanded to in its effort to get the word to the world, such as the London Branch headed by Pastor Julie Alimi, the wife to the Senior Pastor and Overseer to the church. The next rank after the resident and parish pastors is the rank of the Deacons, for the male, and Deaconesses for the female. These two support the pastor in leading the church for the glory of the Lord. Every branch of the church across the world has church elders. These elderly members of the church assist the pastor n the administrative functions of the church while the pastor deals with the spiritual issues and roles of the church. These church elders rank below the deacons and deaconesses within the church rankings. The next rank is that of ministers, who from time to time, take turns in teaching the word and preaching on behalf of the pastor. They also assist the pastor in leading fellowship, prayer and fasting programs, as well as, doing home visits to various members of their congregation. The last rank is that of the church workers, divided into the choir members and the ushers. Impact of Theology on What the Church Does Theology is the school that teaches and trains pastors in their role of spreading the word to the congregation. As such, it is the rational and systematic study of the nature of religious truths, and the concepts of God. Nowadays, one can study theology as a profession by going through and completing a specialized training in religious studies, such as at a school of divinity, a seminary, or at the university. These studies influence the manner and style by which the pastors perform their duties once they get out into the world. Consequently, theology has a great influence in what the church does as it teaches the pastors and deacons on the right way to conduct the business of the church, which mainly centers on spreading the word to the people of the world and saving their souls from the afflictions of sin. This is through prayers and fasting, preaching, evangelism ministries, as well as, home visits and charitable events. Approaches to Missiology Missiology, on the other hand, is the area of practical theology investigating the message, mandate, as well as, the mission of the Christian church. This is especially so in the case of a missionary work. The God of mercy Church has sociological missiology owing to the manner and style in which it undertakes its activities, an approach fronted by Aguste Compte, Emile Durkheim, and Karl Marx. This starts from the top, and goes all the way down to the bottom, such as from the senior pastor at the church headquarters to the ushers and choir members in the various branches of the church across the world. The application of sociological concepts in undertaking the activities of the church enable it to undertake its mission at a faster rate, thereby providing room for the congregation to grow and develop in faith and trust in the Lord. The application of this missiology concept further empowers the church to blend in to the social settings of its congregation, and as such, reach out to the many souls in their midst. Conclusion The prayers sessions were too much and too long, and as such, could easily become boring thereby making the congregation lose their focus on the prayer items. The offering at the church was a little exceptional. The church had more than two types of offering, and this could easily discourage the congregation from giving their offerings out of free will and sincerely. As such, the church risks losing a great percentage of its flock especially for those who felt a little frustrated with the numerous offerings demanded by the church. Furthermore, the church was not strict in keeping time. For instance, the schedule for the Sunday service was that it would begin at 10.00 am and end at 1.00 pm. However, this was hardly the case at the church. Generally, the experience was very good and instrumental to me because it was an opportunity for me to meet new people and gain more knowledge. Reference List Dryness, W. & Engel, J., 2000, Changing The Mind Of Missions: Where Have We Gone Wrong? Intervarsity Press, Wheaton, Illinois. Escobar, S., 2003, The New Global Mission: The Gospel From Everywhere To Everyone, Intervarsity Press, Wheaton, Illinois. Finley, B., 2005, Reformation in Foreign Missions, Xulon Press, Xulon. Mandyryk, J., 2010, Operation World: The Definitive Prayer Guide to Every Nation, Authentic Media, Milton Keynes. Montgomery, R., 1996, The Diffusion Of Religions: A Sociological Perspective, University Press Of America, Incorporated, Lanharm. Montgomery, R., 1999, Introduction to the Sociology of Missions, Greenwood Publishing Group, New York. Sanneh, L., 2009, Translating the Message: The Missionary Impact on Culture, Orbis Books, Michigan. Wuthnow, R., 2009, Boundless Faith: The Global Outreach of American Churches, University Of California Press, California Read More