Abstract

BUYS, P.J.. Moulding of a man of God: An evaluation of international debates on pastoral training in the light of perspectives from 1 and 2 Timothy. In Skriflig (Online) [online]. 2010, vol.44, n.1, pp.47-66. ISSN 2305-0853.

During the past 50 years a wide variety of discussions, reflections and debates on theological education has been published. These debates and reflections were stimulated by the following factors: On the one hand there is an explosion of church growth in developing countries. On the other hand there is an alarming decline in church growth in developed countries. There is also deep concern about the lack of impact of churches on the transformation of communities. Church leaders are often not succeeding in stimulating and equipping believers to be effective witnesses in the world. These factors have given rise to the question: How should theological education be restructured to become a vital factor that leads to spiritual growth as well as growth in numbers of churches? Serious questions about the godliness and spirituality of church leaders, of pastors and seminary students are raised. This article evaluates international tendencies in the light of principles and perspectives from Paul's epistles to Timothy.

Keywords : character formation; in service training; man of God; mentoring; training of pastors.

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