Department of Practical Theology and Missiology

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Browsing Department of Practical Theology and Missiology by Author "Awuah-Gyawu, Daniel"

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    Missiological responses to the wounded youth : a case study of the campus ministry of Scripture Union in the Kumasi metropolis of Ghana
    (Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University, 2023-12-21) Awuah-Gyawu, Daniel; White, Peter; Cloete, Anita Louisa; Stellenbosch University. Faculty of Theology. Dept. of Practical Theology and Missiology.
    ENGLISH ABSTRACT: This study, Missiological Responses to the Wounded Youth: A Case Study of the Campus Ministry of Scripture Union in the Kumasi Metropolis of Ghana, is premised on the missiological assumption that mission proceeds from a place of needs and that the youth is expected to receive responses that address their needs. It, therefore, investigates the missional approaches of Scripture Union (SU) Ghana, a parachurch faith community, in response to the youths in the Senior High School (SHS). The study also investigates the corresponding impact of these approaches. The main theory that drives the study is the Anglican Consultative Council’s ‘Five Marks of Mission’, which was summarised by Chris Wright and the Church of England and espoused in Andrew Walls and Cathy Ross’ ‘Five Marks of Global Mission’. The case study approach is used to explore the campus ministry activities of Scripture Union Ghana. To gain a deeper understanding of the impact of SU’s campus ministry, the lived experiences of people exposed to it are explored phenomenologically. Four qualitative data collection methods were used, which comprised documentary analysis, narratives, participant observation, and interviews. Ten participants—five current and two former SU staff members who were purposively sampled and three volunteers who were sampled by snowballing—were interviewed. Using thematic analysis from the transcribed interviews, the data was discussed, considering the research objectives. Scripture Union’s responses include leadership training, school missions, campus crusades, post-mission follow-up, evangelistic rallies, and school group fellowships. Other programmes are the purity campaign and the integrity campaign, which seek to address issues of sexual immorality and cheating, respectively. These evangelism-driven activities embed role modelling, counselling and mentoring. The SU’s SHS campus ministry has filled the youth ministry gap in the SHSs, offering students the opportunity to have salvation experiences, be nurtured, and be equipped with leadership skills that set the foundation for campus and future leadership in society. Through guidance and counselling, SU identifies some of the emotional, material, academic, and social needs of students and addresses them. The study demonstrates that SU is not a nascent organisation. However, it seeks to regularly improve upon its praxis through a feedback system from students. This in-depth study of SU’s campus ministry fills the research gap about the SHS campus ministry in Ghana and concludes that the youth who are exposed to appropriate nurturing experiences are not just recipients of missiological interventions but prospective participants in the missio Dei.