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Emmanuel Research Review

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In this issue: "The Nehemiah Project" by Deb Beatty Mel and "The Kangai Initiative" by Frederick Kitonga
2009 Emmanuel Applied Research Award recipients

Introduced by Brian Corcoran
Research Associate, Emmanuel Gospel Center
Managing Editor, Emmanuel Research Review

ne of the most exciting and strategic ministries the Emmanuel Gospel Center has developed over the past three decades is the Inner City Ministry course.

2008-2009 Inner City Ministry Class small group discussion

Hundreds of ministry practitioners from various ethnic, denominational, and ministry backgrounds have taken the two-semester course, and many testify that it has been transformational to their lives and ministries.

EGC President Dr. Doug Hall and his wife, Judy, pioneered the course as an antecedent to Gordon-Conwell's urban extension, the Center for Urban Ministerial Education (CUME).

2008-2009 Inner City Ministry Teaching Team (left to right): Jeff Bass, Judy Hall, Doug Hall, Annette Wright, and Michele Mitsumori

In time, the course was adopted as a part of CUME's core curriculum. In more recent years, the teaching team has expanded from the Halls to include other EGC staff such as EGC's Executive Director, Jeff Bass, as a Teaching Fellow, and Michele Mitsumori, operations manager, as Teaching Assistant (right). The final "product" of the course is for each student to write a major ministry proposal consisting of four parts: a community analysis, a church or organizational analysis, an analysis of two relevant ministry models, and a synthesis of the student's ministry plan. Many of the past ministry proposal projects written in the Inner City Ministry class are thriving ministries today.

The 2009 Emmanuel Applied Research Award Winners

In this issue of the Emmanuel Research Review, we have included two papers from the 2008-2009 Inner City Ministry course deserving special recognition. Our congratulations to Deb Beatty Mel and Frederick Kitonga, the 2009 Emmanuel Applied Research Award winners, and to all the students in this year's course for their hard work and contribution to urban ministry through applied research.

• "The Nehemiah Project" by Deb Beatty Mel
• "The Kangai Initiative" by Frederick Kitonga

The 2009 Emmanuel Applied Research Award papers are being presented in their entirety in the May-June issue of the Emmanuel Research Review.

Be sure to check out additional resources at the end of each article for futher study. As always, we welcome your feedback!

The Nehemiah Project: A spiritual vision and practical approach to the restoration, maintenance, and use optimization of church facilities

The influence of belief systems upon the physical development of cities can be seen in the prominent placement of temples and Cathedrals in ancient and medieval cites, and the allocation of land for churches in the planning of New England cities. More recently, the extensive U.S. interstate road system, and the tall, elaborate buildings in the financial districts of places like New York and Boston display our faith and fascination with mobility and money. We build according to what we value and we tend to value what we build.

But what happens when buildings and bridges begin to grow old and are in need of significant repair or restoration? Like many U.S. cities, Boston is wrestling with decisions regarding infrastructure. Also like many other U. S. cities, Boston has several hundred buildings occupied by churches, many of which are older facilities in need of repair, restoration, and improvements. The expertise and expense of caring for these facilities can overwhelm many congregations.

Deb Beatty Mel’s paper, “The Nehemiah Project,” suggests an integrated spiritual vision and practical approach to the restoration, maintenance, and use optimization of church facilities. For those who are struggling with the complex blend of theological and architectural considerations around church facilities, Deb’s paper offers both inspiration and insight as to how church buildings can better serve and support the ministry of the church.

THE NEHEMIAH PROJECT by Deb Beatty Mel (click to open a new webpage with the entire paper, or click on the links below to read by section)

• Introduction
• Executive Summary
• Community Analysis
• Organizational Analysis
• Ministry Models
• Proposal
• Evaluation
• Conclusion
• Bibliography
• Additional Resources

The Kangai Intiative: Towards Sustainable Development

Frederick Kitonga’s 2009 Emmanuel Applied Research Award winning paper, “The Kangai Initiative: Towards Sustainable Development,” presents an indigenous and biblical consideration of the socio-economic complexities and kingdom opportunities in the Kitui District of Kenya for a sustainable development process that engages, inspires, educates, and economically benefits the local Kitui community.

THE KANGAI INITIATIVE: TOWARDS SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT By Frederick Kitonga (click to open a PDF files of the entire paper; refer to the links below as a guide for reading by sections--page numbers of the PDF--not the actual paper itself--are listed below in parantheses)

• Abstract (2)
• Outline (3)
• Introduction (6)

CLARIFICATION

• Kitui District (8)
• Anglican Diocese of Kitui (15)
• Two Likeminded Models (21)

CONCEPTUALIZATION

• Towards the Situations Theology (27)
• The People’s Theology of Peace (32)
• Towards the District’s All Encompassing Peace (35)
• The People’s Theology of Prayer (36)
• What I envision for the people of Kitui (37)

KANGAI INITIATIVE

• What is the Kangai Initiative? (39)
• The Background and Vision of Kangai Initiative (39)
• What does the Kangai Initiative propose to do? (39)
• Who will administrate the project? (40)
• How will the Kangai Initiative start? (41)
• How will the poor in the community will benefit from the Kangai Initiative? (42)
• Kangai in the context of the Kitui diocese (42)
• Incorporating the SCC’s and Kangai’s concepts (42)
• Kangai’s working strategy (43)
• The expected outcome (43)
• The project’s budget (44)
• Evaluating the project’s work (44)
• Budget for extended Seven Group Ministry implementation (47)
• Bibliography (48)

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