Relevant indigenous disciple-making in the Evangelical Church of West Africa (ECWA): A case study of the Kaninkon people in Nigeria

The Evangelical Church of West Africa (ECWA) today is in dire need of a relevant indigenous disciple-making model, with methods that are culturally-relevant and biblically affirmed, to mature its members. This dissertation introduces an indigenous "discipling" model---Christian socialization---as an important strategy for maturing members at the local level. The Kaninkon People of Nigeria are a case study that shows how ECWA can affirm and use selected religious beliefs and practices of a culture for discipling purposes while at the same time bring to light new truths of the Christian Gospel through inviting local theological reflection in a hermeneutical community, the Siyong.;Chapter 1 presents the problem as well as the theories and methods adopted to gather and interpret data in order to construct the most relevant method of making disciples among the indigenous Christians in the Kaninkon society.;Chapter 2 describes the background of the theology and practice of discipleship in SIM and ECWA.;Chapter 3 surveys and selects theories related to culture-sensitive disciple-making that are appropriate to communities having their own worldview, rites and customs.;Chapter 4 examines biblical concepts of disciple-making. In the Old Testament socialization takes place through ritual practices in order to mature people in faith within a society that lived as a covenant people.;Chapter 5 discusses how essential conditions of cultural "discipling" or socialization among the Kaninkon people of Nigeria point out the relative merits of an indigenous church using local patterns of "training up" believers versus employing outside methods and programs that are still present as a cultural residue from earlier days of mission and church.;Chapter 6 is a full presentation of the new disciple-making model: Christian socialization or "self-discipling".;Chapter 7 completes the study by demonstrating that new use of the entity, Siyong, the traditional forum for discussing social issues, can bring success in bridging the discipling gap between the national and local levels of the ECWA.;In conclusion, the new disciple-making model---Christian socialization or "self-discipling"---brings relevance and meaning to indigenous (Kaninkon) Christians. The new model will root evangelism with discipling among the Kaninkon culture. (Abstract shortened by UMI.).