https://hdl.handle.net/20.500.12852/3302 2026-04-13T19:11:59Z 2026-04-13T19:11:59Z Atiteo, Bernabe M. https://hdl.handle.net/20.500.12852/3467 2025-08-07T07:02:08Z 1990-05-01T00:00:00Z

The role of pastoral leadership in church conflict resolution within the Philippine Seventh-day Adventist Church Atiteo, Bernabe M. This study is an effort to understand the role of Filipino pastoral leadership in church conflict resolution within the contexts of Filipino cultural leadership values and biblical leadership style. The investigation begins by presenting the case of the Nelson Church and how pastoral leadership solved the church conflict. The study follows the four steps in pastoral theological reflection: description, analysis, interpretation and action. Your Filipino cultural values have been examined: social acceptance, reciprocity, kinship leadership, and paternalistic leadership. The study shows that social acceptance, reciprocity, and kinship leadership are primary and foundational social values among Filipinos in their interrelationships. The study shows that these social themes serve as foundation for paternalistic leadership, which is the authoritarian, but generous, caring, and loving style of leadership exercised by Filipino leaders like the father. Leaders in Filipino society are known as Ama (father) because they function in the community as protectors, guides, and tutors of their subjects. Among the indigenous religious organizations the leaders are looked upon as Ama by the followers. These religious leaders were authoritarian, but also exhibited care and love to their followers. These findings were applied to the Nelson Church, and it was discovered that the church lay leaders exhibited authoritarian leadership style as well as caring and loving attitude towards their church members. Paternalistic leadership appears to have been practiced by the lay leaders in their ministry in the church. The study investigated pastoral leadership, its qualities, and its various dimensions. Because Jesus is the model in pastoral leadership, he is the focus of the study. Jesus demonstrated three styles of leadership: authoritarian, consultative, and participatory. The first was rarely practiced by Jesus, but in general Jesus exhibited consultative and participatory styles in his ministry. He is also noted as fatherly, tradition-breaker, and trainer. Further, Jesus demonstrated the values of a caring servant, loving shepherd, and true model in pastoral leadership. The study also endeavors to demonstrate what pastoral leadership can do to solve church conflicts. The Biblical approach to handling church conflicts and the goals of resolving them were examined. Conflicts among members should be settled immediately in order to prevent serious conflicts that may arise. One goal of church conflict resolution is harmony among the members; the other is to glorify the name of God. Finally, the findings show that in conflict resolution in the church paternalistic leadership is a major factor. Here is provided a synthesis of the study and recommendations on solving, if not to preventing, church conflicts. The synthesis shows that the Filipino paternalistic style of leadership is enriched by the pastoral leadership style of Jesus. The qualities of Jesus' leadership like being fatherly, a tradition-breaker, a trainer, and being servant, shepherd, and model may enrich the Filipino paternalistic style of pastoral leadership. Paternalistic leadership helped solve the conflict in the Nelson Church. Among the recommendations on the resolution of church conflicts, aside from exhibiting a paternalistic leadership style, are a powerful church prayer group and a consistent visitation program. When these two programs are properly implemented by a paternalistic pastor leads the church may avoid conflicts and enjoy a vibrant witnessing program. The investigation concludes that a Filipino pastor leader who exercises paternalistic leadership style should be fully aware of his own psycho-socio-cultural leadership orientation and biblical leadership style. Full consciousness of motifs, especially paternalistic leadership, may lead to better and more satisfying results in church conflict resolution among Filipino Adventist churches. Abstract only

1990-05-01T00:00:00Z Almocera, Reuel U. https://hdl.handle.net/20.500.12852/3350 2025-05-07T02:55:30Z 1990-05-01T00:00:00Z

Christianity encounters Filipino spirit-world beliefs: A case study Almocera, Reuel U. In varying degrees, Filipino Christians are caught in a three-way confrontation of spirit-world views. The three views are the Western- inspired rationalistic understanding of the supernatural, the non- rationalistic Filipino traditional religious beliefs and practices, and the biblical understanding of the spirit-world. The tension created by this confrontation often results in a syncretistic response labelled "split-level Christianity" by Jesuit priest Jaime Bulatao. This study was proposed in an attempt to remedy the "split-level" characteristic of the Filipino Christian experience. Specifically, it attempts to identify a contextualized theological-pastoral approach to the spirit-world component of Philippine popular religiosity. The study is based on a case which exemplifies the issues encountered by Filipino Christians in attempting to respond to the biblical teachings about the spirits. The general procedure of the study follows several steps: (1) description, (2) analysis, (3) biblical-theological interpretation, and (4) pastoral action. After the case presentation and an introduction of the research, the description portion of the study presents a review of literature on the spirit-world phenomenon in the Philippines. This review describes two major views, one of which view considers the Filipino spirit-world beliefs as a Filipino invention necessary for social control; the other view advocates the idea that the belief is based on the reality and existence of the spirits. The analysis probes the socio-cultural, psychological, and religious factors that have shaped the dynamics of the case. The Filipino values of pakikisama amor propio, sakop system, and bahala na reinforce the spirit-world beliefs and made the healing ritual offered by spirit- world practitioners necessary. The most important factor was the influence of anitism— the primitive Filipino religious belief system. Anitism's concepts of an inaccessible God, the existence of environmental spirits, and the idea that all natural events are attributable to the inscrutable ways of invisible forces of the spirit-world, are evident in the case. The two chapters in this section deal with separate specific issues. One deals with the Filipino belief in the existence of evil spirits and their involvement in human life and illness. The other deals with the participation of Filipino Christians in the traditional healing rituals performed by spirit-world specialists. The findings may be summarized as follows. (1) The Bible affirms the reality, existence and activity of angels, fallen angels, and demons or evil spirits in this world. (2) Bible narratives such as the experience of Job and Jesus' encounter with demon-possessed persons indicates that demons are capable of inflicting disease and physical harm to human beings. (3) Major aspects of the spirit-world healing rituals have the characteristics of magic, a practice condemned by the Bible. (4) Subscription to spirit-world healing rituals is inconsistent with an authentic Christian faith. (2) The study recommends that Christianity should not deny the Filipino spirit-world categorically. Instead, it should endeavour to enculturate the Filipino spirit-world beliefs and practices within the bounds of sound biblical principles. The study advocates that Christianity should provide Filipinos with Christian spirit-world teachings and an alternative healing ritual. The teachings should emphasize the existence of the spirit-world, the immanence-transcendence of God, the Christus victor motif, and the ministry of the Holy Spirit. The Filipinized healing ritual should use symbols, such as coconut oil and laying on of hands, to dramatize the sovereignty and power of God over the spirits and human lives. Abstract only

1990-05-01T00:00:00Z