Around the OCMS world: Cutting-edge stories of local and global impact

Celebrating 40 years of OCMS – this was also the occasion to look back on its PhD program in this period. Since its inception in 1983 until its jubilee in 2023, 178 candidates successfully completed the program and currently about 200 are registered. OCMS proudly looks at a completion rate of over 80%.

Three female and three male alumni were invited to speak about their journeys with the global fellowship of OCMS in pursuing and completing their doctoral studies at the jubilee event in June 2023. They highlighted the diverse scope of OCMS scholars and their research topics. These topics included contextualising Assembly of God's Pentecostalism in Malaysia, conflict management and reconciliation in Palestine, combating corruption in state and church in South Sudan, revisiting microfinancing as a tool to fight poverty in Zimbabwe, integral mission as a model for Pentecostal Churches in Honduras, and a dialogue between an Indonesian Muslim thinker and Western political philosophy to construct civil religious pluralism. This selection offers a glimpse into the impressive breadth of issues that practitioners bring to the academic study of mission and what they take back to their ministries.

The speakers, coming from practical backgrounds, reflect while remaining in respective contexts on how to transform the practice of mission to impact and change the lives of people and church ministries. It is noteworthy that not all OCMS scholars come with a theological degree, yet all address practical and theological problems related to the mission of the church. They testify to OCMS's mission by encouraging candidates from the majority world to contribute to knowledge and theological reflection that serves the global church.

The narratives also demonstrate the value of doctoral studies pursued with OMCS. Such studies not only promote personal development and higher qualifications but also empower the scholars to serve with greater capacity, supported by the OCMS global network, established and grown over the four decades of its existence.

Malaysia

Revd Eva Wong Suk Kyun, Assembly of God

PhD thesis: Contextual Pentecostalism from a Classical Pentecostal Movement to a Contemporary Pentecostal Church Movement: A Study of the Assemblies of God Malaysia with Special Reference to Joel 2:28-32 (2021)

I joined the OCMS Research Induction School in the Spring 2015 cohort and graduated in 2022. The OCMS fellowship rooted in the evangelical movement and ecumenical spiritual environment truly enriched my Christian faith and broadened my theological perspective and appreciation of global Christianity. OCMS fellowship has shaped me as a Pentecostal theologian and scholar as I experienced the immense richness in depth and breadth of the shared Christian faith, missions and contextual theologies of the OCMS community globally. I truly appreciate the unity in the universal Body of Christ and the commitment to transforming missions that I richly gained through years of research, theological conversations, lectures, seminars, Chapel services, the Holy Communion sacraments, community prayers, fellowships and friendships at OCMS.

The launch of the OCMS Alumni Association provided platforms for beautiful engagements of alumni of 40 years from around the world. Serving in the Alumni Association Steering Group is indeed a special privilege. I hope to contribute more to the OCMS fellowship in academics, network and faithful services as the Lord guides.

The Lord has given me new ministry opportunities and opened doors locally and globally to advance Pentecostal scholarship, serve theological institutions and be involved in missions and ecumenism. An ordained minister of the Assemblies of God Malaysia, I serve as the Director of the Malaysia Pentecostal Research Centre, Editor of the Malaysian Pentecostal Journal and lecturer at the Bible College of Malaysia. I serve on the Executive Committee of the Asia Pentecostal Society and co-lead the Asian Pentecostal Women's Fellowship. I also serve in the Theological Commission of the Asia Pacific Theological Association, AG Theological Commission and am a Visiting Evaluation Team member for Asia Theological Association accreditation. In the global arena, I proudly belong to the global communities as an alumna of OCMS and Leader Studies of the Scholar Leaders International, where I am co-leading the Scholar Leaders Women's Peer Leader Forum and involved in the Global Christian Forum and Global Pentecostal Summit. Serving on board the Lausanne Global Analysis Editorial Advisory Board provides an avenue to be part of global missions.

Palestine

Rula Khoury Mansour, Founder and Director Nazareth Center for Peace Studies

PhD thesis: Conflict Management Approaches in Palestinian Baptist intra-church conflict in Israel between 1990 and 2016, in Dialogue with Miroslav Volf's Theology of Reconciliation: An Analysis and Critical Evaluation

At OCMS, I began a transformative journey exploring reconciliation theology, with a special emphasis on Palestinian Christianity. My background as a public prosecutor gave me insight into the limitations of legal systems in addressing the deep-seated issues of the Israeli–Palestinian conflict. This realisation led me to search for a deeper calling, rooted in my Christian perspective, to better understand and address the underlying causes of the conflict in my homeland.

My research at OCMS led me to develop a reconciliation-focused approach that addresses the complexity of our context. Through my PhD research, I have been working to develop a Middle Eastern theology of reconciliation that emphasises the significance of theological and cultural awareness in fostering lasting peace within churches and broader communities. At OCMS, I gained invaluable insights into reconciliation theology through collaborative research and engaging discussions with the distinguish mentors and scholars from diverse backgrounds. This experience deepened my understanding of conflict dynamics and peacebuilding across different cultures and contexts.

My doctoral journey further strengthened my belief in the power of reconciliation theology. Rooted in the profound symbolism of the cross, I learned that true reconciliation demands more than just resolving conflicts – it requires a commitment to embodying core values such as truth, forgiveness, justice and healing. Armed with this understanding, I started my ministry of peace making, determined to contribute in bridging divides and fostering genuine reconciliation in my community.

I've been blessed with the opportunity to teach reconciliation, peace studies and Christian ethics at Nazareth Evangelical College in Nazareth, imparting transformative knowledge to future leaders and ministers. By equipping them with the tools to navigate complex conflicts and foster genuine reconciliation, I hope to sow the seeds of lasting peace within communities ravaged by conflict. Additionally, establishing the Nazareth Center for Peace Studies allows me to extend the reach of this peace ministry even further empowering individuals and communities as peacebuilders. Drawing from my experiences at OCMS, the center adopts a holistic approach rooted in Christ's teachings, offering transformative learning programs and research that is relevant to our complex realities hoping to cultivate a fertile ground for service and make meaningful contributions towards peace in our society.

Looking ahead, I hope to contribute a unique perspective to the OCMS fellowship, enriching discussions with insights gleaned from my on-the-ground experiences in reconciliation and peacebuilding. By sharing my journey and insights, I hope to inspire fellow scholars to dig deeper into the theological dimensions of reconciliation and explore innovative approaches to addressing conflict worldwide.

Africa: Sudan

Elisama Daniel, Executive Director of ACROSS, a Christian NGO operating in South Sudan, Uganda and Kenya.

PhD thesis: Combating Grand Corruption alongside State-Building; looking at the Role of the State and the Church in Defence of the Common Good

I was the founding General secretary of the students Movement in Sudan then, which we called Fellowship of Christian Universities Students (FOCUS), an IFES Movement, where I was the first, and lone staff-worker. It was in FOCUS, that we felt compelled and called to prepare students in colleges and universities, to be Godly leaders for both the Church and the nation, is still our vision even today. I moved on from FOCUS, to serve in other Christian ministries, and later ventured into the public service, the government anti-corruption agency, and still seeking to fulfil the same FOCUS’ vision. There and then, faith and real public-life (including corruption) met; I came face-to-face with reality; either to conform to the corrupt ways in the public sphere (government offices) or allow God to use me as one of His agents of transformation for my nation.

Corruption became a serious impediment to the progress and building of the new nation of South Sudan, a country, miracle-born after many years of conflict, characterised by suffering, and pain, through answered prayers. The Church, on the other hand, remains the biggest civil society where most leaders subscribe to, it is the prophetic voice of God and the true agent of societal transformation. In Sudan (South), the Church has historically played a vital role in public life and impacted society in many areas, including education, health, humanitarian relief and development, reconciliation and conflict resolution. Yet, today, corruption is devouring the country, and the Church seems silent or even becoming complicit to the vice. Hence, I feel compelled to be a part of the Church re-awakening and re-engagement with public life and society on subject of corruption.

Hence, OCMS became the perfect choice! In spite of my biological science background (BSc and MSc in Animal Science), I found a turnaround in my research journey: a nexus between missions and public life (society); a public theology which can impact society with kingdom values, thus, researching on ‘Combating Grand Corruption alongside State-Building’. In this work, I investigated ‘grand corruption’, which is a critical phenomenon in South Sudan's nation-state-building process, its applicability to both the state and the Church in South Sudan, and also beyond. The thesis argued that laws alone cannot address and confront the issue of grand or elite corruption, but that the Church and its affiliates are key interlocutors in the combat against grand corruption, and this is my story and journey that are realised here at OCMS.

Africa: Zimbabwe and Zambia

Irene Banda Mutalima

PhD thesis: Responding to the voices of poor people through microfinance in Sub-Saharan Africa: An Action Research Study in Zimbabwe and Zambia

I studied at OCMS between 2009 and 2016 on the topic of microfinance. As a microfinance practitioner, I was increasingly wary of the way we attributed transformation in the lives of poor people to the loans we gave them. This disturbed me on two levels:

The belief that loans enable poor people to increase business profits and improve livelihoods. I noted that some Churches had embraced microfinance as part of their theology of transformation. The evidence did not convince me that these loans had long-term transformative effects.

The missing voices of poor people to confirm this transformation. Our interactions with poor people focused on ensuring that they paid back what they owed us and not so much on how to cause transformation.

The key research finding was the value of genuine ‘dialogue space’ where poor people can influence beneficial actions. The research however, acknowledged that due to limited capacity to recognise root causes of poverty, and lack of informed competence to negotiate livelihood solutions, the efficacy of poor people's voices will be compromised even where notional dialogue space is afforded. Thus, the research identified the role of credible community leadership – the Church – to encourage community engagement that gives room to the voices of poor people.

The PhD gave me tools to develop my ministry through a private company in the agricultural space. I founded and serve as the CEO of a private company called TUCUZA Associates LTD. It has two wings, both drawing on the outcome of my PhD thesis.

The agricultural component is focused on community agriculture with the intention of spurring quality and quantity production of crops and livestock as a way of increasing incomes to improve livelihoods where poverty is endemic. We partnered with a local church to build leadership that will foster responsible farming practices. We acquired a 250-acre piece of land which is serving as a model farm for crops and livestock. With this and other similar initiatives, we are able to partner with the Church to respond to the voices of poor people and enable them to be part of their own development. The training component called FINCUZA Institute that is working with the financial inclusion agenda to enable support to low income groups. This component provides training and other capacity building interventions.

Honduras

Miguel Alvarez, a Honduran missionary, president/principal of the Central American Biblical Pentecostal Seminary in Quetzaltenango, Guatemala. He is professor, writer and lecturer of theology and mission

PhD thesis: Integral Mission: A Model of Mission for the Pentecostal Churches with Special Reference to Honduras

In my dissertation, I studied Pentecostal mission in the context of Latin America. I focused on the debate of integral mission by evangelicals in the region, and then I studied the influence of their ideas over Pentecostal mission. As a result of the investigation, I found that the Pentecostal churches are now engaging poverty and marginalisation with a solid missiological understanding, which moves them closely to the evangelical notion of integral mission.

Pentecostals are now proposing socio-economic and political solutions to their context of ministry. With those ideas, I decided to explore mission thinking among Pentecostals in their recent history.

I was also able to examine some sequels of the social conflict between North and South and the political differences between East and West, for the development of mission theology in Latin America. At that point, I looked deep into the Pentecostal praxis of social responsibility in the context of social and political conflicts. In the review, I found serious issues related to social justice in the response of the churches to the challenges of social service, community development and their attitude towards violence and injustice.

I also found that Pentecostals in Latin America share similar characteristics in their approach to mission thinking and practice. They are now engaging poverty and marginalisation for missiological interest. They have begun implementing the principles of the gospel to their context of mission. Thus, Pentecostals seem to have started offering solutions to the socio-economic, political and spiritual problems of their communities.

During my time at OCMS, I had the opportunity to dialogue with missiologists from different regions of the world and I realised that the problem of social injustice and marginalisation also exists in other geographical contexts.

It was also very important to establish and follow up very close relationships with colleagues who study and publish on these important topics. This is very easy to achieve in the OCMS academic research context.

Global

Kyle Justin Wisdom

PhD thesis: State, Religion, and the Public Good: An Examination of Nurcholish Madjid in Constructing Civil Religious Pluralism as Political Philosophy

I didn’t realise how important my PhD journey was going to be until four years into my studies. Our family had lived in Indonesia for 11 years and suddenly needed to leave. In this looming transition, I felt like a tree whose soil and pot had disappeared. I knew change was coming. I didn’t know how or where I would become rooted again.

I was drawn to OCMS for its focus on the majority world church, the flexibility of a part-time program, and the simplicity of the British system. I knew I wanted to study in Oxford. I knew I would enjoy the diverse student body. I knew I wanted to learn more about Indonesia and Islam. The faculty of OCMS and my supervisors played an invaluable role in guiding my research. Sometimes I had inspiring conversations about the world of ideas; sometimes I felt like an ape banging on a keyboard; sometimes the words would flow without effort. I was regularly blessed by learning from others’ work through seminars and pub discussions. I was regularly challenged by the formidable minds I encountered in the Bodleian library. In the worst of times, the PhD endeavour felt like drudgery and deadlines. In the best of times, it felt like play.

As I left Indonesia, I was qualified and invited to participate in interfaith work, mainly because of all working on a PhD. I joined a working group between the World Evangelical Alliance and Nahdlatul Ulama, the world largest Muslim organisation, that had the specific aim of countering religious extremism and secular extremism. This led to consulting with the US State department, publishing a chapter in a book, attending the G20 religion forum in 2022 in Bali, and even shaking the Pope's hand as a part of a small delegation. I’m now working as the Deputy Director of a religious freedom think tank for International Institute for Religious Freedom that has combined my passions around scholarship, activism and protecting the world's vulnerable people.

I never expected to be doing what I am now. I also know that it would not have been possible without OCMS. It is a much longer story, but I moved from a project in local theology to receiving my PhD in political philosophy. It was the flexibility of OCMS that facilitated the change. This work happened under the surface. I was as surprised as anyone to find that God had packed soil around my roots without my knowing it.