University of Free State S.Africa

Tom,

Yes, I think that my research will zero in on the types of contextual challenges posed in smaller (<300 member) "family" and "shepherd-driven" churches. The dynamics of such churches commonly pose some unique challenges to the process of organizational & missional transformation. I think it's important that my research be focused there because the vast majority of churches belong to this "small church" category; a great many of these churches have yet to many any strides toward responding to the challenges of postmodernism.

Thanks for your input.

Cory

 

did you find these schools to be quick to respond to emails or slow? Zululand always responded in one day, most of these others either take days or simply do not respond at all. If you have the email address of the key people in the theology faculty that will respond quickly for natal, pretoria and primarily FREE STATE please pass them along?

thanks
Tom LaHue

 

Tom,

I have not had contact with Natal for several years. That did not involve email correspondence; so, I can't comment about their responsiveness.

The other schools I've mentioned here (Pretoria, Free State, Stellenbosch) took anywhere from a couple of days to a week and a half to respond to my initial enquiry. Free State was quite prompt, responding to each of my emails within a day or two.

Response time is a factor I consider in my assessment of an institution. However, it certainly is not the only, or even the most important consideration. I also pay careful attention to the "spirit" of the responses I receive. Do they genuinely demonstrate an attentiveness to me as a prospective student? Does their email message communicate an interest in learning more about me, and working with me? Or, do they merely relate the facts in dismissive, detached fashion. Furthermore, I pay attention to the content of their response. Do they appear to be engaging with my unique, individual request in a thoughtful way? Or, are they merely trying to satisfy me with blanket, generic answers.

Of course, I pay careful attention to the response-time patterns that seem to emerge as I engage in continued dialogue with the respresentatives of a given school. If I find that it takes them an inordinate amount of time to respond to every email I send, I have good reason to question whether I would have a positive experience as a student enrolled in that institution. However, I try to maintain a realistic awareness of how busy the academicians at the receiving end of my emails certainly are. Furthermore, I always strive to maintain a balance between the value I place on responsiveness and the other factors that are important to me.

That's more information than you wanted, I'm sure.

Cory

Oh, by the way, as far as email addresses for the key contact people are concerned--I'd recommend that you contact the head of the Practical Theology department at each of these institutions directly. You'll easily find their email addresses listed on their websites.