Developing a Story Framework for Communicating Theology of Work

With the momentous growth of the Christian Church in poverty-stricken areas such as Africa, Latin America, and Asia, the focus of this dissertation project is the creation of a story-based framework to communicate Theology of Work to a wider range of Christians in economically challenged regions. The project’s scope encompassed the creation of a book entitled Planting Mangos in the Church, with the initial testing phase of the book in Ethiopia. Phase 1 of the project included a lengthy development process utilizing direct observation, material research, personal interviews, and group discussions. Phase 2 included the teaching of the material together with in-country research in the form of personal interviews and group discussions. It was found that with the appropriate ingredients available, a complex topic like Theology of Work can be made more approachable and understandable for a developing community context. These necessary ingredients include extensive direct observation and material review, a deep understanding of the culture, collaboration, and a driving, creative passion. As tested, the project has shown that there exists a high interest in the problem and topic tied to Theology of Work with the selected audience. This initial interest was accelerated by the creative use of story. Story helped individuals to more deeply internalize the concepts and quickly led to discussion, brainstorming, and action. The testing proved that a story-based
framework can indeed be an effective means of communicating Theology of Work and an effective means of dissemination of the gospel as related to this theology