A Relational Hermeneutic Toward Connective Ecclesial Leadership
Dwight’s doctoral dissertation was titled: A Relational Hermeneutic Toward Connective Ecclesial Leadership. It sets forth a way of seeing the body and soul of the church through relational eyes. It draws the disciplines of theology, sociology, and network science enabling readers to see all creation is relationally linked in God.
Within this Scale-Free Kingdom paradigm, the soul of church is imagined as living, Spirit-led Christ-clusters which indigenously incarnate Divine relationality within local context. While the “body” of the church; its institutions, structures, and systems create space for the soul to thrive. As such the body and soul of churches reflect the perichoretic relationality of the Divine persons.
This interdisciplinary relational hermeneutic reimagines institution churches as Christ-commons; or spaces which encourage Holy Spirit-led Christ-clustering, while professional clergy are reimagined as curator’s of connective space, and every Christ-follower becomes a potential hub, connecting or reconciling people to God as revealed in Christ by the Spirit and to life in its full within God’s relational reign.
His dissertation was submitted to the faculty of George Fox University (now Portland Seminary), successfully defended in 2005, and received George Fox University’s “Distinguished Dissertation Award.”
Dwight regularly leads workshops, retreats, and speaks about opening up to a more relational hermeneutic for imagining church and leadership.
.
 |  |  |  |  |  |
 |  |  |  |  |  |
