Table Of ContentBEYOND SOCIAL JUSTICE AND MORAL INJURY:
A NEW BIRTH OF SPIRITUAL RENEWAL IN THE CHURCH THROUGH
MINISTERING TO EX-OFFENDERS
A THESIS-PROJECT
SUBMITTED TO THE FACULTY OF
GORDON-CONWELL THEOLOGICAL SEMINARY
IN PARTIAL FULFILLMENT OF THE REQUIREMENTS FOR THE DEGREE
DOCTOR OF MINISTRY
BY
KEITH A. TURNER
MAY 2017
Copyright © 2017 by Keith A. Turner. All Rights Reserved.
CONTENTS
ILLUSTRATIONS .……………………………………………………………………iii
ACKNOWLEDGEMENT ………….………………………………………………….iv
ABSTRACT ……………….……………………………………………………......…..vi
INTRODUCTION …………...………………………………………………………….1
INTRODUCTION TO DEFINITION OF TERMS ....................................................... 4
A Brief Preamble To Living Systems Ministry and Mission ........................................ 7
Primary And Secondary Culture .................................................................................... 9
Presumptions ................................................................................................................ 14
Research Questions ...................................................................................................... 16
CHAPTER ONE: GIVING RISE TO THE EX-OFFENDER ................................... 18
CHAPTER TWO: COMPLEX SYSTEMS OF PRISONERS AND EXOFFENDERS
…………………………………………………………………………………………....43
CHAPTER THREE: SPRITUAL RENEWAL FOR EX-OFFENDERS ................ 130
CHAPTER FOUR: HEXAGONING PROCESS ....................................................... 157
CHAPTER FIVE: MOVING FORWARD WITH THE EX-OFFENDERS ........... 197
Conclusion
….……………………………………………………………………………………………….207
APPENDIX A: Hexagoning Focus Group Questions & Answers ................................ 211
APPENDIX B: Hexagoning Focus Group Questions & Answers ................................ 213
APPENDIX C: Hexagoning Focus Group Questions & Answers ................................ 215
APPENDIX D: Hexagoning Focus Group Questions & Answers ................................ 217
APPENDIX E: Hexagon Project Instruction Sheet & Questioneer .............................. 219
APPENDIX F: Mass Incarceration: The Whole Pie 2015 ............................................ 222
i
BIBLIOGRAPHY ......................................................................................................... 223
VITA ............................................................................................................................... 226
ii
ILLUSTRATIONS
Figures
1. The Contrast Between Primary and Secondary Cultures 11
2. Redemptive Method 153
3. The Hermeneutical Circle 157
4. Causal Loop Diagram Part One (Positive) 172
5. Causal Loop Diagram Part Two (Positive) 180
Table
1. Male and Female Incarceration Rate by Region in 2010 21
2. Percentage of Male Civilian Incarceration, by Race and Education, Ages 20-34. 22
3. One Year Recidivism Rates: 2014 Release Cohort – Mass. Depart of Correction 34
iii
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
This thesis-project is first dedicated to my family and friends who have supported
me throughout the ups and downs during my doctoral studies. I thank my mother, Rose
M. Turner, who always encouraged me to do well in school. Throughout my life she has
made many sacrifices in nurturing and offering support during many of my life long
pursuits which included, education, career and ministry. My brother Anthony W. Woods
as well has always been a great support in all of my life’s endeavors and
accomplishments. No matter what the occasion, circumstance or hour, my family has
always been there to offer its support.
To many of my closest friends and colleagues, I am extremely grateful for all of
the support you provided and our sharing with one another during our academic and
seminary journey.
I give special thanks to all of my professors, teaching team and advisors for their
support, patience and academic guidance during my seminary experience. An extra
special thanks is extend to Dr. Doug and Mrs. Judy Hall for leading this Doctor of
Ministry class in Urban Ministry at Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary. I am proud
to have engaged in this Doctor of Ministry experience with dedicated and caring
professors and teaching team.
I give thanks to Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary for this opportunity in
accomplishing this dream. I also give thanks to Dr. David Currie and the Doctor of
Ministry office staff (Bridget Erickson and Sara Coons) who have provided a great deal
of support and guidance with helping Doctor of Ministry students to navigate through the
forms and administrative process within the program. I thank Professor Dean Borgman
iv
and Reverend Walker Farrar for serving as my recommendations for this Doctor of
Ministry Program. I give thanks to my first readers Dr. Doug Hall and Mrs. Judy Hall,
and also my second reader Dr. Virginia Ward. A great deal of thanks is extended to Dr.
Eldin Villafañe for his academic support and vision of shalom in the city. I give thanks
to my Concord Baptist Church of Milton, MA. family for their support and assistance
with my Doctoral studies.
Most of all, I give God all the praise and glory for providing me with the blessing
and the ability to accomplish the enduring dream. God has granted me the biblical,
spiritual, mental and physical ability to complete this work. With each passing day and
every awaking moment of life that God has blessed me with to God be the glory and
praises to Jesus Christ our Lord and Savior, Amen.
v
ABSTRACT
This work is a systemic and analytical study on how the urban church nurtures,
cultivates and ministers to others through a Living System Ministry. This work will
emphasize how the urban church can better minister to the ex-offenders in the church. It
explores the church’s diverse theological approach and an awareness of some of the
needs of many worshipers. This project is designed to show a greater inclusiveness
among ministry leaders and worshipers within a tailored ministry. It is designed to help
others grow biblically, spiritually and personally.
This thesis-project will focus on taking a closer look into the life of the ex-
offender and developing a ministry that can support and assist them in some of their
needs while ministering to them. The church, Biblical teachings and Living Systems
Ministry will serve as the primary approach in developing this ministry. The Living
Systems Hexagoning Process will serve as a model and as a needs-assessment tool to
minister to ex-offenders. The focus group approach of the Hexagoning process helped in
establishing the needs of this particular ministry relating to ex-offenders. This approach
will seek to reduce the recidivism rate through ministry.
Dr. Eldin Villafañe’s “Hermeneutical Circle of Christian Ethics” and the process
of implementation of a Living System Ministry approach to ministering to ex-offenders
in the church, provide the foundational framework for this thesis. By the power of God
and through some of Dr. Villafañe’s teachings on shalom and “seeking the peace in the
city,” I hope and pray that peace and shalom will pour into the souls of these individuals
who are receiving ministry.
vi
INTRODUCTION
A NEW DAY OF HOPE AND LIVING OUR LIVES THROUGH CHRIST
God’s great gift to mankind is the creation of the universe, living systems and
love for all to share. Beyond God’s blessing of His Creation, every day is a new day of
hope for the anticipated future of our lives. No one knows what tomorrow will bring so
we must strive one day at a time and pray that the next day is better than the last. From
God’s creation to the ministry of Jesus, including the lives that we live today and into
the future of mankind, we will always be exposed to a living system and the more
complex realm of living systems. Everything that we are exposed to in life is connected
to some type of living system. Living systems become conjoined to one another like
branches on a tree. Every aspect of the branch is in support of sustaining the growth of
the tree.
Living systems impact every aspect of our personal, professional, scholarly,
spiritual and ministry lives. As part of our daily living continues from day to day we find
ourselves undertaking a diverse range of experiences -- some which are good, bad and
complex. As you look at living systems as a resource, you will begin to understand that
living systems provide direction, shapes individual characteristics and allow growth.
The living systems that surround our lives are in many ways interconnected. The
physical, mental, social, cultural and spiritual systems are somehow interrelated, because
one aspect of this living system is dependent upon one another for functional ability.
During this brief exploration of living systems, you will begin to view a few living
systems and their relationship to the Bible.
1
During this journey in our lives, cultural growth and experiences play a very
critical role in our individual and collective environments. As we reside in our homes we
adapt to its living system. As we venture outside the home we adapt to another living
system called the social realm. Some people might not realize that from day to day they
adapt to many living systems. Just think about the living systems we encounter from one
category to the next for example, home, outside activities, work, school and church.
Living systems are a part of our lives where there is no escape.
Within this Thesis-Project through Systems Thinking Ministry and Missions in
the urban church we will take a closer look at the life and characteristics of the ex-
offender and develop ways to support and minister to some of their needs. Another
endeavoring ministry focus is to reduce the recidivism rate for ex-offenders through
ministry.
For many years while growing up in the urban streets of Boston, MA, I have read
about and observed the alarming number of African-American and Hispanic young boys
and men who have been repeatedly incarcerated within the Massachusetts criminal
justice system. I believe that there is something very wrong when an ex-offender has
been incarcerated so many times that he or she has become desensitized to its harsh
effect. Incarceration is supposed to serve as a punishment and a deterrent for a wrongful
criminal act. Theoretically, upon an offender serving his or her time we are to believe
that he or she is rehabilitated and then released. However, there are many repeat
offenders and it does not appear to faze them in the least, because they have repeatedly
been in and out of the criminal justice system. It appears that the affects of the prison
2
