God’s timing is quite remarkable. My last trip training pastors in Africa was last March, and then all travel was completely restricted. I had just finished collecting all my qualitative dissertation research from interviews with Pathways graduates from all parts of the world. Since I was not allowed to travel, I set my hand to working on my doctoral dissertation, and have not stopped since late March. There was no way I could have accomplished all I’ve done if I had been traveling and training as I had planned.

In all honesty, it has been a tedious, challenging, at times overwhelming task. I’m realizing that scholarly writing at that level is something I’m not gifted in, nor is it something that charges me up. The hours, days, weeks, and months of sitting alone in my office in front of my computer have taken their toll. I thrive in an environment where I’m with people, shepherding them, encouraging them, teaching them, learning from them. I do know God has been using my discoveries for His kingdom work as my team is completely rewriting one of our workshops because my research revealed that it was not effective in accomplishing our purposes. Many other changes are coming.

At present, I’ve just completed editing chapters four, five, and six, the “findings” chapters, which are filled with quotes and discoveries from the graduates I interviewed. Chapter one is the introduction, chapter two is the literature review, and chapter three is the methods and procedures chapter – all have been written but will require editing. Now, I turn my attention to writing chapter seven, the “discussion” chapter where I compare and contrast my findings with other published, scholarly material. Then, I write a final chapter offering implications, applications, and other concluding elements.

My hope was to have my dissertation completed by December, but it is looking like perhaps by February I’ll be wrapping things up. Then, I defend my work before my committee, make any other required changes, and after several other procedural elements, it is hopeful that I will graduate in May 2021 with a doctorate in intercultural studies. I need to complete the “lion’s share” of the writing before I resume traveling, which we are hoping will happen in early 2021.

I am learning a great deal through this process, such as that academic researching, writing, and editing is not something I enjoy, and I will probably never teach in a seminary setting.

 

But I pray the Lord uses this work for His kingdom purposes (which is why I embarked on this journey), and am committed to see it through to completion.

Just to give you a taste of the kind of editing I’ve been doing for the past couple of months, I have a list of criteria I must consider with each sentence in my nearly 200 pages of “findings” (chapters four through six). Here are some of the key elements:

• Fight any tendency or insinuation of bias toward (or against) Pathways. No infomercial.
• Avoid binary black or white thinking (esp. in preaching practices) with no middle ground. The reality is that everyone lands somewhere along the continuum.
• Interpret quotes in the light that graduates are perhaps saying what I want to hear, so perceive into quotes the negatives and failures they are not saying but may mean. Draw out the nuances that are behind the words (I have a hard time with this).
• Build credibility by being balanced – don’t put things in an unfavorable light or rosy light. Don’t suspect what people say, or twist what they say.
• Avoid opinionated words on my part. Just report findings.
• In reporting findings, only use past tense: Use the present in the quote if the speaker used to present; use the past in the rest because I heard it in the past.
• Write with clarity and conciseness, no ambiguity.
• Avoid passive voice. (I had no idea how much I use the passive voice!)
• Avoid redundancy.

There are many other elements that I must use to correct my writing, but it is indeed a slow process. May God give me the grace to see this project to completion, and thank you for your prayers to that end.