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Faith In Motion: Methods For Living Practical Theology

The Practical Theology program at Columbia Theological Seminary, I expected to learn theories, frameworks, and theological terms. Instead, I found an invitation to let theology shape my everyday life. Practical Theology challenged me not just to understand faith, but to live it out and let my beliefs guide how I respond to the world.
Among the various approaches we studied, Osmer’s Four Tasks of Practical Theology had a profound impact on my way of thinking. At first, I understood it primarily as a conceptual model. But when I applied it to a real theology challenge, the method came alive in meaningful and surprising ways.
For my project, I examined a concern in my home church, ECWA Chapel Ibadan: the gradual disconnection of young people after they leave for university. Over the years, I have seen many dedicated youths slowly drift away from church life as they face new social settings, academic demands, and more independence.
I used Osmer’s Four Tasks to guide a process that involved both reflection and action:

• Descriptive-Empirical Task

I observed and listened to understand how and why youth engagement decreased over time.

• Interpretive Task:

By reading scholars like Turbi Luka Reuben and Esteban Quiyono, I realized the problem was not poor teaching, but a loss of community support and accountability.

• Normative Task:

Scripture and ECWA tradition reminded me that discipleship lasts a lifetime, and the church’s responsibility continues even when members move to new places.

• Pragmatic Task:

I formulated practical strategies, including mentorship networks, church–campus partnerships, and digital discipleship spaces, to support faith development beyond the church’s physical setting.

This process taught me that Practical Theology is not static knowledge. It is faith in motion—dynamic, relational, and continually renewed. Like a phoenix rising through cycles of reflection and action, Practical Theology brings belief and life into meaningful conversation.
Studying at Columbia Theological Seminary has given me more than academic tools. It has offered a vision of theology as a living flame—one that must continue to burn, guiding our words, choices, and actions as we follow Christ into the complexities of the real world.

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From Ashes to Renewal: The Phoenix Metaphor for Practical Theology

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