Digital Commons Network^™

The Future Of Undergraduate Biblical Higher Education: Abhe And The Bible College Movement, T. Scott Womble

Doctor of Ministry

The Bible college movement can trace its roots to the late nineteenth century and was given greater credibility when the accreditation era began in 1947. Today, the Association for Biblical Higher Education (ABHE) is still the leader of the Bible college movement. But a quick glance at the sixty-three ABHE institutions (64%) with undergraduate enrollment under 250 raises concern. Furthermore, 31 percent have enrollment under 100.

Rising costs and escalating student debt are creating enrollment challenges. The smallness of most Bible colleges makes them particularly vulnerable, especially since many lack endowments. Adding to the problem is the changing landscape of …

The Contemporary Problems And Solutions That Influence The Exodus Population Of Christians, Laura Lynn Howard

Doctor of Ministry

Section 1: The Problem addresses Christians outside of the churches that do not have ministerial support. Contemporary Exodus Christianity is the practice of Christianity outside of the institutional church. Currently there is a shifting of the global center of Christianity. Consumerism is affecting the Christian church. Consumerism is a potential contributor to the problem of church exodus. There is a trend of continuing decline of church attendance. A statistical exploration of the reasons congregants, members, and pastors have left the church is included. The sociological study of the Exodus Christian population delivers an introductory view of Exodus Christianity.

Section 2: …

How Does The Presence And Management Of Leadership Tension Affect Leaders And The Organizations They Lead?, Aaron A. Cole

Doctor of Ministry

Many leaders inside and outside the church struggle with the weight of leadership demands, feeling overwhelmed and intimidated by the tension that comes with leadership. It is not a lack of calling, clarity, or vision on the part of leaders but the tension of moving people toward achieving mission. Such tension, caused by the function of leadership and not necessarily the leader, is a crucial area that tends to cause a leader to rise or fall. Unfortunately, many leaders eject or struggle without success due to a lack of understanding and the skill set necessary to effectively manage leadership tension. …

A Semiotic Approach To Conflict Transformation: Can Signs And Symbols Help Make Peace?, Samuel Kefas Sarpiya

Doctor of Ministry

Religion has always had the ability to play a major role in peacemaking and conflict transformation. But over the years, the power of religion to engender peace and to have an active voice in community issues has been lost on many secular theorists who see religion as one of the major reasons for lack of peace in the world. So, reclaiming the voice of religion in a pluralistic world is needed. Religious voices could have a positive impact in transforming conflict and bringing peace. Judaism, Christianity, and Islam are monotheistic religions that are also the Abrahamic faiths. This is a …

Pastoral Leadership For The Small, Rural Church: The Second Career Pastor, Randall C. Nichols

Doctor of Ministry

Due to financial and demographic factors plus a shortage of qualified candidates, small, rural churches often struggle to secure and retain pastoral leadership. An examination of these problems from the perspective of the church and that of pastoral candidates reveals the remoteness of location among small, rural churches creates an inability to attract candidates. Faced with college loan indebtedness, young growing families, and the need for full employment for spouses, candidates feel unable to accept a call from a small, rural church. The dissertation reviews the origins of the church, the historical prevalence of the small, rural church, and the …

Pastoral Well-Being & Beyond: Three Streams Of Pastoral Health And Personal Development, Brandon J. Morrow

Doctor of Ministry

Every year, the North American church experiences an overwhelming percentage of pastors who leave the ministry, citing internal and external pressures for their decisions to abandon what they once perceived as their divine calling. Many pastors are forced into a personal development strategy that is neither helpful, nor holistic, pursuing scads of resources outside of Christian and theological disciplines, many of which are misapplied. These drastically affect the long-term health of pastors and their overall health and effectiveness in ministry. How can pastors develop a personal development strategy that adequately accounts for the major areas of health in the life …

The Church Has Left The Building: A Leadership Perspective Of Online Church Versus Traditional Church, Valerie E. Crumpton

Doctor of Ministry

Where it was once thought that the decline of traditional church goers into a brick and mortar edifice meant that America was becoming less “faith based”, the everincreasing number of online worshippers indicates otherwise. Due to the rapidly shifting culture toward an online worship experience, the traditional church must re-evaluate and reform their processes to include this new wave of Christianity. If churches cannot transition to accommodate the new culture of church that is only accessible via the Internet, there is a possibility that they could lose the opportunity to share the Gospel Message with a population that may never …

Transcendence At The Table: A Transfigurational Experience For Ecclesia While Breaking Bread Together, Julia Rachelle Hurlow

Doctor of Ministry

The Church has been slowly losing its identity. This loss of identity has a strong connection to the failure of the church to tend and till faith relationships, as well as pass the faith story on to children and others. There has been a loss of emphasis on the table as a place of significance in church, community, and home. To break bread together is to reclaim the spoken story of Jesus’ transfigurational power. The hope for growth in a stronger identity lies in believing in the Truth of a present and powerful Jesus who could transfigure lives, offer forgiveness …

God With/In: Heal The World. Sing The Good News, Amanda Zentz-Alo

Doctor of Ministry

Historical methods of evangelism are no longer working in North America. As religion declines among younger generations, Christians look at our methods and venture into a new way of living God’s good news in the world. Section One looks at the decline of evangelism’s effectiveness in North America. With an eye towards the healing of Jesus, the roots of evangelism are explored. Contrasted with these roots are the techniques that evolved after the legalization of Christianity under Constantine’s Empire. A domineering evangelism arrived in North America alongside of Christopher Columbus as a form of “power over” instead of as healing …

Crossing Lines/Weaving Lives: Storytelling As A Means Of Building Bridges Across The Progressive/Conservative Divide, Jennifer Yocum

Doctor of Ministry

Christians in the United States have been divided against each other since before the Pilgrims touched dry land and Plymouth Rock. These divisions have created disaster in their wake, ranging from literal witch hunts in the early Massachusetts colony, to religiously fueled engagements in World War I, through to the continuing battles over sexuality, civil rights, and the American Christian exceptionalism that exist today. While the divisions are not new, our contemporary context suggests that these divisions themselves, even more than the subjects over which Christians are divided, are creating mortal danger to the body of Christ as a whole. …

The Last Judge: Shepherding And Parenting The Church And Laity Through A 21st Century Family Dynamic, Kevin Anthony Wade

Doctor of Ministry

The purpose of this paper is to develop a solution to certain items ailing the church, removing boundaries where trusting and believing in the church family abounds. Through the five years of creating the context of this paper, the objective was established to first become successful in teaching and promoting spiritual behavioral change. During this five year period, I used five of my seven daughters, and 27 participants in the Young Adult Ministry as the sample church family for conceptualization of a reasonable model for my argument. The use of the information within this paper is not for a particular …

Forming Resilient Rostered Ministers: A Proposed Model For First Call Ministry Formation For The North/West Lower Michigan Synod-Elca, Christian A. Timm

Doctor of Ministry

According to the Gospels, Jesus of Nazareth selected twelve men to be his disciples. Three years later, one of the twelve had betrayed Jesus and ended his own liferepresenting an apostolic attrition rate of eight percent. One challenge to Christian denominations today is the attrition rate of trained pastors and deacons serving in congregational settings. Research suggests that up to 50 percent of pastors leave congregational ministry within ten years of their ordination. Other sources dispute these figures. Although up to 20% may leave congregational ministry in favor of specialized ministries, further study, or retirement, a significant number report leaving …

Her Story: Forming A Woman's Voice In The Pulpit, Mindy Smith

Doctor of Ministry

Story is a paradigm for how women shape their preaching identity. Women preachers benefit from developing their voice through the stories of women in scripture, and the voices of women from the past and present day who have found their authentic preaching voices. Shaping a voice through story is a model in which the preaching identity can develop, and as a result minimizes insecurity, stress and fear around the craft of preaching. Section One defines the preaching identity and examines the elements that form identity. It explores the challenges that have impacted how women understand their role in preaching. Section …

The Spirit-Led Coach: An Alternative Approach To Athletic Coaching, Sean Silverii

Doctor of Ministry

The world of sports is an approximate 620 billion dollar industry, claiming an attendance of a little over 124 million fans in 2016 just within the top five professional sports leagues. In the United States alone, it is estimated 20 to 30 million kids play recreational sports, while another 10 million teenagers play interscholastically each year. With these factors in mind, all forms of power, greed, corruption, violence, selfindulgence, etc. has seeped its way into athletics and culture like a virus. Recently, a bleacher report revealed that findings of an FBI probe into college basketball is expected to be released …

Creating Dialogical Preaching Experiences, Nathan A. Rouse

Doctor of Ministry

The Protestant Church in the United States has enjoyed a rich history of monological preaching in the local church throughout its history. However, Jesus’ ministry, Scripture, and our culture’s advancing dialogical pedagogy point to the need for the local church to create dialogical preaching experiences. The age of the internet has also been a driving force in creating circular learning styles that demand the church take notice and discover how this model can be deployed to better shape and grow our people as pastors. While some argue this is impractical or even altogether unhelpful, others believe that creating dialog again …

Towards Women Leaders In The Palestinian Evangelical Church, Madleine Sara

Doctor of Ministry

The Palestinian evangelical church needs to proactively address the way in which most male church leaders ignore anointed women leaders who are active in the ministry of the Kingdom. Women have been actively involved in various roles in the church, but their role as leaders has not always been acknowledged officially. In this thesis, I discuss the limitations of women in leadership roles and positions of responsibility, and address the inequality in the manner in which women are treated as well as the opportunities they are offered to advance in leadership in the Arab Palestinian evangelical church. Although the church …

The Transformation Of Asian Fathers: From Distant, Income Provider And Disciplinarian To Forgiven, Discipler & Benefactor, Victor Quon

Doctor of Ministry

Asian fathers have a tough road to travel upon. The proper image of the father is one of the least successful cover-ups in today’s Asian church. On the surface, there is the attempt to portray him as being successful in his career, confident in his identity and respected as a spiritual leader in his home. Yet when his children are asked to discuss family relationships in the youth group, a different picture comes into focus. It is one of emptiness, distance and sometimes resentment. The typical stereotype of the stern father who shows more care for his personal success and …

Wrestling For The Souls Of The Survivors: Helping Partners Who Are Married To Survivors Of Childhood Sexual Abuse, John N. Raymond

Doctor of Ministry

For some who partake in the wonders of marriage, the experiences of pleasant memories and successful challenges mark their dreams in their twilight years. For couples where one or both experienced childhood sexual abuse (CSA), marital challenges have far greater negative effect on each of the marital partners—their twilight dreams may not be so pleasant. Although many couples experience setbacks and hardships, for the couple affected by CSA, the setbacks are experienced with greater intensity and duration. This dissertation will highlight research quantifying the negative long-term consequences of CSA. I also will give examples of qualitative research that describes the …

Working Priests: Improving The Care For Vineyard Bivocational Pastors, Aaron Peterson

Doctor of Ministry

The number of Vineyard bivocational pastors in the US Vineyard church is unknown, and although pastoring bivocationally is common, there is a current lack of resources available to meet their unique challenges. The Association of Vineyard Churches, USA has improved from where it used to be, but they are currently not where they want to be in terms of caring for Vineyard bivocational pastors. This dissertation explores the current bivocational situation in the Association of Vineyard Churches, USA and argues that the Vineyard needs to take better care of Vineyard pastors who work jobs outside their churches. This project shows …

Narrative-Based Visual Theology For Oral Learning Pastor Training, Raymond Neu

Doctor of Ministry

In the realms of popular education, literates hold the day, yet they are not the majority. Even in our highly-advanced world, non-literates or oral communicators, still comprise the largest class of potential learners awaiting an education. The problems they face are complicated and challenging. Physical and financial access to education stop most oral communicators before they even start. If they had access to a local educational institution, more massive hurdles await, including literacy itself followed closely by lack of attention to the learning styles of oral learners. Yet there is hope. When educators determine to address the unique needs and …

The Digital Catechism: Confirmation For A Digital World, James Mueller

Doctor of Ministry

Faith education and formation is important to every Lutheran pastor. Our denomination was born with a love for catechesis. Of all the rituals that remained after the split of the Western church, Confirmation might be the most treasured among churches. Unfortunately, for many pastors who have taught Lutheran Confirmation over their careers they have never felt more disconnected from their students. Their hearts are completely invested in catechesis but their methods do not produce effective results. Though they search more thoroughly than ever to find the right curriculum, nothing seems to work. We know that parents wonder why their children …

Where The Desert Fathers And Mothers Meet Permaculture, Brenda Nagunst

Doctor of Ministry

This dissertation claims that a retreat center with an eco-spiritual focus is one way to introduce Christians to the connection between stewardship of God’s creation and relationship with God. For the purposes of this paper the word “creation” is used to identify the natural world: earth, soil, plants, animals, birds, fish, and humans. Many Christians do not steward the earth as God commanded in Genesis, thus missing a spiritual connection with God that can uniquely happen through creation. This dissertation addresses the question, “In what way is care of creation a critical part of a modern Christian’s relationship with God?” …

Never Alone: Discovering The Path To Burnout Avoidance, Rick Millikin

Doctor of Ministry

Pastoral burnout, in the past century, has become an issue that captures the attention of researchers and ministry professionals alike. Experts claim that burnout is avoidable when ministers submit to an obedient, faithful pursuit of life with God rather than working at a frenzied pace to impress people and gain the approval of God. Defined as the status of an individual that has become fatigued with his or her vocation or major life activity, burnout is preceded by a long-term avoidance of the signs of weakness and an intense focus on simply working harder. Some scholars believe the primary problem …

Key Components Of A Culturally Relevant Multiethnic Church Model, Pablo Morales

Doctor of Ministry

The increasing ethnic and lingual diversity of the City of Richardson in north Texas is a microcosm of a social trend observed in the United States and around the globe. This demographic shift has propelled Ethnos Bible Church to pursue a multiethnic church model, yet, Ethnos does not understand the unique components of a culturally relevant multiethnic church. Therefore, this dissertation seeks to answer one question: What are the key components that Ethnos Bible Church needs to implement in order to cultivate a culturally relevant multiethnic church poised for ministry impact? This research reveals that although the current degree of …

Creating An Officer Lifescape: A Path For The Vocational And Spiritual Formation Of Salvation Army Officer-Moms, Janene Zielinski

Doctor of Ministry

This dissertation claims that the formation of a healthy Salvation Army officermom identity is foundational for future organizational leadership development and personal vocational efficacy. Section One explores the historical management of officermoms, root causes of dissatisfaction, and modern barriers to healthy functioning. Section Two describes the deficiencies within three current methods of officer-mom identity formation. Section Three focuses on Scriptural models of identity formation and suggestions for implementation as a formative and sustainable approach in alleviating four key longings of officer-moms. This dissertation proposes that fledgling officer-moms need a safe and reliable mechanism to receive instruction and encouragement in establishing …

A Rhythm, Ritual And Rule For A Wisdom Monastic Community For Second Half Of Life Pilgrims, Mary Laymon

Doctor of Ministry

This dissertation explores the establishing of a wisdom monastic community to nurture disciples living into the Second Half of Life. A critical problem facing mainline churches today is the increasing number of US-American adults describing themselves as “spiritual, but not religious.” In 2012, a survey by the Pew Research Center’s Forum on Religion and Public Life documented that 20 percent of the adults in the United States classify themselves as religiously unaffiliated. Adding to this population are longtime, faithful lay leaders announcing they are “done” with church. Recent research suggests that a growing number of these adults leave congregations that …

Discipleship For The Next Generation: Engaging The Emerging Generation, Kevin Norwood

Doctor of Ministry

Go into all the world and make disciples: the great commission given by Christ to his disciples. At the beginning of his ministry, Jesus invited them to drop everything and follow him. By his example, he taught them how to fulfill this commission. Discipleship is the key element of faith that determines the future of the church. It is imperative that the great commission continue to be carried out to the next generation. Discipleship for the emerging generation has consistently happened since Jesus first gave his commission. The principles of discipleship stay the same, but the methods must be relevant …

A Cost-Sensitive Model For Revitalizing United Methodist Churches, Kory Knott

Doctor of Ministry

This dissertation addresses the topic of church revitalization in United Methodist churches that are experiencing prolonged seasons of stagnation and decline. In particular, it examines various revitalization models so as to determine how well they address the issues related to cost and sustainability. Section 1 describes the state of decline in mainline church attendance over the past 60 years and in particular during the last 15 years in the United Methodist Church. In addition to providing sobering statistics, this section includes a fictional story of a dying church, outlining the costs associated with the root problems that are responsible for …

Fostering Equanimity Through Spiritual Disciplines To Increase Undergraduate Retention At Greenville University, Patrick Monroe Miller

Doctor of Ministry

This dissertation responds to the problem of unstable freshman-to-sophomore retention rates at Greenville University between 2005 and 2015. Greenville University retention rates have oscillated between a high of 75.5% in 2009 and a low of 62.5% in 2011. This differs from the performance of the other members of the Council for Christian Colleges and Universities over the same time period. For CCCU schools, retention has remained between 72.7% and 74%. While both CCCU schools and Greenville University invested significant time and resources into retention programs, Greenville’s efforts did not produce stable retention rates. Section one details the fluctuating retention rates …

A Study In Worship: Blending The African American Style Of Preaching With Epic Preaching, Jamale D. Kempt

Doctor of Ministry

The stories in Scripture are rich in meaning, mood and mystery with messages often concealed from those who would just glide over them with a glancing eye. The art of preaching exhibited in the African American pulpit is complete with theology, struggle, issues, passion, and excitement. This style of sermon presentation is uniquely tied to the many cultures of the West African diaspora into the Americas. This unique style was used in the storytelling of the ancestors and through the struggles of the African in America evolving into the art of black preaching. The purpose of this dissertation is to …