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Unhealthy Leadership In The Christian Church: A Study Of The Divorce Rate, Curtis William Carter
Unhealthy Leadership In The Christian Church: A Study Of The Divorce Rate, Curtis William Carter
Doctoral Dissertations and Projects
The purpose of this project is to bring healing and direction to a particular area of the Christian church that is destroying marriages and greatly emotionally damaging children and families. This specific research will look at both the divorce rate in the secular community and the divorce rate in the Christian church, thus comparing and contrasting the two. While at the same time, showing how unhealthy leadership in the Christian church continues this damage. Furthermore, this research will also illustrate which gender is most likely filing for the divorces here in the 21st century and answer the questions why, where, …
The Impact Of Sunday School Participation On Spiritual Formation In African American Baptist Churches In North Carolina, Christopher Eugene Harris
The Impact Of Sunday School Participation On Spiritual Formation In African American Baptist Churches In North Carolina, Christopher Eugene Harris
Doctoral Dissertations and Projects
The purpose of this correlational quantitative study was to determine a relationship between Sunday School participation and spiritual formation upon participating congregations of the General Baptist State Convention of North Carolina (GBSCNC). The process of spiritual formation comes through the spiritual disciplines being practiced. The spiritual disciplines were measured through the study sample of GBSCNC churches in this study using four spiritual development modes from the Christian Spiritual Participation Profile: growing through a relationship with God, growing through the Word, growing through critical reflection, and growing through relationships with others (Thayer, 1996). The research findings were based on a sample …
Christmas In The Lutheran Tradition: A Worship Service Of Music And The Word, Brian E. White
Christmas In The Lutheran Tradition: A Worship Service Of Music And The Word, Brian E. White
Masters Theses
Christmas in the Lutheran Tradition is a worship ministry project originally designed to fulfill the desire for a Christmas Cantata with a focus on the Lutheran love of music as part of worship service. The thesis includes discussions about the early origins of the Christmas celebration and Martin Luther’s incorporation of congregational singing as part of worship service. The thesis details the author’s original concept and the multiple alterations that became necessary as the community, state and nation continued to struggle with the Covid-19 pandemic in the year 2020. The thesis briefly discusses the North Dakota responses to the increasing …
Refilling The Oilpots: Developing A Program To Reverse Stagnancy In African-American Churches, Mancil Carroll
Refilling The Oilpots: Developing A Program To Reverse Stagnancy In African-American Churches, Mancil Carroll
Doctoral Dissertations and Projects
Many African American churches in America are experiencing a decline in attendance and participation. The typical church goes through a life-cycle that includes the church's birth, infancy, maturity, stagnation, and death. However, it is possible to create a rebirth process that will restart the life-cycle from the beginning. This thesis develops a strategic plan to initiate church rebirth and build momentum for the congregation. This project's research approach will include interviews with the leaders of a medium-size African American church in Dallas's suburbs. The project will also include survey questionnaires to congregants, former church members, and random subjects selected through …
Who Is Leading Our Churches In Worship And Are They Ready? A Study On Worship Leading In The Free Will Baptist Denomination, James Anthony Cooper Sr
Who Is Leading Our Churches In Worship And Are They Ready? A Study On Worship Leading In The Free Will Baptist Denomination, James Anthony Cooper Sr
Doctoral Dissertations and Projects
Since the institution of Old Testament-Temple corporate worship, there has been someone assigned the task of leading congregational worship. The Chronicler records King David’s divisions of the sons of Asaph to be “set apart for service…under the direction of their father in the music in the house of the Lord.”1 Although for some churches, a full-time, salaried position is not feasible or there may not be enough existing duties to justify a paid position. In this case, the responsibility of leading worship falls to a person in the congregation who might have any type of background in music or an …
Intentional Discipleship: Effective Disciple-Making For Church Growth In Liberia, George L. Suah
Intentional Discipleship: Effective Disciple-Making For Church Growth In Liberia, George L. Suah
Doctoral Dissertations and Projects
Pastors of extremely effective disciple-making churches are conscious of the degree of church efficiency, and they recognize the significance of intentional discipleship for church growth. The purpose of this study is to investigate intentional discipleship for church growth in Liberia. An anonymous research study of 12 pastors and church leaders (evangelists) from Unity Light Ministry Network (UCC) in Kakata, Liberia, West Africa, was conducted to explore why Unity Light Ministry Network (UCC) in Liberia is struggling to grow their church numerically and spiritually. The study found that the Ministry does not have adequate and systematic training on intentional discipleship for …
The Power Of Gratitude (A Worship Service), Joe G. Wehunt
The Power Of Gratitude (A Worship Service), Joe G. Wehunt
Masters Theses
“So then just as you have received Christ Jesus as Lord, continue to live your lives in Him, rooted and built up in Him, strengthened in the faith as you were taught, and overflowing with thankfulness”. The house of God should be overflowing with thankfulness. This overflow should begin in the parking lot and extend all the way inside the building. With the “Power of Gratitude” service, the plan is to outline a worship event that reminds God’s children of the blessings that He has given through His son, Jesus, and to provide a way for God’s children to worship …
Methods And Motivations Of Multigenerational Churches In Selecting A Worship Music Identity, Joshua Charles Morton
Methods And Motivations Of Multigenerational Churches In Selecting A Worship Music Identity, Joshua Charles Morton
Masters Theses
Churches in the twenty-first century come in all types, shapes, and sizes. The church plant movement is bringing many new churches into existence. With many of these church plants, the assumption is that a contemporary worship style comes with it. This could be viewed this way, because of the high population of younger people that attend these churches. Churches like Elevation Church, North Point Church, Passion City Church, and Saddleback Community Church are all church plants. These churches are magnets for newly established Christians and those seeking to answer questions about God for the first time. They are magnets for …
Sharing The Lord’S Supper: Finding Fellowship And Love In A Sacramental, Communal Meal, Joshua David Peterson
Sharing The Lord’S Supper: Finding Fellowship And Love In A Sacramental, Communal Meal, Joshua David Peterson
Doctoral Dissertations and Projects
This thesis project identifies the biblical practice of celebrating the Lord’s Supper weekly in conjunction with a communal meal. At this project’s Ministry Context, Garden City Bible Fellowship, there is a lack of fellowship and love. This project investigates whether the implementation of the Lord’s Supper and a communal meal on a weekly basis will build fellowship and love in a biblical way. After being approved by the leadership of this church, the topic will be introduced to the congregation via a sermon on the subject, culminating in a question and answer session for anyone who has questions before participating. …
The Integration Of Spiritual Formation Through Distance Education For Christian Higher Education Students, Derwin Earl Lewis
The Integration Of Spiritual Formation Through Distance Education For Christian Higher Education Students, Derwin Earl Lewis
Doctoral Dissertations and Projects
Many factors contribute to the recent increase of digital education in higher learning institutions, including the expanded use of mobile devices, social media, and other online populations. CNBC reports that over two billion users ascribe to Facebook monthly (Balakrishnan, 2017). Over four hundred million Instagram users and over three hundred million active Twitter accounts are being used daily (Clement, 2019). Celebrating technology’s imprint on society presents another opportunity for social sciences to applaud human achievement at the risk of discounting God’s sovereignty. The digital era has created an opportunity for Christian education to expand its reachability through churches and Bible-based …
Expository Teaching For The Stonepath Church’S Understanding Of Worship, Cassidy Ryan Kesler
Expository Teaching For The Stonepath Church’S Understanding Of Worship, Cassidy Ryan Kesler
Doctoral Dissertations and Projects
Expository teaching is a method of explanation that can raise the biblical understanding in the minds of those receiving the teaching. This paper studies a group of participants from Stonepath Church who receive three expository teaching lessons on three biblical passages on worship. The initial understanding of biblical worship is gauged by the scores of the participants on a worship survey taken before the first lesson, and the increase in biblical knowledge is gauged by the scores of the participants on the same worship survey taken after the third lesson. A statistical analysis is run to determine whether or not …
An Effective Strategy Of Family Ministry In Korean Church To Build A Biblical Family, Ikjae Jin
An Effective Strategy Of Family Ministry In Korean Church To Build A Biblical Family, Ikjae Jin
Doctoral Dissertations and Projects
The purpose of this project is to assist churches in building a biblical family and developing an effective strategy for family ministry programs. Additionally, it will address the problems and difficulties of Korean families. The study will be based on Korean churches in South Korea. A study of what churches are doing to assist these families will be conducted. This project will suggest how to build a biblical family in Korean churches. This research will survey at least 50 Korean pastors living in Korea and will conduct research on existing family ministry programs in Korean churches based on biblical and …
Spiritually Guided And Bridging The Gap: An Inquisitive Analysis On The Correlation Of Pastoral Counseling And Mental Health, Cynthia E. Taylor
Spiritually Guided And Bridging The Gap: An Inquisitive Analysis On The Correlation Of Pastoral Counseling And Mental Health, Cynthia E. Taylor
Doctoral Dissertations and Projects
This research study evaluates the outcomes of pastoral counseling on mental health within a predominantly African American congregation in the southeastern United States. The research study is intended to build a further understanding of the pastor’s role in counseling individuals with mental health conditions, given individuals seek counseling as a treatment option. To evaluate those perceptions, the researcher analyzed data collected from a survey. The outcomes from this qualitative data study suggest that pastoral counseling alone is ineffective given several factors such as individual failure to seek counseling, no suggested mental-health related issues within the sampled population, and ethnicity barriers. …
Loving The Unloveable: A Biblical Approach For The Local Church To Homosexuality In A Morally Declining Society, Robert Jonathan Archer
Loving The Unloveable: A Biblical Approach For The Local Church To Homosexuality In A Morally Declining Society, Robert Jonathan Archer
Doctoral Dissertations and Projects
This thesis will strive to prove that local churches worldwide have been highly ineffective at providing true recovery for parishioners that struggle with homosexuality often ostracizing them as a diseased product rather than a creation of the Father. The goal is to help the church discover, assess, and address the sin, healing, and recovery for homosexuals in their ministry in a healthy biblical manner that promotes freedom in Christ and true recovery. This will allow the local church to partake in the healing process of broken parishioners promoting evangelism and discipleship that will in turn extend into the communities of …
Surviving A Divorce With An Intact Faith: A Strategy For Ministering To Those Experiencing Divorce In The Church, Brandon Paul Wells
Surviving A Divorce With An Intact Faith: A Strategy For Ministering To Those Experiencing Divorce In The Church, Brandon Paul Wells
Doctoral Dissertations and Projects
Effectively ministering to divorcees is a unique aspect of church leadership. The majority of church leaders have never experienced divorce, so the unique problems that divorce presents are not familiar to them. The purpose of this D. Min Thesis Project is to investigate those problems and develop strategies that will allow church leaders to minister to divorcees effectively. This will be accomplished using questionnaires and interviews where difficult questions are asked to divorcees, and honest answers are revealed. Church leaders will also be interviewed about their positions on divorce and their responses compared to those given by divorcees in order …
Biblical Warrior Integration Connecting Veterans And Civilians In Oakland Baptist Church, Alva Ray Bennett
Biblical Warrior Integration Connecting Veterans And Civilians In Oakland Baptist Church, Alva Ray Bennett
Doctoral Dissertations and Projects
As a small, less than a 150-member church, located close to Robins Air Force Base in Georgia, Oakland Baptist Church struggles to fully integrate veterans and civilians within the congregational setting. The author studied biblical postwar rituals and used them to design the Biblical Warrior Integration model to enhance the relational connectivity between veterans and civilians. It was congregation-based and relationship-focused. It helped to heal misunderstandings and neglect between veterans and civilians. Also, it was biblically based and reflected a modern application of biblical postwar rituals identified within the biblical text. Thirty of the 150 members of Oakland Baptist Church …
"Lead Us Not": Linguistic And Exegetical Considerations For Translating The Sixth Petition Of The Lord's Prayer, Brodie Allan Robinson
"Lead Us Not": Linguistic And Exegetical Considerations For Translating The Sixth Petition Of The Lord's Prayer, Brodie Allan Robinson
Masters Theses
In 2019, the Vatican announced a revision to the Italian translation of the Roman Missal, modifying the temptation petition of the Lord’s Prayer from “non ci indurre in tentazione” (“lead us not into temptation”) to “non abbandonarci alla tentazione” (“do not abandon us to temptation”). A formal, word-for-word rendering of the petition was substituted for a freer, more interpretive one. Though such a change seems insignificant, it stands at the heart of one of the most theologically contested passages in the New Testament, a passage which appears to contradict most scriptural teaching on temptation. This thesis probes the multiple problems …
A Legacy Of Millennials: Discovery Of A Leader Development Process For Family Church In North Carolina, Herman H. Walker Jr
A Legacy Of Millennials: Discovery Of A Leader Development Process For Family Church In North Carolina, Herman H. Walker Jr
Doctoral Dissertations and Projects
Millennial leadership development for church ministry is the key to reaching future generations with the gospel. Unfortunately, many critical scholars predict the ultimate demise of the church as they highlight an unprecedented exodus of millennials from its ranks. The purpose of this study is to challenge the misplaced focus on those who have left the church and refocus on the millennials who remain. The biblical record supports the view that God has repetitively used a remnant of leadership to rebuild his people when they were in decline. The millennials who actively attend church are a contemporary remnant whom God can …
The Sent Life: Discovering The Mission Of God And The Christian's Place In It, Cliff Roberts Jordan
The Sent Life: Discovering The Mission Of God And The Christian's Place In It, Cliff Roberts Jordan
Doctoral Dissertations and Projects
The church in the West today has separated something that was never intended to be divided. This critical error impacts the very core of who a Christian is which informs and empowers what a Christian does. Jesus said, “As the Father has sent Me, I also send you,” and in doing so He designated all Christians as “sent ones.” This means living on mission as a sent one is not reserved for a special class of Christians, but is the very calling of all Christians. Since that is true, all Christians need to understand and be equipped for the mission …
An Evaluation Of The “40 Days Of Prayer For Church Revitalization” As An Instrument For Initiating A Revitalization Process At First Baptist Church, Pikeville, Ky, John Anthony Lucas
An Evaluation Of The “40 Days Of Prayer For Church Revitalization” As An Instrument For Initiating A Revitalization Process At First Baptist Church, Pikeville, Ky, John Anthony Lucas
Doctoral Dissertations and Projects
The current lack of health found in many churches across the United States requires the development of prayer strategies that will propel local churches toward a renewed passion for the gospel through revitalization. The purpose of this project is to evaluate the effectiveness of the “40 Days of Prayer for Church Revitalization” devotional guide, a resource developed by the Church Consulting and Revitalization Team of the Kentucky Baptist Convention, when utilized in local Churches. By using quantitative surveys in three Kentucky Baptist churches that utilized the “40 Days of Prayer” resource as well as qualitative interviews with those church’s pastors …
Establishing Christ Community Church As A Sent Community: Initiating Spiritual Conversation With Confidence, Relevance, And Conviction, William Leland Burch Ii
Establishing Christ Community Church As A Sent Community: Initiating Spiritual Conversation With Confidence, Relevance, And Conviction, William Leland Burch Ii
Doctoral Dissertations and Projects
The problem is that Christ Community Church does not see itself as a ‘sent community.’ A ‘sent community’ is one where purpose and forward movement in Kingdom work is embraced. A church must seek to involve itself in the community, delve into the needs, and speak to the emptiness with the Gospel of Jesus. The purpose of this project is to establish Christ Community Church as a ‘sent community’ by offering a sustentative engagement program which will: 1) describe the mission of Jesus; 2) assess the culture in which the church is situated; 3) answer six frequently asked theological questions; …
Prosperity Gospel In Liberia: A Theological Alternative To The Gospel Of Jesus Christ, Jerome A. Newman
Prosperity Gospel In Liberia: A Theological Alternative To The Gospel Of Jesus Christ, Jerome A. Newman
Doctoral Dissertations and Projects
Many indigenous Liberian pastors are not theologically grounded on a solid biblical foundation. As such, many Liberian Christians lack foundational knowledge of the truths of the Gospel of Christ for salvation. The prosperity gospel or “Faith, Wealth, and Health” theology in Liberia is a significant deviation from the Gospel of Christ that undermines sound hermeneutical interpretation of Scripture. This study examines why a growing number of pastors in Liberia are replacing the Gospel of Jesus Christ with the prosperity gospel. An anonymous survey research study of 12 pastors from Unity Light Ministry Network (Unity Community Church) in Kakata, Liberia, West …
Preaching And Teaching: An Integrative Evaluative Approach To Christian Practices At Fil-Am Sda Church, Ernst Jacques
Preaching And Teaching: An Integrative Evaluative Approach To Christian Practices At Fil-Am Sda Church, Ernst Jacques
Doctoral Dissertations and Projects
In this thesis, biblical expository preaching is defined as the exegetical method that brings out the theological nuances of a narrative biblical passage in relation to content and context. Biblical expository preaching in the USA is facing a significant theological challenge as churches are becoming culturally diverse. Research has shown that theological understanding plays a great role in Christian spiritual formation; it has also shown that believers are generally more receptive to sermons that are contextualized. This thesis project aims to determine how biblical expository preaching can make sense to believers and spur them on to spiritual maturity in a …
Archaeology And Biblical Inspiration, Garry Leo Hill
Archaeology And Biblical Inspiration, Garry Leo Hill
Doctoral Dissertations and Projects
The thesis project topic is on Inspiration and Bible Archaeology. The project's main reason is a perceived lack of confidence in the Bible’s stories being real. The project addresses this worldview, which causes this belief to influence our church members. The study includes an explanation of the post-modern world view concerning the certainty of historical events. A Biblical viewpoint is addressed, and the relationship with this to Bible inspiration is explored. A survey is given to individual members of the congregation, which gives questions concerning these issues. Two interventions are then presented, one in which the debates concerning the United …
A Mixed Methods Study Concerning Biblical Worldview Formation In Children And Adolescents Through Informal Learning By Parents And/Or Guardians, Joan Ellen Appleton
A Mixed Methods Study Concerning Biblical Worldview Formation In Children And Adolescents Through Informal Learning By Parents And/Or Guardians, Joan Ellen Appleton
Doctoral Dissertations and Projects
Children and adolescents need spiritual nurturing and teaching to instill biblical worldview and to make possible the development of lifelong spiritual formation. Informal learning as an educational format is foundational to and provides an avenue by which to impart early biblical worldview formation for children and adolescents. The purpose of this explanatory sequential mixed methods study was to examine and explore the knowledge and behaviors of informal learning of the study participants (parents and/or legal guardians) in five U.S. Southeast states to determine the relationship between informal learning and outcomes of biblical worldview formation in children and adolescents. The mixed …
The Decline Of Ministry Participation And Leadership Amid Black Males In The Worthington Missionary Baptist Church In Houston, Texas, Joseph Ray Davis
The Decline Of Ministry Participation And Leadership Amid Black Males In The Worthington Missionary Baptist Church In Houston, Texas, Joseph Ray Davis
Doctoral Dissertations and Projects
This DMin thesis project sought to address the decline of male participation in ministry leadership at the Worthington Missionary Baptist Church (WMBC) in Houston, Texas. Not only are males absent from many church congregations, but those that do attend church services tend to be seemingly content with the female populace leading an abundance of church ministries. This research study accessed rationales prompting male withdrawal and then ascertained how to restore balance to the initial design of God at WMBC. Assessment tools of questionnaires, surveys, and one-on-one interviews were utilized to gain insights from 10 WMBC males between the ages of …
A Model For Pastoral Care And Shepherding Of A Mid-Sized Growing Church, Willis Dean Wainwright
A Model For Pastoral Care And Shepherding Of A Mid-Sized Growing Church, Willis Dean Wainwright
Doctoral Dissertations and Projects
This study addresses the challenges related to the caregiving ministry of Mountain View Community Church located in Temecula, California. This revitalized Church has grown from 50 attendees in 2004 to over 2000 by 2010. The growth has led to many challenges, including the development of a ministry strategy that will meet the needs of the congregation. The leadership team sought to answer the question of an appropriate ministry strategy through examining scriptures, reviewing the history of ministry, and evaluating current models of caregiving used in large Baptist churches. Additionally, a survey of pastoral care methodology employed in large Baptist churches …
Healing Through Preaching: Recovery For Red Oaks Baptist Church, Darin Scott Wilt
Healing Through Preaching: Recovery For Red Oaks Baptist Church, Darin Scott Wilt
Doctoral Dissertations and Projects
The purpose of this Doctor of Ministry thesis, Healing Through Preaching: Recovery for Red Oaks Baptist Church, is to address the need for healing Red Oaks Baptist Church’s members through a coordinated preaching and counseling ministry. Research shows there is a lack of information available on how to preach to a church after a traumatic event such as a church split or revitalization effort. The literature available addresses church problems that may have led a specific situation but does not help the pastor use the preaching of scripture to lead the church in recovery and to use God’s word to …
Improving Adoptive Mergers At River Community Church, Gavin Roger Adams
Improving Adoptive Mergers At River Community Church, Gavin Roger Adams
Doctoral Dissertations and Projects
This thesis project cross compared the adoptive mergers of River Community Church (RCC) to identify the methodologies and strategies that created one successful campus via adoptive merger and a subsequent unsuccessful campus. Empirical analysis quantified the gap in success between RCC Chesterfield and RCC Fairway. Qualitative research provided the thematic points of differentiation in RCC’s adoptive merger implementations. The thematic findings detailed a potential revitalization plan for RCC Fairway, a common structure for future RCC adoptive merger considerations, and insight for churches contemplating adoptive merger pursuits.
A Theodical Invitation, Joseph Carson
A Theodical Invitation, Joseph Carson
Montview Journal of Research & Scholarship
While analytic philosophy has led the charge in answering the problem of evil (i.e., POE), postmodern theology and movements like radical orthodoxy incite a response to POE from a postmodern perspective. With skepticism toward purely metaphysical answers to evil, this essay relies on the writings of Dietrich Bonhoeffer and James K.A. Smith in order to offer a social, ecclesial, and non-rational response to the POE; furthermore, continental philosophy, postmodern theology, and social theory play a significant role in this paper. Supporting the conclusion that the Church is a heuristic, embodied answer to the POE, three contentions form the backbone of …