Digital Commons Network^™

A Consideration Of Church Planting Through Radio Broadcasting In Thailand, Byung Jo Chang

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

This dissertation focuses on the meaning of church planting, and the successful church planning through radio broadcasting and its benefit in Thai missions. Radio broadcasting is the best way of opening up the door for spreading the gospel to start church planting. The research focuses on founding and organizing the broadcasting station in the hopes of giving non Christians opportunities to hear the gospel for the first time, and helping them to become Chris like.

The potential radio broadcasting missions carry, the meaning of it all, and the efficiency behind planting a church through the broadcasting missions is examined. These …

An Assessment Of Effective Senior Level Leadership Within The United States Air Force Chaplain Service, David W. Kelley

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this dissertation is to determine what leadership qualities, traits, and/or behaviors will produce effective leadership of chaplains within the Air Force Chaplain Service. Twelve senior level Air Force chaplains were assessed using three tools: the Dimensions of Leadership Profile, the Contextual Leadership Questionnaire, and Personal Leadership Interviews. Based upon the responses of the senior chaplains the results of these leadership tools will be analyzed and conclusions drawn in reference to successful leadership within the Air Force Chaplain Service.

Introversion And Self-Advocacy: Concomitant Predictors Of End-Of-Year Attrition Rates For College Freshmen With Learning Disabilities, Shirley E. Tucker

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

This attrition research investigated the social aspect of two independent variables, introversion and self-advocacy, and explored whether they functioned as a concomitant unit to reliably predict end-of-year attrition rates for college freshmen with learning disabilities. The Myers-Briggs Type Indicator categorized subjects dichotomously as introverts or extraverts while the Tucker Self-Advocacy Tool used a continuous scale to indicate the degree of self-advocacy each subject exhibited.

Several statistical procedures facilitated this correlational study: the Fisher's Exact Test compared the percentage of dropouts between the introvert and extrovert groups while a two-sample t-test compared the average self-advocacy score between the group that dropped …

The Relationship Between Student Perceptions Of Parental Involvement And Grade Eight Reading And Math Achievement In A Rural Georgia Middle School, Wayne A. Hickman

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between students' perceptions of parental involvement and grade 8 reading and math achievement as measured by the Georgia Criterion Reference Competency Test (CRCT). This study relied on a theoretical framework developed by Epstein (1987). This framework includes a six-part categorization of parent involvement typologies (Type 1—parenting, Type 2—communication, Type 3—volunteering, Type 4—learning at home, Type 5—decision-making, and Type 6—collaborating), which were used as the basis for data collection and analysis. The High School and Family Partnerships: Questionnaires for Teachers, Parents, and Students were developed by Epstein and Salinas (1993) for …

A Chronological Presentation Of The Writings Of Elmer L. Towns From 1999-2005, Noting The Interrelatedness Of His Teachings And Writings From 1980-2005, Gabriel Benjamin Etzel

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

This project will analyze the contributions of Elmer L. Towns to six distinct disciplines, i.e., Church Growth, Sunday School, Christian Education, Bible Study and Exposition, Christian Life, and Theology. This is the third in a series of projects centered on the writing ministry of Elmer L. Towns. This project will examine the writing ministry of Elmer L. Towns from 1999-2005, and also include an analysis of his teaching ministry within higher educational settings. In addition, conclusions will be drawn from a survey of supervisors of the teachings of Elmer Towns from 1980-2005.

A Model For Pastoral Care And Shepherding Of A Large And Growing Church, Aaron J. Rummage

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

This study addresses the challenges related to the care giving ministry of New Lire Church located in LaPlata, Maryland. This revitalized church has grown from 60 attendees in 1999 to over 1,100 by 2004. The growth has led to many challenges, including the development of a shepherding strategy that will meet the needs of the congregation. The leadership team sought to answer the question of an appropriate shepherding strategy through examining scriptures, reviewing the history of shepherding and evaluating current models of care giving used in large Wesleyan churches. Additionally, a survey of pastoral care methodology employed in large Wesleyan …

A Spiritual Disciplines-Based Discipleship Curriculum For The Local Church, Steven Hugh Mathews

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The practice of the spiritual disciplines in local Baptist churches is in decline, and there does not exist a curriculum designed to implement the disciplines into the public teaching ministry of the local church. The purpose of this project is to design, implement, and evaluate such a curriculum, with respect to participants' understanding of, motivation to practice, and perceived effectiveness in, ten key spiritual disciplines. The curriculum is evaluated by a diagnostic tool based on Bloom's Taxonomy, and is intended to measure increases in knowledge, motivation, and effectiveness.

The Complexities Of Training National Leaders During The Twentieth Century That Led To A Vast World-Wide Shortage Of Trained Leaders For The Twenty-First Century Church, Francis O. Patterson

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

There is worldwide evidence of a severe modern-day shortage of trained leadership in the church. The purpose of this thesis project is to understand the reasons for the shortage and suggest achievable solutions. Yes, the army of missionaries deployed around the world has accomplished great things for Christ. However, this vast shortage of qualified national leaders came about due to a lack of vision and poor recruitment of theologians and missionary candidates. While missionaries have done a great job planting churches, most were unprepared to train national leaders for these churches. Further, for the last thirty-five years, missiologists have debated …

Gender Equity Of Traditional And Non-Traditional Career Roles In Newbery Award-Winning And Honor Books, Mark Boster

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this study was to determine whether Newbery Award-Winning and Honor books from 1995-2004 present careers in a traditional or non-traditional manner. Two of the most recognizable titles, due to recent Hollywood productions, are Because of Winn-Dixie and Holes. Though there has been much research in the area of gender roles, which indicates males and females in children’s literature are depicted stereotypically, no research was found concerning the area of literary gender stereotypes in careers. After reviewing the use of bibliotherapy and theories of career and gender development, this quantitative descriptive study found careers in Newbery Award and …

Designing A Program For The Assimilation Of New Members Into The Life And Ministry Of The Local Church, Douglas K. Tanner

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The assimilation of new members into the mission of the local church is often unintentional and ineffective. Many churches do not recognize the great need to train new members to become ministers and missionaries, which carry on the work of the church. The purpose of this project is to briefly expose the need for an intentional assimilation program in a local church and provide a systematic methodology for developing an assimilation program along with a usable outline that can be modified for use by any church. The project will provide information necessary for any church to create its own new …

Strategies For 21st Century Healthy Church Growth Through The Spiritual Diagnosis Of Osan Baptist Church In South Korea, Gi Chul Choi

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this thesis project is to understand the nature, purpose, and a brief history of healthy church growth, and analyze the spiritual factors of Osan Baptist Church in Seoul, Korea based on Natural Church Development written by Dr. Christian A. Schwarz, who suggests eight quality characteristics of growing healthy Churches.

Through this research, strong points for healthy church growth and weak ones for hindering church growth will be discovered. Finally, six strategies of healthy church growth will be suggested to the Osan Baptist Church and other churches for 21 st century.

Toward The Establishment Of A Worship Theology In The Presbyterian Church Of Korea, Jong Bin Rhee

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this study is to critically analyze the existing problems of worship in the Presbyterian Church of Korea and develop worship theology with biblical, historical and liturgical insights. The biblical foundation for an understanding of worship theology is laid by examining a representative cross section of classic passage and pertinent liturgical tests. A brief sketch is made of the Reformed tradition. especially Calvin and Presbyterian in the British Isles and America. It will also analyze current problems in the worship of the Korean Presbyterian churches, and includes some suggestions for establishment of worship theology in the Presbyterian Church …

Family And Consumer Sciences In Higher Education: Common Elements In Undergraduate Curriculum, Susan Lovett

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

This study of undergraduate programs was undertaken to create a current portrait of Family and Consumer Sciences programs and to determine whether common ground exists among the various academic units particularly in the area of curriculum content. The thirty four schools having accreditation with SACS and AAFCS were chosen as the population to be studied. Two lists of curricular element categories were created to evaluate the programs: a 28 item list derived from historical categorizations used in professional journals and educational reporting and a 16 item list taken from the national standards for FCS in secondary programs. The subject matter …

The Influence Of Parenting Styles On The Development Of Moral Judgment In College Level Adolescents, Scott M. Hawkins

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

This research project addresses the relationship between parenting styles and the development of moral judgment in college students enrolled in a four year private University in Central Virginia. The purpose of this study is to identify the extent to which parenting styles are one of the "building blocks" for the development of moral judgment in adolescents. The instruments used are the Parental Authority Questionnaire (Buri, 1988) and the Defining Issues Test - II (Rest, 1999). The researcher hypothesized that the levels of moral judgment found in college students who perceive that they were parented by parents utilizing an Authoritative parenting …

Lay Shepherding: Developing A Pastoral Care Ministry For The Small To Mid-Sized Church, Barry G. Lawson

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

A survey of Wesleyan churches and a review of current literature reveals that most pastors are bearing the burden of pastoral care alone. Only a few churches are effectively equipping and empowering lay persons to help provide this needed and meaningful ministry within the body of Christ. The purpose of this project is to demonstrate biblically and historically that the laity are gifted for ministry and that they are called to the task of shepherding God's flock. Further, this project seeks to present a model for implementing a lay shepherding ministry in the small to mid-sized church.