Digital Commons Network^™

Developing A Lay Ministry Of Caregiving Skills To Parents And Families Who Grieve The Death Of A Child At Zion Hill Baptist Church, Cherryville, N.C., Roger Fuller

Doctor of Ministry Projects

This project aims to educate those who minister to people who may experience the difficult misfortune of the grief and loss of a child. The concentration and intent of this work are to cultivate a ministry of caregiving skills for the members at Zion Hill Baptist Church of Cherryville, North Carolina. This caring ministry of the church will serve all who grieve, but the general focus of this project is to offer specialized care in aiding those who grieve the death of a child. This training is of great necessity because most church members, having not experienced losing a child, …

Developing A Shared Ecclesial Identity Utilizing Story-Based Elements With First Baptist Church, Gainesville, Georgia, Jeremy T. Shoulta

Doctor of Ministry Projects

The Body of Christ is challenged to, “be like-minded, having the same love, being one in spirit and of one mind” (Philippians 2:2). How then could a congregation, comprised of individuals harboring diverse cultural worldviews, discover and live into this reality? Through various individual and group exercises, participants sought to determine whether story elements have the power to serve as a true sense-making device within an ecclesial setting. The results indicate that that a majority of participants found the story-based framework beneficial in regards to their personal understanding of the work of First Baptist Church.

Developing Intentional Hospitality In First Baptist Church Lenoir, North Carolina, Joshua Hughes

Doctor of Ministry Projects

The project’s purpose is to reveal how hospitable First Baptist Church Lenoir, North Carolina currently is, and how that can be improved by instilling a commitment to hospitality in both the Sunday morning volunteers and the church congregation. Mystery guests attended worship and their initial experiences were assessed. The Hospitality Team underwent training, and an intensive Bible study was conducted for the Wednesday Night congregation. The mystery guests worshipped again, and their responses were assessed to see if their worship experiences had improved. In conclusion, the hospitality training was successful, and the worship experiences of the mystery guests improved significantly.

Learning To Cope With Grief Through The Use Of Biblical Creativity With The Community Of First Saints Community Church, Patricia Watson

Doctor of Ministry Projects

Supporting those who are grieving has long been a complicated process for church communities and pastors. This project investigated whether introducing a creative activity to a grief support group could help participants view their loss through a lens of faith and clinical aspects of grief. Although further studies will strengthen this hypothesis, a four-week curriculum was conducted with five participants at First Saints Community Church in Leonardtown, MD. Results from quantitative and qualitative analyses showed that there was a benefit to those participants.

Increasing Parental Participation In The Spiritual Formation Of Children At Spencer Baptist Church In Spindale, North Carolina, Kelly Settlemyre

Doctor of Ministry Projects

A program was created at Spencer Baptist Church in Spindale, NC to increase parental involvement in spiritual formation in the home. The 5-week program sought to connect spiritual identity with parental actions and confidence. The project focused on spiritual formation and then examined biblical mandates of family discipleship as well as examples of biblical family formation. Resources were given to participants for use within the family. Surveys measured the quantitative effectiveness of the program, while group participation provided qualitative insights. At the conclusion, there was a significant increase in participation in the spiritual formation of children in the home.

Trauma And Grief: Developing A Framework For Equipping The Hispanic/Latino Churches As A Healing Community In The Cooperative Baptist Fellowship Of North Carolina, Santiago Reales

Doctor of Ministry Projects

This project aimed to equip Hispanic/Latino congregations of the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship of North Carolina (CBFNC) as a healing community to help people in recovering from loss and trauma in a healthy way. Participants in five-workshop sessions over four weeks explored stories of grief and trauma from the Old and New Testament along with contemporary grief and trauma theories. Each workshop presented what the Scriptures and mental health best practices teach about how to deal with grief and trauma. Also, the project sought to determine whether the participant’s training experience impacted their stress level.

Growing In Christian Spiritual Identity Through Enhanced Biblical Interpretation At Camino Church, Charlotte, Nc, Steve Sellers

Doctor of Ministry Projects

This project evaluated the impact of biblical study and interpretation on spiritual identity, focusing on the Latino population. The project’s goal was to assess a disciplined, historically oriented study of Scripture as a pre-condition for Scriptural perspicuity to come to fuller expression.

Findings for this project indicate the process of learning biblical interpretation leads to greater spiritual identity in Latino and non-Latino populations. While any particular aspect of the learning process could not be determined as the primary source for the effect the instructor, the learning methodologies, and biblical interpretation model had meaningful impacts on the project participants.

A Life Worth Living: Evaluating And Assisting Army Chaplains In Suicide Prevention, John Simon Cochran

Doctor of Ministry Projects

Despite its efficiency and flexibility as a modern fighting force, the U.S. Army has experienced an alarming spike in the number of its soldiers committing suicide over the past decade – approximately a 20% increase. The goal of this project is to contribute to the lessening of future suicides by evaluating the current preparedness of U.S. Army chaplains to assist with suicide prevention and intervention efforts among U.S. Army soldiers. The study will provide actionable conclusions of how chaplains can more effectively identify, intervene, and influence U.S. Army soldiers away from the risk of suicide towards a life worth living.

A Workshop On The Spiritual Disciplines: Teaching Church Members How To Listen To God Through Prayer, Meditation, Solitude And Journaling Developed For The Members Of Eau Claire Baptist Church Columbia, South Carolina, Steven Blair Bouknight

Doctor of Ministry Projects

Listening to God is so vitally important. This project includes five 75-minute teaching sessions where participants learn how to listen to God through use of the spiritual disciplines of prayer, meditation, solitude, and journaling. Participants take part in various home assignments to practice these spiritual disciplines in their personal lives throughout the week. Participants respond to surveys rating their progress weekly in practicing each of the disciplines mentioned above. Results indicated increased awareness of hearing God speak following the intentional use of the spiritual disciplines and the increased practice of these disciplines by participants.

Strengthening An Understanding And Practice Of Spiritual Transformation For Sunday School Teachers Of Ellis Chapel Baptist Church, Patterson Springs, Nc, Linda Williams Lockhart

Doctor of Ministry Projects

The spiritual formation process can be clearly viewed through the lives of those who lived during the biblical era. People desire to change; however, the problem is that they do not know how because training in the spiritual formation process is not present within many churches today. This project was designed to train selected Sunday School teachers of Ellis Chapel Baptist Church through a four-week spiritual transformation process, hoping to strengthen their understanding of becoming image-bearers and practitioners of the Gospel that Jesus taught and exemplified. Through utilizing spiritual disciplines in journaling, training sessions, and assessments, selected teachers became aware …

Soul As Sanctuary: Awareness Of God Alone And Assembled At Freedom Alive Church Of Greenville, South Carolina, Paulleatha Bruce

Doctor of Ministry Projects

A Christian practicum was established at Freedom Alive Church of Greenville in Greenville, South Carolina to examine and to promote the depth of influence and impact awareness of God in self, in daily living practices, and in the world at-large have on the congregants’ engagement and participation in corporate worship. Utilizing Scripture and the employment of solitude, meditation, prayer, and worship as spiritual practices, congregants from the generations of Silent, Baby Boomer, Xer, and Millennial were enlisted to participate in a six-week study. Upon the analysis of the quantitative and qualitative data, it was revealed that congregants’ exposure to the …

Integral Missions: A Framework For Developing A Missional Community Engagement At New Ellis Chapel Baptist Church In Shelby, North Carolina, Paul Christopher Gash

Doctor of Ministry Projects

The Church is called to be passionate about leading the cause of being influential, inspirational, and impactful in the community that she is housed. God has commissioned all believers to embark the grand opportunity of effectively engaging the community through integral missions. The formation of this ministry project was born out of various studies that was researched that revealed a high degree of poverty that exists within the community where New Ellis Chapel Baptist Church is located. Additionally, during the development of this project, COVID-19 has plagued the world and caused an increase in mental health, emotional instability, financial constraints, …

The Benefits Of Integrating An Assistance Dog With Military Chaplain Corps Services At The 169th Fighter Wing, Mcentire Joint National Guard Base, South Carolina, Christina Pittman

Doctor of Ministry Projects

The ministry project is addressing the spiritual resiliency of service members in an intentional and innovative approach through the presence of an assistance dog in an active military Chaplain Corps setting; specifically, through South Carolina Air National Guard. The issue is to reach service members on a level beyond the efforts of human contact. The research shows support in positive effects or no effects of engagement with an assistance dog. The participants are service members engaging with and without Avalon, a current Assistance Dog for Ministry, with a Chaplain providing warrior care. The research data collection is a survey presented …

Strengthening Intergenerational Bonds Through The Practice Of Learning And Mission At First Baptist Church Valdese, Nc, Joshua Lail

Doctor of Ministry Projects

An education program was designed to encourage intergenerational unity among a mixed group of youth and adults at First Baptist Church in Valdese, NC. Both quantitative and qualitative data were collected and analyzed to determine the effectiveness of the program on the intergenerational experimental group. There was movement toward intergenerational unity from the pre-test to post-test in the experimental group. Insights were learned from the data, particularly that there were different rates of growth between the youth and adults, and the observation that participants may have liked the idea of working together more than actually working together. The younger participants …

Nurturing Emotional Intelligence To Encourage An Increase In Compassion Among The Members Of Ecclesia Baptist In Asheville, North Carolina, Aileen Mitchell Lawrimore

Doctor of Ministry Projects

God’s infinite chesed for humanity, embodied in Jesus, calls Christians to claim their inherent brokenness and their infinite beauty and to offer the same grace to others. This chesed, experienced as compassion, enables Christians to extend compassion to themselves and others. To encourage this behavior among members of Ecclesia Baptist, this project paired psychology with theology and biblical study to nurture emotional intelligence (EQ). Participants attended five two-hour sessions and spent time on reflection and practice outside of meetings. Results indicated that increased EQ boosts confidence in compassionate behavior and increases intentions to continue practices formed from the study.

Lowering The Anxiety Level Of The Participants Of The First Baptist Church, Morganton, Nc, Tyler P. Roach

Doctor of Ministry Projects

This project was developed for the purpose of lowering the anxiety level of the participants of the First Baptist Church, Morganton, NC. It will be accomplished by providing a baseline awareness of their anxiety level and introducing tools to bring their baseline down. The tools used were Bible stories, Myers-Briggs Type Indicator, Family Systems Theory, and centering prayer. The tools were presented in the form of a Friday night and Saturday morning retreat. Data was collected in three different ways. The Beck Anxiety Inventory was used during the retreat to track baseline anxiety. An essay questionnaire was given a month …

Measuring The Value Of Guided Preparation On The Worship Experience At First Baptist Greenville, Sc, Matthew Rollins

Doctor of Ministry Projects

Worship is a central part of the life of the church. There exists an understanding that the church will provide a time and space for regular, meaningful worship to occur, as well as an expectation that the people will attend and engage, open to an encounter with God, alongside their brothers and sisters in Christ. This study investigates the latter responsibility - that of the people to fully participate in worship that gives worth to God, listens to God, and responds to God. In this project, volunteers from First Baptist Church Greenville, SC, engaged with specially designed pre-worship guides to …

Kan In Don Nah (All Are Welcome Here): A Framework For Developing Intercultural Worship Practice At First Chin Baptist Church Of New Bern, North Carolina, Janice Daynette Snead

Doctor of Ministry Projects

The process of intercultural ministry across human boundaries is modeled throughout the ministry of Jesus Christ. Regardless of culture, the scriptures actively engage understanding of God’s Word for all the people and His love to reach each one. This project sought to encourage a biblical understanding of intercultural discipleship by guiding the worshiping community of First Chin Baptist Church through a four-week ministry project to welcome and worship with non-Chin guests. Through a series of study on John 21:1-17, the community discovered a new biblical and theological foundation for understanding and guiding non-Chin guests before, during, and after worship to …

Empowering The Church To Promote Hope And Healing To Those Suffering From Addiction Emmanuel Baptist Fellowship In Lexington, South Carolina, Donna Seay

Doctor of Ministry Projects

Addiction continues to be on the rise in the United States. “Empowering The Church To Promote Hope and Healing to Those Suffering From Addiction” was designed to educate, equip, and empower members of the church to journey with those who suffer from addiction. The four-week curriculum was based on the four functions of Pastoral Care which are healing, guiding, sustaining, and reconciliation. The project utilized a combination of quantitative and qualitative methods to analyze the results.

Minister As Mentor: A Biblical Model For The Preparation Of A Mentoring Ministry At First Baptist Church In Reidsville, North Carolina, Thomas Leroy Barksdale Ii

Doctor of Ministry Projects

A preparation model was developed to equip mentors to effectively engage, encourage, and guide community youth. Members of the Christian faith have a responsibility to reach out and impact positively the next generations of leaders. Potential mentors were led through developmental sessions to prepare for the mentor relationships. Surveys, journal entries, pre-posttests, and questionnaires measured the effectiveness of the developmental weekly sessions and engagement.

Developing A Tool For Bridging Generation Gaps Via The Study And Execution Of Local Mission Projects At Canton First Baptist Church, Canton, Nc, John Greene

Doctor of Ministry Projects

Developing a Tool for Bridging Generation Gaps Via the Study and Execution of Local Mission Projects at Canton First Baptist Church, examined the idea that a church’s local mission efforts can unite people across generations, because focus on a greater goal bridges preconceptions. The researcher assembled groups of varying generational makeup, surveyed them to find preconceptions about missions and generations, and directed them to serve a local ministry. Tracking the groups’ opinions along generational lines throughout showed the effect missions made. The project showed local missions can bridge the generation gap, so long as the participants are open to change

Equipping The Congregation Of East Belmont Baptist Church In Belmont, North Carolina For Outreach Through The Development And Implementation Of An Active Prayer Ministry, Jeff Dean Taylor

Doctor of Ministry Projects

In a local congregation, joining the spiritual practice of prayer with the ministry of outreach provides the church with an effective ministry tool to connect the congregation to its community and beyond. The East Belmont Baptist Church searches for effective ways to carry out the mission of making Christ known to others by equipping themselves through study and sermons to use prayer as a ministry in the community. Through the presence and power of the Holy Spirit, congregational members meet people where they are and minister to them through intercessory prayer.

Prayer: An Instrument For Assessment Of Spiritual And Psychological Concerns For Burundian Refugee Women In Maison Shalom Rwanda, Ornella Umubyeyi

Doctor of Ministry Projects

A qualitative research methodology was designed to analyze how prayer can be used as an instrument to reveal various spiritual and psychological issues Burundian women refugees face in Rwanda. Six Burundian refugee women were surveyed throughout the seven weeks of the research. Various modalities of prayer were used to assess different concerns that they might have had. Participants met in both one-on-ones and group sessions. Data gathered suggested that prayer was a crucial tool that allowed the participants to reveal their traumatic events and created a strong bond among participants. The collected data indicates that the practice of prayer became …

Imaging Spiritual Growth For The Iphone Generation: Taking College-Aged Young Adults On A Pilgrim's Journey In Dallas, Nc, Jonathan Pugh

Doctor of Ministry Projects

Today’s generation of college-aged young adults have proven to be the least-connected to the church in American history. Their immersion in technology absent of the traditional church setting has necessitated the strong need for church leaders to actively engage this generation in communities of deep relational discipleship. This project created a small-group setting geared particularly toward young adults to introduce them to the themes of spiritual journey found in John Bunyan’s classic work, The Pilgrim’s Progress. The small group proved to be a successful method that most churches can replicate to reach young people who might otherwise find themselves outside …

Storytelling As A Pastoral Care Intervention That Ministers Healing To Adult Parishioners Of St. Paul African Methodist Episcopal Church In Canton, Georgia Who Have Experienced Violence, Lemora Dobbs

Doctor of Ministry Projects

The goal of this project was to test whether storytelling could be used to facilitate healing in adult parishioners who had experienced violence. The project engaged congregants of St. Paul African Methodist Episcopal Church in Canton, Georgia in a series of five workshops that taught, modeled, and used storytelling as a pastoral care intervention. The personal stories of five research participants were recorded in individual sessions. Common themes within the individual stories shared were identified and discussed with the research group. The group brainstormed ideas about how the church could use storytelling to minister healing to violence victims. The outcome …

A Reintroduction Of Sabbath As A Biblical Practice For The Spiritual Formation Of Inman First Baptist Church Inman, South Carolina, Jeremiah Vance Childers

Doctor of Ministry Projects

Inman First Baptist Church received Sabbath as a biblical practice through a three-stage project. The project is adapted from James Brian Smith’s components for spiritual transformation. A control group received the first stage through narrative teaching in a Sabbath Study. An experimental group received the first stage, along with second (Sabbath practices) and third stages (Sabbath discussion). The thesis stated, “Members who received all three stages of the experiment would have a higher appreciation of Sabbath for Spiritual Formation.” The study measured appreciation of Sabbath through a Sabbath Survey. The evaluation of the quantitative and qualitative data indicated that the …

Helping Clinical Pastoral Education Students Develop An Integrated Theology Of Judgment In A Hospital-Based, Cpe Program At Mary Washington Hospital, Fredericksburg, Virginia, Kevin S. Crowder

Doctor of Ministry Projects

Many Clinical Pastoral Education students are averse to judgment. Some do not want to be critiqued or critically engaged. Others believe that pastoral ministry should not include judgment, critique, or conflict whatsoever. This project was conceived to help both groups appreciate that judgment is integral to pastoral care. Between pre- and post-curriculum surveys where changes in students’ attitudes and understanding about judgment were assessed, students participated in judgment-related curriculum including readings, didactic seminars, verbatim presentations of clinical cases, and written assignments. There was some movement in student attitudes and understanding, but not necessarily as anticipated.

Cooperation, Not Competition: Utilizing A Shared Small-Group Discipleship Experience To Create Interchurch Partnerships Between First Baptist Church And First United Methodist Church In Elizabeth City, North Carolina, Thomas Paul Batson

Doctor of Ministry Projects

The future of ministry will involve many churches forming interchurch partnerships to share resources to maximize ministry effectiveness and stewardship of assets. A small group between members of First Baptist Church and First United Methodist Church in Elizabeth City, NC, was formed to explore biblical themes of partnership and discuss logistical issues and how they might be obstacles to partnerships. Surveys measured participants’ perceptions of their doctrinal knowledge, attitude toward partnership, and perceived difficulty in dealing with the logistics of partnership. Discussion, reflection, and interviews contributed to the interpretation of survey data. Results indicated that a shared small group experience …

Making Room: Conversations About Race And Faith Between Members Of Friendship Missionary Baptist Church In Charlotte, Nc And St. John's Baptist Church In Charlotte, Nc, Martha Dixon Kearse

Doctor of Ministry Projects

In this project, the candidate recorded personal stories from members of two different Baptist congregations: Friendship Missionary Baptist Church (a church made up predominantly of members identifying as African-American) and St. John’s Baptist Church (a church made up predominantly of members identifying as Caucasian). Using those recordings, the candidate created a podcast called “Making Room,” and invited participating group members to listen to each other’s stories. In addition, the candidate invited these same group members to participate in conversations about issues of race, especially as they present themselves in Charlotte, NC. The candidate and group members challenged themselves with the …

Educating Calvary Baptist Church, Asheville, Nc, On The Value Of Following The Christian Year As A Means For Spiritual Renewal Through Worship, Jeffrey C. Hayes

Doctor of Ministry Projects

This project introduced the spiritual value of following the Christian year in worship. Through a series of sermons and study lessons that focused on eight major seasons (Advent, Christmas, Epiphany, Lent, Holy Week, Easter, Pentecost, and Ordinary Time), participants were exposed to the history and spiritual purpose of each, respectively. Two surveys were administered, along with weekly evaluations, and interviews, to measure the project’s effectiveness. The desired outcome was a greater degree of knowledge and interest in worshipping through the Christian year. According to the final analysis, increased understanding, spiritual growth, and desire to worship through the Christian year did …