Digital Commons Network^™

E Pluribum Una Ecclesia: Addressing Ideologically Driven Disunity Through A Multifaceted Approach, John M. Craft Iv

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

Pastors and church leaders within the Rocky Mountain Church Network, an association of 48 churches, face difficulty caused by ideologically driven disunity (IDD). Current polling shows IDD's negative effect on pastors, church leaders, and congregations. Due to the foundational nature of ideologies, attempts to alleviate IDD have typically worsened the situation. This action research project seeks to identify the presence and impact of IDD as well as provide a strategy and tools to address IDD in a congregation. Using surveys, focus groups, and personal interviews, the researcher acquired quantitative and qualitative data from 22 project participants that affirmed the data …

Canadian Lutheran History Sources And Resources Presentation: Remembering For The Sake Of The Gospel, Karen Kuhnert

Consensus

This Article is from a three-part presentation delivered in Webinar 2 (November 15, 2022) of the Webinar Series “For the Sake of the Gospel” hosted by the Remembering Today for the Church of Tomorrow Project in partnership with Martin Luther University College and Lutheran Theological Seminary. The presentation featured images, some of which are presented herein.

Remembering Canadian Lutheran World Relief—Relationships: Mid-Century Concord And Discord, A Propositional History, Karen Kuhnert

Consensus

This paper extends from a presentation prepared for Webinar II (November 15, 2022) of the Webinar Series “For the Sake of the Gospel” hosted by the Remembering Today for the Church of Tomorrow Project in partnership with Martin Luther University College and Lutheran Theological Seminary. The original presentation featured images, some of which are presented herein.

(Special Section Introduction) Hymns Beyond The Congregation: Constructions Of Identity And Legacies Of Meaning, Erin G. Johnson-Williams, Philip Burnett

Yale Journal of Music & Religion

We offer here the first of two special sections on the theme of "Hymns Beyond the Congregation." Divided into the two sub-themes of “Hymns Beyond the Congregation: Constructions of Identity,” and “Hymns Beyond the Congregation: Legacies of Meaning,” our authors (based in institutions both in the USA and the UK) comprise both early career and senior scholars and come from a range of disciplinary backgrounds in American history, South African colonial history, political history, the history of mission education, and historical musicology. Together, these two special issues will pave the way for facilitating new dialogues between historians, musicologists and congregational …

Positive Factors Related To The Decision To Study For The Office Of The Ministry By Men Of The Lutheran Synod Of Nicaragua (Iglesia Luterana Sínodo De Nicaragua/Lutheran Church—Canada), Edmund Auger

Doctor of Ministry Major Applied Project

Auger, Edmund D. “Positive Factors Related to the Decision to Study for the Office of the Ministry by Men of The Lutheran Synod of Nicaragua (Iglesia Luterana Sínodo de Nicaragua / Lutheran Church—Canada).” Doctor of Ministry. Major Applied Project, Concordia Seminary, 2023. 128 pages.

The Lutheran Church throughout the world needs a continuing supply of men to serve as faithful pastors in the public ministry of the Gospel. The identification and spiritual formation of candidates for Word and Sacrament ministry is critical for the young national church body, Iglesia Luterana Sínodo de Nicaragua (Lutheran Synod of Nicaragua).

This project is …

The Emergence Of Radical Christianity: The Mystical Dunkers, Its Antecedence, Hermetical Founding, Germanic Diaspora, And Its Apogee On The Frontier Of Colonial America, Daniel Jason Geyer

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The Dunker Sect, a radical Christian fellowship founded by Alexander Mack and Ernst Christoph Hochmann von Hochenau, grew from the endless conflict and radicalization of Christianity that emerged in the late seventeenth and early eighteenth century in what is now Germany and Switzerland. These men were guided by Christian leaders such as Jakob Spener, August Hermann Franke, and other radicals in Eastern Germany. Both Hochmann and Mack were separatists, in that they wanted nothing to do with what they considered the corrupted Church of the Catholic, Lutheran, and Reformed denominations. The term “separatist” however, only describes their removal from the …

From Sustainable Finances To Faithful Investing: A Moral Proposal According To The Catholic Social Thought, José L. Fernández-Fernández, Rocío Acedo-Rico Pablo-Romero

Journal of Management for Global Sustainability

Finance is an element of economic life that can contribute to shaping a more humane, equitable and sustainable world; and finance oriented by reference to ESG criteria represents an encouraging step forward at the service of the Common Good. In this article we contrast finance from ESG criteria with Faithful Investing, more specifically, with the tradition of Catholic Social Thought (CST) and its criteria for ethical, responsible, and sustainable investing decisions. Therefore, we try to go beyond, opening a path towards a more explicit way of acting in financial markets from a moral option rooted in religion: Faithful Investing. The …

Shepherding Church Staff: Stakeholders' Perceptions Of A Useful Leadership Development Plan, Bobby Allen Thompson

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

As leadership demands grow, churches need a way to develop more effective leaders. Many pastors have received limited training in how to develop leaders and may not be aware of stakeholders’ expectations for leadership development. This thesis project reveals the importance of intentional leadership development of those who have answered the calling to work in the local church. The researcher believes the current shortage of lay leaders as well as consistent burnout rates among staff and volunteers can be altered with the correct plan and people in place. The researcher conducted open ended semi-structured interviews for those currently working in …

Reading The Signs Of The Time: Three Voices In The Confessional Lutheran Church As They Relate To Segregation, Racism, And Apartheid In South Africa From 1900–1978, Christoph Dietrich Weber

Doctor of Philosophy Dissertation

Weber, Christoph, Reading the signs of the time: “Three voices in the confessional Lutheran Church to segregation, racism, and apartheid in South Africa from 1900–1978.” Ph.D. diss., Concordia Seminary, 2022. 425 pp.

According to August Vilmar, reading the signs of the times was an essential task of all pastors and theologians. It was a part of their prophetic task to interpret the world and its context with the word of God and to proclaim the voice of the church in law and gospel. The three theologians analyzed in this dissertation: Karl Meister, Hermann Sasse, and Friederich W. Hopf respected Vilmar …

Book Review: You Found Me By Rick Richardson, David C. Thiessen

Great Commission Research Journal

No abstract provided.

Worship, Discipleship, And Evangelism: How The Purpose Of The Church Affects Congregational Singing, Justin Aaron Mckinney

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

For several hundred years, in response to Charles Finney’s innovations, American churches emphasized evangelism over worship within corporate worship services. This approach redirected the vertical focus of corporate worship from God to the horizontal focus of non-believers as the primary audience. The Bible supports a horizontal audience for corporate worship for edifying fellow believers, but non-believers as the primary audience of corporate worship is contrary t¬o both the Bible and most of church history. The purpose of this project is to establish the necessity of worship preceding evangelism by examining their relationship through biblical exegesis, scholarly literature, and church history …

Understanding Motivations To Attend Various Sized Churches: A Study Using Family Communication Patterns, Expectancy Violations, And Anxiety To Predict Church Attendance, Molly Bradshaw

Masters Theses, 2020-current

Two separate studies were conducted to examine whether communication variables impact religious views and church attendance. For the first study, 228 students from a large Southeastern university completed a web survey. The second study was a web survey of 204 adults that was conducted via Amazon Mechanical Turk (MTURK). Both surveys were sent out to determine one’s motivations to attend a small, medium, or large church using family communication, anxiety, expectations, and religion variables as predictors. Family communication, anxiety, and expectancy variables were positively correlated to many aspects of religious views. Hierarchical regression models utilizing demographics, family communication, anxiety, expectancy …

Proven Biblical Discipleship: Make It According To The Pattern, Anthony Ray Mckee

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The first-century church’s spiritual growth methodology functioned to achieve the goal of Christlikeness through discipleship. God crafted a design for his church to advance followers of Jesus toward Christian maturity. God’s instruction for Israel to “see that you make it according to the pattern” came from God’s perfect mind and is practical guidance for today’s spiritual growth practices. According to the countless number of discipleship methods available, some churches communicate that Christian maturation can be achieved through any discipleship perspective. This project aims to study local churches that offer a discipleship program, process, or pedagogy and compare them with twelve …

The Way We See Matters: Developing A New Theological Vision For Effective Cross-Generational Evangelism, Michelle Naomi Jeremie

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

Today, North American churches have great opportunities and face unique challenges in fulfilling their mandate to make disciples. This DMIN thesis discusses the issue of how to more effectively evangelize the Millennial generation and Generation Z in a postmodern context. The purpose of this thesis is to address the need for church leaders to utilize a specialized evangelism training program to equip Christians to evangelize to non-believers across generational lines. The focus of this project is to implement the Cross-generational Evangelism Training (C-GET) Program at a ministry that has a low representation of Millennials and Generation Z. This Program will …

Halfway To Everywhere: What Churches Can Learn About Community Vibrancy From Its Professional & Entrepreneurial Women, Catherine L. Holland

Consensus

No abstract provided.

The Sobramesa Dinner Group: Discipline Boomers In Active Adult Living Communities, James Divine

Doctor of Ministry

Over the next 25 years, the American Church will be in a unique position to impact the eternity of almost 77 million people. As the Baby Boomer population moves into the third age of life, the church has the opportunity to reintroduce this population to the gospel of Jesus Christ. Within this large mission field is the added dimension of a large migration of retired and semi-retired people into Active Adult Living Communities (AALCs). While AALCs represent the largest-growing urban segment of the USA, the church is doing little to evangelize these communities. What the church does for these adults …

In Storm And Weather (English Translation), Philippa Johanna Bohner

Essays

This transcription was prepared for the Sophie website by Dr. Cindy Brewer’s German 201 class during Winter Semester 2006 at Brigham Young University. Student contributors were: Leah Aston (Group Leader), Meghan Bunn, Samantha Chiesa, Thomas Currit, Sean Henretta, Catherine Hess, Cassandra Heyn, Amy Honka, Brianne Jack, and Jessie Leatham.

History Of Lutheranism In Liberia: The Current State Of Lutheran Churches In Liberia As A Result Of Their History And Development, Edward Momoh Kollie

Master of Art Theology Thesis

Kollie, Edward M. “History of Lutheranism in Liberia.” Master of Arts Thesis, Concordia Seminary, 2020. 68pp.

This thesis presents a study of the society within which the church exists, how it was initiated by missionaries, including a historical analysis of the impact the mission status had on the Lutheran churches in Liberia. This thesis, in line with other scholars, points out ways mission churches established in Liberia were wholly dependent on their mission partners for support, propagation, and governing. The conclusions drawn lead to suggestions for ways the church may be able to graduate from the dependent status to viewing …

Mission As A Dialogue Between Communities And Religions: Experiences In Mombasa And Netherlands, Marielle Beusmans

Spiritan Horizons

No abstract provided.

Data On Fossil Fuel Divestment Commitments Through March 2018, Tyler Hansen, Robert Pollin

Data and Datasets

This dataset includes information on fossil fuel divestment commitments that took place as part of the fossil fuel divestment movement through Mar. 23, 2018. The dataset includes the following variables: name of organization, type of organization, home country of organization, type of divestment commitment, date of divestment commitment, and total assets under management of the organization committing to divest. Divestment commitment data was shared with the authors by 350.org. The authors verified and made corrections to two subsets of the data: organizations with assets under management of at least $1 billion which committed to fully divesting from all fossil fuels, …

Preaching The Witness Of Last Words: How Biblical Farewell Speeches Shape Contemporary Listeners' Theological Legacy, Derek J. Engfelt

Doctor of Ministry Theses

This project explores several last words speeches in Scripture, in an attempt to mine core theological convictions. It considers the subject of theological legacy. It seeks to ascertain whether or not the preaching of last words of witness will be effective in influencing listeners’ consideration of their own cherished spiritual values. By means of a series of six sermons the author endeavored to encourage listeners to incorporate into their own lives of faith the treasured spiritual values that have been passed down to them as a theological legacy and to give greater thought as to what core theological convictions they …

General Chapter 2020: Instrumentum Laboris (French), The Spiritan Congregation

General Chapters

No abstract provided.

Exodus/Bay Shore: How An Idea Became A Reality, Freda Elliott Baker

West Islip (New York) Church of Christ Audio Collection

Freda Eliott Baker recounts the story of the ExodusBayshore church plant.

Front Cover

Mémoire Spiritaine

No abstract provided.

Integrating African Christian Refugees Into The American Churches As A Strategy For Mission, Grace Kathure Gichuru

ATS Dissertations

No abstract provided.

Pastors And Politics: Considerations For Missional Church Leaders Addressing Political Matters, Matthew Stinson

Seaver College Research And Scholarly Achievement Symposium

We live in a politically divided time. Long-standing questions about the political role of the church have taken on a renewed interest for American Christians who see this political divide widening and have trouble reconciling their beliefs with the platforms of either major party. How ought Church leaders, seeking to lead missional congregations, speak to our current political context?

This paper lays out a framework for political engagement by missional Church leaders. It first offers a definition of a missional church and a missional church leader. Second, it surveys some of the various approaches to Church and State relations in …

The Ecumenical Remnant: Using A Narrative Approach To Revelation To Form Missional Imagination In An Adventist Context, Michael Larson

Doctor of Ministry

This dissertation addresses the renewal of missional imagination in an Adventist church context. This study will make the case that even among members who loyally participate in their local church, many Adventists in North America are conflicted about their witness, leading to ineffective evangelism and disengagement with the mission of the church. Much of this is related to a theological disconnect with exclusive positions the church has embraced regarding its identity as the remnant church. This identity is largely derived from the church’s founding document, the Book of Revelation. How then can local Adventist churches in North America reignite members …

Practicing Community: Naming, Claiming, And Practicing The Holy Spirit's Sending Of A Congregation In The Midst Of Change Into The Open Future, Meghan K. Gage-Finn

Doctor of Ministry Theses

This project utilized social science research, through a transformative, mixed- methods strategy, to investigate a thriving, downtown Presbyterian Church (USA)

congregation’s missional awareness and response to change, disruption, and chaos in their midst during a major building expansion and movement into new spaces. This study explored in what ways members of the congregation relied on or adjusted their patterns of engaging in spiritual practices as a result of a change in their surroundings. This research shows how a greater missional understanding developed for members of the congregation because of a movement through a season of modification to both their building …

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.

Being Missional, Becoming Missional : A Biblical-Theological Study Of The Missional Conversion Of The Church, Banseok Cho

ATS Dissertations

No abstract provided.