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Christianity

Bethel University

2018

Articles 1 - 8 of 8

Full-Text Articles in Arts and Humanities

The Contributions Of Spiritual Formation Questions To Redeeming The Shadow Side Of Pastoral Identity, Natalie Hendrickson Jan 2018

The Contributions Of Spiritual Formation Questions To Redeeming The Shadow Side Of Pastoral Identity, Natalie Hendrickson

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There is a well-documented problem of shadow side issues, hidden sin or dysfunction, derailing many pastoral leaders and devastating families, congregations, and whole communities. In response to this problem, this Doctor of Ministry thesis project sought to explore the contributions of spiritual formation questions to redeeming the shadow side of pastoral identity. This researcher explored biblical questions and focused on the questions of Jesus in the Gospels to identify an efficacious spiritual formation approach to using questions in redemptive work. In addition, this researcher conducted more than a year of fieldwork with pastoral participants utilizing mixed-method data analysis. Quantitative data …

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Fivefold Ministry: An Expressional Church Model For Releasing 21st-Century Disciples Into Their Missional Potential And Design, Nick Francis Stephens Jan 2018

Fivefold Ministry: An Expressional Church Model For Releasing 21st-Century Disciples Into Their Missional Potential And Design, Nick Francis Stephens

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Making disciples is the mission of the church. However, the task of equipping and releasing disciples has become progressively complex with the increased access to information and influence shaped by popular leadership content. This has resulted in the emergence of numerous discipleship methodologies that have targeted specific church growth models while lacking transference. While the 21st-century church is undergoing drastic change, a new discipleship perspective is needed for releasing 21st-century disciples into their missional potential and design. The problem this research addressed is the need for identifying barriers keeping the church from fully expressing the fivefold functions listed in Ephesians …

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Palatable And Profitable: Making The Sermon More Useful As A Catalyst For Millennials' Spiritual Growth, Frank E. Weller Jan 2018

Palatable And Profitable: Making The Sermon More Useful As A Catalyst For Millennials' Spiritual Growth, Frank E. Weller

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The problem this project addressed is the limitation of the sermon as a catalyst for spiritual growth in Millennials due to the static nature of the sermon as a means for communicating the gospel and the significant differences in the Millennial cohort compared to previous generations. In response to this problem the researcher studied the principles of contextualization exhibited in the sermons of Peter and Paul recorded in Acts. He reviewed literature related to the unique characteristics of Millennials, including how they learn and interact with faith, and the missiological concept of contextualizing the gospel to cultures where it is …

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Disciple-Making: Key Ingredients For Building God’S Kingdom, Sid Emory Jan 2018

Disciple-Making: Key Ingredients For Building God’S Kingdom, Sid Emory

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The first century Church was founded in response to the disciple-making processes of Jesus. His disciples were transformed by following Jesus in a way that obedience, transformation, community, education, worship, and the expansion of God’s kingdom became the central themes of their lives. This study addressed the need to understand the disciple-making process found in Scripture in a way that will yield the results that are found in the Book of Acts primarily those found in Acts 2:42-47. Christian churches of every denomination, tradition, model, and size have been called to make disciples. The Scripture, literature, interviews, and surveys researched …

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Addressing The Need For Greater Social Competence Of Lutheran Brethren Seminary Students Entering Pastoral Ministry, Nathan G. Oldenkamp Jan 2018

Addressing The Need For Greater Social Competence Of Lutheran Brethren Seminary Students Entering Pastoral Ministry, Nathan G. Oldenkamp

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This study employed an interview process with pastors and leaders in a small Lutheran denomination to investigate the relationship between social competence and pastoral development. The study data was then evaluated alongside other research regarding what should be taught and how it should be taught to pastoral students. Results indicated that spiritual, intrapersonal, and interpersonal dimensions were related to pastoral competence. Spiritual competence was related to a pastor who lives in the Word of God and is a servant of the Word of God. Intrapersonal competence was associated with pastors who reflect on themselves and develop themselves. Interpersonal competence was …

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The Need To Equip Lutheran Congregations In Mission For Christ Church Planters For Spiritual Warfare, David John Heinrich Jan 2018

The Need To Equip Lutheran Congregations In Mission For Christ Church Planters For Spiritual Warfare, David John Heinrich

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The goal of this research project was to address the need for spiritual warfare training and equipping for church planters to be more efficient in mission within the Lutheran Congregations in Mission for Christ (LCMC) movement. The researcher designed a sequential mixed method approach to this research with LCMC church planters. The research findings demonstrated that church planters were well educated but 96 percent did not receive any formal spiritual warfare training and equipping in seminary or Bible school; the spiritual warfare training environment preferred was hands-on activation workshops.

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In Humility: Developing Intercultural Competence Among Leaders Of A Reconciliation Organization In Israel-Palestine, Debra J. Bayes Jan 2018

In Humility: Developing Intercultural Competence Among Leaders Of A Reconciliation Organization In Israel-Palestine, Debra J. Bayes

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The purpose of this research was to explore the need for intercultural competence development among leaders of a Christian reconciliation organization (Musalaha) in Israel-Palestine. Success in reconciliation work depends on many factors of which intercultural competence is one. Living in a region of great diversity or even frequent interaction with cultural others is no guarantee of a high level of intercultural competence. The researcher sought to gather information on current levels of intercultural competence among Musalaha leaders as well as material on the best means for continued development. A biblical reflection included an examination of Philippians 2:1-11 as a source …

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Unity In Diversity: An Intentional Plan To Move From Inclusion To Belonging To Becoming, Brian R. Mowrey Jan 2018

Unity In Diversity: An Intentional Plan To Move From Inclusion To Belonging To Becoming, Brian R. Mowrey

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The goal of this thesis project was to develop an intentional plan to embrace and celebrate unity in diversity at Walnut Hill Community Church. The church enjoyed diversity in race, ethnicity, age and ability but had no plan to embrace and celebrate the diversity present within the congregation. The purpose of this project was to present recommendations to the leadership of Walnut Hill that would guide the church into a new season of unity in diversity, attract more diversity into the church and more effectively impact an increasingly divided world by uniquely living out the vision of Jesus Christ to …

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