Arts and Humanities Commons^™

Recovering A Missional Ecclesiology: A Framework For Reviving Congregational Mission Within The Baptist Union Of Victoria, Gayle Hill

Doctor of Ministry Theses

ABSTRACT This project is an intervention to develop a theological and theoretical framework

that will become the foundation for a future curriculum for recovering a missional ecclesiology for the pastors of the Baptist Union of Victoria (BUV). Despite mission being central to the overall vision of the BUV, declining numbers, the post-COVID context in Victoria, and an overarching post-Christian and pluralistic context have significantly challenged the centrality and functioning of mission across our denomination. The impetus of this project was the observation that our churches were floundering rather than flourishing in the missional space. Many chronic and acute provocations were …

Missional Renewal In A Large And Established Suburban Western Church, Michael Stevens

Doctor of Ministry Theses

This thesis addresses the topic of missional renewal at Clovercrest Baptist Church (CBC), specifically focusing on participating in the mission of God through simple, memorable, and reproducible missional practices. The identified problem is a lack of process or framework for enhancing participation in God’s mission and churchwide missional renewal at CBC, a large suburban Western church. The purpose of this project intervention is to develop a resource guide of missional practices that facilitate participation in the mission of God at CBC towards missional renewal. This intervention is guided by the theological foundation that God is a God of mission. He …

A Friend Who Does Me No Good: Aphorism In Matteo Ricci’S On Friendship, Maximilian Chan Weiher

Asian Languages and Cultures Honors Projects

This paper argues that Italian Jesuit Matteo Ricci (1552-1610) designed his aphoristic compilation, Jiaoyou Lun 交友論–On Friendship (1595)–to serve the Jesuit mission of converting the Chinese to Catholicism and express the conflict he may have felt exploiting friends to forward the Jesuit mission. Utilizing friendships to allow for greater social influence was central to the Jesuit proselytization strategy in China. However, Ricci’s moral education from youth taught him to judge utilitarian friendships as immoral. The extant scholarship regarding Ricci’s On Friendship fails to acknowledge the significance of the aphoristic form to this work. To illuminate the value of aphorism …

Signs Of Spring, Sarah Moss

The Voice

No abstract provided.

Soldiers Of Christ In A Pluralistic Army, Jordan Lee Pittman

Masters Theses

This thesis seeks to answer the question: How does a Christian chaplain in the U.S. Army fulfill the Great Commission given by Jesus in Scripture while facilitating the free exercise of religion for everyone in his organization? Jesus commands his followers to make disciples (Matthew 28:19-20). The primary audience of this thesis consists of military chaplains and candidates. The conclusion reached is that the chaplain can accomplish both tasks stated in the question. To facilitate a soldier’s free exercise of religion does not automatically betray the teachings and guidance of Scripture nor does it prevent the chaplain from making disciples. …

Kingdom Economy Found In A Cup And On A Mat, Nicole J. Richardson

Doctor of Leadership

My NPO is: Churches struggle being relevant forces but could become restorative and thriving communities by rethinking traditional approaches to ecclesiology through reframing Biblical koinonia, mission, and worship. Curating a well-balanced “third space” that offers opportunities for people to engage in their spiritual pilgrimage will fill a void in our context. Additionally, it will offer the universal church another way to nurture community, define worship, and practice relational mission daily through radical hospitality. I serve a Presbyterian Church in North Carolina. The focus is to serve an 8-mile radius in the Piedmont Triad area focusing on the Nones and Dones …

Re-Innergized The Ministry Of The Holy Spirit, Stacey Spence-Baldwin

Doctor of Ministry

In this Project Portfolio, I will address the following NPO: The church is in decline or dying because it lacks connection with the Holy Spirit. Through the church relying on human reason instead of the will of the Holy Spirit, the church has lost its light. The key finding in my research is that when a church embraces the guidance of the Holy Spirit, it will live again. This finding came from my personal experiences of the Holy Spirit resurrecting three small rural churches which were in decline/death back to life. When congregations allowed the Holy Spirit to prompt their …

Healing Through Homecoming Rediscovering The Hospitality Of Jesus As The Mission Tone Of The Church, W. Matthew Rice

Doctor of Ministry

This Project Portfolio addresses the following NPO: In an increasingly hostile culture, there is an opportunity to incarnate the hospitality of Jesus to a world in need of God’s embrace; in doing so, the Church will rediscover and release the mission tone of Jesus, a kindness that heals as it welcomes people home and leads to Spirit-empowered turns. The key insight of my research is that the coming of Jesus is the ultimate expression of ancient hospitality, and when God’s kindness permeates the mission tone of a church, it creates an environment where the gospel is heard, the Spirit’s power …

First Christian Voices: Practices Of The Apostolic Fathers, Michael T. Cooper

Sacred Roots Spiritual Classics

What were the most important practices in the early church? In this volume, Michael Cooper arranges the writings of the Apostolic Fathers into eight themes that provide deeper understanding about the subjects important to the disciples of the New Testament apostles.

First Christian Voices examines the written testimonies of the late first and second centuries to discover what animated the church in the face of internal and external struggles and growth as the gospel extended to the boundaries of the Roman Empire.

Abundance And Flourishing In Rural Appalachia : Theological Thinking And The Local Church, Julie D. Keel

ATS Dissertations

No abstract provided.

Contrasting Beliefs With Reality : The Epistemology Of Branding And Brand Image In The Small Church, James Pernell Sr.

ATS Dissertations

No abstract provided.

Foundational Missionaries Of South American Adventism [Review] Plenc, Daniel O., Silvia C. Scholtus, Eugenio Di Dionisio And Sergio Becerra, Eric E. Richter

Andrews University Seminary Studies (AUSS)

This is a book review by Eric E. Richter.

The Five-Fold Paradigm : Effects Of The Five-Fold Experimential Course Equip, Nathaniel Dean Mcwherter

ATS Dissertations

No abstract provided.

"For All Peoples: A Biblical Theology Of Missions In The Gospels And Acts" [Review]/Keener, Craig S.", Boubakar Sanou

Andrews University Seminary Studies (AUSS)

This is a book review by Boubakar Sanou.

Characteristics Of Growing Churches In Estonia: A Qualitative Study, Ago Lilleorg, Kaido Soom, TõNu Lehtsaar

Occasional Papers on Religion in Eastern Europe

This is an overview of the characteristics of growing churches in Estonia. The study is grounded in semi-structured interviews conducted in 2019-2020 in nine Protestant congregations that have grown in 2003-2017. There were three to four interviewees from each congregation, a total of 14 being women and 18 men. The transcripts of the interviews were analyzed by combining both the open and the invivo coding model. No prescribed categories were used in the analysis. The results were formulated as characteristics of growing churches: spiritual life; inner climate; human focus; the minister of the church; relationships outside the church; and a …

The Expected Value Of Sports In The Christian School, Timothy Van Soelen

Faculty Work Comprehensive List

No abstract provided.

Conflict Between The Clergy And The Laity In The Quaker Church In Kenya, John Muhanji

Doctor of Ministry

The Quaker church missionaries came to Kenya as part of the West's Christian movement to the dark continent. Historians have usually referred to the Society of Friends' spiritual life as quietism, which did not resonate well with African spirituality which was disregarded by the missionaries as evil. Africans unquestioningly believe in the supreme creator of the universe and humanity. There is no ethnic group in Africa that does not have a specific name for a supreme God.1 Therefore, the Quaker belief that "there is that of God in everyone" was not considered by the Western missionaries that Africans believed in …

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 …

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; …

Book Review: Neighborhood Church: Transforming Your Congregation Into A Powerhouse For Mission, Brandon Pierce

Discernment: Theology and the Practice of Ministry

Neighborhood Church: Transforming Your Congregation into a Powerhouse for Mission, by Krin van Tatenhove and Rob Mueller. Louisville, KY: Westminster John Knox, 2019. 146 pages, $20.00.

The Holy Spirit And The Nineteenth-Century Mission To Hawaii, Paul Miller

Spiritus: ORU Journal of Theology

This article explores the missionary successes and failures of nineteenth- century Hawaii. It then explores the Holy Spirit connection to these successes and the lack of such a connection regarding the failures. It suggests missionary failures in the area of supernaturalism and Holy Spirit listening, failures to which the missionaries were particularly prone given their almost mono-focus on “civilization” and “education.” It then suggests native Hawaiian failures in, first, addressing their depopulation problem and, second, in attaining their aspirations of economic progress. Finally, facing these failures, it probes certain Holy Spirit perspectives as their potential solution.

Black, Gold, And White, Sarah Moss

The Voice

No abstract provided.

Mission In The Diaspora: The Role Of Migrants (Refugees) As Principal Bearers Of The Christian Faith, Emmanuel Anim

Spiritus: ORU Journal of Theology

Th is paper explores migration and displacement as both a crisis and opportunity. It maintains that throughout biblical history—and even in the history of modern mission—migrants and refugees have often become the principal bearers of the Christian faith. In our own generation, Africans who have migrated to other parts of the world for various reasons have traveled with their faith. Many African churches such as Kingsway International Christian Centre, Th e Church of Pentecost, Winners Chapel International, International Central Gospel Church, and Victory Bible Church International have all established branches of their churches in the diaspora through the efforts of …

Finding Aid For Claude Adrian Guild Papers, (1939-1992), Abilene Christian University Special Collections And Archives

Claude Adrian Guild Papers

Finding aid for the Claude Adrian Guild Papers, (1939-1992).

Papers Of Delbert R. Rose, Ats Special Collections And Archives

Finding Aids

No abstract provided.

The Journey’S End : The Story Of The Last Days And Burial Of The Rev. J. Hudson Taylor, Howard Taylor, Katharine P. Shapleigh, H. G. Barrie

Heritage Material

No abstract provided.

Dordt Reveals The University Logo, Sarah Moss

The Voice

No abstract provided.

Learning Religion In The Presence Of The Other: Mission And Dialogue In World Catholicism, Matthias Scharer

Journal of Global Catholicism

Based on selected texts of the Second Vatican Council and related to the process of the Council and Church experiences thereafter, this article offers a brief insight into the theological method known as communicative theology (CT). One of the factors most challenging to mission and dialogue in world Catholicism is the perpetual presence of the “other” as a stranger. This learning religion in the presence of the “other” is not the exception; this article argues that it is, in fact, very typical of mission and dialogue in Africa as well as in Europe

Missional Leadership : A Case Study Of The Representative Congregations Of Methodist, Presbyterian, And Other Churches In Tahan-Kalaymyo, Sagaing Region, Lal Thla Muana

ATS Dissertations

No abstract provided.

A Fresh Inquiry Into The Fate Of The Un-Evangelized: A Traditional Dispensational Perspective, Mark Carlton

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

A Fresh Inquiry into the Fate of the Un-evangelized: A Traditional Dispensational Approach This inquiry revisits the question of the fate of those have died never having heard the gospel. It explores the question from the Traditional Dispensational perspective. It argues that salvific grace has always been available to the un-evangelized through the Eternal Gospel which is and always has been universally communicated through natural revelation. The inquiry begins with a lengthy examination and critique of the answers which have been proposed for the question under consideration – and related topics -- from the apostolic age until modern times. Included …