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Articles 1 - 30 of 91
Full-Text Articles in Arts and Humanities
Developing A Pathway For Ministry Leaders At Southside Church Of The Nazarene, Reginald David Phillips
Developing A Pathway For Ministry Leaders At Southside Church Of The Nazarene, Reginald David Phillips
Doctoral Dissertations and Projects
This action research project created a leadership development pathway to produce more ministry leaders at Southside Church of the Nazarene. A five-step leadership development pathway culminating in discipleship integration was designed and implemented. This pathway produced a statistically significant increase in the number of new leaders in one quarter of a calendar year compared to the quarterly average of new leaders in the previous three years. Data was collected through surveys, interviews, and roundtable discussions, and reviewed by multiple researchers to help remove bias.
A Study Of Followership In An Organizational-Wide Change Of The Ministry Of Child Evangelism Fellowship, Michelle M. Russell
A Study Of Followership In An Organizational-Wide Change Of The Ministry Of Child Evangelism Fellowship, Michelle M. Russell
Doctoral Dissertations and Projects
The influence of Child Evangelism Fellowship saw a significant increase across the United States of America after an organizational change following a 2001 Supreme Court case ruling. The purpose of this phenomenological study was to describe the role of followership on the change and followership principles that emerged during the change that was implemented following the ruling Good News Club v. Milford Central School on the Good News Club ministry of Child Evangelism Fellowship. Organizational change was defined as intentional actions promoted by leadership and intentional actions taken by followers who took advantage of the rights guaranteed by the ruling. …
Evangelism Development In A Multigenerational Rural Church, John E. Baldwin
Evangelism Development In A Multigenerational Rural Church, John E. Baldwin
Doctoral Dissertations and Projects
Berea Baptist Church in Rockville, VA lacks a multigenerational means of evangelism.
Perceptions Of Paid Pastoral Staff Of Volunteer Engagement In The Assemblies Of God, Glorielba Orta Meléndez
Perceptions Of Paid Pastoral Staff Of Volunteer Engagement In The Assemblies Of God, Glorielba Orta Meléndez
Doctoral Dissertations and Projects
Volunteers play a critical role in churches, and successful collaboration between paid pastoral staff and volunteers is essential for achieving the church’s mission. However, conflicts can arise when defining the roles and responsibilities of volunteers and paid pastoral staff. This qualitative phenomenological study explored the perceptions of paid pastoral staff regarding volunteer engagement in the Assembly of God’s (AG’s) church mission. The research drew from Harold Kelley and John Thibaut’s interdependence theory, which shed light on human interactions and their influences. Utilizing semi-structured interviews with 10 AG pastors in paid staff positions, the findings described the volunteer manager role that …
A Phenomenological Study Of Female Master Of Divinity Graduates' Experiences And Role Incongruity At Texas Baptist Seminaries, Michele Lee Taylor
A Phenomenological Study Of Female Master Of Divinity Graduates' Experiences And Role Incongruity At Texas Baptist Seminaries, Michele Lee Taylor
Doctoral Dissertations and Projects
Women pursue Christian education, obeying God’s call to prepare for ministry leadership. This qualitative hermeneutical phenomenological research study aimed to examine the perspectives of women graduates from Master of Divinity (MDiv) programs at Baptist Seminaries in Texas and to discover if their treatment could be linked to traditionally held beliefs about gender. The lived experiences of the study participants were defined as their first-hand accounts and perceptions of interactions with their male classmates and professors. The theory that guided this study was the Role-Congruity Theory, defined by Eagly and Diekman (2005) as aligning a group’s characteristics with their typical social …
Ministry After A Leadership Failure: Principles For Transitional Worship Leader, Eric R. Medford
Ministry After A Leadership Failure: Principles For Transitional Worship Leader, Eric R. Medford
Doctoral Dissertations and Projects
Despite much information and attention given to senior leadership transitions after a moral failure in leadership, there is little information regarding supporting pastoral staff moral failures and how to lead a ministry department to a place of healing and restoration. This thesis examined the distinct challenges of transitional leaders assuming the role of guiding a worship ministry department through a previous leader's moral failure. This study analyzes commonalities and themes to demonstrate the unique challenges the worship ministry faces apart from the church. Literature and research on leadership transitions due to moral failures tend to focus on senior pastoral leadership. …
Church And Community: Bridging The Gap To Create A Culture Of Acceptance And Inclusiveness, Matthew L. Brown
Church And Community: Bridging The Gap To Create A Culture Of Acceptance And Inclusiveness, Matthew L. Brown
Doctoral Dissertations and Projects
This DMIN project helped St. Paul High Street Baptist Church develop a community engagement team that helped them reestablish its long-lasting relationship with the community surrounding the church. Certain issues within and outside of the church were discussed that had led to a lack of community engagement within recent years. A community engagement team was put together to help bridge the gap between the church and its surrounding community. To help with this, several community engagement team events were held, and surveys were given to both church and community members. Through the successful completion of this project, St. Paul High …
Mentorship For African American Female Officers Of Faith In The United States Air Force, Tanquer L. Dyer
Mentorship For African American Female Officers Of Faith In The United States Air Force, Tanquer L. Dyer
Doctoral Dissertations and Projects
Mentorship has emerged as a critical component for the cultivation and development of leaders. Mentoring is beneficial for the mentee and mentor both personally and professionally. The United States Air Force (USAF) encourages formal and informal mentoring for their leaders through initiatives and regulations. Other branches emphasize leadership development; whereas, the USAF emphasizes career development. While African American female officers of faith continue to hold leadership positions, it is unclear whether mentorship serves as a factor of success. The purpose of this phenomenological study was to explore and understand the lived experience of African American female officers in the USAF …
A Phenomenological Study Of Church Polity And Its Impact On Pastoral Leadership And Congregational Health, Travis L. Biller
A Phenomenological Study Of Church Polity And Its Impact On Pastoral Leadership And Congregational Health, Travis L. Biller
Doctoral Dissertations and Projects
It is reported that deacon-led churches produce conflict and high pastoral turnover (Harbuck, 2018; Payne, 1996). The purpose of this phenomenological study was to understand how a church governance structure impacts a pastor’s ability to lead, the health of the church, and pastoral retention. The experiences of pastors from deacon-led churches were evaluated for clusters of meaning and compared with the experiences of pastors who serve under an elder-led model of leadership. Nine interviews were conducted—five pastors from deacon-led churches and four from elder-led churches. This study approached the phenomenological design from an interpretive, or hermeneutical approach to understand the …
Biblical Leadership Development: Essential Components In Servant Leadership, André T. Moore Sr.
Biblical Leadership Development: Essential Components In Servant Leadership, André T. Moore Sr.
Doctoral Dissertations and Projects
There was a need for a biblical leadership development program at Anointed To Minister Ministries (ATMM). This researcher assessed the effectiveness of the current leadership and concluded that a biblical leadership development program was paramount to the foundation of the church. Furthermore, Henry and Richard Blackaby, argue in their book Spiritual Leadership “failing to develop leaders in an organization is tantamount to gross failure by the leader, whether by design or by neglect.” The purpose for this DMIN action research project was to develop a strategy and to implement a biblical leadership training program for educating, equipping, and empowering selected …
Emulating Paul’S Ministry Leadership In A Diverse And Changing Cultural Landscape, Mark J. Lee
Emulating Paul’S Ministry Leadership In A Diverse And Changing Cultural Landscape, Mark J. Lee
Doctoral Dissertations and Projects
The purpose of this Doctor of Ministry project is to train ministry leaders by studying the cross-cultural leadership characteristics of Apostle Paul. Central Steele Creek Presbyterian Church is part of the sad statistic of traditional churches that have been declining for the past thirty years. This will continue unless leaders of the church embrace the diverse culture and nature of the surrounding community. Cross-cultural leadership is needed in this time of multi-cultural communities and there is no one better than Paul to demonstrate this indispensable cross-cultural ministry paradigm. If leaders at Central are trained and motivated to embrace Paul’s cross-cultural …
A Qualitative Descriptive Study: What South Carolina Church Leaders Believe About Congregational Active Shooter Preparation, Charles David Watts Jr.
A Qualitative Descriptive Study: What South Carolina Church Leaders Believe About Congregational Active Shooter Preparation, Charles David Watts Jr.
Doctoral Dissertations and Projects
The purpose of this qualitative descriptive study is to establish a baseline of understanding what experiences South Carolina Southern Baptist church leaders have in active shooter training and what they believe about preparing, training, and equipping congregations for an active shooter incident in their house of worship. This researcher examined how church leaders prepare, train, and equip congregations for security threats like active shooter incidents. This study fills a gap in the existing literature, adding to the research by Auten (2021), Rainer (2017), and the FBI (2016). This researcher examined how churches prepare for security threats like active shooter incidents. …
A Correlational Study: Second-Chair Leaders' Level 5 Leadership Score And Church Growth Among Southern Baptist Megachurches, Martin Benjamin Lovvorn
A Correlational Study: Second-Chair Leaders' Level 5 Leadership Score And Church Growth Among Southern Baptist Megachurches, Martin Benjamin Lovvorn
Doctoral Dissertations and Projects
As the church strives to overcome seemingly insurmountable challenges and navigate tumultuous times to fulfill its Great Commission, church leaders must strive to understand the type of leadership required to best accomplish their kingdom work. In researching the type of pastoral leadership that will most effectively build the church of Jesus Christ and advance his kingdom, much work has been dedicated to examining the leadership styles and influence of senior or lead pastors. However, few studies have explored the influence of second-chair pastoral leaders (SCPLs). This study is the first to quantitatively examine whether SCPLs who demonstrate the personal humility …
The Need For A Spiritual Reboot In The Youth Of Great Commission Church, Jean Max B St Louis
The Need For A Spiritual Reboot In The Youth Of Great Commission Church, Jean Max B St Louis
Doctoral Dissertations and Projects
The decline of the youth attendance is evident in many Protestant churches. This research paper examined forty-three young believers from three Haitian Baptist churches, respectively, located in Brooklyn, Queens, and the Bronx. These data results help develop a suitable spiritual program that includes the six key influencing factors for spiritual growth: discipleship, mentoring, parental influence, church attendance, personal devotion, and ministerial involvement. This spiritual program was tested on a small group of young people from Great Commission Church in Queens. This research uses a mixed-method methodology, which is a combination of qualitative and quantitative methods to analyze the data. The …
Engaging The Church Body Of First Baptist Church Of Baldwyn Through A Ministry Placement Process, Jonathan Haley Uhrig
Engaging The Church Body Of First Baptist Church Of Baldwyn Through A Ministry Placement Process, Jonathan Haley Uhrig
Doctoral Dissertations and Projects
Churches often struggle with finding enough volunteers to staff their ministries fully. The church staff and a small percentage of its membership usually does most of the ministry. Instead of pleading for more volunteers and putting pressure on those already serving to add additional ministries, churches can equip their current membership to serve in the church as they are gifted. When someone comes to Christ, God gives them at least one spiritual gift. Believers also have ministry passions and talents that can be leveraged for building and growing the church. Churches can help their members discover their spiritual gifts and …
Exploring The Biblical And Theological Foundations Of Security Decisions By Church Leaders, John M. Tuohy
Exploring The Biblical And Theological Foundations Of Security Decisions By Church Leaders, John M. Tuohy
Doctoral Dissertations and Projects
This qualitative phenomenological multi-case study explored the practical, ethical, theological, and biblical foundations of decisions regarding an active security strategy at church gatherings by a cross-section of mainline and nondenominational churches. For the purposes of this study, an active security strategy was defined as a formal plan for site security based on the use of security personnel. This definition included any combination of volunteer personnel, contracted private security personnel, or sworn police officers acting in an official or off-duty capacity while providing security for the gathered congregation. The theory of shepherd leadership, as defined by Laniak (2006), and which related …
A Model For Biblical Worldview Development In Non-Denominational Christian Young Adults: A Dissertation-In-Praxis, Calvin Perry
A Model For Biblical Worldview Development In Non-Denominational Christian Young Adults: A Dissertation-In-Praxis, Calvin Perry
Doctoral Dissertations and Projects
The ideas of worldview and worldview development have not been around long but have been a matter of interest and understanding in the non-denominational area of Christianity, along with the field of scholarly research. Organizational theories play a major role in the development of all individuals. The purpose of this dissertation-in-praxis study was to test and apply a theoretical model for biblical worldview development among non-denominational Christians, ages 24-29. A qualitative method was employed using an applied research design following a deductive research approach. A worldview model was created to help understand the worldview perspective of participants. In qualitative research, …
Improving Diversity And Inclusion Increasing Multiethnic Presence Within Religious Organizations, Marquita Nicole Davie
Improving Diversity And Inclusion Increasing Multiethnic Presence Within Religious Organizations, Marquita Nicole Davie
Doctoral Dissertations and Projects
The program is committed to promoting diversity and inclusion within a religious organization by increasing the participation of individuals from various ethnic backgrounds. The validity of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.'s statement regarding the most segregated time in Christian America being Sunday mornings will be evaluated through observation, exploration, and scholarly articles. The Fort Leonard Wood Protestant Women of the Chapel will serve as a framework for program design and implementation. The program serves to boost the presence of multiethnic members and leaders by 10% and 5%, respectively. This program will adhere to a logic model that will include five …
A Phenomenological Study Exploring The Lack Of Baptist Church Participation In Seminole County, Florida, Ismael Melendez
A Phenomenological Study Exploring The Lack Of Baptist Church Participation In Seminole County, Florida, Ismael Melendez
Doctoral Dissertations and Projects
This phenomenological study explores the reasons for a lack of participation in in-person Baptist churches and the rise of participation in online Baptist churches in Seminole County, Florida. The theory guiding this study was Martin Heidegger’s hermeneutical framework which focuses on the commonality of experiences. Heidegger believed that to arrive at the essence of a phenomenon a researcher must go through the revisionary process of what Heidegger termed the Hermeneutic Circle. The principal research question in this study explored existing relationship(s) between in-person and online Baptist church leaders and how such relationship(s) contributed to a lack of church participation. The …
The Impact Of Preaching The Image Of God As Disability-Inclusive, Laurie E. Thompson
The Impact Of Preaching The Image Of God As Disability-Inclusive, Laurie E. Thompson
Doctoral Dissertations and Projects
According to Howard (2010), the North American Mission Board (NAMB) considers the disabled community in America to be unreached by the church. Hardwick (2021) also writes, “The disability community is the most unique community, the largest minority group in the world” (p. 12). This quantitative descriptive research study explored the frequency of preaching the biblical principle imago Dei, found in Genesis 1:27, in a way that includes the disabled, and how this preaching may impact disability-inclusivity in the church. The Word of God states, “So God created mankind in his own image, in the image of God he created them” …
The Word Made Digital: Leveraging Artificial Intelligence To Increase Bible Engagement, Henry Lee Jackson Iii
The Word Made Digital: Leveraging Artificial Intelligence To Increase Bible Engagement, Henry Lee Jackson Iii
Doctoral Dissertations and Projects
The purpose of this descriptive study was to understand whether a relationship exists between an individual's behavioral intention to use a Bible-based chatbot that leverages AI to create human-like engagement with Scripture and the constructs of performance expectancy, effort expectancy, perceived enjoyment, and perceived risk, controlling for gender, age, and experience among registered users of the Inductive Bible Study App. Data was collected through an online survey and analyzed using Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modeling (PLS-SEM), multi-group analysis (MGA), and homogeneity-of-slopes analysis of covariance (ANCOVA). While this quantitative descriptive study validated the correlation between each of the four reflective …
Pastoral Leadership As A Perceived Factor Of Changing Church Membership In South Carolina: A Phenomenological Study, Bobby L. Dukes
Pastoral Leadership As A Perceived Factor Of Changing Church Membership In South Carolina: A Phenomenological Study, Bobby L. Dukes
Doctoral Dissertations and Projects
The role of a pastor comprises many duties and responsibilities within the church; some have led to chaos. Clinton et al. (2005), states many churches are mired in a significant leadership crisis (p. 10). Pastors are called to lead people in spiritual growth, with the end goal of parishioners living a mature spiritual life for the sake of Christ, not the contrary. The enormity of pastoral leadership has a lasting effect. Kristin Tabb (2017) claims that relatively minor church hurts leave people with a burned-out feeling during service, while the more serious wounds leave parishioners soul-scarred and physically sick at …
A Hermeneutic Phenomenological Study Exploring Leadership Efficacy: Understanding The Impact Of Shame In Christian Leaders, Matthew James Williamson
A Hermeneutic Phenomenological Study Exploring Leadership Efficacy: Understanding The Impact Of Shame In Christian Leaders, Matthew James Williamson
Doctoral Dissertations and Projects
This hermeneutic phenomenological study explored the Christian leader’s experience of shame within organizations and its impact on their leadership efficacy. For this study, shame is defined as a deep sense of internal, negative pressure that typically elicits a subconscious desire to suppress or deflect. Since every organizational leadership role has a degree of accountability, emotional risk is potentially present in all negotiable interactions. This paper investigated the social/cultural encouragement of shame and potential avoidance of shame when emotional risk and failure are perceived. Brené Brown’s (2006) Shame Resilience Theory inspired this study. This theory is aligned with the purpose of …
A Phenomenological Examination Of Church Leaders' Perceived Impact Of Executive Coaching On Organizational Culture, Jerrell Stokley
A Phenomenological Examination Of Church Leaders' Perceived Impact Of Executive Coaching On Organizational Culture, Jerrell Stokley
Doctoral Dissertations and Projects
The trajectory of the seminary training curriculum has evolved pedagogically at projecting adequate church leadership education and hands-on development. However, empirical research reveals that the seminary struggles with preparing generations of church leaders for modern church responsibilities including executive leadership, tactical performance, administration, and church organizational culture (Crowson, 2021; Costin, 2008). Hicks (2012), as cited by Smith (2017) states, “Recent studies have begun to explore the need for management training for pastors” (p. 2). Graduates as well as current church leaders report feeling ill-equipped for the increasing duties for today’s church culture. This qualitative, phenomenological study evaluated mid-to-senior level Christian …
Worship Leadership From The Beginning: A Comparative Study Of Exodus 15:1-21 And Judges 5, Vivian Ann Petties
Worship Leadership From The Beginning: A Comparative Study Of Exodus 15:1-21 And Judges 5, Vivian Ann Petties
Doctoral Dissertations and Projects
Although many excellent books, commentaries, and journal articles have been written on worship leadership, no framework for worship leadership has been developed based upon Exodus 15:1-21 or Judges 5. The purpose of previous research has not been to discover principles of leadership, praise, and worship, or composition of music for use in ministry nor to develop a consensus about the roles played by the males and females in these texts. To develop a proposal for filling this lacuna, the present thesis will study Exodus 15:1-21 and (comparatively) Judges 5. This qualitative study will employ the exegetical methods of socio-rhetorical analysis …
Pastors With Mission And Purpose Perceptions Of Strategic Leadership For The Church--A Multi-Case Study, Nancy Brown Smith
Pastors With Mission And Purpose Perceptions Of Strategic Leadership For The Church--A Multi-Case Study, Nancy Brown Smith
Doctoral Dissertations and Projects
This qualitative multiple-case study aimed to explore pastors’ perceptions of strategic leadership at churches in Virginia. This researcher sought to understand the strategic leadership of pastors with mission and purpose ways of growing thriving churches. This research defined strategic leadership as “the capacity to learn, change, and have managerial wisdom” (Boal & Hooijberg, 2001, p. 515) based on the Strategic Leadership Theory (Finkelstein & Hambrick, 1996). Declining church membership, attendance at services, or even closures is alarming (Felicetti, 2021), and this research may help churches facing such problems. A rationale for this study was to explore pastors’ viable avenues that …
Effective Decision-Making And Conflict Resolution For Church Leadership Teams And Governing Boards, Frederick Chambers
Effective Decision-Making And Conflict Resolution For Church Leadership Teams And Governing Boards, Frederick Chambers
Doctoral Dissertations and Projects
Conflict is one of the primary reasons church leaders leave churches, quit vocational ministry, are terminated or are ineffective in their leadership and Christian service. Church leaders become discouraged, less effective, quit their leadership positions, or even leave congregations because of conflict or disagreements over decisions. Ineffective decision-making and conflict within the leadership team harm the ministry organization and the leaders. The problem this action research project addresses is the need for a clearly defined process of group decision-making and conflict resolution among church and ministry leadership boards. The purpose of this project was to evaluate and improve the tools …
A Phenomenological Study Of Social Media Usage In Southern Baptist Churches In The Atlanta Metropolitan Area, Patricia Maria Rankin
A Phenomenological Study Of Social Media Usage In Southern Baptist Churches In The Atlanta Metropolitan Area, Patricia Maria Rankin
Doctoral Dissertations and Projects
The purpose of this qualitative phenomenological study was to explore social media usage according to leaders from churches in the Southern Baptist Convention in the Atlanta Metropolitan Area. For this study, social media was defined as any social media networking platform used to share the Gospel. The research was guided by the mathematical theory of communication (Shannon, 2001; Weaver,1953) developed by Shannon, Weaver, Schramm, and Berlo. The communication model effectively understands and explores the literature gap regarding God and how He communicates with His people. The study started with purposeful sampling and recruitment of participants, who then voluntarily completed the …
Grounded Theory Study On The Perceived Relationship Between Classical Leadership Theories Education And Christian Ministry Leader's Success, Yannique Thomas
Grounded Theory Study On The Perceived Relationship Between Classical Leadership Theories Education And Christian Ministry Leader's Success, Yannique Thomas
Doctoral Dissertations and Projects
A central aim of the research study was for colleges and universities that prepare Christian ministry leaders for ministry in the twenty-first century to include classical leadership theories education in order to meet the growing demand for equipping Christian ministry leaders of the future for success (Kessler & Kretszchmar, 2015). The research findings overwhelmingly suggested that there is a direct link between classical leadership theories education and Christian ministry leaders’ success. All of the characteristics, skills, talents, and attributes identified through receiving classical leadership theories education shifts the emphasis away from what the Christian ministry leader knows in his head …
Best Practice Spiritual Formation Models In The Christian Hybrid Church, Crystal Deneene Stalling
Best Practice Spiritual Formation Models In The Christian Hybrid Church, Crystal Deneene Stalling
Doctoral Dissertations and Projects
The purpose of this phenomenological study was to explore best practice spiritual formation models and the perceived effectiveness of spiritual formation in the hybrid church community brick-and-mortar and online church settings for individuals in Christian hybrid churches. The concern was whether the churches effectively implemented best practice models through their traditional brick-and-mortar locations and digital platforms that would cause individuals within the Christian community to experience spiritual formation. Spiritual formation is generally defined as “the holistic work of God in a believer’s life whereby systematic change renders the individual continually closer to the image and actions of Jesus Christ” (Pettit, …