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Small Group Participant Perceptions Of Discipleship Development In Multisite Churches: A Mixed Methods Study, Risha D. Bailey Jul 2022

Small Group Participant Perceptions Of Discipleship Development In Multisite Churches: A Mixed Methods Study, Risha D. Bailey

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

Researchers indicated a clear and steady decline in discipleship development within the Body of Christ (Baldwin, 2016; Lynn, 2014; Saunders, 2009). However, the vision for the church, outlined within the Great Commission, remains the same; it warrants the conversion, production, and reproduction of Christ’s disciples in all nations. The small group ministry and multisite churches are at the intersection of discipleship development, leading to effective disciple making. While small groups have been endorsed by many as the premier vehicle that helps the church fulfill its mission, multisite churches are heralded as those experiencing rapid growth with strong communities of faith …


A Phenomenological Qualitative Study Of Discipling Church Congregants Using Three Christ-Practiced Church Communities, Bryan Wade Ewing Jul 2022

A Phenomenological Qualitative Study Of Discipling Church Congregants Using Three Christ-Practiced Church Communities, Bryan Wade Ewing

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this phenomenological study was to discover the perceived impact of local church leadership’s implementation of three Christ-practiced discipling communities for the equipping of local-church congregants within six local bodies in the state of Indiana. Communities are generally defined as intentional groups of different purposes within the local church. The study sought to better understand the impact of congregants being involved in weekly, corporate worship, small groups, and mentorship groups in their discipleship journey. The rationale behind the study was to explore the phenomenon of the discipleship process as certain congregants were engaged in only a weekly worship …


Integrating Technology, Telehealth, And Videoconferencing As Tools For Providing Modern Approaches To Spiritual Care In The Clinical Setting As A Hospital Chaplain, Kory D. Fontenot Jul 2022

Integrating Technology, Telehealth, And Videoconferencing As Tools For Providing Modern Approaches To Spiritual Care In The Clinical Setting As A Hospital Chaplain, Kory D. Fontenot

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The problem is that some hospital chaplains lack the proper preparation and strategies for integrating technology to provide spiritual care to patients. The purpose of this DMIN. research project is to develop strategies to integrate technology in pastoral care in the hospital that increases patient care. The strategies designed are based on existing research, resources, and successful integration models. The development process will consider the spiritual, financial, medical, and personal implications of the increased use of technology in provided healthcare consistent with, or exceeding, current expectations and quality standards. The methods will involve pre-scheduled spiritual care follow-up visit with patients …


A Linguistical Analysis Of The Greek Perfect Tense: A Defense Of “Causative Aspect.”, Malcolm Goh Jul 2022

A Linguistical Analysis Of The Greek Perfect Tense: A Defense Of “Causative Aspect.”, Malcolm Goh

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

Modern Greek studies have undergone intense debate over the past several decades regarding whether to and how grammarians and linguists should apply verbal aspect theory to Greek verbs. A significant portion of this debate has centered on the Greek perfect verb. Buist M. Fanning, Constantine R. Campbell, and Stanley E. Porter are three prominent voices in this ongoing debate. While traditional grammars have done well in describing the actions of the Greek perfect tense form, a consensus has proved challenging in describing the perfect tense form within an aspectual framework. Aspectual theorists agree that the perfect tense form concerns itself …


The Chaplain As Part Of The Ministry Leadership Team, George Washington Willett Iii Jul 2022

The Chaplain As Part Of The Ministry Leadership Team, George Washington Willett Iii

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The chaplain is part of the ministry leadership team. The project aims to address the lack of a chaplain on the church ministry team, and the benefits chaplaincy adds to the ministry. Greater Faith Church lost the senior pastor to sudden death, leaving the founding bishop to serve as senior pastor. The leadership transition has caused the bishop to do most of the ministry work as the pastor. However, church ministry work is not only accomplished by the pastor. Church ministry is team leadership using all the gifts of the church. The study utilizes research methods within the church context …


Discipleship On The Role And Responsibility Of A Youth Minister, Warren Douglas Choice Jul 2022

Discipleship On The Role And Responsibility Of A Youth Minister, Warren Douglas Choice

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The thesis project is designed to equip the congregation at Cary’s Baptist Church to understand the role and responsibility of a youth minister. Cary’s Baptist Church is an older congregation located in Yorktown, Virginia. The congregation was established in the 1800’s and has served the community by sharing the gospel of Jesus Christ and serving individuals who live in the Yorktown community. Throughout the years of serving the community, the congregation has been effective in evangelism and open for youth to be a part of the congregation. However, there has been a decline in youth attendance and involvement in the …


Addressing The Issue Of Low Discipleship Among Adults, Sylvestre Bea Jul 2022

Addressing The Issue Of Low Discipleship Among Adults, Sylvestre Bea

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

This research aims to help EndTime Christ Discipling Ministries identify the root causes for low levels of adult discipleship. It supports the church’s collective construction of measurable actions that members can implement to fulfill its disciple-making mandate effectively. The literature review reveals that many churches experience this problem, identify common causes, and discuss diverse solutions that better fit churches with predominantly North American culture. However, EndTime Christ Discipling Ministries is composed of mostly African immigrants and their families, and no literature specifically addresses its immediate context. As a result, the remedies proposed to tackle the discipleship challenge are not fully …


Biblical Leaders: Key Principles And Concepts In Overcoming And Managing Stress, Distress, And Anguish, James Taylor Sep 2013

Biblical Leaders: Key Principles And Concepts In Overcoming And Managing Stress, Distress, And Anguish, James Taylor

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The high turnover rate among clergy within the local church evidences the mismanagement of personal stress and distress associated with ministry. The purpose of this thesis project is to increase the effectiveness and longevity of ministers by offering them five principles for managing and overcoming their stress, distress, and anguish. If followed, these principles will successfully reduce the personal strain associated with ministry, thus encouraging clergy to remain where God has planted them to build long successful tenures. Based on surveys, personal perspectives, relevant literature, and biblical study, this project establishes essential principles and concepts for managing ministerial anguish, and …


An Analysis Of The Correlation Between The Christian Education Context Of The Local Church And The Biblical Worldview Of High School Students, David Scott Rutledge Aug 2013

An Analysis Of The Correlation Between The Christian Education Context Of The Local Church And The Biblical Worldview Of High School Students, David Scott Rutledge

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this quantitative study was to determine whether a significant relationship exists between the Christian education context of the local church and the Biblical worldview of high school students. This investigation assessed the Biblical worldviews of senior high school students who have basic knowledge of Christianity but different levels of involvement in church-based Christian education. The study used the PEERS Worldview Test and compared students' scores to their self-reported involvement in the main worship services, Sunday school classes, and youth services of their churches and their parents' church attendance. The results showed little to no correlation between church …


Christ's Response To The Last, The Least, The Lost, The Left Out - Is The Church Living Up To Christ's Standard?, Jerry Staples Aug 2013

Christ's Response To The Last, The Least, The Lost, The Left Out - Is The Church Living Up To Christ's Standard?, Jerry Staples

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

There is a plethora of statistics concerning how many un-churched people there are in the United States and the socioeconomic ladder does not discriminate who fits this lost category. Yet, the concern of this project deals with the gang member, drug dealer, drug users, pimps and prostitutes. The intent is to take outreach to the street through cook outs, Holy block parties, street revivals and the like. The rationale of this project is to show how one can reach, teach and keep this group of people, the potential dangers, and positive consequences associated with it. The potential value of this …


To The Jew First: A Socio-Historical And Biblical-Theological Analysis Of The Pauline Teaching Of `Election' In Light Of Second Temple Jewish Patterns Of Thought, Anthony Thornhill Aug 2013

To The Jew First: A Socio-Historical And Biblical-Theological Analysis Of The Pauline Teaching Of `Election' In Light Of Second Temple Jewish Patterns Of Thought, Anthony Thornhill

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

Paul's "doctrine" of election has remained a controversial and enigmatic topic for centuries. Few studies, however, have approached Paul's doctrine through the context of Second Temple Judaism. This study examines Paul's view of election through the lens of Second Temple Jewish texts written prior to 70 CE. In doing so, it is argued that the best framework through which to view Paul's discussion of election is through a primarily corporate model of election. While such a model is rooted in Judaism, Paul departs from his Jewish contemporaries in arguing that the locus of election is in God's Messiah, Jesus.


A Plan For Developing An Effective Community Outreach Strategy For Churches In The Northeast, Roscoe Lilly Aug 2013

A Plan For Developing An Effective Community Outreach Strategy For Churches In The Northeast, Roscoe Lilly

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

Community outreach is an essential part of a church's mission to be "salt and light" to those around them. Community outreach creates the crucial platform for a church's evangelistic efforts. While many churches want to reach out to their community, few have a clear understanding of how or where to begin. The purpose of this project is to help churches in the Northeast better understand how to increase their community's receptivity to the gospel through a strategic community outreach plan. The project will use NorthStar Church as a case study. It is the aim of this project to demonstrate how …


Lay-Leadership: How To Develop Lay Leaders In A Local Church With Special Reference To The Hyesung Presbyterian Church In South Korea, Kang Eun Bae Jul 2013

Lay-Leadership: How To Develop Lay Leaders In A Local Church With Special Reference To The Hyesung Presbyterian Church In South Korea, Kang Eun Bae

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

This thesis is designed to help church leaders establish a lay leadership development process in a local church, especially in a Korean church with a size between 300 and 1,000 church members. In the first part, the fundamental knowledge of leadership is described, including the characteristics of leadership concerning lay leadership development, the reasons why a local church should develop lay leaders, and what the leaders should develop through the process. In the second part, a lay leadership development process and how to establish it in a local church is described. In the third part, Hyesung Church's leadership development process …


Conservative Holiness Pastors' Ability To Assess Depression And Their Willingness To Refer To Mental Health Professionals, Andrew Graham Jul 2013

Conservative Holiness Pastors' Ability To Assess Depression And Their Willingness To Refer To Mental Health Professionals, Andrew Graham

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this study was to investigate the willingness and ability of Conservative Holiness pastors to assess depression and their willingness to refer to mental health professionals. Eighty-six pastors completed a four-part survey that measured diagnostic accuracy, willingness to refer, attitudes toward mental health, perceived competency to assist, recognition of need for help and confidence in mental health professionals. Demographic characteristics and case study responses were investigated through analysis of frequency data; relationships with demographic variables were analyzed using Spearman's rho and independent t-tests; relationships with variables derived from the scales were analyzed using Pearson Product-Moment Correlation. Analyses found …


Exploring The Spiritually Formative Experiences Of Female Seminary Spouses: A Phenomenological Inquiry, Benjamin Forrest Jul 2013

Exploring The Spiritually Formative Experiences Of Female Seminary Spouses: A Phenomenological Inquiry, Benjamin Forrest

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this paper is to present the findings of a qualitative research study exploring the spiritually formative experiences of nonstudent, female, seminary spouses whose student spouses are beyond the halfway point in their pursuit of an M.Div. at a large evangelical seminary in the eastern United States. Fifteen participants (twelve online nonstudent spouses and three residential nonstudent spouses) were purposefully sampled. The data, which was collected through questionnaires, in-depth interviews, and discussion forums, was analyzed using transcendental phenomenological analysis. Through this analysis it became apparent that seminary spouses did in fact experience spiritual formation through their husband's education. …


Developing A Congregational Care Model: Mount Olive Baptist Church, Donna Robinson Mack-Tatum Jul 2013

Developing A Congregational Care Model: Mount Olive Baptist Church, Donna Robinson Mack-Tatum

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this thesis is to develop a layperson based Congregational Care Ministry Model to assist the pastor of large congregations. The topic was chosen as a means of addressing the need for the pastor of the Mount Olive Baptist Church to have assistance with meeting the needs of the congregation. As the congregation increases in size, it has become increasingly more difficult for him to visit the sick, counsel, minister to the bereaved, preach, and teach. While there are other ministries that assist in various ways with these tasks, this ministry will enhance the efforts that are already …


21st Century Evangelism And Church Growth Approach To Reach Urban Professionals In North America Metropolises, Ralph Baeza May 2013

21st Century Evangelism And Church Growth Approach To Reach Urban Professionals In North America Metropolises, Ralph Baeza

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The call of Christ, as He stated in Matthew 28:18-20, Mark 16:15, Luke 24:7-9, John 20:21 and Acts 1:8, is to be a continuous command to follow, in order to reach the different peoples group of the world including the urban professionals in North America metropolises. Based on surveys sent to Christian leaders in church congregations and professionals in the secular workplace along with the associated research in the subject, this thesis project reviews the Great Commission call to pursue urban professionals in metropolises, examining their lifestyle environment, past and current trends to reach them, biblical principles that can turn …


Academic College Readiness Indicators Of Seniors Enrolled In University-Model Schools® And Traditional, Comprehensive Christian Schools, Sharon Brobst May 2013

Academic College Readiness Indicators Of Seniors Enrolled In University-Model Schools® And Traditional, Comprehensive Christian Schools, Sharon Brobst

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

This correlational study examined the relationship between type of high school a senior attends (University-Model School® (UMS®) or traditional, comprehensive Christian) and academic college readiness, when controlling for prior academic achievement and gender. The study compared archival data from Christian school graduates from six schools located near Dallas, TX. Each took the Stanford-10 in their seventh, eighth, or ninth-grade years, which controlled for prior academic achievement. SAT and ACT scores measured academic college readiness. Results of three sequential multiple regressions, controlling for confounding, showed that prior academic achievement was significant in predicting SAT Composite, SAT Writing, and ACT Composite scores. …


Making Disciples Of Jesus Christ: Implementing An Effective Discipleship Strategy For Churches In America, Victor Ogundiran May 2013

Making Disciples Of Jesus Christ: Implementing An Effective Discipleship Strategy For Churches In America, Victor Ogundiran

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

Various research findings on spiritual formation in the America church reveal that the current state of making disciples of Jesus Christ who are observing all that Jesus has commanded is woefully grim. This author believes what we have in place for making disciples is inadequate, unimplemented, or both. The purpose of this thesis project is to explain the current state of spiritual formation in the American Church and the reasons why it falls short of God's desire and design. This effort will include and incorporate research from at least 20 churches to see what discipleship systems they are using, if …


Staff Healthy Small Groups: A Model For Enlisting, Training, And Motivating Lay Leaders, Steven Weems Apr 2013

Staff Healthy Small Groups: A Model For Enlisting, Training, And Motivating Lay Leaders, Steven Weems

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this project is to assist small to medium sized churches in their efforts to enlist, train, and motivate lay leadership within their church. This project is designed to help these churches achieve four specific goals; One, come to a biblical understanding of lay leadership. Two, learn how to identify and enlist the right people into spiritual leadership. Three, train those leaders for specific leadership roles within the church. Four, to keep these lay leaders motivated to achieve their set goals within their specific ministry. One of the primary responsibilities of a pastoral staff is the spiritual health …


Homegrown Pastors: Seven Timeless Reasons Why You Should Consider Starting A Church In Your Community, Joshua Turner Apr 2013

Homegrown Pastors: Seven Timeless Reasons Why You Should Consider Starting A Church In Your Community, Joshua Turner

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

This thesis is an investigation into the advantages of planting churches in the lead planter's hometown. According to Dr. Jim Slack, missiologist for the International Mission Board, "The only feasible and viable means of planting enough churches to gain on the yearly population gains and the primarily unchurched/unsaved basic population is to plant indigenous, generationally multiplying neighborhood, `house' churches initiated by neighborhood laymen who can pastor those new churches." This claim is reinforced by the understanding that the best person to reach a national is a national within that people group who already possesses valuable connecting resources through family and …


A Case Study In The Ministry Of Harold Willmington: Seven Major Contributions To Liberty University, Rick Buck Apr 2013

A Case Study In The Ministry Of Harold Willmington: Seven Major Contributions To Liberty University, Rick Buck

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this thesis project is to provide a qualitative case study regarding the major contributions of Harold Willmington to Liberty University. The project highlights the significant contributions to discipleship and education of non-traditional adult learners within the Liberty University family. The research questions seek to collect data regarding the degree of satisfaction of Bible education and ministry training of post-graduation alumni. The thesis project analyzes the development of the various Bible Institute programs established at Liberty University and other major contributions made by Harold Willmington from 1972 to the present. A significant amount of data is obtained through …


Christian Spirituality And Marital Health: A Phenomenological Study Of Long-Term Marriages, David Dixon Apr 2013

Christian Spirituality And Marital Health: A Phenomenological Study Of Long-Term Marriages, David Dixon

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

This is a phenomenological study examining the shared experiences expressed by 10 couples who have been married one time for more than thirty years and have been described as practicing Christian spirituality within their marital relationship. The data was collected by one source, the researcher, as the couple's participated in a joint interview. Two major Christian spirituality themes emerged from the couple's interviews. The first major Christian spirituality theme was being and doing. The being and doing theme interplayed throughout the interview with the emerging process factors of affectionate expression, bonding, and commitment. The second major Christian spirituality theme which …


Living Out Love In Marriage: Learning And Applying Four Types Of Love To Sustain Marriage, Erroyl Mcginty Apr 2013

Living Out Love In Marriage: Learning And Applying Four Types Of Love To Sustain Marriage, Erroyl Mcginty

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this thesis project is to show married couples, and those who want to be married how to live out God's love in their marriage. We will examine and explain four components of love; Feelings and Physical Love (Eros), Action and Service (Philia), Commitment and Covenant (Storge), and God's Love (Agape). We will show the biblical foundation for each of the four parts. The material used will come from the life experiences from couples of all types of marriages (new, successful, troubled, failing, divorced, separated, recovering, etc.). Much of the research will come from surveys of couples. Other …


Clay-Potter Imagery In The Bible: Theological And Practical Implications For Daily Christian Life, Karl Stelzer Apr 2013

Clay-Potter Imagery In The Bible: Theological And Practical Implications For Daily Christian Life, Karl Stelzer

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

God, the Master Potter, uses clay-potter imagery to explain spiritual truth. These passages are ignored, explained superficially, or misinterpreted and have not had the divinely intended impact. Theologically, doctrines of Theology Proper, Bibliology, and Anthropology have been compromised. Practically, the Holy Spirit has been hindered. To demonstrate the need for clay-potter instruction, research will include a comparative analysis of information gathered through questionnaires to churches that have held a clay-potter conference and those that have not, and an examination of written material and popular presentations. This author combines professional pottery expertise and biblical training to present accurate exposition. This thesis …


From Evangelistic Preaching To Mentoring: A Model For The Local Church, Seunghyun Yoon Apr 2013

From Evangelistic Preaching To Mentoring: A Model For The Local Church, Seunghyun Yoon

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

Throughout Christian history, biblical and historical figures have used strategic invitation methods that focused on the needs of the people who were listening to their evangelistic appeal. This demonstrates that evangelism and the invitation process is relevant to those who respond to the message.


Easy Effective Counseling: A Strategy For Busy Pastors, Benjamin Karner Apr 2013

Easy Effective Counseling: A Strategy For Busy Pastors, Benjamin Karner

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

Pastors are expected to counsel various people with various problems. However, in most circumstances, pastors have little time to prepare for counseling sessions and cannot be long-term therapists. Therefore, it is critical for the pastor to be able to quickly and effectively give substantial guidance to counselees. The purpose of this project is to develop and implement a pastoral counseling program with a decision management focus. A survey will be conducted with at least one hundred (100) pastors who engage in counseling as part of their regular ministry duties. This project will develop and communicate a practical counseling approach for …


Professional Naval Chaplaincy: The Ministry Of The Navy Chaplain In A U.S. Navy Bureau Of Medicine And Surgery Hospital, Russell Hale Apr 2013

Professional Naval Chaplaincy: The Ministry Of The Navy Chaplain In A U.S. Navy Bureau Of Medicine And Surgery Hospital, Russell Hale

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

Through a review of the literature and personal experiences, it was found that many U.S. Navy chaplains do not see the potential opportunities and value in ministering to personnel, dependents, and retirees in a U.S. Navy hospital setting. Based on the findings of a quantitative survey sent to clinical staff, ancillary staff, Marines, and Sailors serving at the U.S. Naval Hospital in Okinawa, this project reviews historical paradigms and present institutional perspectives and attitudes regarding the value of the chaplain ministering in a U.S. Navy hospital. Since the chaplain ministers as a member of the interdisciplinary care team, it then …


The Role Of The Pastor As The Primary Worship Leader In The Local Church, Roger Holliman Apr 2013

The Role Of The Pastor As The Primary Worship Leader In The Local Church, Roger Holliman

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this project is to encourage pastors to embrace their role as the principle worship leader, rather than to accept and believe "I am not the worship leader." This thesis project investigates and examines a senior pastor's theological duty and obligation as the worship leader of his or her church, and provides the biblical mandate and approaches for how to do this effectively and as a team leader. Through personal interviews of six pastors, plus current research on the topic of worship, this thesis provides instructions on how senior pastors may implement strategies to enhance their understanding of …


Developing A Curriculum For African American Pastors And Church Leaders In Crescent City, Florida, Cornelius Golden Apr 2013

Developing A Curriculum For African American Pastors And Church Leaders In Crescent City, Florida, Cornelius Golden

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

It is the writer's premise that there is a great void, particularly within the African American Church of academic training in theology amongst clergy and church leaders in rural areas. However, training is disparately needed. The training should be very practical and engaging. The writer proposes to develop a curriculum designed to develop the non-seminary trained pastor in six vital areas of ministry: (1) Church History, (2) Church Administration, (3) Theology, (4) Ethics, (5) Evangelism, and (6) Pastoral Care. This project would be useful to the life and work of the church because it makes available a researched curriculum especially …