Arts and Humanities Commons^™

40-Day Fit, A Journey For Heroes, Michael B. O'Neill

Doctor of Leadership

This project is a collective portfolio of discovery and development that explores the intersection of societal health and the vitality of the church, recognizing a state of decline in both areas. This critical, yet often overlooked issue, is the foundation of this research-driven initiative. It is a practical process of diagnosis and treatment of a problem or an opportunity, in context, leading to application. The portfolio project represents a journey of discovery and reframing, where research methods, strategic objectives, and project milestones guide the identification of needs, problems, and opportunities. These elements serve as the driving forces behind crafting solutions …

Liturgical Practices For Full Participation: Creating Opportunities For Engagement In Corporate Worship For People Living With Intellectual Disabilities At The Mooroolbark Salvation Army, Catherine Jane Spiller

Doctor of Ministry Theses

The Mooroolbark Salvation Army is a place of welcome and acceptance for people with disabilities. However, people with intellectual disabilities often have limited opportunities for engagement in corporate worship. The act of worship is a practice everyone should be able to participate in, but barriers often limit engagement for people with disabilities. This project thesis explored and sought to address these barriers and create opportunities for full participation for people with intellectual disabilities. A small diverse group of people from the Mooroolbark Salvation Army came together for ten weeks commencing in February 2022 to consider how to attend to engagement …

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 …

Deaf Accessibility In The Christian Church, Madison Finley

Honors Projects

Around the globe, only two percent of Deaf people have had the opportunity to be introduced to the Gospel. Religious accessibility is limited for individuals who are deaf or hard-of-hearing. This paper begins to investigate:

• How can Christian churches increase accessibility to religion, worship, and other programs for Deaf individuals?

My Honors Project activity is preparing research and materials for a physical guide booklet for Christian churches that do not currently offer any Deaf ministries or American Sign Language interpretation or that may be seeking to increase accessibility for Deaf individuals. The primary purpose of this project is to create …

Brahma And The Problem Of Popularity, Grant Cayton

Honors Projects

Brahma, the creator, theoretically occupies a major position in Hinduism, but receives virtually no bhakti worship. The study examines potential causes of Brahma’s lack of worship through analysis of scholarship, supplemented by interviews with eight Hindus. The subjects were asked to give their own explanations and evaluate scholarly theories on Brahma’s unpopularity. Scholar Km. Rajani Mishra states that after creation, Brahma has nothing to offer humanity, and argues that Brahma’s character was not compelling enough to retain followers. Greg Bailey suggests that Brahma’s role as creator ties him to pravṛttidharma, a worldly mindset that prevents him from granting salvation. Interviews …

Steadfast: Connections Fostered Through Dance, Lily Mckenzie

Undergraduate Honors Theses

Steadfast is an expression of dance as an emotional and spiritual experience, as well as an exploration of the deep connections that may be fostered through the art form of dance. My personal experience, which will function as inspiration for this choreographic piece and performance, has led me to see dance as a means to connect with God when used as worship and a way to connect with other people and form meaningful relationships. Through the production and execution of this performing art, I hope to explore and experience these aspects of dance as well as my own personal journey. …

Soul As Sanctuary: Awareness Of God Alone And Assembled At Freedom Alive Church Of Greenville, South Carolina, Paulleatha Bruce

Doctor of Ministry Projects

A Christian practicum was established at Freedom Alive Church of Greenville in Greenville, South Carolina to examine and to promote the depth of influence and impact awareness of God in self, in daily living practices, and in the world at-large have on the congregants’ engagement and participation in corporate worship. Utilizing Scripture and the employment of solitude, meditation, prayer, and worship as spiritual practices, congregants from the generations of Silent, Baby Boomer, Xer, and Millennial were enlisted to participate in a six-week study. Upon the analysis of the quantitative and qualitative data, it was revealed that congregants’ exposure to the …

Embracing Worship And Performance, Robson N. Galvao

Selected Honors Theses

Music is a very powerful tool. It is a very important part of the world around us. Some would even say that without it, life would not be the same. When it comes to church, it is not any different. Music plays a very large part of most church services today, whether that be having someone play a church organ in a more traditional church or by having a full worship band with lights and production in a more contemporary church. With that comes the issue of performance within the church music context. One of the biggest issues within the …

Sacred Song Sisters: Choral And Solo Vocal Church Music By Women Composers For The Lenten Revised Common Lectionary, Lisa Elliott

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

This document explores sacred music by women composers for the Revised Common Lectionary (RCL) of the Catholic and Christian churches. The study researches exclusively choral and vocal solo music by women composers for the church season of Lent. Other primary limitations include music in English, and music from the nineteenth century to the present. The main question answered in this document is: what sacred music has been published by women composers that may be programmed in church services?

This question is answered in the included appendices. These appendices list the music by women composers appropriate for the specific RCL readings …

Reaching The Diaspora: Streamed Worship And Preaching In The Lutheran Church Of Australia, Cultivating Koinonia And Ecclesia, Timothy Paul Stringer

Doctor of Ministry Theses

Streamed worship has been happening in the Lutheran Church of Australia since 2013. Who is it reaching? Where is it reaching? Is it connecting them to community and the church? Is the preaching reaching the people who gather outside of the physical church buildings? Is there anything we can do to improve the reach, the connection and the sense of belonging to the wider church even when living remotely or kept away from regular worship by illness, disability or work commitments? This exploratory case study seeks to find these answers and more and then to offer ways forward for the …

The Social Role Of Worship: A Reading Of Micah 6:1-8, Khin Win Kyi

Master of Theology Theses

This thesis provides exegesis of Micah 6:1-8 with particular focus on the relationship between worship and social ethics, as well as a consideration of the implications of this passage for the Chin Christian community.

Worship-Worthiness And Absolute Perfection: Towards An Account Of Supreme Worship-Worthiness, Austin Mccoy

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Theists and non-theists alike have generally taken absolute perfection to be a necessary condition for worship-worthiness. Unless the object is absolutely perfect, it is often put, the kinds of attitudes or actions constitutive of worship are unwarranted. In this thesis, I offer an account of worship-worthiness that does not take for granted that to be worship-worthy is to be absolutely perfect. More specifically, I advance the claim that to be absolutely perfect is to be supremely worship-worthy and that supreme worship-worthiness holds a unique position in this respect. For instance, I argue that to be absolutely perfect and thus supremely …

Upon This Rock: American Evangelical Spirituality And Jesus Music, 1969-1976, Kathryn Kinney

Arts & Sciences Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation studies the music of the Jesus movement and its role in shaping American evangelical spirituality. I begin by analyzing the emergence of Jesus music in the contexts of the economic systems of evangelicalism and mass media. Next, I examine how anti-rock critics and Jesus music artists differed in their beliefs about the theological functions of music. The second half of the dissertation analyzes how through Jesus music and pop worship Jesus movement participants developed and distributed a new evangelical spirituality based on ‘feeling’ or experience. This aesthetic embrace of experiential, musical spirituality allows for people with varying levels …

Praise God From Whom All Blessings Flow: Innovating, Evaluating, And Improving Worship To Participate In God's Mission, Andrew K. Barnett

Doctor of Ministry Theses

This case study asks how a Cathedral might innovate, evaluate, and improve worship to participate more fully in God’s mission. Theoretical frameworks include: Missional Church (Zscheile, Keifert, Bosch), Adaptive Leadership (Heifetz, Linsky), Playful Acts in Scripture (Taylor), Doxology (Anderson), and utilizes Mixed-Methods Social Science Research. The central findings are that participation leads to transformation in worship, engagement helps communities innovate together, and innovation requires prolonged investment. Theoretical codes yielded a model of church as sailing vessel: seeking transformation, balancing identity with financial realities, dependent on trust, steered by a sense of shared purpose, and powered by the Holy Spirit’s wind.

Measuring The Value Of Guided Preparation On The Worship Experience At First Baptist Greenville, Sc, Matthew Rollins

Doctor of Ministry Projects

Worship is a central part of the life of the church. There exists an understanding that the church will provide a time and space for regular, meaningful worship to occur, as well as an expectation that the people will attend and engage, open to an encounter with God, alongside their brothers and sisters in Christ. This study investigates the latter responsibility - that of the people to fully participate in worship that gives worth to God, listens to God, and responds to God. In this project, volunteers from First Baptist Church Greenville, SC, engaged with specially designed pre-worship guides to …

A Renaissance Of The Visual Arts In Worship For Churches Of Christ, Heather Heflin Hodges

Doctor of Ministry Theses

This Doctor of Ministry thesis presents the results of a project in which a group of four artists from across the United States met via video conference to create liturgical art activities that can be integrated into the Sunday morning worship for Churches of Christ. The problem identified at the beginning of the project was a lack of integration of the visual arts in worship in Churches of Christ. I understood this lack to be due in part to an iconoclastic heritage in Protestantism as well as a focus on rational intellectualism and desire for simplicity in worship as a …

Sunday, Bloody Sunday: Martyrial Theology In The Eucharistic Liturgies Of The Anglican Church Of Canada, Andrew M. Rampton

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

Martyrs were foundational to early Christian life. Their experiences, their commemoration, and their ongoing inclusion in Christian life shaped significant portions of the theology, liturgy, and cultural life of early Christians. This foundation is part of the inheritance of all churches today, including the Anglican Church of Canada (ACC). The ACC states that its own beliefs are best articulated in its liturgies. Much of the belief, understanding, and practice of the ACC’s members is shaped by participation in those liturgies.

In order to understand how the ACC’s theology of martyrs and its liturgical formation of members around this topic, this …

Body-And-Soul: Embodied Participation Of The Laity In The Divine Service, Aaron Roggow

Master of Sacred Theology Thesis

Roggow, Aaron, W. “BODY-AND-SOUL: EMBODIED PARTICIPATION OF THE LAITY IN THE DIVINE SERVICE.” Master’s thesis, Concordia Seminary, 2018. 96 pp.

Since God has created us as body-and-soul creatures, it follows that worship of Him is not only spiritual but also physical in essence and in practice. The resurrection of Jesus Christ in the flesh points to the holistic nature of our faith; as such, the physicality of our worship is a fruit of this faith in an incarnate Lord. The benefits of bodily movement and gesture associated with the Word in Christian worship are a vitally important part of worship …

Perichoretic Worship: Cultivating Relationships With The Triune God, With One Another, And With The World, Greg G. Busboom

Doctor of Ministry Theses

A Participatory Action Research (PAR) study focusing on perichoretic worship as a way of cultivating holy relationship with the Triune God, with others, and with the world. Theoretical lenses include ritual studies, Faith Development Theory, and personhood in social relationships. Theological lenses include perichoresis, Lutheran worship, and faith practices. Using both quantitative and qualitative research, the study explores the practice of Christian worship in a large Lutheran congregation and seeks to grow active participation in the missional work of the Triune God through worship grounded in Word and Sacrament. Presents the Triune God as the active subject of Christian worship.

Worship Music As Spiritual Identity: An Examination Of Music In The Liturgy Among Black And White Adventists In The United States From 1840 To 1944, David A. Williams

Dissertations

The Topic

This study examined Black and White Seventh-day Adventist music in the liturgy in the United States from 1840 to 1944. Little scholarly attention has been given to the development of Adventist liturgical practice, the function of music in the liturgy, and the effect of music upon the spiritual identity. This study utilized liturgical history, ritual studies, musicology, and liturgical theology to derive and compare the spiritual identity fostered through music in the liturgy by these ethnic groups. This study considered both the shared and distinct spiritual identities of Black and White Adventists, as cultivated by the music in …

Empowering A Local Church To Reflect Revelation 7_9 Unity Through Multi-Ethnic, Bilingual, Combined Worship, Mark Bowditch

Doctor of Ministry Major Applied Project

Bowditch, Mark “Empowering a Local Church to Reflect Revelation 7:9 Unity Through Multi-Ethnic, Bilingual, Combined Worship.” Doctor of Ministry. Major Applied Project, Concordia Seminary, 2017. 347 pages.

The purpose of this MAP was to carry out field research specifically designed to answer the research question: “Can multi-ethnic, bilingual, combined worship services be developed at Mt. Calvary that will foster Christian unity and fellowship among two different cultures?” This effort presupposed that it is God’s will for His people, the Church, to be joined together in unity and fellowship on earth—as they will be in heaven (Rev 7:9). The basic problem …

Musical Worship As A Pentecostal Sacrament: Toward A Soteriological Liturgy, Richard I. Griggs

Selected Honors Theses

This paper seeks to articulate a Pentecostal theology of worship within the framework of sacramental spirituality, asserting that music as a form of worship is a Pentecostal sacrament. After offering a literature review on the topic, the paper articulates Pentecostal sacraments as essentially participatory, transformative, and communally unifying physical actions which facilitate meaningful participation in the story of God through kinesthetic catechesis, dialectic temporality, and mutual epiclesis. It then explores the ways in which music aligns with this sacramental nature and function, recognizing music as a Pentecostal sacrament of the felt presence of the divine. Next, support for this assertion …

Deification Through Sacramental Living In Lds And Eastern Orthodox Worship Practices: A Comparative Analysis, Jess P. Jones

Theses and Dissertations

This thesis is a comparative analysis of the doctrine of deification in sacramental worship as taught (and practiced) by the Eastern Orthodox and Latter-day Saint (Mormon) churches. The doctrine that man may become like God—known as deification, divinization, or theosis—is a central teaching in the Orthodox and Mormon traditions. Both faiths believe that man may become like God. However, because of doctrinal presuppositions and disagreements regarding the natures of God and man, Orthodox and Mormon teachings of deification do not mean the same thing. This thesis will outline several key distinctions between their respective doctrines. And yet, despite doctrinal disagreements, …

Educating Calvary Baptist Church, Asheville, Nc, On The Value Of Following The Christian Year As A Means For Spiritual Renewal Through Worship, Jeffrey C. Hayes

Doctor of Ministry Projects

This project introduced the spiritual value of following the Christian year in worship. Through a series of sermons and study lessons that focused on eight major seasons (Advent, Christmas, Epiphany, Lent, Holy Week, Easter, Pentecost, and Ordinary Time), participants were exposed to the history and spiritual purpose of each, respectively. Two surveys were administered, along with weekly evaluations, and interviews, to measure the project’s effectiveness. The desired outcome was a greater degree of knowledge and interest in worshipping through the Christian year. According to the final analysis, increased understanding, spiritual growth, and desire to worship through the Christian year did …

Relational Health Through The Communion Service At The Lighthouse Seventh-Day Adventist Church In Fort Lauderdale, Fl, M. Curtis Powell

Professional Dissertations DMin

Problem

The history of conflict at the Lighthouse Seventh-day Adventist Church can be traced to the different attitudes and approaches toward the corporate worship experience held by the membership. One view of worship is more akin to traditional liturgy and style. One segment of the congregation, composed mainly of older members, prefers the use of hymns, emphasizes reverence in the sanctuary, and is skeptical of drums. Their posture could be considered reflective rather than overtly expressive. The other view of worship is more akin to contemporary elements and style. They prefer more contemporary genres of music, a more contemporary liturgy, …

Why We Sing Along: Measurable Traits Of Successful Congregational Songs, Daniel Read

Theses and Dissertations--Music

Songwriters have been creating music for the church for hundreds of years. The songs have gone through many stylistic changes from generation to generation, yet, each song has generated congregational participation. What measurable, traceable qualities of congregational songs exist from one generation to the next?

This document explores the history and development of Congregational Christian Song (CCS), to discover and document the similarities between seemingly contrasting styles of music. The songs analyzed in this study were chosen because of their wide popularity and broad dissemination among non-denominational churches in the United States. While not an exhaustive study, this paper reviews …

Assessing The Effect Of Worship Education And Worship Renewal At First Baptist Church Kings Mountain, North Carolina, Jonathan Bundon

Doctor of Ministry Projects

For many Christians, worship has been reduced to the entertainment value centered on self rather than the Triune God. Ignorance must be combated with worship education and worship renewal. For the worshiper, how one prepares for corporate worship affects their worship experience and informs their private worship. The four-week study, Spirit and Truth, introduced members of First Baptist Church Kings Mountain to worship education and renewal and challenged them to assess their own worship practices. Quantitative and qualitative test results and observations validated this project's needs. In addition, the project afforded opportunities that might contribute to a life-long experiment of …

A Worship Model To Blend Cultural Differences At The Los Angeles Spanish-American Seventh-Day Adventist Church, Rogelio Paquini-Ledesma

Professional Dissertations DMin

Problem

The membership of the Spanish-American Seventh-day Adventist Church (SASDAC), in Los Angeles is culturally diverse; it includes immigrants from several Latin American countries, as well as Hispanics born in the U.S. Currently, the mixture of cultures, worship traditions, and language brought to the church setting by immigrants do not blend well with the worship style and language of church members raised in this country. Hispanics born in this country do not feel confortable in a worship service led in Spanish and tend to leave the Hispanic church. As a result, the church has lost many members and tithes and …

Worshipping Meaningfully: The Complementary Dynamics Of Liturgy And Theology In Worship, Joseph Omolo

Doctor of Philosophy Dissertation

Omolo, Joseph, T. "Worshipping Meaningfully: The Complementary Dynamics of Liturgy and Theology in Worship." Ph.D. diss., Concordia Seminary, 2014. 242 pp.

This dissertation is a work in systematic theology which explores the relationship between liturgy and theology in the current scholarship of liturgical theology. It examines how the complementary dynamics of liturgy and theology enhance the appropriation of meaning experientially and conceptually in the Christian assembly and thereby making worship meaningful event. Worship is meaningful when the Christian assembly encounters the Triune God in his word and sacraments and the assembly responds in praise, prayer and thanksgiving. In such encounter …

Corporate Worship’S Pedagogy, Cullyn Curtis

Children, Youth, and Family (CYF) Papers

No abstract provided.