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Complexities Of Pastoral Change And Transition In The Megachurches Of The Baptist General Conference, Evangelical Lutheran Church In America, And Presbyterian Church (Usa), Sheila Strobel Smith

Doctor of Philosophy Theses

The emergence of the megachurch in the United States represents a unique phenomenon which was shaped by a variety of cultural, political, economic, and religious forces. Megachurches have grown exponentially in recent years and now exercise unprecedented influence on the religious landscape in this country. Accompanying this phenomenon is a new and unique group of leaders who have guided these congregations through periods of rapid growth and substantial organizational change.

It is anticipated that many megachurches will encounter significant challenges in the future as the current senior pastors retire. Since existing research on megachurches has focused primarily on the congregations, …

Developing A Process For Missional Formation: A Ministry Project In The Baptist Church Of Beaufort, Sc, Eric Thomas Spivey

Doctor of Ministry Projects

Traditionally, Christians and church leaders compartmentalize their lives into growing spiritually and serving other people. One studies the Bible, worships or serves others without much thought for how these spiritual disciplines of formation and missional living impact and influence one another. Through a designed pastoral experiment involving twenty-four individuals in three community groups, this project proves that missional living combined with spiritual practices increases the spiritual growth in the members of The Baptist Church of Beaufort (SC).

A Study Of Compassion: Aaron's Creek Baptist Church In Virgilina, Virginia Reaching Single Parent Families, Billy Ray Mcentire

Doctor of Ministry Projects

Christ's mandate requires the Church to minister to those in physical and spiritual need (Matt 25:31-46). This project ministers to disadvantaged single parent families in Southside Virginia and makes clear to the congregation of Aaron's Creek Baptist Church several things: its responsibilities to society, the need for its service to society, and God's mandate that it practice and minister with compassion. A field study involving church volunteers and single parent families provides observation and interview data for the project's analysis. Volunteers develop into a self-driven ministry team that needs less direction in future ministry projects.

Glimpses Of Heaven Among Friends: The Utilization Of Film To Draw Interest In Small Group Studies At The First Baptist Church Of Albemarle, Roger William Thomas

Doctor of Ministry Projects

A small group study about heaven in scripture and contemporary film was developed in order to create interests in small groups. Believing small groups, discussions of the after life, and the power of storytelling are affirmed throughout scripture, individuals were recruited and led through the study. Surveys measured opinions on heaven and small groups among the entire congregation and the small group participants. Following the study, the participants were surveyed one final time on both subjects. Ultimately the study did not always change minds with concern to the afterlife, but the overall opinions of small group experiences seemed to be …

Transforming Attitudes And Commitment To Missions At The Mt. Emmanuel Missionary Baptist Church In Greenville, South Carolina, Jermaine A. Boyce

Doctor of Ministry Projects

This ministry project's goal was to seek transformation in attitudes and commitment to missions at the Mt. Emmanuel Missionary Baptist Church in Greenville, South Carolina. The goal of transformation was to guide the congregation's mission practices to be exemplary of its 'Missionary' name and the overall mission of the church as discovered in Luke-Acts and in the Abrahamic Covenant.

The project tested the attitudes and commitment to missions from the Missionary Society in comparison to the general congregation. The project revealed both strengths and weaknesses in the attitudes and commitments of the Missionary Society and the congregation about missions. The …

The Origin, Development, And History Of The Norwegian Seventh-Day Adventist Church From The 1840s To 1889, Bjorgvin Martin Hjelvik Snorrason

Dissertations

This dissertation reconstructs chronologically the history of the Seventh-day Adventist Church in Norway from the Haugian Pietist revival in the early 1800s to the establishment of the first Seventh-day Adventist Conference in Norway in 1887.

The present study has been based as far as possible on primary sources such as protocols, letters, legal documents, and articles in journals, magazines, and newspapers from the nineteenth century. A contextual-comparative approach was employed to evaluate the objectivity of a given source. Secondary sources have also been consulted for interpretation and as corroborating evidence, especially when no primary sources were available.

The study concludes …

Communally Discerning A Covenant Of Hospitality For The Care Of Children At Westview Boys' Home, Ron Bruner

Doctor of Ministry Theses

This project addressed the lack of a covenant defining the practice of hospitality towards children for team members of Westview Boys’ Home. The purpose of the project was to facilitate the creation of such a covenant. The Westview ministry team already claimed hospitality as a strength; the hope was that reframing the ministry around this strength would improve the quality of care for children and the quality of life for the community. Invited into a communal discernment process (the methodology), the ministry team invested weeks in the examination of biblical texts, theological tradition, personal and communal narratives, cultural trends, psychological …