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Full-Text Articles in Christianity

The Role Of Spiritual Formation And Ministry Governance In Developing Mission-Oriented Governing Boards, Allen Schoonover Oct 2013

The Role Of Spiritual Formation And Ministry Governance In Developing Mission-Oriented Governing Boards, Allen Schoonover

Doctor of Ministry

Congregations of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America have struggled over the last generation to reach out effectively to new members. This struggle is the byproduct of a changing ministry context leaders are trying to address. By the 1980s, those elements that had fueled the growth of the Lutheran Church the United States throughout the previous century had largely faded. An awareness of these changes and the corresponding decline in membership and contributions has prompted leaders to examine how to reach out more effectively to those outside traditional ethnic and cultural Lutheran enclaves. In order to improve their congregation’s effectiveness, …


Message, Mode And Milieu: Recalling An Ancient Approach To Christian Discipleship Sufficient For The Western-Consumerist Context Of The American College Student, William John Westfall Oct 2013

Message, Mode And Milieu: Recalling An Ancient Approach To Christian Discipleship Sufficient For The Western-Consumerist Context Of The American College Student, William John Westfall

Doctor of Ministry

American university students today are steeped in the ideals and practices of Western-consumerism. Rather than leading lives of self-sacrifice, as Jesus modeled, these emerging adults, even those who claim to be "Christians," typically reflect the self-centered ideals of the consumerist culture around them. There are at least two reasons for this reality. First, Western-consumerism tenets are diametrically opposed to Christian values. Students are pulled along by powerful cultural forces, which serve to shape both belief and behavior. Second, the Western social construct is becoming less conducive to a life lived in close community. As a result, this emerging generation is …


R3al Hope: Living With The End In Mind, Richard J. Callahan Oct 2013

R3al Hope: Living With The End In Mind, Richard J. Callahan

Doctor of Ministry

Jesus offers Abundant Life yet so many Christians settle for less. Why? There are myriad theories as to what constitutes Abundant Life (AL). As the evidence of history and Scripture are integrated, AL is consistently experienced in three realities: relationship, responsibility and restoration (RE3). Relationship + Responsibility + Restoration = Abundant Life or R3AL. R3AL Life existed in Creation, was made accessible to Fallen Eikons1 through Jesus and will be central to New Creation. While many Christians are aware of why they were created and the transformational power of Jesus, R3AL life eludes them. They have a flawed eschatology that …


Jesus And His Jewish World: A Resource That Brings First-Century Biblical Context Into The Twenty-First-Century World Through Technology, Paul D. Conway Oct 2013

Jesus And His Jewish World: A Resource That Brings First-Century Biblical Context Into The Twenty-First-Century World Through Technology, Paul D. Conway

Doctor of Ministry

THE PROBLEM The twenty-first century Assemblies of God Christian and communicator are separated by thousands of years and miles from Christ's first-century context. Few tools provide a three dimensional resource that converge the literature, land and language to construct a bridge that empowers learners to cross that distance independently. Many resources available are scholarly, scattered or static. Those privileged to visit the Holy Land leave enthusiastic but fail to export large portions of the educational experience. This often results in the traveler sharing their images and impressions for several weeks until all that remains are emotional memoirs and a dim …


The Hope Of An Open Hand: Civility As An Invitation To Incarnational Ministry, Kevin Dwight Glenn Oct 2013

The Hope Of An Open Hand: Civility As An Invitation To Incarnational Ministry, Kevin Dwight Glenn

Doctor of Ministry

No abstract provided.


Living Rhythms: Movements Toward Health And Holiness, Jill K. Sidler Fleagle Oct 2013

Living Rhythms: Movements Toward Health And Holiness, Jill K. Sidler Fleagle

Doctor of Ministry

Human beings can honestly profess to believe what they do not believe. (Dallas Willard) Christians seek relational health apart from spiritual health and vice versa. The problem is one of belief that it is possible to live in intimate fellowship with the Lord while in broken or unhealthy other primary relationships. Jesus addressed the problem of compartmentalized thinking when one of the Pharisees asked him to identify the most important commandment (singular) in the Law. Jesus' answer inextricably linked loving God with loving others in his response of not one but two commandments: You shall love the LORD your God …


Shift: Expanding Preaching For A Social Media World, Bryce Ashlin-Mayo Oct 2013

Shift: Expanding Preaching For A Social Media World, Bryce Ashlin-Mayo

Doctor of Ministry

Many have argued that the introduction of information technology and the subsequent birth of social media alter the way we communicate and relate socially. This phenomenon has comprehensively changed the methods and means of communication, the social structures and the social norms in which we operate. As Walter Ong exposes, we have moved into a Secondary Orality age transforming the way we communicate and relate socially.1 This change has created what Marshall McLuhan termed: "An Age of Anxiety," where people are using old tools in new environments.2 This reality has entered into the field of homiletics, resulting in previously dominant …


Describing A Pentecostal Spirituality And Eploring These Expressions Within A Spiritual Formation Model, Jeremy Daniel Sims Mar 2013

Describing A Pentecostal Spirituality And Eploring These Expressions Within A Spiritual Formation Model, Jeremy Daniel Sims

Doctor of Ministry

Richard Foster states, “The desperate need today is not for a greater number of intelligent people, or gifted people, but for deep people.”1 But how do we understand what it means to be a “deep person?” We need a description of what a deep relationship looks like and a model of the spiritual growth process that makes that possible. A spiritual formation model is a tool designed to identify the organic process of growth for the believer in Christ and describe how that believer might tunnel into the depths of maturity by partnering with the Holy Spirit. As a Pentecostal, …


Ordinary Community: Missional Communities As A Helpful Ecclesial Response To The Problem Of Postmodernism And Consumerism For The American Evangelical Church, Christopher W. Marshall Mar 2013

Ordinary Community: Missional Communities As A Helpful Ecclesial Response To The Problem Of Postmodernism And Consumerism For The American Evangelical Church, Christopher W. Marshall

Doctor of Ministry

There is a storm approaching the shores of the American evangelical church that is two-fold. First, there is a macro shift in cultural worldview from modernity, which was embedded in the tenets of the Enlightenment project to a new era called postmodernity. Postmodernity is characterized as a harsh reaction against the utopian ideals of the modern world. What is the appropriate ecclesial response of the American evangelical church to the postmodern world? Secondly, the dominant cultural challenge to Christianity in America is the organizing of life around the attachments of a consumer lifestyle. Consumerism dominates American life however it is …


Thriving In Broken Futures: The Paradox Of Church In Historic Watersheds, Christopher Lars Arney Jan 2013

Thriving In Broken Futures: The Paradox Of Church In Historic Watersheds, Christopher Lars Arney

Doctor of Ministry

No abstract provided.


Global Discipleship Communities Empowered By The Holy Spirit, Fueled By The Gospel For The Mission Of God, Andrew Bloemker Jan 2013

Global Discipleship Communities Empowered By The Holy Spirit, Fueled By The Gospel For The Mission Of God, Andrew Bloemker

Doctor of Ministry

No abstract provided.


Worship As Playground: Living The Song-Story Of God, H. Colleen. Butcher Jan 2013

Worship As Playground: Living The Song-Story Of God, H. Colleen. Butcher

Doctor of Ministry

No abstract provided.


How Information Communication Technology Can Reshape Missional Ecclesiology: The Making Of A Technomissional Church, Michael D. Hearn Jr. Jan 2013

How Information Communication Technology Can Reshape Missional Ecclesiology: The Making Of A Technomissional Church, Michael D. Hearn Jr.

Doctor of Ministry

No abstract provided.


Transcending The Cultural And Socio-Political Conditions In Friends Decision-Making Processes: Case Of Burundi, David Niyonzima Jan 2013

Transcending The Cultural And Socio-Political Conditions In Friends Decision-Making Processes: Case Of Burundi, David Niyonzima

Doctor of Ministry

No abstract provided.


Finding The Way Forward: Re-Introducing The Practice Of Discernment As A Means Of Determining God's Direction For The Church Of God Reformation Movement, Bruce W. Steffensen Jan 2013

Finding The Way Forward: Re-Introducing The Practice Of Discernment As A Means Of Determining God's Direction For The Church Of God Reformation Movement, Bruce W. Steffensen

Doctor of Ministry

No abstract provided.


Relational Discernment : Moving Towards A Holistic Approach, Vonna Thomas Jan 2013

Relational Discernment : Moving Towards A Holistic Approach, Vonna Thomas

Doctor of Ministry

No abstract provided.


The Jesus Prayer For Pentecostals: A Fresh Proposal For Spiritual Formation In The Pentecostal Church, Charles T. Dawes Jan 2013

The Jesus Prayer For Pentecostals: A Fresh Proposal For Spiritual Formation In The Pentecostal Church, Charles T. Dawes

Doctor of Ministry

No abstract provided.


Unified Variance In The Local Church : Fostering The Harmonics Of Difference By Following Christ, Valuing Relationships, And Rallying Around A Common Mission, John C. Tittle Jan 2013

Unified Variance In The Local Church : Fostering The Harmonics Of Difference By Following Christ, Valuing Relationships, And Rallying Around A Common Mission, John C. Tittle

Doctor of Ministry

No abstract provided.


Realms And Redescription In Ricoeur: Discovering Fresh Metaphoric Networks For Spiritual Formation In A Postmodern Consumer Culture, Anderson Campbell Jan 2013

Realms And Redescription In Ricoeur: Discovering Fresh Metaphoric Networks For Spiritual Formation In A Postmodern Consumer Culture, Anderson Campbell

Doctor of Ministry

No abstract provided.


One Size Fits All? Uncovering Multiple Conversion Avenues For Effective Evangelism, Tim Buechsel Jan 2013

One Size Fits All? Uncovering Multiple Conversion Avenues For Effective Evangelism, Tim Buechsel

Doctor of Ministry

No abstract provided.


The Faith Journey In H3, Randall J. Davis Jan 2013

The Faith Journey In H3, Randall J. Davis

Doctor of Ministry

No abstract provided.


Holiness Of Heart And Life For The 21st-Century Church, Catherine Newberry Davis Jan 2013

Holiness Of Heart And Life For The 21st-Century Church, Catherine Newberry Davis

Doctor of Ministry

No abstract provided.


From Decision Making To Discernment: Using Ignatian And Friends Models Of Discernment In A Baptist Context, Leon Kendell Cameron Jr. Jan 2013

From Decision Making To Discernment: Using Ignatian And Friends Models Of Discernment In A Baptist Context, Leon Kendell Cameron Jr.

Doctor of Ministry

No abstract provided.


Church, Culture And Arts: The Supremacy Of Arts In Engaging Church With Culture In The Twenty-First Century North American Urban Neighborhoods, Richard Yung H. Chung Jan 2013

Church, Culture And Arts: The Supremacy Of Arts In Engaging Church With Culture In The Twenty-First Century North American Urban Neighborhoods, Richard Yung H. Chung

Doctor of Ministry

No abstract provided.


No Longer In Kansas: The Mainline Church In The Postmodern Age, Susan Leo Jan 2013

No Longer In Kansas: The Mainline Church In The Postmodern Age, Susan Leo

Doctor of Ministry

No abstract provided.


Redeeming Disruptions: A Recommended Model Of Spiritual Formation For Christian Churches Of The Pacific Northwest, Tony L. Nelson Jan 2013

Redeeming Disruptions: A Recommended Model Of Spiritual Formation For Christian Churches Of The Pacific Northwest, Tony L. Nelson

Doctor of Ministry

No abstract provided.


Identity Formation In Mixed-Gender Leadership Community: Forming Leadership Relationships Around A Common Identity And A Shared Biblical Narrative, Vicki A. Scheib Jan 2013

Identity Formation In Mixed-Gender Leadership Community: Forming Leadership Relationships Around A Common Identity And A Shared Biblical Narrative, Vicki A. Scheib

Doctor of Ministry

No abstract provided.


The Right Stuff At The Right Time: Helping Emerging Leaders Develop A Leadership Foundation, Randy Worden Jan 2013

The Right Stuff At The Right Time: Helping Emerging Leaders Develop A Leadership Foundation, Randy Worden

Doctor of Ministry

No abstract provided.


Together, Full Of Wisdom And The Holy Spirit: A Paradigm For Congregational Discernment And Decision Making, Merrie Schoenman Carson Jan 2013

Together, Full Of Wisdom And The Holy Spirit: A Paradigm For Congregational Discernment And Decision Making, Merrie Schoenman Carson

Doctor of Ministry

No abstract provided.


Re-Placing The Church: Missional Opportunities In The Emerging Energy Crisis, Brandon D. Rhodes Jan 2013

Re-Placing The Church: Missional Opportunities In The Emerging Energy Crisis, Brandon D. Rhodes

Doctor of Ministry

No abstract provided.