Christianity Commons^™

Re-Innergized The Ministry Of The Holy Spirit, Stacey Spence-Baldwin

Doctor of Ministry

In this Project Portfolio, I will address the following NPO: The church is in decline or dying because it lacks connection with the Holy Spirit. Through the church relying on human reason instead of the will of the Holy Spirit, the church has lost its light. The key finding in my research is that when a church embraces the guidance of the Holy Spirit, it will live again. This finding came from my personal experiences of the Holy Spirit resurrecting three small rural churches which were in decline/death back to life. When congregations allowed the Holy Spirit to prompt their …

The Role Of Metropolitan Andrei Sheptytskyi In The Formation Of Ukrainian National Identity, Iryna Krasnodemska

Occasional Papers on Religion in Eastern Europe

The article examines the main statehood ideas and views of the socio-political and Church figure, Metropolitan Andrey Sheptytskyi’s contribution to the struggle for the establishment of an independent, united Ukrainian state. The impact of the Metropolitan’s activity as the hierarch of the Greek Catholic Church on the Ukrainian national spiritual revival in Ukraine (at the end of the 19th to middle 20th century) is clarified as the solid foundation which was laid by his ecumenical ideas. The judgment of A. Sheptytskyi regarding the necessary prerequisites for building a strong, independent Ukraine, and his ideas about reforming state authorities, the Church, …

The Influence Of Atheist Propaganda Of The Communist Regime On The Lives Of Believers And Their Children (1946-1991), Oksana Vysoven, Nina Brehunets, Yuriy Figurnyi, Elena Zham

Occasional Papers on Religion in Eastern Europe

The article is devoted to the analysis of the antireligious policy of the Soviet government, which was carried out by the communist regime in Ukraine in the cultural and educational spheres to completely eradicate religion from the lives of the Soviet people. The main purpose of atheistic propaganda was to convince ordinary people that religion and its bearers were enemies of the communist state. Atheistic propaganda was carried out in the form of lectures on natural science and atheistic topics, atheistic evenings of questions and answers, and demonstrations of scientific and feature films. Punitive and repressive methods of atheistic propaganda …

Preach Freedom: The Praxis Of Social Justice Advocacy As Effective Holistic Ministry In Pentecostal Churches In The South Florida Area Of The United States, Alexander Umole

Doctor of Ministry

This dissertation centers on the praxis of social justice advocacy as an effective holistic ministry in Pentecostal churches in the South Florida area of the United States. The ministry problem addressed is that Pentecostal churches in the South Florida area of the United States have not adopted effective methods or utilized ministry opportunities in social justice advocacy to help and impact the communities in which they reside.

In Section One, this problem's complexity will be explored from different yet significant perspectives, first, by considering and identifying the problem using stories and studying the historical background surrounding this problem. Second, assessing …

Rethinking Foreign Missions: How Churches Can Engage In Global Missionary Work Without Leaving Their Communities, Stuart Alan Cocanougher

Doctor of Ministry

For three hundred years, the modern missions movement has established a paradigm in which evangelical churches, denominations, and parachurch agencies have recruited, trained, funded, and sent missionaries around the world. Taking seriously Christ’s command to reach the nations with the gospel, U.S. churches spend millions of dollars each year to send a few select missionaries to faraway nations, while most Christians are not engaged in cross-cultural ministry. But the world has changed. Now there are millions of foreigners living in the United States. I propose that evangelical church leaders consider a new strategy that involves training American Christians to minister …

Becoming Stuck In Complicated Grief: Turning Loss Into Resilience, Hope, And Healing, Elizabeth (Pam) Strachan-Proudfit

Doctor of Ministry

Grief is a natural and normal experience reaching back to the narrative of creation. Research has revealed that about 80 to 90 percent of grievers experience normal or uncomplicated grief while a small percentage ranging from 10 to 20 percent struggled with complicated grief responses. This small percentage is the focus of this dissertation. Those who experience complicated grief are observed to become stuck and unable to move through the grieving process independently. Grievers who are stuck appear to have on-going difficulty in their spiritual, emotional, cognitive, and even physical health. The uniqueness of grief is not only real with …

Toward A Corporeal, Biblical Narrative: A Study In Church Transformation, David C. Scafide

Doctor of Ministry

This dissertation claims that church leaders can enact healthier church-wide transformation when changes are processed on the narrative level of culture. As the church’s narrative is transformed, the church lives out her new identity more readily and with less resistance. Chapter 1 defines key terms and examines the state of current transformation models and why they are not having widespread impact in transforming churches. Without understanding underlying narratives, church leaders face unnecessary resistance resulting from the attempt to impose changes that are not assimilated by the narrative of the church. Chapter 2 demonstrates how people always live out their perceived …

Potential Worldview And Behavioral Transformation Within The Ugandan Lgbt And Evangelical Context, Phil Smart

Doctor of Ministry

To fulfill the mission entrusted to believers by God and shown through the incarnation of Jesus Christ, the same principle of loving others unconditionally is the Church’s mandate. Unfortunately, Ugandan traditional worldviews, compounded by outside influences, have contributed to bringing this self-proclaimed, Christian nation to a point of worldwide recognition and reprimand because of its destructive anti-gay legislation and oppression of the LGBT community.1 Focusing on the struggle between Ugandan evangelical leaders and their response to those with same-sex orientation, this dissertation seeks to investigate the use of Cultural Intelligence (CQ) as a tool for mitigating the destructive attitudes and …

"The Harmony Way:" Integrating Indigenous Values Within Native North American Theology And Mission, Randy Woodley

Faculty Publications - Portland Seminary

Given that Western models of mission have failed among Native Americans and that colonial practices have devastated native communities, this research sought a better way of pursuing Christian mission among Native Americans by asking two questions: (1) Do Native Americans have a generally shared set of values that could guide the construction of new models for mission in North American Native communities, and, if so, to what degree are these values shared among Native American communities? and, (2). What resources (particularly values) are available within the Native American communities themselves for developing appropriate models of mission and could such resources …