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Articles 1 - 30 of 61
Full-Text Articles in Christianity
The Pastor's Faithless Child: Strengthening Methods For Hurting Parent-Pastors, Ryan Ayers
The Pastor's Faithless Child: Strengthening Methods For Hurting Parent-Pastors, Ryan Ayers
Doctoral Dissertations and Projects
Parent-pastors face challenges when balancing vocational and familial responsibilities every day, and when faithless adolescent children are part of their family dynamic the hardship is magnified. These pastors often experience debilitating critique from their faith communities and colleagues while carrying the burden of raising a rebellious child. Utilizing a phenomenological study process, one hundred transparent interviews with parent-pastors are used to identify assumptions and realities surrounding the hurting parent-pastor's dilemma. Leading principles that have helped other parent-pastors cope with the overwhelming affects of their child's behavior will be introduced, empowering those who are hurting identify their stress points and overcome …
A Lonely Faith: Lessons In Spiritual Resiliency Learned From The Isolated, Captive, And Rescued, Jeff Schlenz
A Lonely Faith: Lessons In Spiritual Resiliency Learned From The Isolated, Captive, And Rescued, Jeff Schlenz
Doctoral Dissertations and Projects
Americans have always traveled abroad whether as merchants, military service members, missionaries, reporters, or simply, "tourists." Most return safely, but some have been taken captive by foreign governments, terrorists and criminal organizations. Though many have studied their struggles, no wide-scale attempt has been made to understand the role religious faith played in enduring their captivities. If understood, such information could be used in training those who may be exposed to similar circumstances in the future, and may have devotional value for others enduring crises. In this study, one hundred seventy-eight international travelers are surveyed, assessing their expectations of and preparation …
Former Mentors' Perceptions Of The Faith-Based Approach To Reducing Recidivism Implemented By The Marinette-Menominee Jail Outreach, Inc., James Langteau
Former Mentors' Perceptions Of The Faith-Based Approach To Reducing Recidivism Implemented By The Marinette-Menominee Jail Outreach, Inc., James Langteau
Doctoral Dissertations and Projects
The purpose of this qualitative, hermeneutic phenomenological study was to examine the impact of a faith-based approach to reduce recidivism. The theoretical frameworks guiding this study included the belief system and self-efficacy theories. Participants consisted of a convenience sample of 21 former mentors of the Marinette-Menominee Jail Outreach. The setting was a Christian non-profit organization serving the Marinette and Menominee County Jails located in rural northern Wisconsin and the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. Semistructured interviews, surveys, and a focus group provided data to illuminate common themes. Data analysis included highlighting significant statements from volunteer mentors who engaged offenders to effect …
Discipleship Principles And Applications To Help Local Church Pastors To Become Disciple-Makers In South Korea, Dongjin Park
Discipleship Principles And Applications To Help Local Church Pastors To Become Disciple-Makers In South Korea, Dongjin Park
Doctoral Dissertations and Projects
Every pastor is called to develop disciple-makers to fulfill the mandate of the Great Commission. Korean pastors have been trying to make disciples with many programs, but they have difficulties in making disciples that multiply. This is caused by misunderstanding the meaning of disciple and what disciple-making principles are in the Bible. The purpose of this project is to define the essential nature of a disciple and to research principles and applications for helping local church pastors to develop disciple-makers in South Korea by focusing on Jesus' ministry. The New Testament will be studied to discover principles for discipleship making. …
A Biblical Foundation Counseling Strategy To Direct Couples To Become One Flesh In Marriage, Colin Seager
A Biblical Foundation Counseling Strategy To Direct Couples To Become One Flesh In Marriage, Colin Seager
Doctoral Dissertations and Projects
This project will outline steps in counseling newly married couples to develop biblical, physical, emotional, social, and spiritual unity within marriage. A review of currently available marital and pre-marital counseling suggests the focus centers on intimacy, communication issues, and being happy together versus truly becoming one flesh. This ministry tool will enable pastors to counsel and prepare couples effectively for marriage with the richness God designed for marriage and to fortify them against marital temptation and marital fatigue. Based on a review of available resources and data collected from a control group comprised of sixty individuals, an implementable discipleship program …
Equipping New Pastors Within The African Methodist Episcopal Church: A One Year Training Manual, Delphoney Kargbo
Equipping New Pastors Within The African Methodist Episcopal Church: A One Year Training Manual, Delphoney Kargbo
Doctoral Dissertations and Projects
The purpose of this thesis is to create a training manual for the development of and successful transition to a new appointment as a pastor within the African Methodist Episcopal Church. Based on the surveys and questionnaires collected from fifty newly-appointed pastors in the African Methodist Episcopal Church and through a well-developed manual, pastors will become better equipped for the ministry. This thesis will show that the decline in membership is a direct result of the lack of post-seminary training for those in the ministry. This thesis seeks to demonstrate that through a well-developed and practical classroom and online training …
Vision Impaired: A Model To Make Vision A Reality For Church Plants, Dwayne Pedroza
Vision Impaired: A Model To Make Vision A Reality For Church Plants, Dwayne Pedroza
Doctoral Dissertations and Projects
Although begun with good intentions, not every church planting effort stays on course or continues to success. Church planting is uniquely birthed and has many areas that can become pitfalls as well as demands that challenge a church planter while trying to implement the vision; therefore, this thesis project provides a biblical structure to help church plants successfully implement the vision for the church. This thesis project provides a staffing model for church plants to give life to the vision and to enhance the survival rate of the church plants. The staffing model in this thesis project project consists of …
Reclaiming The Spiritual Leadership Role Of Christian Parents In Family Life: Coaching And Markers, Cindy Hayes
Reclaiming The Spiritual Leadership Role Of Christian Parents In Family Life: Coaching And Markers, Cindy Hayes
Doctoral Dissertations and Projects
Christians in the Western culture often struggle to pass on their faith to the next generation and as a result, the way God designed the family to function is being unwittingly abandoned. Countless parents today are leaving genuine faith and reliance on God behind. Though God's Word gives specific instructions on how to maintain and pass on faith, many have abdicated this injunction. In an effort to encourage authentic faith within the family, the local church can come alongside parents to help them understand and share their faith by offering training and coaching to embrace their own faith and pass …
Mission Statement Alignment: Guiding Ministries Toward A Strategic Culture Focused On The Great Commission, David Fuller
Mission Statement Alignment: Guiding Ministries Toward A Strategic Culture Focused On The Great Commission, David Fuller
Doctoral Dissertations and Projects
The development of organizational mission statements has been emphasized since the early 1990's. Church ministries and religious organizations providing direct human services within communities have utilized mission statements to articulate actions and identity. The purpose of this project is to provide a framework to construct a clearly defined mission statement, to measure the behavior of the organization to determine proper mission statement alignment and to focus that alignment toward the great commission. The project will survey religious organizations within the United States and compare religious non-profits' operational and administrative procedures to their own mission statement. Based on the findings of …
TawḥĪDic Allah Or The Trinity In View Of Inherent Human Relatedness, Brian Scalise
TawḥĪDic Allah Or The Trinity In View Of Inherent Human Relatedness, Brian Scalise
Doctoral Dissertations and Projects
This dissertation is an inquiry into the nature of the Deity in view of human relationships. Human relationships exist and are definitive of what it means to exist as a human. In this sense, human relating is an inherent aspect of the experience of humanity, i.e., they are inescapable. Does the Christian doctrine of Trinity or Islam's doctrine of Tawhidic (monadic) Allah more adequately account for the existence of human relationships and their inescapability? This question is analyzed by comparing the Tawhidic nature of Allah with the Trinitarian nature of God in order to evaluate and clarify which doctrine is …
Addressing Apathy In The Church: Moving People Towards A Biblical Healthy Discipleship Model, Kevin Brooks
Addressing Apathy In The Church: Moving People Towards A Biblical Healthy Discipleship Model, Kevin Brooks
Doctoral Dissertations and Projects
In 1 Corinthians 12, the apostle Paul speaks to the giving of spiritual gifts by the Holy Spirit to individuals at the time of conversion. However, current statistics reveal that a large majority of church members are not actively serving their current ministry. The purpose of this project is to investigate the problem of apathy in the church, the failure of God's people to use their spiritual gifts and also present an effective model for solving the issue. A ministry filled with servants instead of spectators will help unify the body and more effectively reach the community for Christ. Research …
Church Hospitality: A Biblical Model For Growth Based On The Seven Churches In Revelation, Gesner Noel
Church Hospitality: A Biblical Model For Growth Based On The Seven Churches In Revelation, Gesner Noel
Doctoral Dissertations and Projects
Church growth seeks both to actualize the precepts of the "Great Commission", to attract new members and sustain current congregation. One of the fundamental problems is the inability to preserve hospitality. The pertinence of hospitality to the Church originates from Scriptures that clearly exemplify Christ's deeds and teachings of hospitality. This thesis project will investigate the seven churches in Revelation and reveal factors of outstanding and inhospitable practices in relation to Church growth and hospitality. Surveys will be based on unregulated interactions among pastors. Twenty pastors across five denominations, Evangelical Lutheran, Charismatic, Pentecostal, Seven-Day Adventist, and Roman Catholic will demonstrate …
A Pre-Methodological Theology For Biblically Proper Ecclesiological Health, James Woods
A Pre-Methodological Theology For Biblically Proper Ecclesiological Health, James Woods
Doctoral Dissertations and Projects
The American church is in a dramatically noticeable decline, with many resources offering superficial remedies and solutions but rarely digging below the surface to evaluate the structural integrity of the foundation. This paper will evaluate the foundation as to how it has been altered over the last two thousand years, as well as identifying three main foundational attributes of the first century church that must be in place for the twenty-first century church to be on target biblically. The thesis will be corroborated by utilizing two different, yet related surveys administered to both pastors and congregants, as well as by …
A Story Of Virtue: Moral Identity Development In Students Attending A Midwestern Evangelical College, Wendy Lundberg
A Story Of Virtue: Moral Identity Development In Students Attending A Midwestern Evangelical College, Wendy Lundberg
Doctoral Dissertations and Projects
This qualitative phenomenological study discussed the essence of moral identity and provided an understanding of the context in which it was experienced by emerging adults attending a Midwestern evangelical college. Since a primary objective in Christian education today is the formation of moral character in students, this study provided a rich description of moral identity within the emerging adult and a deeper understanding of moral identity formation during adolescence by examining the life narratives of 11 students attending an evangelical college in the Midwest. This phenomenological study used semi-structured interviews and document analysis to describe the essence of the moral …
Idealism & Reality: A Phenomenological Exploration Of Pastoral Expectations & Ministry Realities Experienced By Protestant Church Planting Pastors, Dwayne Bond
Doctoral Dissertations and Projects
With the majority of literature focused on reducing clergy stressors, there is a need to explore how pastors respond when ministry idealism dissipates, while familial and congregational expectations increase. When idealized expectations fade, how do clergy experience resiliency? The purpose of this study was to explore how idealism affects clergy resiliency and their responses, coping, and longevity in ministry. Ten new church-planting Protestant pastors were selected using snowball sampling. Each pastor was interviewed. Data from the two-hour in-depth interviews was collected, organized and analyzed. The findings for each interview were compared and contrasted, and themes were identified - a) utilizing …
Nehemiah's Bricks And Mortar Story: Strategy For A Successful Building Project, Carla Antoine
Nehemiah's Bricks And Mortar Story: Strategy For A Successful Building Project, Carla Antoine
Doctoral Dissertations and Projects
Nehemiah was given a task to rebuild the walls of Jerusalem. His leadership was effective, essential, strategic, and successful. Nehemiah's methodology provides a perfect model for completing church construction projects. This thesis project will examine aspects of Nehemiah's leadership and its effects on the various facets of construction. This project will review the theological, sociological, and philosophical views of Nehemiah, as well as the vision elements of a project, mobilization of workers, provision, and a structured guide for successfully completing the project. Research will be conducted on 100 church leaders, and congregations who have started a building project, completed a …
Christian Music Experiences In The Faith Development Of Adolescents: A Phenomenological Study, Winnie White
Christian Music Experiences In The Faith Development Of Adolescents: A Phenomenological Study, Winnie White
Doctoral Dissertations and Projects
The purpose of this qualitative, phenomenology study was to discover how Christian music experiences affect the faith development of adolescents. The lived experiences are the on-going process in which adolescents develop through the stages of faith and how Christian music fits into that process. The participants were adolescents who participated in a youth group with an active music experience on a weekly basis. I used the transcendental phenomenology model which included the epoche, phenomenological reduction, imaginative variation, and synthesis of texture and structure to collect, gather, and analyze the data. Data were collected from 11 adolescents utilizing observations, Fowler's Life …
The Efficacy Of Christian Devotional Meditation On Stress, Anxiety, Depression, And Spiritual Health With Korean Adults In The United States: A Randomized Comparative Study, Jinse Kim
Doctoral Dissertations and Projects
This study investigated the comparative effectiveness of Christian devotional meditation (CDM) versus progressive muscle relaxation (PMR) on stress, anxiety, depression, and overall spiritual health among a sample of nonclinical Korean Christian adults in the United States. Seventy nine individuals at two churches in the northern Virginia area completed the study. At each church, the subjects were randomly assigned to a two-hour session of CDM training or PMR training. Each participant then was asked to practice the technique at home at least once a day for two weeks with audio recorded instructions. The participants' perceived level of stress, anxiety, depression, and …
21st Century Evangelistic Worship Strategy For The Emergent Generation In South Korea, Kihun Choi
21st Century Evangelistic Worship Strategy For The Emergent Generation In South Korea, Kihun Choi
Doctoral Dissertations and Projects
Young adults are leaving the church. According to a research of Barna Group, three of every five young Christians are forsaking the fold. Therefore, reaching and sustaining the next generation in the local church is one of the most important issues for the church today. Young adults who were born in 1977 through 1994 are disappearing from or not attending the local church in South Korea. The purpose of this project is to present the development of an evangelistic worship strategy, which transfers the Christian faith to the next generation and presents a recovery model based on evangelism. The research …
The Role Of Prayer And Mission For Church Revival Through A Case Study Of Myung Dong Presbyterian Church, Chunkyung Cho
The Role Of Prayer And Mission For Church Revival Through A Case Study Of Myung Dong Presbyterian Church, Chunkyung Cho
Doctoral Dissertations and Projects
The purpose of this project is to suggest the role of prayer and mission for church revival through a case study of Myung Dong Presbyterian Church (MDPC located in YangSan city South Korea). MDPC has been in a revival for 10 years that has resulted from prayer and mission, as used in this thesis project. The case study focused on the principles, critical components, and elements that have been important for the revival. This project included questionnaires and interviews with MDPC members. Based on the questionnaires, this project explained the current conditions of MDPC and identified the strengths and weaknesses …
The Role Of Christian Education In The Development Of Spiritual Stamina In Young Adult Graduates Of Christian Schools, Violet Long
The Role Of Christian Education In The Development Of Spiritual Stamina In Young Adult Graduates Of Christian Schools, Violet Long
Doctoral Dissertations and Projects
The purpose of this qualitative grounded theory study was to investigate the personal development of spiritual stamina in graduates of Christian high schools who attend secular universities or colleges. Participants are comprised of a theoretical sampling of 16 young adult graduates of one of four Christian schools in Southeastern United States. Data collected through document review and personal interviews trace the process of spiritual formation and explain the constructs attributed to spiritual stamina. Spiritual growth and stamina are assessed using the Spiritual Transformation Inventory (STI) created by Dr. Todd Hall, which addresses 31 indicators of spirituality and the effectiveness of …
A Case Analysis Of The Foundational Ministry Principles Of Rev. Jerry Falwell From 1956-1966, Iain Lyttle
A Case Analysis Of The Foundational Ministry Principles Of Rev. Jerry Falwell From 1956-1966, Iain Lyttle
Doctoral Dissertations and Projects
This research examines principles employed by Dr. Jerry Lamond Falwell between 1956 and 1966 and the early developmental stages of his church, Thomas Road Baptist Church (TRBC). The foundation built during these formative years facilitated precipitous growth within the church plant for decades, allowing TRBC to become one of America’s most prominent megachurches and to found Liberty University, the world’s largest evangelical university. As church plants are more likely to fail than to succeed, this research aimed to investigate key characteristics of a church planter who was highly successful, which can be replicated. Using primarily twenty-three interviews of TRBC congregants …
The Case For Closing The Contagiously Conflicted Church: Three Reasons Why It Is Necessary, Michael Sanders
The Case For Closing The Contagiously Conflicted Church: Three Reasons Why It Is Necessary, Michael Sanders
Doctoral Dissertations and Projects
The topic of this thesis focuses on the harm of severely conflicted congregations and necessary reasons for their existence to cease. The rationale behind this choice is that there are numerous congregations that are contagiously conflicted and harming the lives of vocational ministers, the name of Christ, and the witness of the church. This issue needs to be addressed. Having served as pastor of two contagiously conflicted congregations, it is this writer's hope that this document will help others discern if and when such an unpleasant decision is necessary. The research for this thesis was derived from surveys of pastors …
Best Practices For Retaining Youth Group Students In The Local Church Post-High School, Christopher Dortch
Best Practices For Retaining Youth Group Students In The Local Church Post-High School, Christopher Dortch
Doctoral Dissertations and Projects
Research has indicated that students who were once active in a local church are leaving the church and possibly leaving the faith after they graduate high school. The purpose of this project is to present best practices for youth pastors in retaining students' involvement in a local church post-high school. The project will consist of surveying fifty student pastors and will examine the impact of the student pastor's tenure, student ministry philosophy and structure, curriculum plans, and the role of the student pastor in assisting students through this transition. Through a review and examination of these elements, the project will …
Combating Church Tradition: Freeing The Church To Reach Their Community For Christ, J. David Reid
Combating Church Tradition: Freeing The Church To Reach Their Community For Christ, J. David Reid
Doctoral Dissertations and Projects
It appears that many American Protestant churches have plateaued and are declining. Although there may be numerous reasons for this phenomenon, one reason is that churches appear to be losing their effectiveness in reaching their communities. An examination of this failure is essential to identify steps necessary in moving churches back to their roots of fulfilling the Great Commission. This project is designed to assist churches in moving from ineffectiveness to vibrancy and transformative power. Such churches are transformational. They set the stage for God to transform lives. The research for this project will be accomplished through documentary analysis and …
Biblical Hermeneutics For The Twenty-First Century African American Church: Introducing Seven Key Solutions Promoting Higher Education, Jacqueline Montague
Biblical Hermeneutics For The Twenty-First Century African American Church: Introducing Seven Key Solutions Promoting Higher Education, Jacqueline Montague
Doctoral Dissertations and Projects
Despite the fact that education builds knowledge, higher learning through Seminary is preached from many African American pulpits as having little merit. The author's hope is to channel broader understanding on how the seminary experience can make a difference in accomplishing the assignment commissioned by Jesus to a postmodern society. To achieve this goal, the author divulges the importance and necessity of seminary studies from a semiotic approach. Research includes a study of the hermeneutic circle and its three parts: text, messenger, and listeners; collected data from culture analyses and statistical reports to comprise three pastoral interviews. The objective is …
Making Disciples Of Jesus Christ: Investigating, Identifying And Implementing An Effective Discipleship System, Jeffrey Lynn
Making Disciples Of Jesus Christ: Investigating, Identifying And Implementing An Effective Discipleship System, Jeffrey Lynn
Doctoral Dissertations and Projects
According to George Barna's research, the current state of making disciples of Jesus Christ who are "observing all that I have commanded you" is dismal. His research reveals that "only three out of ten born-again adults admitted that they did not have any plan or process by which they intended to fulfill their spiritual goals." 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 …
The Effect Of Student Conduct Practices On Student Development In Christian Higher Education, Mark Hyde
The Effect Of Student Conduct Practices On Student Development In Christian Higher Education, Mark Hyde
Doctoral Dissertations and Projects
Student development professionals seek to address student behavior in a manner that facilitates whole student development and whole community development. Traditional student conduct models focus on addressing the behavior of the offending student through punitive sanctions. Restorative justice focuses on repairing the harm caused to the community and how the offender can restore trust. This study asks the question what student conduct practice produces greater student development outcomes at a Christian institute of higher education. This study used static group comparison to identify if there are statistically significant differences in student development outcomes generated by student conduct practices at a …
Noetic Apologetics: A Contemporary Approach In Comparison To Historic Apologetic Methods, Enuel Hernandez
Noetic Apologetics: A Contemporary Approach In Comparison To Historic Apologetic Methods, Enuel Hernandez
Doctoral Dissertations and Projects
Many are intrigued by the fundamental questions of life. Questions of origin, moral, and purpose are just a few of these. Christians have endeavored throughout the centuries in the task of apologetics to give sound answers to these questions. The history of Christianity has shown that apologists answered objections and inquires about their religion. Many techniques have emerged to direct apologists in explaining their faith. However, there seems to be no unifying process for doing apologetics. This study examines the different apologetic methods and exposes their strong and weak points in order to develop a more efficient strategy. The research …
The Influence Of Religiosity And Adult Attachment Style On Marital Satisfaction Among Korean Christian Couples Living In South Korea, Dae Woon Cho
Doctoral Dissertations and Projects
The primary purpose of this study was to investigate the influence of religious commitment, spirituality and adult attachment style on marital satisfaction among South Korean Christian couples living in South Korea. Three hundred sixty nine South Korean Christian couples from nine Presbyterian churches in Seoul, Dejeon, Daegu, Gumi, and Busan participated in this research. The current study evaluated the psychometric utility of the Spiritual Assessment Scale (SAS) and investigated the relationships among religiosity (religious commitment and spirituality), attachment style (anxious and avoidant attachment) and marital satisfaction. For the psychometric evaluation of the SAS, Confirmatory Factor Analysis was conducted for the …