Christianity Commons^™

Autocratic Leadership Within West African Pentecostal Denomination, Ezekiel Olaleye

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this grounded theory study was to determine whether autocratic leadership theory best explains the nature of leadership in the West African Pentecostal/Charismatic Denomination (PCD) across West Africa and to compare the current leadership practices within the PCD to a biblical and theological framework. Since Africa is the fastest growing Christian continent in the world, it is important to give careful attention to matters arising within the church leadership. The researcher believes that this study helped shed light on leadership challenges within African Christianity, Christian education, and most importantly within the Pentecostal/Charismatic denomination. It also provides information that …

Chaplaincy: A Practical Approach To Caring For The Human Spirit, Susan Fair

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

This DMIN project is based on the Pastoral Ministry program at Nyack College, which publicly promotes that it leads the student to become a professional in the ministry context. The problem is that the academic curriculum does not include components of Clinical Pastoral Education (CPE). The project facilitator reasons that the current environment demands that spiritual care providers possess a specific skill set extending beyond pulpit preaching, reading scriptures, and prayer. The literature review contains articles, journals, and books that explore caring for the human spirit within the physical, spiritual, emotional, financial, religious, and holistic context. The research methodology designed …

Understanding Eschatology Leads To A More Fruitful Christian Life, John Michael Mendola

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The evangelical church cannot fulfill its mission to facilitate the return of Jesus unless its membership’s studies eschatology. Too many relegate biblical prophecies to the past without recognizing their fulfillment in the here and now. This study investigates the contemporary belief structure of church members and aims to develop an effective corrective measure in order to improve the spiritual life of its members while advancing the church’s central mission of evangelizing. This study aims to determine what members know about church viewpoints on eschatology and deliver an educational remedy. The 15-person sample received a six-week course on eschatology developed and …

The Flourishing Life Of The Leader Who Makes God The Top Priority, Frank Owusu

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The Thesis Project that is undertaken in Richmond, Virginia, is addressing the issues in the leaders of churches’ lack of understanding, when it comes to prioritizing their relationship with God. The purpose of the thesis is to train the men and women in leadership, so that they seek and reach forth onto that highest priority of relationship with Christ. The interventions that are designed to help in the development of the spiritually healthy leaders include the practices that the Lord Jesus Christ mentions in His speech, the Sermon on the Mount. Through mentoring and the participants’ initiative in fasting, prayer, …

A Study On Bible Study Group To Improve Expository Preaching Preparation: The Case Of 701 Korean Church Bible Study Group, Young Shik Choi

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The rapid growth in number of Korean churches have led the period of quantitative revival. However, at same time, diverse problem emerged such as materialism and secularization. The main reason was due to the lack of spiritual growth of the church members. In this regard, expository preaching which provides clear understanding of the scripture and applications to live as healthy Christians is inevitable. Many preachers in the past have had interest in and tried expository preaching but they could not write down their script with elements of expository preaching due to the lack of understanding and training in this field. …

Implementing Christlike Love In The Johnson Grove Baptist Church, Robert Lee Sullivan Jr.

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

This research project was paramount, the title expressed the vision and purpose of the researcher as an under-shepherd of Christ. Implementing Christlike Love was not just designed for this church, but the key principle that was used in this project can inspire others. The problem addressed was a lack of true Christlike love in this church. Believers assumed that loving others would be automatic but loving like Christ requires God’s help. The purpose of this project was to appraise and resolve the perceived lack of Christlike love within the Johnson Grove Baptist Church. This researcher sought to provide a remedy …

A Study Of Hunger Relief-Based Outreach As A Model Of Church Growth For The Unattractional Church: The Gospel Grocery Wagon, Jerry Wayne Vineyard

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of the research project is to create a strategy for Under Over Fellowship to engage the immediate low socio-economic, cross-cultural, and multi-racial community with the Gospel of Jesus Christ and to see those who make professions of faith in Jesus Christ become active members of Under Over Fellowship. This model of church growth will be facilitated through the combination of servant evangelism and long-term hunger relief. This method will provide a comfortable and non-confrontational way for members of Under Over Fellowship to build relationships and share the gospel with the residents of the low-income apartment complexes and trailer …

The Effectiveness Of Christian Accommodative Mindfulness To Reduce Burnout Of Parents And Educators Of Disabled Children, Donna M. Weston

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

This research project utilized a four-week Christian accommodated mindfulness protocol with parents and educators of disabled children as a dissertation in completion of the author’s doctoral studies. Chapter one provides an introduction to the need for the study, both in terms of the gap in research and the needs of the population to be studied, as well as the problem, purpose, and significance of the study, research questions and definitions. Chapter two discusses the relevant literature regarding the stressors and mental health challenges facing parents and educators of disabled children, especially in light of the increased risks and challenges posed …

An Effective Online Training Strategy For Worship Leaders In Korea, Dong Hyun Kwon

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

A trained worship leader plays a significant role in a modern church's proper worship experience. It is hard to find well-prepared worship leaders, and most local churches need to train those who are or will be leading their worship services. There have been various courses for this purpose by several organizations in Korea. However, these programs have usually been limited to those who are able to attend at a certain time and place set by the organization. Those who do not live in large cities or cannot afford time off during those hours have been excluded from the opportunity to …

Keeping Culture: An Evaluation Of Organizational Culture In The Multisite Church, Michael John Grayston

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this descriptive qualitative study was to explore the attendee perception of organizational culture, including the communication pathways, vision, and mission in the three common multisite church models: the local franchise model, the national franchise model, and the live teaching model. The study evaluated the attendee perception of the methods and strategies used by the multisite church to create and keep one unique culture in spite of their method, proximity, or demographics. The researcher attempted to evaluate these methods through a survey and face-to-face interviews with multisite church leaders from six different churches representing three different models. The …

A Phenomenological Study Of Anger's Dissonance: Exploring The Attribute Of Meekness Among Christian Exemplars, Stephen Ethan Halstead

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

This phenomenological research examined the role of cognitive dissonance in the process of spiritual and behavioral change in the lives of mature Christian exemplars within the Evangelical Free Church of America (EFCA) located in the Southeast Region of the United States of America by peering through the lens of the emotion of anger to explore one’s transformation toward meekness. Utilizing a purposive sampling, this study sought to explore the magnitude of behavioral change from a tendency toward anger to a tendency toward meekness as one matures as a Christian. It sought to close the gap in understanding how Christians viewed …

Development Of An Observation Skill In Inductive Bible Study In Consideration Of Biblical Genres For Bible Students In The School Of Biblical Studies In Youth With A Mission, Kona, Hawaii, Yohan Shim

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

SBS Kona has been helping Christians to employ the inductive Bible study method to study the Bible for many decades. Some Bible students in SBS Kona superficially observe the biblical text. The project aims to assist the Bible students in developing their observation skills by considering the biblical genres. For this purpose, the project covered eight genres of the Bible: Narrative, Law, Poetry, Wisdom, Prophet, Apocalyptic, Gospel, and Epistle. The project also supplied five essential observation labels for each genre to guide the participants observe the text in light of the biblical genres. The researcher facilitated the project for six …

Reproducing Lay Leaders In The Local Church Through Missional Mentoring, Jonathan A. Watson

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

In many rural churches with 250 or fewer people in attendance each week, there is a need to properly train and prepare non-paid, volunteer laymen to serve in positions of leadership. Churches have been guilty of placing someone in an area of service with very little—or no—direction of what to do or how to properly lead. Without adequate training and leadership development, the spiritual growth of the ministry can be hindered as lay leaders are not equipped to effectively disciple those under their ministry. At Bible Baptist Church, the desire is to develop a missional mentoring ministry that will help …

A Phenomenological Study Of Leader-Observed And Student Experienced Behavioral Transformations Associated With Christian Released Time Programs, Steven Louis Rathers Jr

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this phenomenological study was to investigate the lived experiences of instructional leaders and high school graduates associated with a released time education (RTE) learning center in northern Georgia. The study sought to understand the perceived contribution of released time on behavioral transformation and the construct of a biblical worldview. The phenomenological method was chosen as the qualitative design for this research since it involves how the participants made sense of their experience. Data collection in this phenomenological study consisted of interviews with nine instructional leaders, and a focus group of eight alumni, all of whom were purposively …

Counseling Women In Prison On Forgiveness, Guilt, And Shame, Lashawnda Denise Key

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

There is a lack of adequate counseling on forgiveness, guilt, and shame in the women’s prison. Without effective counseling on those subjects while incarcerated, there is potential for the female offender to reoffend. Adequate counseling could increase the recidivism rate. Counselors in the prison system address behavior issues, acclimation of prison life and rehabilitation programs. Addressing the issues that precipitates criminal behavior and helping the offender understand the factors that lead them to engage in criminal behavior are overly complex. With passable counseling the offenders have the propensity to release the hurt and pain they have lived with and become …

Servant-Leadership: Social-Science Model Or Biblical Model--Which Is Predominant Within Southern Baptist Ministry Leadership?, Norman Custis Snead Sr.

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this quantitative descriptive research study was to discover the most predominant leadership style, of the five styles being measured (Autocratic/Authoritarian, Bureaucratic, Democratic, Laissez-faire, or Servant-Leader), that was found within the ministry leadership of the Southern Baptist Convention, and to discover which servant-leadership model (social-science or biblical) was more predominantly followed by those using a servant-leadership style. Furthermore, the correlation of their leadership position and educational level were analyzed for those ministry leaders predominantly following the social-science model of servant-leadership. The social-science model was identified and defined through a literature review. Whereas, the biblical model was defined and …

An Examination Of Leadership Development Practices Among Pastors Leading Hispanic Southern Baptist Churches In North Carolina, Dimas Enrique Castillo

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The Hispanic population's growth could be an opportunity and source of growth and renewal for many declining churches and denominations. However, accomplishing the God-given task of a church often requires a radical transformation of a church’s mission and operation. The purpose of this quantitative non-experimental descriptive study was to evaluate the understanding and comprehension among Hispanic pastors serving in the Baptist State Convention of North Carolina (BSCNC) of the specified principles of leadership, disciple-making, personal spiritual growth, and evangelism as delineated in the Leadership Development Models utilized in the BSCNC. The study sample was drawn directly from Hispanic pastors serving …

The Messiah, The Mandate, And The Mission To Implement Multicultural Evangelism Through Intentional Racial Reconciliation Among African Americans And Caucasian Christians, Panisha Levern Stigger

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

Paste or Type Your Abstract *

Victory Temple House Of Refuge: A Missional Focused Revitalization Strategy, David Lee Nalls

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose for this DMIN action research thesis is to develop a revitalization strategy for Victory Temple House of Refuge located in Fayette, Alabama, that will connect the hearts and minds of its leaders to biblical principles for restoring church vibrancy and growth. The purpose rises to confront a problem of church membership decline and community contraction, frequently associated with a lusterless existence. The purpose statement also introduces a study on church revitalization’s incipit principles of returning to missional activities and discipleship fundamentals as a means of restoring congregational vitality. Researching the problem is inextricable to a Christian community’s mandate …

Implementing A Discipleship Curriculum Among Men At Breakthrough Church Of God By Faith (Cogbf) In Memphis, Tn, Shawn Martinus Cook Sr.

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this qualitative study was to introduce, engage, and implement discipleship concepts and practices at Breakthrough COGBF to increase attendance, spiritual engagement, retention, and membership among men. The study included comparing the biblical concept of discipleship cited in Matthew 28:18-20, the Great Commission, with contemporary perceptions held by male parishioners. The study included the participation of three parishioners from a predominately African American congregation. Theological and theoretical foundations for the study of discipleship were discussed along with current trends. Theological foundations included an analysis of Matthew 28:18-20 revealing that the imperative to make disciples was achieved by doing …

Developing The Practice Of Biblical Mentoring Through Expository Preaching At Kepler Road Baptist Church, Jerry L. Durden

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

Developing the Practice of Biblical Mentoring Through Expository Preaching at Kepler Road Baptist Church (KRBC) is a project in which the presence and practice of mentoring in the Bible is studied and how applying that practice in the local church would benefit the individual participants and the church ministry. The author’s goal for this project was to teach participants about how the Bible presents mentoring and to instill in them the desire to adopt mentoring as a lifestyle. The research for this project was accomplished through accessing material from the Jerry Falwell Library Online and by visiting the library at …

The Challenge Of Ecclesiastical Multicultural Integration In Homogeneous Japan, William Paul Petite

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

In 2019, 26% of the attendees at Akita Bible Baptist Church (ABBC) were non-Japanese. However, only 4% of the official members of the church were non-Japanese. The purpose of this action research project was to find a strategy to reduce the gap between the relatively high percentage of non-Japanese attendees (26%) and the low percentage of non-Japanese official members (4%). In other words, the purpose was to identify a strategy to increase multicultural integration regarding organizational influence at ABBC. This strategy was discovered by first interviewing eleven non-Japanese attendees. The research facilitator was surprised to discover that 73% of the …

The Responsibility Of Christian Church Pastors To Include Homelessness Awareness In Ministry Outreach, Joy Nicole Hale

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The Christian church pastor has a significant role in addressing homelessness within their communities. They must be willing to defeat this giant. This responsibility is further highlighted by the opportunity of outreach ministries within Christian churches working with community resources to identify the physical, financial, social, and emotional needs of the homeless. Understanding the pastoral leadership shapes and influences the Christian church is a critical component to comprehending how the church illustrates hope and the image of God to the homeless population. Many American individuals are faced with the debilitating stresses of homelessness without adequate emotional resources to address their …

Racial Reconciliation: A Theological Approach To Building Relationships, Calvin Glass

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

Racism within the Christian community in America has resulted in social unrest and has plagued the Christian church in a way that mandates urgent solutions to this untamed malady. This research focus is centered on learning a practicable methodology based on biblical principles that address racial reconciliation (building God-approved relationships) that will combat racial disunity among Christians. The study method used BBR (Building Better Relationships) consisted of interviewing and teaching a focus group representing a Black pastor and five church participants on racial relations issues within the church context. From the recommendations of the senior pastor, a focus group from …

Church Leadership: Effectual Strategic Planning Towards The Congregational Growth And Maturation Of Go And Teach Christian Ministries, Christopher L. Kingdom

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

This thesis action research project is comprised of the effectual strategic planning toward the congregational growth and maturation of Go and Teach Christian Ministries. The project was embarked upon to address what had seemed to be a problem within the church’s leadership. The focus on church growth in membership numbers, rather than the membership, had seemed to creep into the leadership of GATCM. It seemed that the programs and events of the church were geared more toward attracting outsiders and adding new members to the church rather than creating an atmosphere of growth within the church attendees. From a foundational …

The Relationship Between Contemporary Evangelical Church Leadership And Church Discipleship Formation, James Lawrence Marshall

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this mixed methods study was to determine if the church leadership paradigm contributes to the problem of a lack of disciple-making in Pennsylvania Evangelical churches. A disciple is defined as an unwavering commitment to the Lordship of Christ that is illustrated by Luke 9:23 in which disciples deny themselves and carry their cross daily. This research sought to identify the causes for the lack of discipleship in Pennsylvania Evangelical churches, and had the following findings from the quantitative survey. First, the vision that leadership provides for disciple-making is much higher than either the member involvement in discipleship …

A Quantitative Descriptive Study Of The Impact Bible Reading Has On The Lives And Leadership Of American Evangelical Church Pastoral Leaders, Andrea Michelle Tom

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this quantitative descriptive research was to ascertain both the amount of time spent reading the Bible and the perceived impact of regular reading on the lives and leadership roles of American Evangelical Christian church pastoral leaders. The central assumption guiding this study was that the Bible is a vital source for Christian leaders that provides many benefits to its readers, including leadership guidance that biblical and historical leaders have diligently applied. Because these leaders serve as role models, the theoretical foundation guiding this research was Albert Bandura's Social Cognitive Theory of Development, which has linked learning to …

Reincorporating Senior Adults Into The Life Of A Local Church, Joe Lloyd Evans

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

This DMIN research thesis’s problem concerns that some senior adults have grown complacent in their walk with God at Judson Baptist. In response to this problem, the researcher desired to implement a trend of encouraging all senior adults to become fully engaged in serving Christ. This senior adult minister wanted to reincorporate inactive members into the life of the church. As the seniors were encouraged to reactivate their status, their prayer life and faith walk may have improved. The problem was addressed by using a specific plan and understanding its objectives of overcoming apathy and indifference in church life. A …

Chaplain Leadership: The Absence Of Spiritual Leadership At Winston -Salem State University For Spiritual Advocacy, Leroy H. Izzard Iii

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

Students living in an academic environment need a consistent spiritual presence to enhance the overall academic experience. Spiritual advice should be available in times of crisis and a chaplain could be the spiritual leader to fill that void. . Chaplain leadership should parallel secular academy professionals and religious professionals to fortify spiritual and community awareness on the campus of Winston Salem State University. On a broader scale, the absence of spiritual leadership is a vital component of this problem. Chaplain leaders must answer the call outside the boundaries of religious comfort zones and address the absence of spiritual leadership crippling …

A Groundbreaking Christian Ministry Study On The Authority Of God Among Independent Churches In Mid-Atlantic America, Troy Shawn Stewart

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The commandments and covenants in the Bible are important in Christian ministry. Defining these aspects may cultivate Christian organizations such as Christian citizenship and Christian organization is vital in addressing the fabric of designing a loving and ethical culture built on the commandments and covenants. This includes love God, love one’s neighbor, or love one another. Designing a strong and integrity driven culture and showing how love should be put in operation in the church such as how a Christian leader views the actions and policies of the church. In return, this can create a love God design for churches …