Christianity Commons^™

Healthy Churches Grow, Rodney Mills

Journal of Applied Christian Leadership

Change will not occur until there is a sense of urgency. Church leaders and their members have long tolerated the atmosphere of ill health. Their current state of dysfunction has been going on for so long that the members often believe it is normal and therefore to be expected. Excuses are made to maintain the status quo and as a result nothing improves in the life of the church. For lasting change to occur, church leaders and members must sense the urgency of the situation and determine that doing nothing is worse than the anticipated pain of changing long-standing practices …

Shared Leadership: Best Practice In A Ministry Context, Shaldana Juanette Johns

Journal of Applied Christian Leadership

Dissertation Notice:

Full Text of the Dissertation

This qualitative, multiple case study examined the best practice of shared leadership in a ministry context ... The top three highest occurrences of established best practices in a ministry context were spiritual giftedness, relational support, and biblical shared leadership. Unique best practices were discovered and isolated as well.

Restorative Justice : Transformation Project Prison Ministry's Reason For Growth And Motivation Of The Volunteers, Yong Hui V. Mcdonald

ATS Dissertations

No abstract provided.

Grief In Community: The Establishment Of Bereavement Ministry Teams From The Congregation At Sandy Run Baptist Church In Mooresboro, North Carolina, Andrew S. Rawls

Doctor of Ministry Projects

The Church is to be the expression of hope through the various contours of the human story. Too often congregations have difficulty expressing this hope during the time of death and extending that hope to ministry with the bereaved. In this project I studied the increase in self-efficacy in bereavement ministry with the congregation of Sandy Run Baptist Church in Mooresboro, North Carolina. The research focuses on the teaching of a curriculum that explores the biblical, theological, and clinical aspects of grief. The results of my research show this was an effective means of increasing self-efficacy.

Beneficial Worship Patterns Within Bilingual Spanishi-English Christian Churches In The United States, Madeline Bloom

Honors Program Projects

Language diversity within the U.S. is on the rise; this generates a unique cultural shift. Change in language diversity impacts the overall nature of government, schools, and churches. In response, many Christian churches are developing alongside the surrounding culture, notably in the form of bilingual services. In order to remain relevant the church must address new evangelistic and congregational needs. Religion is naturally perceived through a personal cultural lens, but cultural identity at its core is integrated with language. With this in mind, churches desiring to successfully integrate multiple languages in a worship setting must prepare for a long-term commitment …

Reflections On Mentoring And Multi-Generational Ministry, Gordon Macdonald

Journal of Applied Christian Leadership

" I would challenge the multi-generational leaders. I would ask the young people to engage the older people and say, “tell me your story.” I would say to the older people, “You need to listen to the young people because they will build enthusiasm into you. they will give you fresh ideas. and tell them your story. Let them ask you questions. Don’t give them advice unless they ask for it, so we can bring this all together.'”

Soul Food: Understanding And Implementing An Effective Creative Arts Ministry At The Collegiate Level, Kristen Jones

Selected Honors Theses

The purpose of this thesis is to discuss the varying roles of the creative arts in society and the church. It provides a review of literature examining how the arts are being implemented in entertainment, therapy, education, and ministry today, along with a handbook on how to run Soul Food, a college creative arts ministry club. Through a discussion on the intrinsic value of the arts and their ability to provide people with new and deeper ways to encounter God, this thesis provides a basis for the significance of integrating the arts, and empowering artists in the church. The Soul …

Ministry Partners: Ten Key Characteristics Of A Healthy Marriage In Ministry, Arlen Pfenninger

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

In the beginning, God created a partner for man to have as they live their lives together. This partnership was created so they could work together for the kingdom God created. There has been literature written about the unhealthiness of some marriages in ministry because the pastor has neglected his or her family for the cause of Christ. There are others who have advocated a partnership in marriage ministry where the husband and wife work together as a ministry team. This thesis project presents an understanding of the healthy characteristics couples portray as they partner together in the ministry in …

What Does World Christianity Mean For Your Church?, Peter Choi

Symposium on Worship Archive

The remarkable story of Christianity’s growth as a world religion has implications not only for mission work in the far corners of the globe but also for ministry in each local congregation. In what ways is the gospel—to use Andrew Walls’ terms—a “prisoner” as well as “liberator” of culture? What does faithful Christian ministry look like in our increasingly pluralistic contexts? How can sacramental worship speak to secular skeptics? In this workshop, we will explore key lessons for the life of your church that emerge from the spread of Christianity across the world.

East African Perspectives Of Family And Community, And How They Can Inform Western Ecclesiology, Ben Strait

M.A. in Family Ministry

East African families and communities function day-to-day as a single living organism. As one participant said, “Life is common.”[1] What he meant by that was that life is shared among the members of a community, whether biologically related relatives or those who live in close proximity with others. Throughout this research, close interaction with several native East Africans took place, and insights were made into how this view of communal living works itself out in daily life.

[1]. Yusufo, interview by author, Grand Rapids, March 31, 2014.