Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

Police Perceptions And Parenting Styles Among Black Parents Of Miami-Dade County, Amber E. Roach

Masters Theses

A person’s perception of something or someone does not develop without external factors affecting the individual. Experiences and lessons people have learned from a young age have molded their perception of the world. One of those lessons is what is considered correct and what is not. In the Black American community, this is accompanied by the “talk”. This “talk” is shaped by past experiences with the police towards minority groups, specifically, Black Americans. This paper discusses how parenting styles, race, and authority intersect. The purpose of this paper is to examine the beginnings of one’s life, the lessons they are …

An Exploration Of Military Spouse Mental Health: Religion/Spirituality, Resilience, Social Support, Deployment, And Rank, Sharita Gwen Knobloch

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

Military spouses (MLSPs) are a vital component of military readiness and resilience, yet they are highly understudied, particularly within the realm of mental health. This study was grounded in resilience theory, investigating relationship interactions between religion/spirituality (R/S) on mental health through resilience (mediator) conditioned at levels of social support, deployment, and rank (moderators). An online survey was distributed via social media, open to MLSPs of all branches and all components (N = 1079). This quantitative, descriptive, cross-sectional correlational research design utilized PROCESS Model 58, which found that two R/S subscales, Daily Spiritual Experiences and Religious Coping, exerted indirect effects on …

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 …

The Moderating Effect Of Shame Proneness On Avoidant God Attachment And On Anxious God Attachment, Tamika Andrews Sirmons

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

This study’s focus was on examining both anxious and avoidant God attachment and the correlation of each to both positive and negative religious coping as moderated by shame proneness. Participants were 158 individuals ages 18 to 70 years across the United States who proclaim Christianity. They were assessed on their attachment relationship with God, religious coping strategies, and proneness to shame. Correlation analysis already established the relationship between God attachment and religious coping. Regression analysis revealed shame proneness as a moderator of the relationship between the two attachment styles and both positive and negative religious coping. This study had limitations …

China Containment In East Asia: Preventative Or Provocative?, Rachel Solsman

Senior Honors Theses

Since the end of World War II, the United States has developed and maintained its strategic alliances with Japan, South Korea, the Philippines, and Taiwan, and has worked to contain China through bolstering its deterrence strategy. However, after a century of humiliation, China is modernizing its military capabilities, improving in trade, and increasing political cohesion to become a regional hegemon. In light of these changes to the international order, the United States must re-evaluate its East Asian alliances and its current military and economic deterrence strategy against China. This paper will discuss the history of these alliances, the rise of …

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 …

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 …

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 …

First Responder Chaplaincy: Sending Sources As Key Social Support Structures, Christopher Alan Bassett

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

Police and fire chaplaincy comprises an emerging ministry profession that is underrepresented in academic study. This study addresses the problem of support structure inadequacies among First Responder Chaplains (FRCs) which create conditions that lead to burnout. The study examines their often-problematic connections to churches, denominations, and other endorsing agencies (sending sources). The purpose of the project is to assess those connections and provide remediation inadequacies. The thesis project examines Chaplaincy Organizational Agencies (COAs) and develops solutions for FRCs to build better initial and ongoing relationships with their sending sources. The thesis suggests that chaplains who are properly affirmed, supported, and …

A Survey Of North Carolina School Resource Officers: Training And Roles, Alesha Poole Troutman

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this study is to develop an understanding of the roles of SROs in North Carolina and the training that they receive. This study is based on the perceptions of SROs in North Carolina and the roles and training that they need to be effective within the school(s) they serve. The quantitative design used a survey that consisted of different measurement scales, including ordinal, nominal, and fill-in-the-blank. The findings of this study were analyzed using Qualtrics XM that lets you statistically analyze your response data and allows researchers to identify trends and produce predictive models. Descriptive statistics were …

Creative Arts Personal Growth (Capg) Group Leader Manual, Lisa S. Sosin, Sandra Noble

Faculty Publications and Presentations

CAPG focuses on forming a safe community to process and recover from feelings of fear and shame, as seen in the sub-title: Transforming Fear and Shame with Compassion, Courage, and Community. Why make the focus of a personal growth or counseling group fear and shame? Shame, which includes the experience of fear, has been described as a trans-diagnostic, underlying cause of many clinical concerns. CAPG combines best practices for the treatment of shame and fear and explicitly focuses on helping participants form a safe, inclusive relationship with one another to heal from shame.

The Challenges Of Balancing Personal And Professional Relationships Among Historically Black Colleges And Universities (Hbcus) Band Directors, Rodney Deshun Chism

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this qualitative study is to identify common challenges and provide strategies for band directors at Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs), who face work-life balancing issues. HBCU band directors typically experience a high level of stress, burnout, and professional and personal role conflicts. There is a significant gap in the literature regarding how HBCU band directors maintain work-life balance (WLB) when dealing with administrative pressure, protecting the band program's reputation, and serving as a leader role-model, teacher, and mentor to their staff and students. Band directors commonly identify with or experience issues related to these research questions: …

Creating Collaborative Missional Communities To Enhance Church Revitalization, Bradford William Reaves

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

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This project utilizes the revitalization efforts of Grace Community Church in Winchester, VA to examine the precedence of collaborative strategies for church revitalization. In this study contemporary literature, theological foundations, surveys of church leaders in the United States, and interviews with collaborative church and ministry leaders from around the United States are evaluated to determine the need for greater collaboration for the health and revitalization of church and ministries. The findings of this research argue that contemporary church growth strategies that emerged from the recent church growth movement may actually inhibit church revitalization efforts …

Young People And Full Time Pastoral Ministry In The Church Of Pentecost U.S.A., Inc, Frank Asirifi

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The shortage of young pastors to replace the aging and retiring pastorate is an alarming reality confronting Christian churches regardless of location, size, and denomination. This research project's primary objective was to explore the factors discouraging young Christian adults born in the United States of America from responding obediently to God's call into full-time pastoral ministry and create corporate awareness of the holistic nature of the problem and seek a collaborative solution plan to motivate young Christian adults to obey God’s call into full-time pastoral ministry. The project focuses on young American-born adults in the ministry context of The Church …

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 …

Sexual Identity, Mental, Emotional, And Religious Stability: A Phenomenological Study Exploring The Religious Lived Experiences Of Heterosexual Men Who Once Identified As Gay Or Bisexual, Mccay Martin Moiforay

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

This study aims are to fill the gap in research with regards to how to successfully provide religious support to men who once identified as gay or bisexual, who currently identify as heterosexual and religious. The research purpose is to share these men lived experiences regarding their sexual identity journey from gay or bisexual to heterosexual within the religious setting. The research plans to help understand what religious support is needed to provide those who desire sexual identity change from gay or bisexual to heterosexual and how this same religious support can be used in maintaining their heterosexual identity. These …

Engagement Of Millennials: Understanding The Decline Within Greater Hartford Area Churches, Victor Thomas

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

ecent trends reveal the sharpest decline in Church attendance in the Greater Hartford area has occurred within the population known as the Millennials. A question that is looming and of significance in this decade is what causes this generation to be attracted to some Churches and not others? Ten Protestant inner-city Churches within the Greater Hartford Area were studied to discover if there is a nexus between millennial participation, church leadership, and tools for equipping the millennial population of the church body. This study discovered several factors which impact millennial engagement which include, social influences, political ideologies, technology, and generational …

Understanding And Managing Conflict In Leadership Teams Within The African-American Church, Damian Alexander Hinton

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The African American church has been the cornerstone of many urban centers since its birth in the United States. While it has been a haven for so many, the African American church (or Black church) has faced conflict, especially among its leaders. Senior Pastors and staff are keys to ministry progress in urban centers. This study utilized data from leaders within the African American church in the form of surveys, focus groups, and private interviews to identify the sources of conflict between Senior Pastor in the church and their ministry staff or team members. The results showed that while there …

The Biblical Teaching Of Health Among Pakistani Evangelical Pastors, Benish Dildar Masih

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this study is to counsel Pakistani evangelical pastors on the importance of the biblical teaching of health. Pakistani pastors do not consider healthy living as an important factor of Christian living, even though the Bible clearly preaches on living a physically healthy life. Because of the cultural expectations, personal hindrances, lack of biblical teaching on health issues in Pakistani seminaries, and several other obstacles, Pakistani pastors are not well equipped to guide the congregation about the biblical norm. Because Pakistani pastors deem health concerns as unimportant, they do not teach these truths to their congregation, which does …

Prison Behind The Urban Walls Of Church, Walter L. Powell

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The problem is that the men at the Federal Correctional Institution located in Safford, Arizona (FCI-Safford), which is located approximately 168 miles northeast of Phoenix, lack spiritual fulfillment through God. The purpose of this paper is to provide a guide for the men at FCI-Safford to seek and find spiritual fulfillment. The primary investigator conducted qualitative research and analysis through one-on-one interviews with twelve men at FCI-Safford.

Assessing Well-Being In A Pastoral Counseling Program, Neil B. Dodson

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The goal of this project is to assess the efficacy of The Henry First Counseling Program by demonstrating the change in life satisfaction and client well-being. The Judson Baptist Association operates two Ministry Centers to serve persons in Henry County, Alabama, who are unserved, underserved, and marginalized. The Centers provide food assistance, moderately priced clothing and household goods, and spiritual resources for clients within the Judson Baptist Association of Henry County.

Educating The Congregation On The Role Of The Pastoral Counselor, Richard Laverne Wilkins

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

This thesis project is to educate the church staff, church members, and local surrounding community on the pastoral counseling practices of Good Shepherd United Methodist Church (GSUMC) and a licensed professional counseling center located on the church premises. The purpose is to ensure that those who attend the church, whether on a weekly basis or less frequently, are aware of the counseling services that are offered. Chapter one introduces the church’s ministry context, the thesis statement, purpose statement, and any limitations to the research. A literature review in chapter two discusses the challenges and difficulties for individuals seeking counseling as …

Applying Hope: A Preparatory Course For Lay Pastoral Counseling, Ryan James Ladner

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

This thesis project is a study on equipping laypeople at C3 Denton in basic pastoral counseling skills. The purpose of this project is to develop and implement a six-week course in lay pastoral counseling that will enable its participants to provide pastoral counseling services to fellow congregants with minor pastoral counseling needs. C3 Denton is a church located in Denton, a rapidly growing city with two universities. Reaching emotionally wounded individuals has been a consistent focus of C3 Denton since it was founded, which lead to a strong need for pastoral counseling services for its congregants. The goal of this …

Migrating And Amplifying Ministry To Online Platforms To Pursue The Great Commission, Daniel Elnaam Bagaas

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The COVID-19 crisis was unexpected by the universal church. The current pandemic revealed that the universal church and many local churches were not prepared for its’ accompanying challenges or to adapt in general. Due to COVID-19 restrictions, churches across America were required to temporarily cease in-person public gatherings and later to reduce the number of participants once in-person meetings were allowed again. This scenario caused many churches to have to adapt to the current circumstances to continue ministering. The purpose of this DMin research project is to amplify Sonrise Church’s online ministry presence and determine if it garners greater engagement …

A Self-Check Model To Build Resiliency And Balance In Ministry Leaders, Mark R. Williams

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

There is a significant problem with stress and burnout in ministry leaders. The purpose of this study was to develop a self-check model for ministry leaders to help them with life-balance and resiliency. To have and know peace in one’s life is to draw close to God and live by His design. Loving God with all one’s heart, mind, soul, strength and loving one’s neighbor as one’s self is critical for a healthy, well-balanced life and ministry. The researcher introduced a simple self-check model to enable ministry leaders to develop balance and resilience in their lives called the Star Model. …

Fidelity In Institutional Structure: Divine Family Formation And The Variance Of Church Amid Dysfunctional Behavior, Terrence Lyne Toliver

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

There has been a rift in the providential establishment of our Lord. Humanity is indulgent unto sin and the family is suffering. Disobedience and selfishness have blinded humankind into a false sense of reality. The fallacy has taken the place of divine order in the chosen avenues into humanism depicted as science, technology, philosophy, cultism, and any other route devoid of Christ. Therefore, this in-depth study seeks to dispel or to bring to light a revelation of where humanity rests in the grand scheme of contemporary life. Two notions of preponderance present themselves, to forgo selfishness and to embrace righteousness. …

Leading From Eternity: Developing Inmates With Life Sentences Into Undershepherds, Richard S. Kowalczyk

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

In an attempt to reform the American criminal justice system, the United States Congress passed, and the President signed, the comprehensive First Step Act (FSA). The aim of the FSA is to identify and begin preparing offenders for release in order to reduce recidivism. Unfortunately, the provisions of FSA applied to only a small percentage of the inmate population. Further, there was very little relief with regards to the reforming of the sentencing guidelines. None of the provisions provided any direct relief for inmates with a minimum of 20 years to life sentences. This thesis project provides an opportunity for …

Palestinian Evangelical Christian Music In Bethlehem, Israel/Palestine, Abby Smith

Senior Honors Theses

Often the story of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict is portrayed as Jewish vs. Muslim, Hebrew vs. Arab. There is little room in the international dialogue for minorities such as Arab Christians. Though Palestinians have a rich culture of Arabic musical and poetic heritage, they are unable to produce their own new songs. In this study I interviewed three members of Immanuel Evangelical Church on their experiences and opinions on local Christian worship. The findings show that Palestinian Christians may feel unable to write worship music because of a prevalent feeling of inadequacy and a lack of musical training. I propose several …

Bridging The Gap: Analyzing The History Of U.S.-Russian Relations Throughout History And The Actions That Would Improve Them, Coleman Anderson

Senior Honors Theses

After the onset of communism in Russia, relations between the United States and Russia have been tense up to the modern day. Even the fall of the Soviet Union could not usher in a permanent peace between the two countries, with mistrust pouring over from both parties. Utilizing both primary sources and commentary from subject matter experts, this paper argues that in order to achieve a legitimate and sustainable policy of peace between the United States and Russia, policymakers need to first understand the history and culture of the people they are reaching out to. Using this knowledge, policymakers can …

Missional Social Media: Content And Strategies For Missions Organizations, Kathryn Larson

Senior Honors Theses

Technology can be used in amazing and creative ways to spread the gospel and create community across borders. The Apostle Paul used the communication tool of his time, letters, to communicate with churches from a distance. Today’s tools include social media which, when used properly and with intent, can positively influence an organization in the name of the gospel. Missions organizations have an incredible opportunity to use strategies and content to create a viable social media ministry. Theories such as the Community Development Theory and various reception theories contribute to an understanding of two-way communication and engagement between organization and …