Practical Theology Commons^™

A Study On The Church Growth Method Through The Vitalization Of Small Groups In Traditional Korean Churches: The Case Of Daegu Dong-Sung Church, Byung Min

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

Nowadays, Korean society is faced with social issues, like individualism arising from fast growth. The traditional society has become dominated by individual interest and intention, as well as by new social aspects such as the loss of community ethics at large. This can also be seen in Korean churches; we have noticed an increase in Sunday service visitors and unregistered members. This change has brought a number of spiritual crisis into churches and is even a huge crisis in and of itself. In this regard, through research on church growth through small group ministry in traditional Korean churches, this study …

A Study On The Principles And Methods Of A Retreat Program For The Spiritual Growth Of Youth With A Focus On The United Retreat Ministry In South Korea, Eunho Lee

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this thesis is to help Korean churches create more effective retreats for the spiritual growth of their youth. Most of the youth in Korean churches participate in spiritual retreats during their summer and winter vacations. In the past, many of the youth converted or recovered their faith through retreats. Nowadays, the Korean youth are exposed to all sorts of secularized culture and media, which result in the deterioration of their spirituality. Therefore, it is a major challenge for youth ministry in Korean churches to have their youth experience personal spiritual growth at retreats. The writer has organized …

Early Creedal Formulations & Theological Discourse: Toward A Systematic Understanding Of Theology Via The Creedal Process, Mark Moore

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

Theology is a grand conversation, a dialogue of past and present voices. It is an open and free dialogue yet it is also guided by clear identity markers. This study examines the function of early creedal formulations as essential identity markers in theological discourse with the goal of constructing an approach to systematic theology that mirrors the creedal process. This approach, which is called the Essential Identity Markers model or simply EIM, first identifies and articulates the essential identity markers of a given theological category, and by doing so defines the proper parameters for theological discourse while allowing such discourse …

A Study On The Effect Of Church Revival And Growth Throught A Bible Academy: The Case Of Jeju Together Church In Korea, Soo Yoo

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this study is to emphasize the need for and importance of an intensive Bible study ministry in church and to suggest specific alternatives by studying the effect of church planting and revival through a Bible Academy in a Korean church. Church growth in South Korea has long since accompanied Bible study ministry. Sadly, Korean churches in the 21st century have been experiencing a slowdown and downturn in growth. Though there may be a variety of causes, the absence of a systematic and ongoing Bible study is one of them. This study is focused on providing a Bible …

The Blessing Of Spiritual Mentoring, S. Joseph Kidder

Faculty Publications

Paul’s core argument for spiritual mentoring includes that to be effective mentors, our teaching must be backed by the witness of our own lives. We are to demonstrate all that we teach. What is laid upon us is the tremendous task of not only talking to men about Christ but showing Him to them through our lives. The experienced and exemplary Christian creates a responsible atmosphere for spiritual growth, sharing life experiences and skills and sacrificing time and energy.

As part of the mentoring process, Christians are to take every opportunity to teach younger people about God. This can be …

Miller's "Choices Of The Heart" (Book Review), Noelle C. Keller

The Christian Librarian

A review of Miller, K. C. (2016). Choices of the heart. Atlanta, GA: Elk Lake Publishing. 122 pp. $9.95. ISBN 1942513909

Wilson's "More: Find Your Personal Calling And Live Life To The Fullest Measure" (Book Review), Amy C. Rice

The Christian Librarian

A review of Wilson, T. (2016). More: Find your personal calling and live life to the fullest measure. Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan. 223 pp. $15.99. ISBN 9780310524250

Lent 4 Series A 2017, Phillip L. Brandt

Sunday's Sermon

No abstract provided.

Lent 4 One Year Series 2017, Phillip L. Brandt

Sunday's Sermon

No abstract provided.

From Liberation To Salvation: Revolutionary Critical Pedagogy Meets Liberation Theology, Peter Mclaren, Petar Jandrić

Education Faculty Articles and Research

This conversation between Peter McLaren and Petar Jandric´ brings about some of the most recent and deepest of McLaren’s insights into the relationship between revolutionary critical pedagogy and liberation theology, and outlines the main directions of development of McLaren’s thought during and after Pedagogy of Insurrection. In the conversation, McLaren reveals his personal and theoretical path to liberation theology. He argues for the relevance of liberation theology for contemporary social struggles, links it with social sciences, and addresses some recent critiques of Pedagogy of Insurrection. McLaren identifies the idolatry of money as the central point of convergence between liberation …

Cultural Diversity In Student Ministry Leadership, Steven Zhou

Seaver College Research And Scholarly Achievement Symposium

In an attempt to contribute to how ministries and Christian academia is addressing issues of diversity, I am conducting a study to analyze correlations between ethnicity and styles/values of leadership. The goal is to uncover whether or not a particular ethnicity generally prefers one style of leadership over another. Past research on the subject has already seen that, in the business world, certain practices work better than others. For example, those from an Asian culture are more likely to prefer formality and authority as opposed to the collaborative and relationship-oriented style of leadership found in America. I will contribute to …

The Giving Trees: The (Un)Sustainability Of Palm Oil In Indonesia, Amber Rosche

Seaver College Research And Scholarly Achievement Symposium

Palm oil is the main source of cooking oil for much of Africa, Asia and Brazil. Due to the increasingly high demand for palm oil, countries such as Indonesia and Malaysia have cleared millions of acres of tropical rainforests to create space for oil palm plantations. This deforestation has led to extreme environmental and social concerns such as the burning of peatlands, the endangerment of a number of species, including the Sumatran Tiger, rhinos and orangutans, and the displacement of native populations. Indonesia is the world’s largest consumer and producer of palm oil, producing almost half of the world’s supply …

Lent 3 One Year Series 2017, Phillip L. Brandt

Sunday's Sermon

No abstract provided.

Lent 3 Series A 2017, Phillip L. Brandt

Sunday's Sermon

No abstract provided.

Lent 2 One Year Series 2017, Phillip L. Brandt

Sunday's Sermon

No abstract provided.

“Developing An Effective Divorce Recovery Ministry”, Kirk Hille

Doctor of Ministry Major Applied Project

Hille, Kirk A. “Developing an Effective Divorce Recovery Ministry.” Doctor of Ministry. Major Applied Project, Concordia Seminary, 2017. 184 pp.

A divorce recovery ministry was initiated in a church setting using the video-based Divorce Care curriculum. Over the course of thirteen weeks, participant scores on the Fisher Divorce Adjustment Scale increased an average of 53.6 points, and a final focus group interview elicited positive evaluations from all the participants. The steps taken to initiate the group and the results are discussed in detail, including eight factors cited by participants as contributing to the effectiveness of the ministry. Issues involved in …

Lent 1 Series A 2017, Phillip L. Brandt

Sunday's Sermon

No abstract provided.

Lent 1 One Year Series 2017, Phillip L. Brandt

Sunday's Sermon

No abstract provided.

Initiating A Missional Mindset: The International Leadership Institute's Eight Core Values As Impetus For Missional Living, Kenneth R. Ott

Journal of Applied Christian Leadership

"Using the critical Incident technique in three phases of data collection, this project identified persons whose christian beliefs and behaviors had been impacted by embracing the Values as a way of life. While the transformed beliefs and behaviors did not definitively ascribe to the definition of missional living, they demonstrated the potential of the Eight core Values as a pedagogical construct to introduce a missional mindset in Christ-followers."

Training Pastors As Steward Leaders, Wayne Knolhoff

Doctor of Ministry Major Applied Project

Knolhoff, Wayne J. “Training Pastors as Steward Leaders.” D. Min. MAP, Concordia Seminary—St. Louis, 2017. 187 pp.

The major purpose of this project is to design training for pastors that will equip them to lead ongoing, intentional, systematic, whole life Biblical stewardship education in their congregations. Attention will be given to the biblical metaphor of steward as an appropriate image for pastors as they lead stewardship ministry. In addition, pastors will be encouraged to adopt the model of “steward leadership” as they function in every area of pastoral ministry.

The central component of the research for this project is a …