Practical Theology Commons^™

A Strategy Toward Healing And Reconciliation Through Forgiveness Training For The Members Of The Maranatha Seventh-Day Adventist Church In Fredericksburg, Virginia, Glenford Baxter

Doctor of Ministry Projects

Problem

A focus group at the Maranatha Seventh-day Adventist Church, prior to the onset of this research, identified three key areas of conflict that must be addressed in order to improve its spiritual life and experience growth. One of the identified areas of conflict was the lack of forgiveness and a need for reconciliation among members. Unwillingness on the part of some members to both give and receive forgiveness has led to significant declines in attendance and loss of members over the past ten years.

Method

The project undertakes the development of a four-part biblical sermon series over two month …

Developing And Implementing A Domestic Violence Awareness And Educational Program In Dallas-Fort Worth Korean Church Of Seventh-Day Adventists, Jong Keun Han

Doctor of Ministry Projects

Problem

Research has established that Seventh-day Adventist families in the Korean community currently living in the United States of America are experiencing increasing levels of domestic violence. It has become increasingly clear that all is not well in the family unit, a core unit of any church and society. During numerous Korean ministerial association meetings, pastors have in the recent past been expressing their growing frustrations about family quarrels. Quarrels in the family have been seen to lead to violence in the homes of many congregation members. While domestic violence is well-known, yet not much talked about problem among Koreans …

Progama Para Evangelizar A Los Inmigrantes Hispanos De La Iglesia Adventista Del Septimo Dia De West Valley En Phoenix, Arizona, Enoc Marquez

Doctor of Ministry Projects

Problem

The West Valley Seventh-Day Adventist Church in Phoenix, Arizona, has the challenge to serve, evangelize and retain immigrant visitors that arrive to the church in search of attention and a remedy for their needs. The truth is that there is no structured program to achieve this goal. Because of this, the church was searching for a way to find strategies to serve them in such a way they feel welcome in the church and they are prepared to receive Christ as their Lord and Savior, and become members of a church. With this background in mind, the West Valley …

A University Course's Influence On Students' Perpectives Regarding Sabbathkeeping As Spiritual Discipline, Ifeoma I. Kwesi

Doctor of Ministry Projects

Problem

Although most students who attend Oakwood University are self-identified Seventh-day Adventist Christians, from general observation of their activities, conversations, and attitudes displayed on any given Friday night and/or Saturday (i.e., Sabbath), it would be easy to conclude that many neither enter nor exit their collegiate experience with a holistic understanding or experience of Sabbath and Sabbathkeeping.

Methodology

1. As part of the research for this project I used a pre- and post-test methodology to determine the cognitive, behavioral and affective realms of Sabbath and Sabbathkeeping among students enrolled in RP131: Spiritual Formation for Ministry. The intervention was the aforementioned …

Building Authentic Biblical Community At The Pine Forge Seventh-Day Adventist Church, Gary I. Banks

Doctor of Ministry Projects

Problem

A spirit of division at the Pine Forge Seventh-day Adventist Church is adversely affecting its ability to agree on mission and ministry focus.

Method

Over the course of 12 months, an investigation of the source of division was conducted through pastoral observation, surveys of the adult members, and a focus group of pastors of churches on boarding academy campuses. The data from the focus group and surveys was compared to that of the Pine Forge Seventh-day Adventist church. A Bible study series on building authentic biblical community was also conducted that taught biblical principles focusing on putting aside differences …

Cross-Cultural Perspectives On College Students’ Beliefs, Values And Spirituality At Christian Institutions, Robson Moura Marinho, Jimmy Kijai, Zachary Y. Mngo, Natasha Smith

Faculty Publications

College student’s beliefs, values, and spirituality have become the focus of a major national research project in recent years, conducted by the Higher Education Research Institute (HERI) housed at University of California at Los Angeles (UCLA), and sponsored by a substantial grant from the John Templeton Foundation (HERI website). After a pilot survey conducted in 2003, the College Students' Beliefs and Values Survey (CSBV)was administered in the fall 2004 to 112,232 entering freshmen students of 236 colleges and universities in the United States, with a follow up sample of 15,000 of these students in spring 2007. As a nationally representative …

Fruit Of The Spirit: Next Steps, Thomas G. Plante

Psychology

Overall, the chapters provide support for the notion that religious and spiritu al practices, behavior, and engagement are associated with improved psychological, physical, and community functioning and wellbeing. Religion and spirituality can make us better. The fruit of the spirit can result in a better quality of life. However, we must be mindful of the need for future quality research as well as the downside of religious engagement, too. Intolerance, rigidity, and in-group/out-group conflict can be problematic and create a situation in which tills type of religious engagement can lead to fruit that is not healthy but unhealthy. This fruit …

Seeking God’S Will: The Experience Of Information Seeking By Leaders Of A Church In Transition, David H. Michels

Articles, Book Chapters, & Popular Press

What is the experience of information seeking (IS) by leaders of a church in transition, as they seek the will of God for their church? In this ethnographic pilot study, I begin to create a picture of leaders’ information seeking, first for personal faith building and then for corporate decision making, and I consider the impact of new technologies on these processes. Religious IS did not differ significantly from other everyday-life information seeking (ELIS) experiences, except when subjects were acting in leadership roles. Prominent themes were theological diversity and prayer.

Plateaued Church: Creating A Culture Of Growth, Phil Stevenson

Great Commission Research Journal

The plateaued and declining churches are a great challenge for denominational leaders. This paper deals with this challenge. It is the premise of this work that denominations, especially at the judicatory level of their organization, need to be culture creators. Leaders must create a culture where plateaued and declining churches can move from ill health to healthy, fit congregations. Such a culture will only be created when judicatory leaders readjust their role from administration to consulting, coaching, strategizing, and vision casting.

Interdependent Church Planting Among The Urban Poor: A Case Study With Living Bread Ministries In Southern Brazil, G. Patrick Hubbard Ii

Great Commission Research Journal

This case study will highlight the work of Living Bread Ministries. I will detail our seven-year journey of beginning LBM, building interdependent partnerships with indigenous leaders, and planting eight churches in the favelas within the metropolitan area of Porto Alegre, Brazil. In addition, I will discuss how these partnerships have led to planting churches and to establishing a Brazilian-led church planting ministry which shares the vision and focus of LBM. Through this organization, Brazilian individuals and churches are joining us to plant churches among the urban poor in Brazil and beyond. Finally, I will share some theological principles that are …

Intergenerational Church Splits, Eunice Hong, Richard L. Starcher

Great Commission Research Journal

Generational and cultural differences between the first- and second-generation Korean American church leaders have caused division, anxiety, and tension. Though nearly all immigrant churches recognize the difficulties of embracing different generations and cultures, the lack of attention has resulted in frustration, bitterness, and ultimately, separation of the church. This article explores key factors contributing to church splits in multigenerational Korean-American churches in the greater Los Angeles area. Research participants included seventeen second-generation Korean-Americans. While they were from different churches and various denominations, all participants were involved in a church split. Data was collected through open-ended, semi-structured interviews. A careful analysis …

Book Review: A Light To The Nations: The Missional Church And The Biblical Story By Michael W. Goheen, Tereso C. Casino

Great Commission Research Journal

No abstract provided.

Book Review: Total Church: A Radical Reshaping Around Gospel And Community By Tim Chester And Steve Timmis, Rod Earls

Great Commission Research Journal

No abstract provided.

Book Review: Muslims, Christians, And Jesus: Gaining Understanding And Building Relationships By Carl Medearis, Warren F. Larson

Great Commission Research Journal

No abstract provided.

Book Review: Deep Church: A Third Way Beyond Emerging And Traditional By Jim Belcher, William P. Brooks

Great Commission Research Journal

No abstract provided.

Book Review: The Soul Of Hip Hop: Rims, Timbs And A Cultural Theology By Daniel White Hodge, Steven Ybarrola

Great Commission Research Journal

No abstract provided.

Did Paul See The Saving Significance Of Jesus’ Death As Resulting From Divine Violence? Dialogical Reflections On Romans 3:25, Christian Eberhart, Don Schweitzer

Consensus

No abstract provided.

Christ The King Sunday, 25th Anniversary Of The Hosanna Jazz Liturgy, Cindy Halmarson

Consensus

No abstract provided.

Sermon On John 12:20-33, Paul Sartison

Consensus

No abstract provided.

Three Prehistoric Inventions That Shaped Us, Glen Nelson

Consensus

Title: Three prehistoric inventions that shaped us Author: David Martel Johnson Publisher: New York: Peter Lang, 2011. ISBN: 9781453901571