Digital Commons Network^™

The Elephant In The Room:, Sarita D. Gallagher

Papers

No abstract provided.

A Congregation Engaging In Missional Dialogue: Strengthening Discernment Amid Diversity Through Healthy Congregational Dialogue, Jeffrey M. Wilson

Doctor of Ministry Theses

This transformative mixed-methods modified Participatory Action Research (PAR) project was used to investigate and affect healthy and faithful discernment and decision-making in a diverse congregation within the reality of being the body of Christ in mission. Data were collected utilizing baseline and end-line surveys, recorded and transcribed meetings and interviews, and memos. The data revealed that people who engaged in the research process grew in their perception of the congregation as being healthy and faithful in discernment and decision-making. This research shows that mutual responsibility, respect, trust, and interdependence between leaders and congregation members helps us focus on God’s mission …

Silliness And Stillness: A History Of Covenant Point Bible Camp In Michigan's Upper Peninsula, Mark Safstrom

Scandinavian Studies: Faculty Scholarship & Creative Works

"Silliness and Stillness" tells the history of Covenant Point Bible Camp, located in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. Founded in 1926, it has primarily served the congregations of the Swedish Mission Covenant (now Evangelical Covenant Church), and represents the broader revival movements that produced that denomination in the nineteenth century. The story of this camp is also part of the history of the Christian camping movement that developed throughout the twentieth century in the United States and Canada. In addition to being an anniversary book for the particular community that calls the camp "home," it also presents the theological background …

Christians’ Cut: Popular Religion And The Global Health Campaign For Medical Male Circumcision In Swaziland, Casey Golomski, Sonene Nyawo

Anthropology

Swaziland faces one of the worst HIV epidemics in the world and is a site for the current global health campaign in sub-Saharan Africa to medically circumcise the majority of the male population. Given that Swaziland is also majority Christian, how does the most popular religion influence acceptance, rejection or understandings of medical male circumcision? This article considers interpretive differences by Christians across the Kingdom’s three ecumenical organisations, showing how a diverse group people singly glossed as ‘Christian’ in most public health acceptability studies critically rejected the procedure in unity, but not uniformly. Participants saw medical male circumcision’s promotion and …

74th Annual Pepperdine Bible Lectureship -- Spiritual Rhythms, Scrolls For Robust Salvation (2017), Mike Cope

Pepperdine Bible Lectures: Programs

Program booklet for the 74th Annual Pepperdine Bible Lectures, held at Pepperdine University in Malibu, California, May 2-5, 2017. The Pepperdine Bible Lectures is an annual event hosted by Pepperdine University featuring a wide variety of lectures and classes on topics and themes in the Bible and Christianity.

Mike Cope, Lectureship Director

Rick Gibson, Tami Williamson, and Joella Michael, Lectures Team

An Investigation Of Self-Care Practices And Principles Among The Pentecostal-Apostolic Clergy, Chelsea A. Hall

All Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The goal of this research project was to investigate the perspectives and practices of self-care among Pentecostal-Apostolic (P-A) clergy, and create a set of principles to assist the P-A clergy in conducting a God-honoring self-care. This was done through use of a convergent-parallel mixed method research design, with a case study approach. Literature reviews were conducted in biblical, theological and psychological research areas, while a survey containing both qualitative open-ended questions and quantitative Likert-scale items was developed and distributed via email to P-A clergy from the United Pentecostal Church International, Worldwide Pentecostal Fellowship, and Independent organizations. Thirty-four complete responses were …

From The Suburbs To The City: Seeking The Shalom Of An Inner City Neighborhood, Elias Soiles

All Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Journey Community Church, a five-year old white, suburban, college-educated, middle class church, moved into the Bell Hill neighborhood of Worcester, Massachusetts on July 1, 2015. This was a neighborhood of which Journey Church knew almost nothing and of which it seemingly had little in common. The Bell Hill neighborhood is poor, working class, culturally and ethnically diverse with whites comprising less than forty percent of the population. This project outlines the model of ministry that enabled Journey Church to begin to reach its neighborhood and contribute to its holistic flourishing. The biblical and theological review examined the role and nature …

New Missions In A New Land:Korean-American Churches And Overseas Missions, Dae Sung Kim

Papers

No abstract provided.

Korean-American Churches And Evangelism: An Immigrant Church As Evangelistic Community, Dae Sung Kim

Papers

No abstract provided.

Teaching Missiology In And For World Christianity Content And Method, Peter C. Phan

Papers

No abstract provided.

Spirit Determinism In The Christian Anthropology Of Yorù̀Bá Indigenous Churches, Bernard T. Ayọ̀Ọlá

CTS PhD Doctoral Dissertations

There are people who think everything in life is an accident. Then, there are the Yorùbá of Southwestern Nigeria who believe that life outcomes are prearranged by the Supreme Being but may also be altered, for better or for worse, by the spirit beings in the universe. Yorùbá Christians, like their non-Christian kin, believe that many experiences in life are manifestations of the activities of the superhuman spirit beings in the community. While the good spirits (such as ancestors and angels) ordinarily have positive impacts on society, the evil spirits (such as witches, wizards, and demons) often work in collaboration …

Inner Healing And Deliverance As An Essential Component Of The Discipleship Structure Of The Local Church, Jonathan Lee Shoo Chiang

Doctor of Ministry

This dissertation posits that Inner Healing and Deliverance (IHD) is an integral, essential component of the discipleship structure of a local church, contributing much to the spiritual growth and maturity of believers. By “integral” and “essential”, I make the point that IHD is not merely a supplementary ministry, like a “hospital unit” for emotionally wounded or spiritually oppressed believers. Rather, it exists as a ministry that is much more inclusive, for everyone who wishes to receive biblical teaching on life issues, and receive prayer counseling.

IHD brings a believer into an experiential encounter with God. This results in an effective …

Migration/ Missionary Imagination, Robert A. Danielson, William L. Selvidge

Academic Books

Introduction / Robert Danielson
-- New missions in a new land: Korean-American churches and overseas missions / Dae Sung Kim
-- The migrant mandate: missiology, immigration, and the local church / Matthew Blanton
-- Korean-American churches and evangelism: an immigrant church as evangelistic community / Dae Sung Kim
-- Imagination and artistic human expression: toward a beginning theology / Byron Spradlin
-- Promoting dignity, community, and reconciliation among refugees through diverse musical expression / Mark W. Lewis
-- Missiology of public life as resiliency / Geoff Whiteman.

Educating Calvary Baptist Church, Asheville, Nc, On The Value Of Following The Christian Year As A Means For Spiritual Renewal Through Worship, Jeffrey C. Hayes

Doctor of Ministry Projects

This project introduced the spiritual value of following the Christian year in worship. Through a series of sermons and study lessons that focused on eight major seasons (Advent, Christmas, Epiphany, Lent, Holy Week, Easter, Pentecost, and Ordinary Time), participants were exposed to the history and spiritual purpose of each, respectively. Two surveys were administered, along with weekly evaluations, and interviews, to measure the project’s effectiveness. The desired outcome was a greater degree of knowledge and interest in worshipping through the Christian year. According to the final analysis, increased understanding, spiritual growth, and desire to worship through the Christian year did …

Homophobia In The African American Church In Dmv, Nurney Kasem Mason

All Electronic Theses and Dissertations

A look at some causes of homophobia in the African American(AA) church in the Washington DC metropolitan area. Using mixed methods and interviews, the researcher uncovered some reasons why homophobia exists in the AA church. Based on the data the researcher constructed a rubric scale AA leaders can use as a reference. The researcher offered fourteen recommendations AA church leaders can use as a tool to assist them in ministering to the LGBT members in the AA church.

Discipling The Second Generation: Parent Education For Latino Immigrants, Richard Pinero-Calzada

Doctor of Ministry Projects

Problem

There is a perceived lack of parental knowledge and skills in first generation Latino-immigrant families that contributes to second-generation youth and young adults leaving the Seventh-day Adventist faith.

Method

The purpose of this project is the development of a psychosocial adult education seminar geared toward Latino-immigrant parents, within the context of the United States, of second-generation children ages seven and younger. This project, however, is theoretical in nature, and has not been implemented. To assess the effectiveness of the seminar in regard to attitudinal and behavioral modifications towards parenting, a pre- and post-questionnaire was developed.

Results

This project consists …

Asian Journal Of Pentecostal Studies, 20.2, 2017, Faculty Of Asia Pacific Theological Seminary

Asian Journal of Pentecostal Studies

Table of Contents:

EDITORIAL

Dave Johnson 107-109 Issues in New Testament Studies Part 3

ARTICLES

Lora Angeline Embudo 111-130 Women Vis-À-Vis Prophecy in Luke-Acts: Part 1

Lora Angeline Embudo 131-146 Women Vis-À-Vis Prophecy in Luke-Acts: Part 2

Waldemar Kowalski 147-170 The Role of Women in Ministry: Is There a Disconnect between Pauline Practice and Pauline Instruction?

Waldemar Kowalski 171-181 Does Paul Really Want All Women to be Silent? 1 Corinthians 14:34-35

Hirokatsu Yoshihara 183-197 A Study of 1 Peter 3:18b-20a and 4:6: A Response to the Notion of Christ’s Postmortem Evangelism to the Un-evangelized, a View Recently Advocated in Japan: …

Journal Of Lanka Bible College (Sri Lanka), Vol 1, 2017, Lbc Centre For Graduate Studies Dehiwala, Colombo, Sri Lanka, Holy Spirit Research Center, Oral Roberts University

Journal of Lanka Bible College (Sri Lanka)

Journal of Lanka Bible College (Sri Lanka), Vol 1 (2017)

A publication for LBC Centre for Graduate Studies Dhiwala, Colombo, Sri Lanka

http://www.lbcs.edu.lk/

Articles Include:

• “Breaking The ‘Donor-Recipient’ Godlessness In International Relationships” - Rev Dr Stuart Brooking
• “Christ and the Spirit in the Light of Paul’s use of the Old Testament in Romans 15.7-13” - Dr Danny Moses
• “Driving Jesus out of Gerasenes” - M Alroy Mascrenghe
• “Youth Ministry as Missiology ‘Cross-Cultural’ Outreach: A Missiological Perspective on Youth Ministry” - Dr Paul Borthwick
• “The Foundations of Theological Thought” - Dr Peter Mead
• “Some ways Christians and Muslims can work together …

Contents

Journal of Adventist Mission Studies

No abstract provided.

An Exploration Of The Relationship Between Strategy And Structure To The Work Of Starting And Supporting Church Planting Movements, Laurence G. Burn

Journal of Adventist Mission Studies

"A church that defines itself by movement structures sees the center or activity as taking place in hearts and homes of its members. The mission is living the message, empowering, facilitating, and catalyzing and should define the culture of the organization. It is my conviction that this journey with its focus on creating movements represents a seismic shift in thinking and behavior. There is no doubt that further research is needed that by God’s grace will help create a multitude of disciple-making movements again in many parts of the world."

Proposed Research Instrument For Establishing A Baseline Measurement Of Buddhist Background Believers, Gregory P. Whitsett

Journal of Adventist Mission Studies

"My plan for this survey is to create a self-administered questionnaire. What makes this a preferred method of research is that it can be conducted quickly using a drop-and-collect technique by national church leaders sending the survey packets to local church leaders to then distribute to willing participants. Self-administered questionnaires are relatively inexpensive and respondents are not influenced by the interviewer or her bias. Another advantage is that this type of survey allows longer batteries of questions than you could ask in person as well as giving the respondent anonymity. The disadvantages include that there is no control over how …

Family Resilience In Displacement: Defining Validity And Reliability In A Hermeneutic Phenomenology Inquiry, Regine Rimarzik

Journal of Adventist Mission Studies

"The voices of the poor confirmed a common recommendation among scholars to combine the best of person-focused approaches with the best of variable-focused approaches in resilience studies. This could be especially beneficial for comparative studies in terms of religion and culture adherence. In other words, I am considering to slightly tweak my research topic and widen the scope towards a comparative religious study within the same environment and to specify the impact of comparative faith traditions on the human development context in displacement. Finally, my better understanding of the nature of family resilience awakened my curiosity for discovering the nature …

The Whole Servant Leader: Leading From The Inside Out, Jewel Denise Williams

All Electronic Theses and Dissertations

While research on servant leadership focuses on the behavior or actions of leaders toward the follower, this project examines the inward development of those leaders to determine what godly attributes need cultivation to demonstrate the seven virtues of Kathleen Patterson. Patterson’s doctoral work “Servant Leadership: A Theoretical Model,” was published in 2003 by Regent University School of Leadership Studies. The examination of the lives of pastors, leaders, and lay leaders defined as servant leaders based on Patterson’s theory helped in the development of an attribute-driven virtue-focused servant leadership development model for this project. These leaders were asked to share what …

Conflict In The Small- And Medium-Sized Church, William D. Henard

Great Commission Research Journal

One of the most difficult aspects of dealing with any church is conflict. Because of humanity’s fallen nature and because of the difficulty of initiating and accepting change, conflict is almost always inevitable. Conflict becomes detrimental when it is not handled correctly or when it remains unchecked and finds its source deep within the sinful nature and motives of people. Conflict in the church, though, does not necessarily have to be destructive. Many of those within the church reconciliatory ministry say that conflict is essentially neutral. When handled properly, it can actually result in some positive benefits for the church.

Preparing To Multiply: Four Steps For Established Churches, Joey Chen

Great Commission Research Journal

How should a leader of an established church lead the church to multiply? With the increased attention to church planting, there are more resources available, but little attention is given to the established church. This article seeks to help the leader of an established church prepare to engage in multiplication. While strategy, best practices, and finances are vital components to church multiplication, the crucial starting point for an established church leader is to prepare. There are four places to look while in the preparation stage: inward, upward, outward, and around.

An Eschatological Framework For Assessing The Effectiveness Of Business As Mission Companies, Samuel Lee

The Asbury Journal

No abstract provided.

Innovation And The Local Congregation: Unleashing The Creative Power Of Communities Of Faith, Dan S. Poffenberger

Doctor of Ministry

Pastors search for ways to help their communities of faith live into their ministry with more impact, creativity and joy. Many are frustrated by the root bound nature of most congregations tightly organized in a hierarchy that limits the ability to be nimble and contextual. At the same time, culture is becoming more participatory, collaborative and creative. Thriving organizations have tapped into this culture by designing their structure to foster innovation. This work offers an examination of such organizations, their leaders and the tools they use.

Chapter One discusses the cultural shifts of connectedness and participation. These shifts have happened …

A Strategy For Developing Outreach-Oriented Small Groups For Millenial Students At Georgia-Cumberland Academy Church, Greg Hudson

Doctor of Ministry Projects

Problem

Millennial students at Georgia-Cumberland Academy (GCA) are not being inspired and equipped to actively engage in community outreach. GCA is a boarding school with 80% of students having homes in other locations, limiting their opportunity to develop connections with any local community, both at home and at school. The result is that students are graduating without needed skills to spiritually interact with their community and to share their faith in Jesus in meaningful ways. About 60% of Adventist youth are leaving the church, and part of the problem may be their lack of connection to the outreach ministries of …

Developing A Vision And Strategy For Multicultural Ministry: Woodburn Community Seventh-Day Adventist Church, Eduard Daniel Ciobanu

Doctor of Ministry Projects

Problem

The City of Woodburn, OR is home to a population of 24,223. Over half of the residents are Hispanic, while 1/4 to 1/3 are Russian Orthodox Old Believers. Adding to its diversity, 35.4% of the total population of Woodburn is foreign born. Started as a church plant 30 years ago, the mostly White, non-Hispanic Woodburn Community Seventh-day Adventist Church has traditionally kept a membership of around a 100, with a current membership of 101 and an average attendance of 38 in 2011. Despite an ideal, central location in town, an ability to embrace and support new members and attendees, …

Expanding The Ecclesiastes Worship Center In Sacramento, California By Using A Documentray Of The Russian Reform Movement, Udo Sokolovsky

Doctor of Ministry Projects

Problem

During the last decades of the twentieth century, the Greater Sacramento area of California became one of the largest Russian-speaking communities in the United States. According to Russian American Media, there are approximately 300,000 Russian-speaking residents. Many of them came to America as victims of religious persecution. However, today only about 30,000—just 10% of the total number of immigrants—are active members in different Christian churches. One reason for this is that the Russian Orthodox Church is trying to intensify its impact on Russian immigrants by linking all that is Russian with Orthodoxy. As a result, many Russian immigrants do …