Digital Commons Network^™

Unique Challenges In State Defense Force Chaplaincy, J. Todd Smith

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

As the impact and effectiveness of traditional ministry wanes in this current culture, the influence of chaplaincy is expanding and making new inroads into numerous fields, including business, sports, health care, and the military. Chaplaincy’s commitment to pluralism and emphasis on spirituality instead of denominationalism makes it the perfect vehicle for ministry to this seemingly secular population still searching for meaning, purpose, and connection. These chaplains must be well trained for these serious moments in time and the lives of individuals. State Defense Forces are the nation’s least-known uniformed service and, therefore, lack the resources and funding of other services …

An Exploration Of Mentorship Among African American Male Youth Ministers Within The Nondenominational Church, Christina K. Crayton

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

African American male youth ministers in the non-denominational church, lack long-standing career mentorship. The thought which suggests the most significant reason this deficiency exists, is due to the non-denominational church being independent of a larger denominational structure. While individual mentorship is obtained based on personal preference, it only takes one person to imbed generational seeds of wisdom, faith, hope, and love into the hearts and minds of an individual or a generation (Quick, 2020). To determine if lifespan career mentorship is needed in African American male youth ministers in the non-denominational church, extensive research was conducted to understand what the …

From Brokenness To Wholeness: Bridging The Gap From The Mind To The Heart By Infusing Pastoral Counseling Into Local Ministry Practices, Lashawn Monique Mcgrue

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

A gap exists among African-American clergy related to pastoral counseling. The purpose of this project was to offer an effective model for increasing the number of trained pastoral counselors. The project focused on the local church, Simon Temple AME Zion Church, which currently only has two ministers trained to conduct pastoral counseling. The project aimed to train ministers and laity in the local church for pastoral counseling to increase the number of counselors available to assist members seeking help. Ministers and laity in the local church were offered an opportunity to participate in Active Counseling Enlightenment and Development training. The …

Hand In Hand, Winter 2023

Hand in Hand

A newsletter published for Deaf Catholics in Milwaukee, WI

Hand in Hand Finding Aid

"To This You Were Called": Discipleship, Suffering, And Social Identity In First Peter, Shane Patrick Gormley

Dissertations

At the center of First Peter’s rhetoric stands an exhortation to “follow” in Christ’s footsteps (2:21). Several scholars have suggested (sometimes off-handedly or in a singular footnote) that this specific exhortation utilizes the technical language of “discipleship,” but only to support a particular piece of the letter’s paraenesis (2:18–25). I contend that such a suggestion, while a helpful place to start, does not go far enough. With this study, I propose that we may read First Peter comprehensively as a summons to discipleship in accord with ancient understandings of education, exemplified in the multifaceted system of Hellenistic paideia. I argue …

Herrens Veje: A Catalyst To Reflect Upon Military Chaplaincy And Ecclesial Issues In A Nordic Context, Jan Grimell, Mariecke Van Den Berg

Journal of Religion & Film

This article is based on an analysis of the first season of the Danish series Herrens Veje (The Way of the Lord; Price 2017). The series portrays the young, idealistic pastor and military chaplain August, who is deployed to a conflict zone with a military unit. He accompanies the unit on a patrol to win the trust of the soldiers. During the patrol, they engage in combat and August kills an innocent civilian woman. Upon return, the transition from military to civilian life proves to be increasingly challenging and troublesome. As the series proceeds, August’s mental health deteriorates and his …

Silent Holy Spirit, October-December 2023

Silent Holy Spirit

A newsletter published for Deaf Catholics in St. Louis, MO

Silent Holy Spirit Finding Aid

Preventative Mental Health Measures For Ministerial Leaders, Claire Phypers

Selected Honors Theses

Pastoral care and responsibilities come with a particular weight that can feel overwhelming at times for those engaged in ministry. In a world where mental health seems to be making all the headlines, there appears to be an overall lack of conversation surrounding the emotional well-being of clergy. This thesis aims to create a more holistic perception of mental health among ministerial leaders and pinpoint preventative measures that can be put in place to protect the hearts and minds of pastors as they fulfill the callings on their lives. In conducting this research, a mixed-method survey was completed by twenty-one …

What Made The Spiritans Different?: Historical Reflections From Des Places To Libermann, Jotham Parsons Ph.D

Spiritan Horizons

No abstract provided.

Beyond Deep Gladness : Coming To Terms With Vocations We Don't Choose, Deanna A. Thompson

Intersections

No abstract provided.

Hand In Hand, Autumn 2023

Hand in Hand

A newsletter published for Deaf Catholics in Milwaukee, WI

Hand in Hand Finding Aid

Buncombe Street Administrative Board Minutes 1991-1995, Buncombe Street United Methodist Church

Methodist Local Church Records

No abstract provided.

Buncombe Street Administrative Board Minutes 1996-2000, Buncombe Street United Methodist Church

Methodist Local Church Records

No abstract provided.

Buncombe Street Administrative Board Minutes 1986-1990, Buncombe Street United Methodist Church

Methodist Local Church Records

No abstract provided.

The Effects Of Centering Prayer On Well-Being In A Sample Of Undergraduate Students: A Pilot Study, Alejandro Eros, Thomas G. Plante

Psychology

Contemplative practices have likely been used for self-awareness, concentration, creativity, and well-being since the dawn of time. While practices such as yoga and Buddhist meditation have been extensively studied in recent decades, Christian contemplative practices have received less attention in empirical research. This study aims to investigate the effects of centering prayer, a Christian contemplative practice, on mental health and well-being. The research focuses on college students enrolled in a religious studies course that incorporates centering prayer into the curriculum. It is a pilot study because it is the first to explore centering prayer in an undergraduate setting. Using a …

Spiritual Formation: A Church-Based Solution To The Problem Of Disconnected African American Men In The Community, Pamela M. Phillips

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

African American men are among the most disconnected people groups in this country due to the many disparities that have served to marginalize them out of some aspects of society. Specifically, the disparity of fatherlessness has played a major role in the disconnect of African men from the church and the community. Through this project a curriculum on the Fatherhood of God will be offered through the Christian Education department at Word of Truth International Life Center in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. Spiritual formation for African American men reconnects them to God and opens the door for reconnections to families, churches, …

The Online Member’S Experience Of Pastoral Care Through Worship, Ryan Michael Loche

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

Online church services are normative for many churches. Given the relentless nature of creating a service every Sunday, church and worship leaders often do not consider how the online participant experiences the service they are viewing. Virtual reality church services are not yet as ubiquitous as online services but also warrant study. Careful attention must be given to how and why a church provides online and virtual services for its members. To not do so is a disservice to congregants and potentially a waste of time and resources for a church. This phenomenological qualitative study through the lens of a …

Aynor Church Council Minutes 2004, Aynor United Methodist Church

Methodist Local Church Records

No abstract provided.

Aynor Church Council Minutes 2019, Aynor United Methodist Church

Methodist Local Church Records

No abstract provided.

Aynor Church Council Minutes 2020, Aynor United Methodist Church

Methodist Local Church Records

No abstract provided.

Concordia Seminary Magazine Summer 2023, Vicki Biggs

Concordia Seminary Magazine

Faith into Action

Ears To Hear: Healing Clergy Deafness, Chesarae Fletcher

Doctor of Ministry

This research examines the phenomenon of “clergy deafness” among contemporary faith leaders. The term clergy deafness was developed for this work to encapsulate the reported unawareness of a theological and personal value for listening in the life and vocation of clergy leaders. Three elements: a lack of listening theology, performance-based identity, and noisy western soundscapes, appear to produce a cumulative effect of clergy deafness. This listening weakness results in the construction of isolating soundscapes for clergy leaders. An overall rubric for resolving clergy deafness is offered which frames clergy listening as a praxis of belief. Following the data, a prescriptive …

Models Of Social Activity Of Protestant Churches In The Context Of Russia's Military Aggression Against Ukraine, Ihor Lutsan

Occasional Papers on Religion in Eastern Europe

The main focus of our research intention is to outline constructive models of social activity of religious communities in the context of Russia-Ukraine war. The subject of the study is the Protestant denominations of Ukraine and their socially relevant activities, which today, having acquired a multi-vector orientation, are most clearly expressed and most noticeable in such forms: missionary work, charity, volunteer movement, in particular, assistance to the army; organizing and providing social services to individuals and groups in need of assistance to ensure their holistic development, and thus providing spiritually oriented social and psychological rehabilitation of military personnel, demobilized combatants …

Distortion Of Religious History In The Concept Of "Russian World", Oleksandr Lukyanenko

Occasional Papers on Religion in Eastern Europe

The article continues the series of research illustrating the formation of the idea of the “Russian world” in the religious discourse of Orthodox Russia. The main attention is paid to the ideological stamps used by the Patriarch of Moscow Kirill while preaching and giving public speeches. The study summarizes the idea of the monolithic “Holy Rus” with Moscow as a core-city developed to support Vladimir Putin’s annexationist geopolitical policy. The paper cites examples of falsification of historical facts in religious and political spheres applied with the intention to form a strong propaganda background in the conditions of the Russian-Ukrainian war. …

Aldersgate North Charleston Minutes Vol. 1, Aldersgate United Methodist Church

Methodist Local Church Records

No abstract provided.

Aldersgate North Charleston Minutes Vol. 3, Aldersgate United Methodist Church

Methodist Local Church Records

No abstract provided.

Improving The Biblical And Spiritual Skills And Knowledge Of Christian Mental Health Counselors At Grace House Counseling Center In Fleming Island, Fl, Larry M. Nichols

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

Christian licensed mental health counseling at Grace House Counseling Center is a multi-faceted spiritual undertaking that is largely in the purview of lay persons who often work and minister to Christians and non-Christians who live and work in a pluralistic environment. Grace House’s mental health counselors are formally trained through their master’s degree program to provide mental health care, not spiritual or soul care, to clients. While some Grace House counselors have some spiritual training, either from an undergraduate Bible college or through years of self-study, most do not have formal training that links Scripture and spiritual disciplines to various …

Liturgical Worship And Soulcare: Foundation And Ministry, Dustin Thomas Parker

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

Throughout twenty plus centuries of Liturgical Worship, there have been two significant demands on those who teach and facilitate worship. The first call is for that worship to be faithful and orthodox, a continuation of the worship that has been handed down from those whose lives were marked by it. The second demand is to be relevant—that whatever is done be done in such a manner as to impact lives. This second call is a request that the souls of people who are led in worship be changed, healed, and matured. Through careful historical research and modern interviews, this dissertation …

Preparing Church Counselors For Obsessive Morbid Jealousy, David M. Reinhardt

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

This research addressed the problem of the lack of training in pastoral counselors in the Iglesia Bíblica Bautista de Iquique, Chile, to help wives and their families suffering suspicious jealousy due to childhood traumas. This DMIN action research project trained pastoral counselors to connect childhood trauma to wives suffering suspicious jealousy. There are two stages of this action research; the first is to establish the connection of obsessive morbid jealousy (OMJ) to adverse childhood experiences (ACEs). The second is to prepare pastors and counselors to recognize the symptoms and causes of obsessive morbid jealousy and to have a clear strategy …

"God Put It Into My Heart": Omen-Seeking And Divine Communication Narratives In Contemporary American Protestantism, Emma Crisp

All Graduate Plan B and other Reports, Spring 1920 to Spring 2023

This project examines omen-seeking practices within Protestant Christianity in the U.S. Intermountain West. It collates and analyzes the results of ethnographic research into the ways that mainline Protestants experience, interpret, and talk about their personal spiritual experiences. The project finds that divinatory and other omen-seeking practices exist in this context but are not recognized or discussed as divinatory due to the conflation of divination with sortilege and the prevalence of prayer as the primary solicitation method for Protestant forms of augury. Emic categories of omen are distinguished not through generation method (such as the solicited/unsolicited distinction proposed by Tom Mould), …