Digital Commons Network^™

Leadership And Commitment In Pentecostal Churches, Jason T. Whitehead

Doctor of Ministry

A goal of pastors is to grow their ministries with individuals who are committed to God. Church growth is a phenomenon by itself but central to the study of church growth and retention is church leadership. The pastor seeks to shepherd individuals and develop them into faithful Christians in the service of God. Church growth speaks to transforming an audience into a body of believers. A metric of church growth is the number of faithful congregants that attend service regularly. In order to understand the local church an understanding of leadership styles is important due to the multiplicity of leadership …

Do We Have Enough Bibles Yet? English Bible Translations And The Transitions Through Time, Allison C. Stephan

Selected Honors Theses

The Bible is read in a variety of contexts, but with the hundreds of translations in English and controversy over which is “most accurate” or “best,” this thesis examines a brief history of Bible translation, a few translation theories such as formal and functional equivalence, what to look for in a Bible translation, and some of the most common English Bible translations. A study was conducted with college students, focusing primarily on the purpose of each translation and the people who read a specified version. Finally, this thesis supports the usage of different translations in different contexts, according to the …

Developing Civically Engaged, Justice Oriented Churches Right From The Start - A Hispanic Pentecostal Perspective, Elizabeth D. Rios

Doctor of Ministry (DMin)

Most church planting training programs train pastors in typical church operations systems as well as how to build their teams with a strong mission. However, often their training is vague and even non-existent in the area of biblical justice and advocacy, an area of pressing need in the changing face of the United States. We are more racially divided than ever, and we struggle with a myriad of socio-economic issues that need to be addressed at the root level. Those who are called to plant churches must therefore understand that unlike any other time in history, church planting today requires …

Robert Lynn Anderson Papers, 1965-2019, Abilene Christian University Special Collections And Archives

Center for Restoration Studies Archives, Manuscripts and Personal Papers Finding Aids

Finding aid for the Robert Lynn Anderson Papers, (1965-2019).

Finding Aid For Robert Lynn Anderson Papers, (1965-2019), Abilene Christian University Special Collections And Archives

Robert Lynn Anderson Papers

Finding aid for the Robert Lynn Anderson Papers, (1965-2019).

The Canons Of Dordt As A Missional Document, Lyle Bierma

Pro Rege

Editor's Note: Dr. Lyle Bierma presented this paper at the Prodigal Love of God Conference, sponsored by Dordt University and co-sponsored by the Lilly Fellowship Program as a regional conference, April 2019, at Dordt University, in celebration of the 400th anniversary of the Canons of Dort.

In the subsequent articles, Dordt and Dort will be used interchangeably.

The U.S. Workplace Is An Essential Environment For Christians To Evangelize Their Coworkers Who Do Not Know Jesus, Douglas Hurley

Doctor of Ministry

The workplace is an essential environment to lead people into a growing relationship with Jesus Christ. Due to the impact of postmodernism, fewer and fewer people are going to church; yet the Church (the Body of Christ) can take the message of Christ to the workplace. The workplace is where most people spend most of their time; therefore, it stands to reason that the Christian could have ample influence with their unchurched or dechurched coworkers. An unbeliever could take steps toward Christ because of the relational evangelism conducted by believing coworkers.

Educating church staff and laity on evangelizing wherever they …

Reading The Bible Together: The Virtue Of Patience As A Resource For Navigating Interpretive Disagreements In Congregations, Mason Lee

Discernment: Theology and the Practice of Ministry

Disagreements over the meaning of Scripture and how it should shape congregational action can be great sources of conflict in congregational life. Yet as contentious as these disagreements can be, appeals to method have been unable to resolve them. This article proposes that a fruitful way of navigating these arguments within our congregations is not by trying to establish a single way of reading Scripture or of determining what Scripture “means,” but by becoming people able to peacefully hold an irreducible diversity of interpretive options. This article focuses on one virtue in particular—the virtue of patience—and suggests that it is …

A Reader's Guide To Children's Ministry, Shannon Rains, Jennifer Schroeder, Ron Bruner

Discernment: Theology and the Practice of Ministry

Although the church has long practiced ministry with children, this field of ministerial practice is taking new and exciting shapes in the 21st century. Because of the expanding and substantial body of literature produced in this discipline over the last several decades, we have assembled an annotated bibliography intended to give scholars, practitioners, and church members an overview of the more significant printed work that addresses Christian perspectives on ministry with children.

Technology Unleashed: A Review Of Transhumanism And The Image Of God, Sam Ashmore

Staff Work

"As Christians we must realize technology’s formation capability, reflect on it, and consider our relationship with technology."

Posting about the book Transhumanism and the Image of God from In All Things - an online journal for critical reflection on faith, culture, art, and every ordinary-yet-graced square inch of God’s creation.

https://inallthings.org/technology-unleashed-a-review-of-transhumanism-and-the-image-of-god/

The Effect Of Ethnic Identity On Biblical Unity In Its Role As An Apologetic, Caroline Boozer

Masters Theses

This thesis will consider the effect that ethnicity has on identity formation as it impacts church unity. Unity is the chief form of evidence by which the Christian church is supposed to be recognized. The way that believers love one another is how Jesus teaches people will know that they are His disciples (John 13:35). Ethnic tensions are a cause of disunity in both the Old and New Testaments. The issue of ethnic identity and relations and the impact that they have on unity in the church is an apologetic for the power and counter-cultural teachings of Jesus. The purpose …

Leaders That Finish Well : Characteristics And Practices Of Successful Ministry, Lucian-George Rotaru

ATS Dissertations

No abstract provided.

Discovering Church Planter Building Blocks For Integration Into Every Nation Campus Missionary Training Providing A Seamless Path From Campus Ministry To Church Planting Ministry, Ralph David Houston

ATS Dissertations

No abstract provided.

Post-Founder Sustainability : Building Ministries That Outlive Their Founders, William Stephen Murrell

ATS Dissertations

No abstract provided.

Receiving God's Gift Of Sabbath? : An Investigation Of Free Methodist--Usa Leaders' Attitudes, Understandings, & Practices, Joy M.O. Ireland

ATS Dissertations

No abstract provided.

The Rise Of The Part-Time Worship Leader In The Mid-Size Southern Baptist Church, Donald Oren Blakeney

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this paper is to explore the prevalence of part-time, bivocational, semi-retired and volunteer worship leaders within mid-size Southern Baptist church and the need for further training and education through a denominationally-driven mentor program. The known decline in attendance and financial giving that most Southern Baptist churches have experienced has affected the moneys available to fill staffing needs and thereby require a reassessment of staff positions; the percentage of the budget allocated for staffing and continuing education. Most of these part-time worship leaders are already educated in another field and cannot allot the resources for a return to …

Spiritual Formation Training For Pregnancy Resource Centers : Measuring Spiritual Well-Being And Job Satisfaction For Pregnancy Resource Center Staff, Craig Stephans

ATS Dissertations

No abstract provided.

The Role Of Organizational Culture In Christian Organizations For Job Satisfaction And Staff Retention With Special Reference To Bharat Susamachar Samiti, Kuriakose Madathil Iype

ATS Dissertations

No abstract provided.

Reviewing Ecologies Of Faith In A Digital Age: Spiritual Growth Through Online Education, Jeffrey Voth

Journal of the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning for Christians in Higher Education

No abstract provided.

Calvin Theological Journal (Vol 54 No 1 - April 2019), Calvin Theological Seminary

Calvin Theological Journal

From the Editor: Karin Maag - 9 / Articles: From Glory to Glory: 2 Corinthians 3:18 in Biblical-Theological Perspective by Dane C. Ortlund - 11 / The Grammar of Revival: The Legacy of Jonathan Edwards’s Teleological Language in Religious Affections (1746) by Obbie Tyler Todd - 35 / Religious Freedom and the Pancasila-Based State of Indonesia: A Neo-Calvinist Idea of Principled Pluralism by Benyamin F. Intan - 57 / Reprioritizing the Lord’s Supper among the Reformed by Jelmer Heeren and Maarten Wisse - 91 / Sermon: “A Sure Sign”—A Sermon on 1 Corinthians 11:17–34 and Exodus 24:1–11 by David Vroege …

Incorporating A Pedagogy Of Worship In The Community Group Ministry Of Grace Bible Church, Jeremy G. Sauskojus

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

Many local church fellowships have embraced small groups (life groups, community groups) as a means of connecting people with one another from within the larger church body. These small groups are a means of building community. Furthermore, many churches testify to the importance of pursuing worship as much more than music in the corporate worship gathering that takes place once a week. However, very little has been done to connect these two components together in the small group ministry environment. As will be presented, people have written concerning each one of these important elements of church body life. Yet, connecting …

Discipling Children And Youth: Helping The Church Enable Parents To Lead, Angela Hazel

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

Parental apathy in the discipleship of children has become a worrisome issue in the Protestant churches of the United States. Where once the home was the foundation of Bible learning and character building, now parents have placed the responsibility of spiritual formation of children squarely on the shoulders of the church. The church, however, is ill-equipped to fully disciple a child or youth during this transformational time in their lives. This study sought to examine the issues that lead to parental withdrawal from discipleship training of their offspring and develop a method for the church to equip and enable parents …

Assessing The Personal Needs And Professional Issues That Hinder Credentialed Women In The Ohio Ministry Network: Egalitarianism And The Image Of God, Deedra Ann Shilliday

Doctor of Ministry (DMin)

The purpose of this study was to discover if some local Assemblies of God (A/G) church practices differed from the denominational egalitarian theology. Credentialed women from the Ohio Ministry Network (OMN), a district of the General Council of the Assemblies of God, were surveyed. According to the survey results, time management, representation at OMN events, ministry connections, and exclusion from the leadership pipeline are the greatest challenges for credentialed women. The goal of promoting awareness of the personal needs and professional issues of credentialed women was actualized by integrating the literature review of imago Dei theology with an Ohio School …

Lifters And Gifters: Keeping Millennials And Boomers Together To Build The Church, Richard Wilkerson

Doctor of Ministry (DMin)

One of the great needs of the church at this moment is to keep the primary funders, “Gifters,” and the primary workers, “Lifters,” of the church together in order to grow healthy, thriving, life-giving, Spirit-inspired churches. Inspired by the experiences of declining and plateauing church the author has witnessed and experienced, this dissertation will examine how to keep the church family together generationally, while at the same time planting new churches with the generations still intact. The research within this project, comprised of a theological study of biblical principles, a study of current literature, and surveys and interviews from pastors, …

Visionary Differences, Chris Messerer

Great Commission Research Journal

Organizational vision is nearly universally accepted as being critically important to a church in any stage of growth or decline. Church plants and church revitalization efforts depend on organizational vision because it provides focus and direction. Organizational vision is also important because it inspires people to participate. Successful church planters and church revitalization leaders excel at casting vision. While church plants and church revitalizations have similarities, leading one is significantly different from leading the other. Likewise, organizational vision is different between a church plant and a church revitalization. This article analyzes the differences between an organizational vision for a church …

Helpmeet: The African American Pastor's Wife As An Extension Of The Pastor In Pastoral Care And Counseling - A Hermeneutic Phenomenological Study Of The Ministry Helping Experiences Of Black Pastors' Wives In Predominantly Black Churches, D'Juana Chantel Pittman

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The position of pastor’s wife presents itself as a unique role. For the African American Pastor’s wife, this role takes on an even more interesting dynamic, considering the cultural back drop of the population many pastor’s wives serve. A hermeneutic phenomenological research study was conducted to understand the phenomena of helper among African American pastor’s wives who serve alongside their husbands in ministry, particularly in pastoral care and counseling. The study included a total of seven African American Pastors’ wives from the state of Texas. The pastors’ wives participated in structured interviews that were extensive in nature. Answering thirty-six questions …

Reviews, Holy Spirit Research Center Oru Library

Spiritus: ORU Journal of Theology

Book Reviews

South German Anabaptist Ecclesiology And Its Present-Day Pentecostal Counterpart, Mathew Clark

Spiritus: ORU Journal of Theology

Th is article accepts that twentieth-century classical Pentecostalism originally shared a similar ethos to that exemplified among the South German Anabaptists, and investigates some resonances in ecclesiology between the two. Scrutiny of a selection of early sixteenth-century documents relating to Anabaptism identifies the following: a radically consistent application of sola scriptura, a rejection of the state-church synthesis, a revisioning of sacramental belief and practice that subverts the clergy-laity divide, commitment to the teachings of Jesus as the primary and central guide to discipleship, a sacrifi cial pilgrim mentality of “just passing through this world,” individual choice and responsibility to …

A Student Response To Craig Keener’S Talk On Spirit Hermeneutics, Pamela L. Idriss

Spiritus: ORU Journal of Theology

A Student Response to Craig Keener’s Talk on Spirit Hermeneutics by Pamela L. Idriss.

The Spirit And Biblical Interpretation, Craig S. Keener

Spiritus: ORU Journal of Theology

We can hear more clearly what an author wishes to communicate when we understand what the author is addressing. In secondary communication—hearing what an author was saying to someone else—knowing the background of that conversation is important, especially if the culture differs from our own. But knowing the voice and spirit of the author is an important element of background, and with the Bible, we must consider an Author additional to, and working through, the human authors. It is important, insofar as possible, to study the ancient contexts that put the message in its cultural perspective. Yet it is no …