Digital Commons Network^™

At The Intersection Of Acts And Galatians : New Strategies For Women Church Planters, Carolyn Moore

ATS Dissertations

No abstract provided.

Word In Season, Linda Witte Henke

Symposium on Worship Archive

Join liturgical artist Linda Witte Henke in exploring how digital technologies and hands-on creativity can work together to prompt reflection on weekly lectionary texts and seasonal liturgical themes. Using a Power Point presentation rich with relevant imagery, Henke will illustrate how she uses digital design techniques to create weekly visuals for websites, social media, worship folders, and projection in worship, and how she works with liturgical arts teams to visually engage congregations in reflection on the Word in Season.

Pastoral Litugy In Challenging Times: A Lesson From Matthew Henry's Biblical Worship, Jonghun Joo

Symposium on Worship Archive

Today’s church is vexed with questions about worship: what it is, how you do it, and what it accomplishes, to name a few. And there is no shortage of resources offering answers to these questions. So where should we turn for insight on how to apply biblical principles to the local church’s worship? This workshop offers a model of how both a solid biblical understanding and the effective practice of worship can be realized in local churches today by exploring the theology and practice of Matthew Henry’s (1662–1714) worship. Henry did not attempt to adopt one pattern of worship from …

The Church Has Left The Building: A Leadership Perspective Of Online Church Versus Traditional Church, Valerie E. Crumpton

Doctor of Ministry

Where it was once thought that the decline of traditional church goers into a brick and mortar edifice meant that America was becoming less “faith based”, the everincreasing number of online worshippers indicates otherwise. Due to the rapidly shifting culture toward an online worship experience, the traditional church must re-evaluate and reform their processes to include this new wave of Christianity. If churches cannot transition to accommodate the new culture of church that is only accessible via the Internet, there is a possibility that they could lose the opportunity to share the Gospel Message with a population that may never …

How Does The Presence And Management Of Leadership Tension Affect Leaders And The Organizations They Lead?, Aaron A. Cole

Doctor of Ministry

Many leaders inside and outside the church struggle with the weight of leadership demands, feeling overwhelmed and intimidated by the tension that comes with leadership. It is not a lack of calling, clarity, or vision on the part of leaders but the tension of moving people toward achieving mission. Such tension, caused by the function of leadership and not necessarily the leader, is a crucial area that tends to cause a leader to rise or fall. Unfortunately, many leaders eject or struggle without success due to a lack of understanding and the skill set necessary to effectively manage leadership tension. …

A Portrait Of A Successful Pastor: Reanimating The Pastor As Shepherd In A Success Oriented Culture, Steve Bontrager

Doctor of Ministry

The purpose of this study is to define a set of metrics by which pastors can measure their “success” as pastors. It is important to note that this is not an effort to define a successful church, which would be a different study altogether. Studies show that a great majority of pastors are struggling in life and ministry and it seems reasonable to ask if this could be a result of ambiguity about the role pastors are supposed to fill and what constitutes successfully doing so. It is my contention that many pastors function without a clear sense of metrics …

Creating An Officer Lifescape: A Path For The Vocational And Spiritual Formation Of Salvation Army Officer-Moms, Janene Zielinski

Doctor of Ministry

This dissertation claims that the formation of a healthy Salvation Army officermom identity is foundational for future organizational leadership development and personal vocational efficacy. Section One explores the historical management of officermoms, root causes of dissatisfaction, and modern barriers to healthy functioning. Section Two describes the deficiencies within three current methods of officer-mom identity formation. Section Three focuses on Scriptural models of identity formation and suggestions for implementation as a formative and sustainable approach in alleviating four key longings of officer-moms. This dissertation proposes that fledgling officer-moms need a safe and reliable mechanism to receive instruction and encouragement in establishing …

Shema, Shabbat, Shalom, And A Savior: Implications For Pastoral Ministry, Richard Hovey

Doctor of Ministry

In the Global North there are disparaging figures within evangelicalism for both pastors and the churches they lead. Evangelical pastors have lost their moorings, suffering the consequences of a lost call and purpose in ministry. This has lead to an abandonment of post by the contemporary evangelical pastor in North America, and to a church left to drift in a secular sea. This project will suggest an answer in the return to a true pastoral ministry which will have positive implications for both pastor and church. Chapter 1 will provide an overview of the problem within contemporary evangelical pastoral ministry. …

Implications Of The New Concepts For “Closed Countries” And Areas Where Extreme Nationalism Impedes Christian Missions, Calvin H. Reber Jr.

Papers

No abstract provided.

The Christian Mission In The Last Decades Of The Twentieth Century, Luther Copeland

Papers

No abstract provided.

Eschatological Emphases In 1 Thessalonians And Galatians: Distinct Argumentative Strategies Related To External Conflict And Audience Response, John Anthony Dunne

Seminary Faculty Publications

1 Thessalonians is generally believed to be Paul’s earliest extant letter. Depending on the methodology employed for reconstructing a chronology of Paul’s life and letters, 1 Thessalonians is dated from the late 30s to the early 50s of the first century CE.

Working Priests: Improving The Care For Vineyard Bivocational Pastors, Aaron Peterson

Doctor of Ministry

The number of Vineyard bivocational pastors in the US Vineyard church is unknown, and although pastoring bivocationally is common, there is a current lack of resources available to meet their unique challenges. The Association of Vineyard Churches, USA has improved from where it used to be, but they are currently not where they want to be in terms of caring for Vineyard bivocational pastors. This dissertation explores the current bivocational situation in the Association of Vineyard Churches, USA and argues that the Vineyard needs to take better care of Vineyard pastors who work jobs outside their churches. This project shows …

Pastoral Leadership For The Small, Rural Church: The Second Career Pastor, Randall C. Nichols

Doctor of Ministry

Due to financial and demographic factors plus a shortage of qualified candidates, small, rural churches often struggle to secure and retain pastoral leadership. An examination of these problems from the perspective of the church and that of pastoral candidates reveals the remoteness of location among small, rural churches creates an inability to attract candidates. Faced with college loan indebtedness, young growing families, and the need for full employment for spouses, candidates feel unable to accept a call from a small, rural church. The dissertation reviews the origins of the church, the historical prevalence of the small, rural church, and the …

Calvin Theological Seminary Academic Catalog 2018-2019, Calvin Theological Seminary

Seminary Academic Catalogs

No abstract provided.

Transforming Drug Addicts' Lives: Restoration Christian Outreach Community (Rcoc) In Northwest Mississippi, Rose Maria Mccarthy Anding

Doctor of Ministry

The National Institute on Drug Abuse reports on over 14,500 specialized drugtreatment facilities providing counseling, behavioral therapy, medication, case management, and other services to persons with substance-use disorders.1 Drug addiction is a complex disorder that can involve the individual's family, work, school, and community involvement with pervasive consequences, so treatment typically involves many components, with the goal of addressing each facet affected by the disorder. Residential drug-treatment programs throughout the United States follow different treatment and rehabilitation models. In Mississippi, most drug-treatment programs are offered by the Department of Mental Health, Bureau of Alcohol and Drug Services. However, residential drug-treatment …

Towards Women Leaders In The Palestinian Evangelical Church, Madleine Sara

Doctor of Ministry

The Palestinian evangelical church needs to proactively address the way in which most male church leaders ignore anointed women leaders who are active in the ministry of the Kingdom. Women have been actively involved in various roles in the church, but their role as leaders has not always been acknowledged officially. In this thesis, I discuss the limitations of women in leadership roles and positions of responsibility, and address the inequality in the manner in which women are treated as well as the opportunities they are offered to advance in leadership in the Arab Palestinian evangelical church. Although the church …

Pastoral Well-Being & Beyond: Three Streams Of Pastoral Health And Personal Development, Brandon J. Morrow

Doctor of Ministry

Every year, the North American church experiences an overwhelming percentage of pastors who leave the ministry, citing internal and external pressures for their decisions to abandon what they once perceived as their divine calling. Many pastors are forced into a personal development strategy that is neither helpful, nor holistic, pursuing scads of resources outside of Christian and theological disciplines, many of which are misapplied. These drastically affect the long-term health of pastors and their overall health and effectiveness in ministry. How can pastors develop a personal development strategy that adequately accounts for the major areas of health in the life …

Never Alone: Discovering The Path To Burnout Avoidance, Rick Millikin

Doctor of Ministry

Pastoral burnout, in the past century, has become an issue that captures the attention of researchers and ministry professionals alike. Experts claim that burnout is avoidable when ministers submit to an obedient, faithful pursuit of life with God rather than working at a frenzied pace to impress people and gain the approval of God. Defined as the status of an individual that has become fatigued with his or her vocation or major life activity, burnout is preceded by a long-term avoidance of the signs of weakness and an intense focus on simply working harder. Some scholars believe the primary problem …

Clergy Supportive Spiritual Practices, Gregory Jenkins

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

Clergy wellness is of keen interest to church leadership in recent years as mainline Canadian churches face rapid decline. The financial diminishment of the church has led to fewer clergy looking after more churches, and larger churches having fewer staff. The result is increased demands on clergy’s time and energy that pose a challenge to their wellness. Given this current reality, the importance of understanding what can support clergy wellness is crucial. The purpose of this research is to explore the question: “What is the experience of Anglican priests in the Diocese of Huron as they engage in supportive spiritual …

Fostering Equanimity Through Spiritual Disciplines To Increase Undergraduate Retention At Greenville University, Patrick Monroe Miller

Doctor of Ministry

This dissertation responds to the problem of unstable freshman-to-sophomore retention rates at Greenville University between 2005 and 2015. Greenville University retention rates have oscillated between a high of 75.5% in 2009 and a low of 62.5% in 2011. This differs from the performance of the other members of the Council for Christian Colleges and Universities over the same time period. For CCCU schools, retention has remained between 72.7% and 74%. While both CCCU schools and Greenville University invested significant time and resources into retention programs, Greenville’s efforts did not produce stable retention rates. Section one details the fluctuating retention rates …

The Contributions Of Spiritual Formation Questions To Redeeming The Shadow Side Of Pastoral Identity, Natalie Hendrickson

All Electronic Theses and Dissertations

There is a well-documented problem of shadow side issues, hidden sin or dysfunction, derailing many pastoral leaders and devastating families, congregations, and whole communities. In response to this problem, this Doctor of Ministry thesis project sought to explore the contributions of spiritual formation questions to redeeming the shadow side of pastoral identity. This researcher explored biblical questions and focused on the questions of Jesus in the Gospels to identify an efficacious spiritual formation approach to using questions in redemptive work. In addition, this researcher conducted more than a year of fieldwork with pastoral participants utilizing mixed-method data analysis. Quantitative data …

Learning Religion In The Presence Of The Other: Mission And Dialogue In World Catholicism, Matthias Scharer

Journal of Global Catholicism

Based on selected texts of the Second Vatican Council and related to the process of the Council and Church experiences thereafter, this article offers a brief insight into the theological method known as communicative theology (CT). One of the factors most challenging to mission and dialogue in world Catholicism is the perpetual presence of the “other” as a stranger. This learning religion in the presence of the “other” is not the exception; this article argues that it is, in fact, very typical of mission and dialogue in Africa as well as in Europe

Evangelism Training For The 21st Century: Complexities And Opportunities For Seminary Education, Jay Jay Moon, Tim Robbins, Irene Kabete

Witness

No abstract provided.

Cruising (With) Luther – Indecent Lutheran Theologies From The South, Or What Makes A Lutheran Theology Lutheran, André S. Musskopf

Consensus

No abstract provided.

Calvin Theological Journal (Vol 52 No 2 - November 2017), Calvin Theological Seminary

Calvin Theological Journal

From the Editor: Karin Maag - 149 / Articles: Genevan Psalms in Javanese by Yudha Thianto - 151 / Reengaging Figural Interpretation: The Impact of Erich Auerbach by James W. Skillen - 181 / Blessing and Glory: Abraham Kuyper on the Beatific Vision by Hans Boersma - 205 / Sermon: “Heaven: The Present Reality”—A Sermon on Hebrews 12:18–29 by Laura Smit - 243 / Short Studies: Why a Bavinck Institute? Why at Calvin Seminary? by John Bolt - 251 / Comparing Spirit Hermeneutics by Craig Keener with Classic Pentecostal Hermeneutics by Dean Deppe - 265 / Interpreting Figural Interpretation: A …

Kerux - Vol. 52, No. 1, Calvin Theological Seminary

Kerux

Inside This Issue

• Welcome Page 1
• The opening word Page 2
• How are you? Page 4
• A dark and stormy night Page 7
• Leading in times of trouble Page 8
• There are seeds and they are trying Page 12
• A prayer for Fiji Page 16
• A grand and rapid change Page 19
• Big on Newbigin Page 22
• A bobo in Sierra Leone Page 26
• Mix well before use Page 31
• The disciple challenge Page 32
• Be frank with me Page 36
• God’s Chinese kingdom Page 40
• The gift of presence Page 46
• The mind of a child Page 50
• Kenya …

A Case Study Of Disciple-Making Practices Of The Korean Immigrant Churches In The United States : The Principles Of Reproduction In Disciple-Making, Sung Hyuk Nam

ATS Dissertations

No abstract provided.

Theological Foundations Of Pastoral Care In Catholic Universities, Thomas V. Gourlay

eJournal of Catholic Education in Australasia

One defining element of life in any Catholic educational institution, whether it be primary, secondary, or tertiary, is the focus on pastoral care for staff and students. This paper provides a distinctly Catholic definition of the term ‘pastoral care’ and briefly examines the theological foundations that underpin this concept, particularly, in relation to its application in the Catholic university. The paper traces the motif of pastoral care through the Scriptures and, building on insights from St. Pope John Paul II’s Apostolic Constitution on Catholic Universities, Ex Corde Ecclesiae (1990) and the broader theological anthropology of the Vatican II Council. The …

A Church Based Curriculum Providing Marriage And Family Education For Stepfamilies And Ministries, Richard Helein

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

Within the American population, the Stepfamily now outnumbers that of the traditional nuclear family; a trend mirrored in the local church. Stepfamilies within the church culture struggle in navigating the relational complexities, emotional and spiritual strain, and biblical confusion inherent to the formation of a stepfamily, while church leaders lack both understanding and the training necessary to minister to this growing population. Often step-families choose anonymity or leave the local church for fear of being shunned. In synthesizing, existing research with data garnered from stepfamilies via their participation in an anonymous online survey and participatory learning activity (PLA), challenges unique …

Two Way Discipleship Curriculum: Correlation Of Discipleship With Pastoral Counseling For South Korean Churches, Yoonsu Lee

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

In South Korea, many churches create and run discipleship programs. The programs help many people to focus on Jesus, but the programs come with significant problem. . If a person is experiencing a mental problem like stress, depression, or addiction, that person has a much more difficult time focusing on Jesus Christ rather than the struggles in his or her own life. Most discipleship programs ignore these prevalent mental issues, but including mental care in the course is vital to develop true disciples. Pastoral counseling has various mental care methods that address the problems facing many of its participants. South …