Digital Commons Network^™

Support Groups For Men: Encouraging Healthy Relationships With God And Others, John Henry Mckinney Ii

Doctor of Ministry

Over several decades, societal shifts have dramatically impacted masculinity. One school of thought, hypomasculinity, views men as dominant, controlling, and abusive. Their approach to reforming men is pedagogy. Hypermasculinity—another school of thought—considers culture as domesticating men. Often, they see reform occurring through men’s support groups.

There is an intentional design to domesticate men, making them softer and more manageable. Obviously, there is nothing immoral about desiring the transformation of man. The issue is not the desire but the methodology supporting it. So, how is change to be successfully implemented?

Some churches are offering men support groups. Such groups provide recovery …

The Sweet And Gentle Struggle: Francis De Sales On The Necessity Of Spiritual Friendship (2014 Ebook Version), Terence A. Mcgoldrick

Theology Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Learning Together: Integrating Worship, Education, And Personal Devotion At Oakhurst Baptist Church Of Asheboro, North Carolina, Hunter Duncan

Doctor of Ministry Projects

The hypothesis of this project is that an integrated worship experience that engages church members with one biblical concept each week through various interactions will strengthen the community of faith. The ministry experiment sought to accomplish this goal by integrating weekly worship, Sunday School, daily devotions, and an internet-based discussion forum. Data was collected from project participants before the project began, weekly to measure the ongoing impact, and again at the project's conclusion. The results of the project revealed that integrating worship elements does improve engagement with the community of faith and the overall satisfaction with the weekly worship experience.

Overcoming The Five Primary Negative Thoughts: A Twenty- One Day Mind Renewal Plan For Men, Paul Chipman

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The Bible commands Christians to be transformed by renewing their minds with the Word of God. This project proposes a biblical mind transformation plan targeting men specifically, as well as the broader body of Christ. The plan equips Christians with the skills to learn how to identify, control, and eliminate the five primary negative thoughts. Once identified, these unhealthy thoughts will be replaced with a plethora of healthy self empowering thoughts resulting in a renewed Christ centered mindset. The research for this plan will be based on the Holy Scriptures, neuroscience (brain research), and cognitive behavior therapy (CBT). Pre and …

Living Rhythms: Movements Toward Health And Holiness, Jill K. Sidler Fleagle

Doctor of Ministry

Human beings can honestly profess to believe what they do not believe. (Dallas Willard) Christians seek relational health apart from spiritual health and vice versa. The problem is one of belief that it is possible to live in intimate fellowship with the Lord while in broken or unhealthy other primary relationships. Jesus addressed the problem of compartmentalized thinking when one of the Pharisees asked him to identify the most important commandment (singular) in the Law. Jesus' answer inextricably linked loving God with loving others in his response of not one but two commandments: You shall love the LORD your God …

Christ's Response To The Last, The Least, The Lost, The Left Out - Is The Church Living Up To Christ's Standard?, Jerry Staples

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

There is a plethora of statistics concerning how many un-churched people there are in the United States and the socioeconomic ladder does not discriminate who fits this lost category. Yet, the concern of this project deals with the gang member, drug dealer, drug users, pimps and prostitutes. The intent is to take outreach to the street through cook outs, Holy block parties, street revivals and the like. The rationale of this project is to show how one can reach, teach and keep this group of people, the potential dangers, and positive consequences associated with it. The potential value of this …

Exploring The Spiritually Formative Experiences Of Female Seminary Spouses: A Phenomenological Inquiry, Benjamin Forrest

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this paper is to present the findings of a qualitative research study exploring the spiritually formative experiences of nonstudent, female, seminary spouses whose student spouses are beyond the halfway point in their pursuit of an M.Div. at a large evangelical seminary in the eastern United States. Fifteen participants (twelve online nonstudent spouses and three residential nonstudent spouses) were purposefully sampled. The data, which was collected through questionnaires, in-depth interviews, and discussion forums, was analyzed using transcendental phenomenological analysis. Through this analysis it became apparent that seminary spouses did in fact experience spiritual formation through their husband's education. …

Jesus, I Trust In You: St. Thomas Aquinas' Jubilee, John A. Sohl

Mahurin Honors College Capstone Experience/Thesis Projects

The concept of “Life Reporting” is a completely new idea, at least in terms of how I have experienced it. In today’s world of blogs and social networking, it is essential for broadcast journalists to embrace their own lives in the same world of professional and ethical reporting. As I describe my experience of St. Thomas Aquinas’ Jubilee, I have no choice but to provide the context and build-up of this intense passion toward my overarching point. Working through all the communities of which I have been a part, from attending St. Luke Catholic Church all the way to the …

“...And He Was Known In The Breaking Of The Bread.”, Michele Volz

LMU Theses and Dissertations

No abstract provided.

Describing A Pentecostal Spirituality And Eploring These Expressions Within A Spiritual Formation Model, Jeremy Daniel Sims

Doctor of Ministry

Richard Foster states, “The desperate need today is not for a greater number of intelligent people, or gifted people, but for deep people.”1 But how do we understand what it means to be a “deep person?” We need a description of what a deep relationship looks like and a model of the spiritual growth process that makes that possible. A spiritual formation model is a tool designed to identify the organic process of growth for the believer in Christ and describe how that believer might tunnel into the depths of maturity by partnering with the Holy Spirit. As a Pentecostal, …

Connecting The Dots: A Case Study Examining The Impact Of Service Learning On A Youth And Young Adult Student Ministry, Thomas Spencer Legrand Jr.

Education Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this study was to provide a case study on the application of service-learning curriculum in a youth ministry at a traditional mid-size church. The intent of the curriculum was to provide a new and creative way for the church to impact youth by getting them involved in actions that correspond with Biblical principles. Church leaders hope that this curriculum change will not only impact youth in their teens but also influence them to remain involved in a traditional church as they reach college and become young adults.

The researcher used the process model of curriculum study from …

Relational Discernment : Moving Towards A Holistic Approach, Vonna Thomas

Doctor of Ministry

No abstract provided.

Mary's Spiritual Motherhood: Lumen Gentium And The New Evangelization, Frederick L. Miller

Marian Studies

No abstract provided.

Ruah: Revelation To Recognition, Symbol To Reality In The Twenty-First Century Church, Georgeann Boras

Doctor of Ministry

No abstract provided.

Identity Formation In Mixed-Gender Leadership Community: Forming Leadership Relationships Around A Common Identity And A Shared Biblical Narrative, Vicki A. Scheib

Doctor of Ministry

No abstract provided.

The Victorious Christian Life: Overcoming Alcohol Dependence Through The Phenomenon Of Christian Spirituality, Michael Byrne

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

Interviews were conducted with graduates of a northeastern evangelical Christian-based treatment program to discover insights regarding the role that the phenomenon of Christian spirituality played in their recovery. Eight themes were extracted from three periods of time in the participants' lives as they related to the phenomenon of Christian spirituality: prior to treatment; during treatment; and after treatment. These themes revealed that the participants lacked resiliencies to overcome alcohol dependence themselves. All participants reported that critical aspects of Christian spirituality, such as regeneration and cultivation of a divine-human relationship through lifestyle exercise of Spiritual Disciplines and diligent application of the …

Stigma And The Acceptability Of Depression Treatments Among African American Clergy, Connie Gardner

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this cross sectional study was to investigate stigma associated with depression treatments and to approximate its association with treatment acceptability among African American Clergy. There were 109 African American clergy who completed three measures: treatment specific stigma instrument, treatment acceptability instrument, and a demographic questionnaire, anonymously. Three hypotheses were tested using descriptive statistics, Mantel-Haenszel common odds ratio estimate, Pearson correlation coefficient, and ordinal logistic regression. Statistical analysis revealed stigma did increase with the expansion of the social circle; Christian mental health counseling had the highest acceptability rate among clergy not pastoral or lay counseling and there was …

By This They Will Know: Discipleship Principles To Transform The Church, Mark R. Brown

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

Current research indicates that ninety-five million individuals in America do not attend church. Nearly forty percent, of this group, have a negative impression of Christianity. The purpose of this project is to study the forces that that are transforming the American culture, and the dynamics that are perpetuating a bad image of Christianity. The author will evaluate the current state of spiritual formation in the Christian community, and make recommendations for developing an effective discipleship strategy for the church. The impetus for this paper is the Great commission issued by Jesus as recorded in Matthew 28:19. The paper will incorporate …

A Funny Thing Happened To My Devotional Life On The Way To The Pulpit, Prentice A. Meador Jr.

Leaven

No abstract provided.

Stating The Obvious: A Look At Congregational Mission Statements, John O. York

Leaven

No abstract provided.

The Search For Ministerial Integrity, Curtis D. Mcclane

Leaven

No abstract provided.

The Initiation Of Growth-Focused Relationships Involving Healthy Accountability At The Carbondale Church Of Christ, Stephen Shaffer

Doctor of Ministry Theses and Dissertations

After several years of transition, the Carbondale Church of Christ is in the early stages of becoming a spiritual growth-focused community. However, the emerging growth community appears to reflect the prevailing cultural assumptions that growth is a personal, private, and an individual task. To shape this emergent growth culture, this project initiated a group of congregational opinion leaders, organized in pairs, into the practice of growth-focused relationships involving healthy accountability. The initiation involved a theological orientation followed by a four-week healthy accountability praxis.

The theological framework of the project involved three main aspects. First, the project used the body image …

What's God Up To?, Diane G.H. Kilmer

Leaven

No abstract provided.

Editors' Notes, Stuart Love, D'Esta Love, Curtis Mcclane

Leaven

No abstract provided.

Spiritual Direction As Preventative Clergy Care: Presented In A Wesleyan Quadrilateral Paradigm, Terry L. Clees

Doctor of Ministry

No abstract provided.

Counseling And Psychotherapy Within And Across Faith Traditions (Chapter 17 In The Oxford Handbook Of The Psychology Of Spirituality), Mark R. Mcminn

Faculty Publications - Doctor of Psychology (PsyD) Program

This chapter begins with general considerations for religiously and spiritually oriented psychotherapy, including the importance of seeing religion and spirituality as d.imensions of cultural diversity, considering clients' welfare and autonomy, and maintaining competence. Three types of religious and spiritual intervention approaches are then discussed: assimilative, accommodative, and collaborative. Assimilative approaches introduce spiritual interventions or considerations into a standard psychotherapy approach. Accommodative approaches involve adapting a standard psychotherapy regimen to include religious or spiritual matters. Collaborative approaches entail a mental health professional and religious leader working in tandem for the sake of clients' welfare. Next, specific issues related to counseling within …

Sexual Addiction: Problems And Solutions For The Christian Community, Waymon R. Hinson, Damon Parker

Leaven

No abstract provided.

The New Birth 1.0: The Dynamics Of Conversion, Steve Staten

Leaven

No abstract provided.

Spiritual Direction And Evangelicals : Exploring Its Growth, Margie Van Duzer

Doctor of Ministry

During the last thirty years interest in the ministry of spiritual direction has grown rapidly within evangelical circles. This paper explores the conditions that have nurtured this change. Specifically, this dissertation defines and describes spiritual direction, sets forth its biblical and historical context, and then explores a variety of factors that help explain its increase in popularity among evangelicals. In the final chapter, the dissertation turns to a consideration of how best to prepare the growing number of evangelical spiritual directors and proposes an outline of a curriculum for a spiritual direction equipping program.

The paper is divided into three …

Christian Mission As A Relevant Applied Hermeneutic In The Post-Soviet Russian Context, Joseph A. Loya O.S.A.

Occasional Papers on Religion in Eastern Europe

No abstract provided.