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Developing Ethical Training Curriculum For University Short-Term Missions, Elizabeth P. Sutphin

Honors Scholars Collaborative Projects

This thesis addresses common problems associated with short-term mission (STM) trips and the gaps in existing training materials for these trips. The research throughout this project is designed to inspire community-specific training materials for college students participating in domestic STM trips through their universities. The final chapter of this thesis includes the framework for a sample curriculum to promote sustainable STM work — providing cross-cultural communication techniques and relationship-building tools to avoid harming the communities students seek to serve.

Revival Today: America’S History Of Biblical Revival And Its Modern Application, Matthew Musser

Senior Honors Theses

There is a need for revival within the church today. Christian revivals are becoming less and less popular in the current times. Is this due to a subtle shift in America’s culture? Or is this decline of religious revival the result of something deeper? This thesis will seek to discover the biblical foundations of revival in American history. First, it will analyze some of the biblical revivals that took place in the Old Testament, Gospels, and Book of Acts. Then it will transition into how these biblical principles have been the cornerstone for many of the great revivals in American …

Book Review: When Everything Is Mission By Denny Spitters And Matthew Ellison, Kenneth Nehrbass

Great Commission Research Journal

No abstract provided.

Deliverance Ministry Among Adventists In The North American Context, Conrad Vine

Journal of Adventist Mission Studies

Deliverance Ministry (DM) among Adventists in North America is a rarely discussed topic. In North American Adventism, it is uncommon for those who do experience demonization to openly discuss their spiritual plight with fellow Adventists, or even with their pastors. Empirical feedback from those who seek deliverance, and from the participants at the International Fellowship of Adventist Mission Studies / Swallen Mission Conference organized by the Department of World Mission at the Adventist Seminary, Andrews University (September 2015) indicates that many Adventist pastors and seminarians in North America feel relatively unprepared to respond to requests for deliverance from members.

An Assessment Of The Millennial Body And Its Place In The Local Church, Jonette L. Camp

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

Millennial members’ waning attendance and involvement at Simon Temple African Methodist Episcopal Zion Church is a growing concern for the church universal. This project focuses on Simon Temple’s ability to attract and retain millennials and draw on their church programs and leadership gifts. This study’s purpose was to understand better why millennials do not become or remain active members at Simon Temple. If the church implemented a strategic evangelism and discipleship plan for millennials, could it help attract, retain, and involve millennials? This study evaluates the concerns of Simon Temple leadership and millennial members as they relate to millennial involvement …

Intentional Discipleship Impact : The Effects Of Disciplemaking In The Lives Of The Youth Among Evangelical Churches In Zamboanga City, Edilberto A. Marasigan Jr.

ATS Dissertations

No abstract provided.

Exit Of 15-19-Year-Olds From Glory Outreach Assembly (Goa) : Best Practices For Reversing The Trend, John Njoroge Kareithi

ATS Dissertations

No abstract provided.

Knowledge, Attitude And Behavioral Change : A Study Of Youth In Deliverance Church Ong'ata Rongai, Peter Keffar Njogah

ATS Dissertations

No abstract provided.

Innovativeness And Church Commitment: What Innovations Were Most Important During The Pandemic?, Anna Covarrubias, David R. Dunaetz, Wendi Dykes Mcgehee

Great Commission Research Journal

The COVID-19 pandemic created an unprecedented need for innovations in churches around the world. Organizational innovativeness, a precursor of successful innovations in organizational contexts, is rarely studied in churches. This study of American church attenders (N = 244) found that perceived innovativeness of churches (conceived of as the elements of a church’s culture which promote innovation, specifically, creativity, organizational openness, future orientation, risk-taking, and proactiveness) was a very strong predictor of church commitment (conceived of as intentions to stay in the church, r = .60, p < .001). Of the moderators examined in this study (membership tenure, age of participant, church size, and gender), only gender moderated this relationship; the relationship between perceived innovativeness and church commitment was stronger for females than for males. This suggests that innovations that facilitated relationship development and relationship maintenance had the greatest impact on church commitment during the pandemic.

Making Online Children’S Ministry Interactive In Wheaton, Illinois, Eric Norregaard, Ping Ng

Great Commission Research Journal

No abstract provided.

From “White Fathers” To “Black Fathers” In Kasama And Mpika Dioceses In Zambia, Anthony B. Tambatamba, Austin M. Cheyeka, Tomaida C. Milingo

Zambia Social Science Journal

Employing the missiological theory of Henry Venn (1796-1873) and Rufus Anderson (1796-1880) on indigenisation of churches, this article explores the lived experiences of black Zambian Catholic clergymen, nuns, catechists and lay people at some of the mission stations that were once in the hands of Missionaries of Africa, popularly known as White Fathers, from 1891to1991 in the Archdiocese of Kasama and Diocese of Mpika. To write about the White Fathers from the point of view of our interviewees accords us an auspicious opportunity to pay tribute to Fr. Hugo Hinfelaar to whom this article and this particular issue of the …

Now, Tomorrow Is Leaving Yesterday : Departure Of Campus Youths From Church, Ayobamiji Joseph Oluwagunna

ATS Dissertations

No abstract provided.

A Biblically Based Parenting Style In Anglican Church Arochukwu, Johnson Chibueze Onuoha

ATS Dissertations

No abstract provided.

The Decline And Recovery Of Apostolic Leadership In Adventist Ministry, Anthony Wagenersmith

Journal of Adventist Mission Studies

There are broad patterns of growth: plateau, decline, and ultimately renewal or death among Christian denominations and networks. One of the factors that catalyze movement dynamics early on—as well as their potential renewal—is the degree to which a church’s founding leaders embody and transfer the apostolic function for future generations (cf. Saarinen 1994; Morgan 2017). This article traces the initial function and decline of apostolicity among Seventh-day Adventist ministers as a case study with implications for contemporary Adventism and beyond.

After providing an analysis of leadership in the New Testament—with particular emphasis on apostles, apostolicity, and their relationship with elders—an …

Engaging With New Generations : Integration Among Young English-Speaking Hispanics In A Spanish-Speaking Congregation, José W. Pimentel

ATS Dissertations

No abstract provided.

In Memoriam : Vinson Synan: Model Of Spirit-Led Leadership, Sally Jo Shelton

Spiritus: ORU Journal of Theology

H. Vinson Synan (December 1, 1934—March 15, 2020) was a key successor to David du Plessis, known as Mr. Pentecost, to Catholic and mainline Protestant leaders. Like du Plessis, Synan was a classical Pentecostal who dedicated much of his life to promoting the move of the Holy Spirit beyond the confines of his own classical Pentecostal denomination, the International Pentecostal Holiness Church. His call to this work came in 1972 at an annual Catholic Charismatic Conference held at Notre Dame University when seeing some 8,000participants singing in the Spirit, he came to the conviction that Catholics had indeed received the …

Full Issue - Spiritus 5, Vol 2 (2020), Spiritus Journal

Spiritus: ORU Journal of Theology

This special journal issue devoted to Spirit-empowered leadership.

John Thompson, guest editor.

Towards The Effectiveness Of The Missionary Activity Of The Seventh-Day Adventist Church In Moscow: A Comparative Study Of Church And Society, Pavel Zubkov

Journal of Adventist Mission Studies

No abstract provided.

Adolescent Spiritual Formation: Practical Theology As A Filter For Youth Ministry, Jeremy Smith

Doctor of Ministry Theses and Dissertations

There seems to be a disconnect between the practice and scholars of youth ministry. Historically, the practice of youth ministry has been overly concerned with method, creating multiple approaches, each with its own inherent shortcomings. Responding to this overemphasis on method, scholars of youth ministry have argued for a more theological framework, assuming that the problem lies within a lack of theological education among youth ministry practitioners. In 2001 youth ministry scholarship made a case to place the field of youth ministry under the discipline of practical theology in hopes of grounding the practice of youth ministry in theology. Over …

Leadership Imagery : Developing People With The Right Passion, Attitudes, And Knowledge For Effective Christian Leadership, Clara Joyce Danquah

ATS Dissertations

No abstract provided.

From The Archives: Ichthus Music Festival- The World Of Christian Music Comes To Wilmore, Robert Danielson

The Asbury Journal

No abstract provided.

Transitioning To A Televised Worship Service Via Internet To Provide For The Continued Existence Of A Small, Declining Congregation, Clifford L. Herd

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

Prince of Peace (POP) congregation, Ft. Payne, Alabama has less than twenty members and is struggling to survive. POP needed another option for her continued existence and sustainability as a small, declining congregation. Utilizing Internet technologies, it was possible for this small congregation to connect with a host congregation to receive their worship service and message on a large screen television. The thesis project investigated if POP congregation could make a transition from a live person-led worship service/message to a televised worship service/message to enable them to continue to worship and survive as a congregation. The congregation was prepared to …

The Possibility For Short-Term Missions Program In Activating Missional Effectiveness For Full Gospel Churches Of Kenya, Kiambu District, Michael G. Mwangi

ATS Dissertations

No abstract provided.

Evaluation Of The Perpetual Leadership Model In The Pentecostal Churches Of The Apostolic Faith International In Liberia, Isaac J. Mehn Sr.

ATS Dissertations

No abstract provided.

Youth Participation In Urban Mission And Ministry, Michelet William

Journal of Adventist Mission Studies

"The God of Scripture consistently called faithful youngsters to participate in his redemptive mission on earth. The mission of God is not only carried out by young men and women but also intentionally aims at reaching out to them. Drawing on biblical examples, this article advocates a youth-focused approach to urban ministry whereby young people are both actors and recipients of all activities. Youth participation is beneficial for society because their alienation is a cause of social and political disruption, of gang formation and criminal behavior in many contexts. Youth participation is beneficial for the church because, as reported in …

Rethinking Foreign Missions: How Churches Can Engage In Global Missionary Work Without Leaving Their Communities, Stuart Alan Cocanougher

Doctor of Ministry

For three hundred years, the modern missions movement has established a paradigm in which evangelical churches, denominations, and parachurch agencies have recruited, trained, funded, and sent missionaries around the world. Taking seriously Christ’s command to reach the nations with the gospel, U.S. churches spend millions of dollars each year to send a few select missionaries to faraway nations, while most Christians are not engaged in cross-cultural ministry. But the world has changed. Now there are millions of foreigners living in the United States. I propose that evangelical church leaders consider a new strategy that involves training American Christians to minister …

Building Long-Term Cross-Cultural Partnerships Through Short-Term Missions : From The Case Of Dangsandong Church In Korea And Sarmaya Fellowship In Sri Lanka, Hyeon Gu Lee

ATS Dissertations

No abstract provided.

Calvin Theological Seminary Forum: Winter 2019, Amanda W. Benckhuysen, Matthew Cooke, Mariano Avila, Margaret Mwenda

Calvin Theological Seminary Forum (2002- )

3 - God's Plan by Jul Medenblik

4 - Making Immigration Our Problem by Amanda W. Benckhuysen

8 - Trauma, Forced Migration, and the Role of the Church by Matthew Cooke

12 - Latino/ A Evangelical Immigrants in West Michigan by Mariano Avila

16 - Informing, Equipping, and Connecting African Immigrants in Grand Rapids, Michigan

19 - Loving Your Neighbor

22 - Faculty News

22 - New Faces

23 - Other News

24 - Year in Review

Transformative Discipleship : Effective Discipleship Of Young Adults At Christ Is The Answer Ministries (Citam), Kenya, Juddy Karei

ATS Dissertations

No abstract provided.

The Global Missionary: The Emerging Roles Of North American Missionaries In The Twenty-First Century, Blayne C. Waltrip

Great Commission Research Journal

This article explores the emerging roles of the North American missionary in light of the changing face of global missions. Missionary sending has become a phenomenon of reciprocity. Because the Global South has become a missionary sending force, missionaries are going from everywhere to everywhere. This shift has created a need for North American missionaries to reevaluate their roles in missions. They are increasingly becoming “Global Missionaries” that serve in more than one context. The author defines and describes a Global Missionary, evaluates the factors for the shift, and advocates a greater global partnership to fulfill the Great Commission.