Digital Commons Network^™

Theologia: Quaker Youth Ministry And Theopraxis In A Multicultural Context, Joel Mayward, Roger Nam, Leah Payne, Steve Sherwood, Hannah Souter, Trisha Welstad

Quaker Religious Thought

"I am convinced by my own life and by wide observation of children that mystical experience is much more common than is usually supposed. Children are not so absorbed as we are with things and with problems. They are not so completely organized for dealing with the outside world as we older persons are. They do not live by cut-and-dried theories. They have more room for surprise and wonder. They are more sensitive to intimations, flashes, openings. The invisible impinges on their souls and they feel its reality as something quite natural.” —Rufus M. Jones,

“Finding the Trail of Life”1 …

The Act Of Being : Older Adults In The Missional Church, Eva Marie Wolfe

ATS Dissertations

No abstract provided.

A Model For Identifying, Developing, And Installing Elders In The Church: The Path Family Church Has Taken, Stephen Harrison

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The problem is that Family Church does not identify, develop, and install their potential elders well. This intervention research project addressed this problem by establishing prerequisites for elder identification, a seven-week elder training workbook, and guidelines for installation after the research project. Current elders at Family Church completed a questionnaire, participated in case studies, and evaluated their intervention project in a focus group to establish an effective method of identifying, developing, and installing potential elders. This intervention research project produced a list of prerequisites for identifying potential elders, a seven-week elder training manual, and clear guidelines for ordaining elders at …

Strengthening Mission Through Strategy: An Analysis Of The Mission-Driven Excellence Strategy, Osvaldo Souza Santos Jr.

Dissertations

The Office of Strategy and Research (OSR) for the Seventh-day Adventist (SDA) churches in the North America Division (NAD) is beginning to implement a new strategy that focuses on mission. The OSR designed the strategy, created tools and materials to support the churches in implementing the Mission-driven Excellence (MdX) strategy. MdX combines planning and direction that helps church leaders to think strategically. MdX is a combination of pre-events, processes, and resources combined with local church strategies toward mission. The purpose of this study was to suggest strengths and improvements to the Mission-driven Excellence (MdX) strategy by seeking to better understand …

How Shame Shapes Church Planting : Exploring Impacts On Gospel Receptivity Among Emerging Adults, Robert Mark Montgomery

ATS Dissertations

No abstract provided.

Art As Contextualization: Using Visual Communication As Christian Missions In Native American And Alaskan Cultures, Hali Gehring

Senior Honors Theses

Contextualization is an important aspect of Christian ministries and cross-cultural missions to create sustaining churches around the world. There are many forms of communication that use contextualization for religious purposes, such as theatre, story, art, and dance. These important forms of communication can be used with cultural practices to contextualize the Gospel to different people groups. For Native Americans and Alaskans, artistic works that promote cultural heritage are highly regarded. A beadwork piece that explains the Gospel could be a creative way to contextualize to Native American and Alaskans.

Developing An Intentional Disciple Making Strategy For Fathers To Lead Their Families In Spiritual Transformation, Michael Cauthorne

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

Do current student ministries produce disciples that can stand the test of the current culture? Has creating a separate ministry worked against God’s plan for making disciples? Statistics from across the Church would suggest the American Church is in decline. Within the Southern Baptist Convention there has been a continual decline in baptisms over the past few years. This project will seek to determine if there is a correlation between how student ministries are led in the modern church to how effectively the church has been in making disciples. With research and data collected from current and former student ministries, …

A Study Of Hunger Relief-Based Outreach As A Model Of Church Growth For The Unattractional Church: The Gospel Grocery Wagon, Jerry Wayne Vineyard

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of the research project is to create a strategy for Under Over Fellowship to engage the immediate low socio-economic, cross-cultural, and multi-racial community with the Gospel of Jesus Christ and to see those who make professions of faith in Jesus Christ become active members of Under Over Fellowship. This model of church growth will be facilitated through the combination of servant evangelism and long-term hunger relief. This method will provide a comfortable and non-confrontational way for members of Under Over Fellowship to build relationships and share the gospel with the residents of the low-income apartment complexes and trailer …

Intervention: Helping The Rural Baptist Church Identify Areas Of Strength And Weakness For Greater Kingdom Service, Anthony Jerome Baylor

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The rural Baptist Church has historically been a place of tradition, cultural importance, and refuge. It has been led by a wealth of great leaders who have served generations of faithful members. Over time, many rural Baptist Churches have seen a gradual decline, and some are on the verge of extinction. This decline may be a direct result of those churches attempting to continue unnecessary traditions and unproductive ministries. These churches also sacrifice future interests and prospects for institutional practices that do not fulfill the Great Commission and promote destructive practices. To initiate an intervention into the destructive practices of …

The Flourishing Life Of The Leader Who Makes God The Top Priority, Frank Owusu

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The Thesis Project that is undertaken in Richmond, Virginia, is addressing the issues in the leaders of churches’ lack of understanding, when it comes to prioritizing their relationship with God. The purpose of the thesis is to train the men and women in leadership, so that they seek and reach forth onto that highest priority of relationship with Christ. The interventions that are designed to help in the development of the spiritually healthy leaders include the practices that the Lord Jesus Christ mentions in His speech, the Sermon on the Mount. Through mentoring and the participants’ initiative in fasting, prayer, …

They Only Asked Us To Remember The Poor’: The Poor In The Theology Of Rev. Dr. Don Davis, Hank Voss

2021 Evangelical Theological Society

No abstract provided.

Czech Resistance To Organized Religion, Donald L. Schwarz Jr.

Theology Undergraduate Work

According to current statistics, the Czech Republic is a secular, post-communist, post-Christian nation that is almost 80% atheist/agnostic, yet it boasts a vibrant spiritual heritage. Over the last twenty-five years of ministry in this country, the author has observed that it is challenging for Czechs, specifically those newly professing faith in Christ, to integrate into local Czech churches. This research paper briefly reviews the Biblical foundations for the Church, its mission and purpose, and then explores some of the reasons that Czechs resist the Church and organized religion. This paper argues that Czechs are not averse to God but rather …

Obeying The Commission: A Model For Equipping Christians To Make Disciples, David Kofi Bempong

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

Jesus was explicit when He gave His disciples specific instructions before His ascension. In Matthew 28:19, Jesus commissions his followers to be disciple-makers. Christians today are beneficiaries of the previous generations’ efforts to fulfill this commission. The purpose of this project is to evaluate how discipleship is accomplished at Riverdale Baptist Church and to propose a strategy demonstrating practical ways people can begin making disciples. The traditional church model is losing relevance amid a society that is increasingly dissociating itself from formal religion. The body of Christ must be in touch with their communities and find effective ways of making …

Keeping Culture: An Evaluation Of Organizational Culture In The Multisite Church, Michael John Grayston

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this descriptive qualitative study was to explore the attendee perception of organizational culture, including the communication pathways, vision, and mission in the three common multisite church models: the local franchise model, the national franchise model, and the live teaching model. The study evaluated the attendee perception of the methods and strategies used by the multisite church to create and keep one unique culture in spite of their method, proximity, or demographics. The researcher attempted to evaluate these methods through a survey and face-to-face interviews with multisite church leaders from six different churches representing three different models. The …

A Phenomenological Study Of Anger's Dissonance: Exploring The Attribute Of Meekness Among Christian Exemplars, Stephen Ethan Halstead

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

This phenomenological research examined the role of cognitive dissonance in the process of spiritual and behavioral change in the lives of mature Christian exemplars within the Evangelical Free Church of America (EFCA) located in the Southeast Region of the United States of America by peering through the lens of the emotion of anger to explore one’s transformation toward meekness. Utilizing a purposive sampling, this study sought to explore the magnitude of behavioral change from a tendency toward anger to a tendency toward meekness as one matures as a Christian. It sought to close the gap in understanding how Christians viewed …

Establishing 24-7 Worship And Prayer Reflecting The Harp And Bowl Model Depicted In Revelation 5:8 In The Local Church, Margaret Leanne Naff

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

One of the primary functions of the Church as being redeemed unto God is to worship and pray. The combination of worship and prayer releases the kingdom of heaven on the earth for the purpose of divine encounter with God, cultural transformation, and redemption of humanity. This thesis project focused on the progressive establishment of 24-7 worship and prayer in the local church to reflect the harp and bowl model depicted in Revelation 5:8. This study provided a four-week teaching that was targeted toward growth in understanding a biblical theology for worship and prayer, revelation of intercession, the harp and …

Servant-Leadership: Social-Science Model Or Biblical Model--Which Is Predominant Within Southern Baptist Ministry Leadership?, Norman Custis Snead Sr.

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this quantitative descriptive research study was to discover the most predominant leadership style, of the five styles being measured (Autocratic/Authoritarian, Bureaucratic, Democratic, Laissez-faire, or Servant-Leader), that was found within the ministry leadership of the Southern Baptist Convention, and to discover which servant-leadership model (social-science or biblical) was more predominantly followed by those using a servant-leadership style. Furthermore, the correlation of their leadership position and educational level were analyzed for those ministry leaders predominantly following the social-science model of servant-leadership. The social-science model was identified and defined through a literature review. Whereas, the biblical model was defined and …

A Biblical, Culturally Relevant, And Contextually Applicable Financial Literacy Curriculum, Wallace Kanyuira

Doctor of Leadership

Poverty in Kenya is high, and the church should respond by economically empowering the people to be self-reliant. People are in poverty, not for lack of opportunities and resources, but because they lack the knowledge and skills to exploit these opportunities, make decisions they are ill-equipped to make, and lack financial literacy. Many people who are financially struggling tend to seek solace in churches. Consequently, pastors need to master and teach biblical financial literacy and reshape the church culture to be responsive. In Hosea 4:6 God says: “My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge. . . .” Biblical financial …

Implementing A Discipleship Curriculum Among Men At Breakthrough Church Of God By Faith (Cogbf) In Memphis, Tn, Shawn Martinus Cook Sr.

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this qualitative study was to introduce, engage, and implement discipleship concepts and practices at Breakthrough COGBF to increase attendance, spiritual engagement, retention, and membership among men. The study included comparing the biblical concept of discipleship cited in Matthew 28:18-20, the Great Commission, with contemporary perceptions held by male parishioners. The study included the participation of three parishioners from a predominately African American congregation. Theological and theoretical foundations for the study of discipleship were discussed along with current trends. Theological foundations included an analysis of Matthew 28:18-20 revealing that the imperative to make disciples was achieved by doing …

The Messiah, The Mandate, And The Mission To Implement Multicultural Evangelism Through Intentional Racial Reconciliation Among African Americans And Caucasian Christians, Panisha Levern Stigger

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

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Complete Fall Issue

Journal of Applied Christian Leadership

No abstract provided.

Biblical Social Justice, Seventh-Day Adventist Theological Seminary

Current: Faith Meets Life and Culture

No abstract provided.

Leading Through Conflict, Petr Činčala

Journal of Applied Christian Leadership

No abstract provided.

The Impact Of D-Groups On The Spiritual Health Of Church Membership At Fbc Barbourville, Ky, Joshuah Tyler Shields

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

For years, First Baptist Church in Barbourville, Kentucky, has been in steady decline. Additionally, there is no personal discipleship program in the church. This project addresses the problem by studying the impact of D-groups on the spiritual health of the membership of the church. Participants in this project completed a spiritual health assessment during the first week of study. The same assessment was retaken after six weeks, and the results of both assessments were compared. Participants who were part of a D-group performed higher on the second assessment when compared to a control group which did not participate in D-group …

Quick Responses To Community Needs In Two Churches During The Pandemic, Brad Ransom, Edward E. Moody

Great Commission Research Journal

No abstract provided.

Announcements, David R. Dunaetz

Great Commission Research Journal

No abstract provided.

Identifying Current Gaps In Church Planting Movements Research: Integrating First- And Second-Order Perspectives, Warrick Farah

Great Commission Research Journal

The proliferation of church planting movements in least-reached peoples today provides an opportunity ripe for missiological research. Using the online application form for the Movements Research Symposium 2020 of the Motus Dei Network, this article identifies six gaps of understanding in the missiological discourse on movements: 1) Deepening Theological and Missiological Descriptions of Movements, 2) Identifying Best Practices and Effective Movement Strategies, 3) Clarifying Issues of Ecclesiology – Practical, Theological, and Spiritual, 4) Training Movement Catalysts and Practitioners, 5) Highlighting Contextual, Sociological, and Holistic Features of Movements, and 6) Documenting Movements with Respect to Verification, Metrics, and Administration. However, issues …

Complete Issue Fall 2021: Innovation In Churches, David R. Dunaetz

Great Commission Research Journal

No abstract provided.

Creating Collaborative Missional Communities To Enhance Church Revitalization, Bradford William Reaves

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

Paste or Type Your Abstract *

This project utilizes the revitalization efforts of Grace Community Church in Winchester, VA to examine the precedence of collaborative strategies for church revitalization. In this study contemporary literature, theological foundations, surveys of church leaders in the United States, and interviews with collaborative church and ministry leaders from around the United States are evaluated to determine the need for greater collaboration for the health and revitalization of church and ministries. The findings of this research argue that contemporary church growth strategies that emerged from the recent church growth movement may actually inhibit church revitalization efforts …

The Challenge Of Ecclesiastical Multicultural Integration In Homogeneous Japan, William Paul Petite

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

In 2019, 26% of the attendees at Akita Bible Baptist Church (ABBC) were non-Japanese. However, only 4% of the official members of the church were non-Japanese. The purpose of this action research project was to find a strategy to reduce the gap between the relatively high percentage of non-Japanese attendees (26%) and the low percentage of non-Japanese official members (4%). In other words, the purpose was to identify a strategy to increase multicultural integration regarding organizational influence at ABBC. This strategy was discovered by first interviewing eleven non-Japanese attendees. The research facilitator was surprised to discover that 73% of the …