Digital Commons Network^™

Pentecost - 28 May 2023, Joe Tedesco

Pastoral Liturgy

No abstract provided.

The Process Theology Of John Elof Boodin, Michael A. Flannery

Libraries Professional Work

Despite his impeccable academic pedigree, a protégé of Josiah Royce and a friend and student of William James, John Elof Boodin is nearly forgotten today among American philosophers; hence, an essential aspect of his thought lost to history is his contribution to process theology. The leading features of process thought demonstrate Boodin’s connections to this unique theology and show it to have been established early on, as early as 1900 and 1904. This places Boodin’s writing on process philosophy/theology well before Alfred North Whitehead, the putative pioneer in modern process metaphysics, by more than twenty years, and co-extensive with Henri …

Exploring Disability, Spirituality And Community At Lourdes Sanctuary, Liz Hutter

Marian Forum

Liz Hutter, assistant professor of English, presents on her research topic of therapeutic and spiritual healing in Lourdes. Her presentation is followed by a Q&A session as well as the opportunity to visit the Rituals of Healing: Body, Mind, Spirit exhibit curated in part by students in Hutter’s ENG 100 writing seminar.

Recovering The Art Of Testimony, As Embodied Within The Historical Black Church, As A Missionally Formative Practice, Christopher Cobbler

DMin Project Theses

This February 2023 Doctor of Ministry project thesis at Lipscomb University aims to consider how the art of testimony, as embodied within the traditional Black church, functions as missionally formative practice. The purpose of this project is to examine the ways testimony service can be utilized to reimagine an alternative eschatological community in a postmodern society. Testimony, in the historical Black Church, was a central component to the life of the congregation; it served as a tool to shape and navigate the theological imagination within a particular community, it cultivated and nurtured centered belonging and was a primary vehicle for …

John's Canonical Portrait Of Christ: A Biblical-Theological Approach To The Depiction Of The Glorified Christ In Revelation 1, Christopher Matthew Carpenter

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

Throughout the history of evangelical scholarship, a significant lacuna has formed in Apocalyptic studies. Many theologians have expressed fear or uncertainty concerning the text of Revelation as numerous ambiguous aspects exist within the Apocalypse. A proposed path forward into the gap in scholarship is to return the focus to the intent of the author of Revelation, John the apostle, and examine the definitive truths of the text. John’s priority is revealed in the initial chapter as he depicts the subject of his Apocalypse, Jesus Christ. This intent is revealed in John’s use of allusions, metaphors, and other rhetorical devices through …

Soldiers Of Christ In A Pluralistic Army, Jordan Lee Pittman

Masters Theses

This thesis seeks to answer the question: How does a Christian chaplain in the U.S. Army fulfill the Great Commission given by Jesus in Scripture while facilitating the free exercise of religion for everyone in his organization? Jesus commands his followers to make disciples (Matthew 28:19-20). The primary audience of this thesis consists of military chaplains and candidates. The conclusion reached is that the chaplain can accomplish both tasks stated in the question. To facilitate a soldier’s free exercise of religion does not automatically betray the teachings and guidance of Scripture nor does it prevent the chaplain from making disciples. …

The Liminal Church: Why Navigating Thresholds Between Us Leads To Thriving, Andrew Hale

Doctor of Leadership

Through the discovery, design, and delivery stages of the doctoral project, I centered my work on the following NPO: Churches can thrive when they understand, navigate, and leverage the liminality existing between people, the community, and where God is leading. Despite the myriad of different contexts among local churches, whether polity, worship style, belief statements, and geographical locality, congregations are still composed of people living in relationship to one another and the community around them. Relationships, no matter their nature, are complicated. For the relationships within a local church to thrive, they require intentionality, coaching, effort, openness, and vulnerability. My …

Kingdom Economy Found In A Cup And On A Mat, Nicole J. Richardson

Doctor of Leadership

My NPO is: Churches struggle being relevant forces but could become restorative and thriving communities by rethinking traditional approaches to ecclesiology through reframing Biblical koinonia, mission, and worship. Curating a well-balanced “third space” that offers opportunities for people to engage in their spiritual pilgrimage will fill a void in our context. Additionally, it will offer the universal church another way to nurture community, define worship, and practice relational mission daily through radical hospitality. I serve a Presbyterian Church in North Carolina. The focus is to serve an 8-mile radius in the Piedmont Triad area focusing on the Nones and Dones …

Liberated Voices An Online Course In Speaking Up, Seth J. Thomas

Doctor of Ministry

NPO Statement: The white church and its leaders have demonstrated postures of silence and privilege, which need to be lovingly disrupted to leverage and encourage the liberative witness at the heart of the biblical narrative.

Key Insights: Faith leaders from the white church are hungry for resources that encourage them to participate in the struggles for social justice in this present era of ministry. Many desire to speak the truth with love but need encouragement and permission to leverage that witness they find in the scriptures. The liberation theology tradition offers excellent historical and present examples of God’s preferential option …

Healing Through Homecoming Rediscovering The Hospitality Of Jesus As The Mission Tone Of The Church, W. Matthew Rice

Doctor of Ministry

This Project Portfolio addresses the following NPO: In an increasingly hostile culture, there is an opportunity to incarnate the hospitality of Jesus to a world in need of God’s embrace; in doing so, the Church will rediscover and release the mission tone of Jesus, a kindness that heals as it welcomes people home and leads to Spirit-empowered turns. The key insight of my research is that the coming of Jesus is the ultimate expression of ancient hospitality, and when God’s kindness permeates the mission tone of a church, it creates an environment where the gospel is heard, the Spirit’s power …

Sol's Porch: Seeking A More Unified Church In A Divisive Culture, Kevin Miller

Doctor of Ministry

In this project portfolio, I will address the following NPO: The fragmented church has countless interpretations of truth caused by tribal fear, which has created ongoing divisions and a longing for control. If unified in Jesus, we could see radical inclusivity in future generations. The key finding in my research revealed the unifying power of Jesus being the ultimate authority of our faith, Bible readings, and Christian practice. I have seen the prevalent church fragments in America and in my current context as a missionary in Toulouse, France. I believe the power of story and metaphor can play a part …

Mteule: A Program Of Healing And Spiritual Growth, Kathy Ham

Doctor of Ministry

Mteule is a one-year program of Spiritual Formation designed for the camp mentors of Angaza Discovery Camp and other staff members of Missions of Hope International (MOHI). Mteule means ‘set apart’ in Swahili. Mteule was developed to address the following need, problem, or opportunity: Camp mentors and other staff from the Mathare Valley come with their own experiences of trauma and can be lacking the capacity to maturely minister to traumatized children. MOHI is a Christian non-profit providing spiritual development, education, physical well-being, and sustainability training/micro-finance opportunities to those living in abject poverty in Kenya. MOHI currently has 31 Hope …

Crossing The Jordan Together: Recoding The Language Of Discipleship Used Among The Tribes Of Jesus Followers, Brian D. Russell

Doctor of Ministry

This Project Portfolio addresses the following NPO: The post-pandemic era leaves many Christians and seekers unmotivated to re-engage with the church. Reconnection is possible by recoding discipleship as thriving, holistic devotional living. As a result of the Covid-19 pandemic, all churches, regardless of size and vitality prior to the pandemic, were dealing with the same challenges of re-engaging people in the church, especially within their hospitality teams. Therefore, an opportunity arose to bring churches together to find fresh ways to re-engage their faith community where no one is the perceived expert. I am currently an adjunct professor teaching undergraduate ministry …

Toward Wholeness: Discovering Intimacy With Jesus Through Holistic Healing, David H. Brown

Doctor of Ministry

NPO Statement: Christians longing for inner healing and wholeness along with growing intimacy with Jesus need a confident, competent pathway to follow.

Key Insights from Research: Intuitively true, but still surprising, the top factor for improving someone’s confidence in pursuing their healing and wholeness in a ministry setting is trust of the minister. This factor topped perceived competence of the minister, community support and biblical soundness as other confidence-building factors. Another key insight, this one brought about through my stakeholders, is the importance of telling one’s story, one’s testimony, to help gain trust and grow the confidence of a potential …

Reimagining The Church's New Member Experience Through Mutual Storytelling, Laura Holland

Doctor of Ministry

Most churches are great at welcoming visitors and have worked hard to develop their discipleship pipeline, but between these two stages where most churches focus and excel there is an experiential gap for new members. Looking into this gap more deeply, I discovered that despite guided assimilation processes, new church members feel abandoned when moved immediately to self-directed engagement. Providing for their unique needs increases their sense of belonging and commitment. Through conversations with church leaders, members, and those seeking to find church community, I noticed that this liminal period was the turning point in most of their stories, too …

A Seat At The Table: Why The Seat You've Been Entrusted With Is More Vital Than The Position You're Entitled To, Donna Pisani

Doctor of Ministry

My NPO (The lack of understanding and framework of Biblical leadership as entrustment rather than an entitlement that empowers both genders to lead together has created a lack of female representation in strategic influence and leadership roles) was birthed out of my experience as a female in ministry for four decades leading with men, coupled with the lack of resources available to an upcoming generation of leaders. Through extensive research and interviews, the most viable solution that emerged was a published book written to empower a new generation of female leaders—one that addresses the theology of women in leadership with …

Spiritual Care The Needs Of The Dying, Carmen Kampman

Doctor of Ministry

As an ordained minister within the Pentecostal Assemblies of Canada (PAOC), I regularly provide spiritual care to dying persons and their families. While writing this preface, four residents in the long-term care home where I serve died. There was a ministry season when I felt unequipped to provide spiritual care to dying persons and their families. So, motivated by a gap in my pastoral training and the fear of death I witnessed in my first hospice patient - and several others since then - an opportunity to change that began to emerge. Even Jesus needed people to be with him …

Competing Social Influence In Contested Diffusion: Luther, Erasmus And The Spread Of The Protestant Reformation, Sascha O. Becker, Steven Pfaff, Yuan Hsiao, Jared Rubin

ESI Working Papers

The spread of radical institutional change does not often result from one-sided pro-innovation influence; countervailing influence networks in support of the status quo can suppress adoption. We develop a model of multiple and competing network diffusion. To apply the contested-diffusion model to real data, we look at the contest between Martin Luther and Desiderius Erasmus, the two most influential intellectuals of early 16th-century Central Europe. Whereas Luther championed a radical reform of the Western Church that broke with Rome, Erasmus opposed him, stressing the unity of the Church. In the early phase of the Reformation, these two figures utilized influence …

Developing New Church Leaders In A Digital Age, Roy Gruber

Doctor of Leadership

Massive cultural and technological shifts usher in a new digital age, creating a leadership crisis in the American church. In a time of decline, how can the church thrive in the future? The answer to that question resides in future leadership in the church. The NPO for the Project states: The church needs to develop digital learners into new leaders for the next generation. The Project was developed to offer one tool to onboard new Christians toward future leadership. A few essential insights emerged from the research for the Project. First, in addition to significant cultural changes, there is emerging …

Inner Work Community: Shadow Work As Spiritual Formation, Michael Simmons

Doctor of Leadership

The NPO statement surrounding this doctoral project is that A theological, practical, and community-centered framework for shadow work is disconnected from Christian spiritual formation. This doctoral project is the culmination of a three-fold process: discovering the need for shadow work in the context of spiritual formation, designing multi-faceted virtually-based opportunities to address this need among individuals and groups, and delivering those opportunities via online courses, one-on-one shadow work, and digital content such as essays, articles, and podcasts. My vocational context is my unofficial organization, and MVP, Inner Work Community, which provides these opportunities. Inner Work Community is extended through partnerships …

Strengths-Based African Leadership Training: A Comprehensive Guide For Empowering Grassroots Communities, Henry Gwani

Doctor of Leadership

This project portfolio addresses the following need, problem or opportunity (NPO): Hopelessness within African low-income communities highlights the need for equipping local agents with a Christian gospel that integrates discipleship with leadership development, vocational training, mental health and asset-based community development if we wish to see Shalom. Several insights emerged from this research. First, to foster holistic transformation within low-income communities, it is imperative for discipleship to include basic mental health and practical interventions such as vocational training. Second, each community, regardless of how impoverished, is blessed with assets (skills, experiences and relationships), that need to be leveraged for the …

Ideas Explosion! How Church Can Create More Ideas, Scott M. Shelton

Doctor of Ministry

In this project, I am addressing my NPO: A healthy church nurtures a culture of humble exploration and responsive innovation. One of the key findings is that there is not enough material focused on how a healthy church can process and explore ideas. In addition, church leaders often feel ill-equipped for a process that requires creativity. Believing that God made everyone creative, especially the church, this project is a book that details a system to explore ideas, properly discern strengths and weaknesses, and prepare leaders to make informed decisions. I created the Gather-Discern-Decide (GDD) Process from research findings, personal experiences, …

Jesus Tribe, Christopher Richardson

Doctor of Ministry

Christians and churches in the early twenty-first century seem to belong to various tribes which leads to confused, disjointed loyalties. This confusion can lead to acrimony within churches. To develop and maintain the unity spoken of by Jesus Christ, these groups would benefit by better understanding and recognizing the prevalence of tribalism. Further, this should lead to the instigation of processes by which they can effectively evaluate and re-align their tribal loyalties toward a more definitive and effective modeling of Jesus and his lordship. Church leadership will benefit from a better understanding of the forces of tribalism at work both …

The Loft: Where Gen Z Goes To Build Relationships And Discover Spiritual Truths, Jeremy S. Deweerdt

Doctor of Ministry

It is an alarming but indisputable fact that the vast majority of Generation Z, specifically those between ages 18 and 25, are not attending and/or not interested in the faith or beliefs of the American Protestant Church today. Studies show that the Western Christian church is losing touch with an entire generation and that reality is the driving force behind this research project. We know from research conducted for this Doctoral Project, as well as from multiple academic and sociological studies that members of Generation Z are often interested in spirituality but are either ignorant or highly skeptical of organized …

Ecumenical Diplomacy: The Art Of Welcoming Dialogue For The Sake Of Mutual Christian Collaboration Toward Peacemaking, Justice, And Ethical Citizenship, Tiffanie Paige Wilson

Doctor of Ministry

The project was developed in response to the NPO: How can we become proficient in better listening to and learning from each other to understand the ethical and intellectual commitment and stakes behind theological, political, and social perspectives different from our own? In a pluralistic society, such deep understanding is necessary to enable working together toward ecumenical diplomacy. A key insight emerging from research was just how impactful the path of ecumenical diplomacy would be for participants. People are truly weary of the polarization experienced in the United States, particularly theologically and politically, and are eager to learn a new …

Spiritual Formation And Trust Building Envisioned For Nerima Baptist Church's Leaders In Japan Through Group Spiritual Direction, Nozomu Makita

Doctor of Ministry

Group spiritual direction with participant leaders within Nerima Baptist Church in Tokyo, Japan, was introduced across eight monthly sessions wherein directees developed the practice of silence, listening to themselves, others, and Holy Spirit. The experience of being accepted by God and others through safe relationships found the church in a relational culture of authentic relationships. The residual effect was the experience of one's own full acceptance by God and others, which further carries potential for lasting impact on the leadership style of the church through the 1-on-1 interaction. The group spiritual direction was facilitated by Sachi Nakamura, a spiritual director …

Gcm: Generations In Community On Mission A Theoretical Framework For Intergenerational Disciples On Mission, Denise C. Johnson

Doctor of Ministry

The increasingly unstable and changing world in which we now live requires a resilient, discerning, and adaptable family of God, who is intentional about reaching their community with the hope of Jesus. This project sought to address the disconnect between the congregants, the relational network, and the tools necessary to walkout the fulfillment of their identity on mission. The following NPO was initiated due to my background working in disenfranchised settings within public schools as a Special Educator and School Counselor and the three decades working in interdenominational foreign missions’ partnership, together with Foursquare Missions International. This final form was …

Infobesity: How Does Information Overload From Digital Technologies Affect Our Relationship With Jesus, Andy Gabruch

Doctor of Ministry

My research project is based on the NPO of how information overload from digital technologies affects our relationship with Jesus, according to Mark 12:30-31, and how followers of Jesus can redeem digital spaces. My key insights of the research led me to the conclusion digital information overload is based on the lack of moderation and regulation of digital technologies as followers of Jesus. Furthermore, my research led me to the effects of information overload to five categories Jesus speaks of in Mark 12:30-31 of our hearts (emotions), soul (identity), mind (cognitive reasoning), strength (physical), and relationships (social skills) according to …

Becoming All Flame Orthodox Spiritual Formation Curriculum And Lenten Meditation Based On The Liturgical And Monastic Tradition, Melaku Terefe

Doctor of Ministry

The monastic and liturgical tradition and literature of the Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church is underutilized to address the need for spiritual formation and direction ministry. This poses a challenge to Ethiopian Orthodox youth and the laity in general who are struggling to identify their spiritual needs and necessary spiritual disciplines. The goal is to provide practical solutions for addressing these needs and to make the Church's liturgical and monastic traditions more accessible to the broader Orthodox community, thus allowing the congregation to align with the precepts of spiritual formation that have been passed down in the church from generation to …

Practical Pointers: A Five-Star Church, S. Joseph Kidder

Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.