Digital Commons Network^™

From Recovery To Restored: A Thesis Action Project Developing Addiction Restored Groups Transitioning Individuals Out Of A Recovery Cycle And Into A Church Small Group, Scott Kingsley Schneiderman

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

People at New Beginnings Church (NBC) who suffer from addiction currently do not have an intentional path into a life-giving Core Group without the need for ongoing support groups. This DMIN action research project aims to design, implement, and evaluate Restored, at NBC, an eight-week addiction recovery process. Restored utilizes individual self-evaluation through Scripture, collective discussion, and tailored sin-cycle diagrams. The innovation in this project focuses on the transitional phase, unlike other addiction recovery programs, and the integration of Christians into a church small group. This DMIN action research project will enable Christians struggling with addiction to identify their sin, …

Leadership Training And Development For The Purpose Of Biblical Literacy In The Christian Fellowship Church Membership, Bancroft Augustus Battick

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The problem at Christian Fellowship Church in Anguilla is the high rate of biblical illiteracy due to the lack of trained leaders to preach and teach the Word effectively. The purpose of this action research project is to train and develop five leaders to preach and teach the Word effectively. If leaders are trained and developed to preach and teach the Word effectively, the biblical literacy of the CFC membership will increase. The goal of this leadership training is to create a cadre of leaders who will be qualified to preach and teach the Word. During the action research, the …

Gen Mz Discipleship: Training A Generation To Live In The Postmodern Age, Christian E. Kolthoff

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The church exodus of Gen MZ is one of the most significant issues affecting the health of churches in the West. Recent research has indicated that many in Gen MZ have left the church not for lack of knowledge but because of a lack of understanding of the why. It has also indicated that Gen MZ has not been trained to respond to why they are holding on to the hope of the Gospel. So, when presented with opposing views, they struggle to maintain their faith in today’s postmodern society. It is an age in which a war on ideas …

Identity Restored: High School Students Overcoming Social Media’S Influence To Embrace Their Identity As Sons And Servants Of God, Daniel M. Christiaans

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The research question for this action research project relates to the impact of social media on the identity formation of believers through their high school years. As a youth pastor of 20 years and father of four teenagers, I’ve noticed that high school students maintain many of the social media habits and addictions seen in the secular world. This regular interaction with social media is detrimental to their identity formation; they are not adopting the identity provided for them in Christ as communicated by the Word of God. This project will discuss the roles and responsibilities of the believer's identity …

Citizenship Christian Values Education Empowerment In Papua New Guinea Through Integration Of Curriculum, Funding, And Professional Training, Timothy Hawes

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

Since 2018, the Papua New Guinea Education Department has opened the door for Christian Citizenship Value Education, but previously, no organization has successfully addressed this opportunity. The problem is that the CCVE program in PNG does not integrate curriculum, funding, and professional training. The purpose of this DMIN action research project is to develop and deploy the CCVE Empowerment plan. Through a survey given to CCVE teachers and multiple focus groups with six different CCVE leaders, the CCVE Empowerment plan was developed. The plan included a new organizational structure, the prayer model, the self-teaching student journals, sufficient funding, and applied …

Developing Divine Love Into Christoform Obedience: Understanding And Applying The Theological Framework Of Divine Love In A Measurable Growth Praxis, Jayson Pengra Derowitsch

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this study was to analyze the growth outcomes of participants from a curriculum intervention on divine love with the goal of Christoform obedience. The point of the curriculum was to define divine love properly by using synthesized vantage points derived from precedent literature. These vantage points were developed into a four-step praxis of transformation in divine love. This praxis was the capstone of the curriculum. Three methods of data retrieval were used throughout the intervention process to target intellectual concept improvement, self-assessment improvement, and praxis improvement. As a result of the data, it was determined that fifty …

Ua12/2/2 Talisman: Connection, Wku Student Affairs

WKU Administration Documents

Spring 2025 Talisman:

• Alali, Cecilia & Ragan Harrington. Connection
• Hardesty, Emma. On a Roll – Dungeons & Dragons
• Muscutt, Carson. Grinding Through Life – Molotov Skateshop
• Cox, Kate. Stopwatch
• Harrington, Ragan. 1 Campus, 7 Strangers – Logan Hesse, Nicholas Basile, Spencer Winterbottom, Alliyah Jones, Alex Gehring, Annie McClurg, Rowan Finley
• Vickers, Abigail. Forged in Combat – Mixed Martial Arts
• Wood-Morris, Oli. Survivors to Neighbors – Bosnian Refugees
• Jordan, Shylin. Severed Roots
• Bivens, Emily. Behind the Screen – Social Media
• Dean, Clarissa. Shear Talent – Shake Rag Barbershop
• Sutton, Avery. For the Love of the Old – Thrift Shopping
• Phelps, Maggie. …

The Icarian Dilemma: The Battle Of Faith Versus Identity Addressed With Scenic Design, Allistar G. Barrett

Senior Honors Theses

American Christians and the LGBTQ+ community have long been in a cultural war with one another. However, queer Christians – individuals who are both LGBTQ+ and Christian – have rarely found solace in either community, instead being shunned and ostracized for their beliefs and identities. Using the transformative art of theatre to address cultural divides, a theatrical scenic design was developed for Joe Calarco’s Shakespeare’s R & J, a retelling of the traditional Romeo and Juliet script through the lives of four Catholic school girls. This design uses the Greek mythology of Icarus, Catholic culture, the original Romeo and Juliet, …

A Focus On Face-To-Face Communication As A Source Of Relational Life And Renewal Of Community Within The Church, Ronald Edwin Hammer

DMin Project Theses

Increased digital engagement at the cost of in-person interactions has negatively impacted communal life in the Gateway City Church — St. Charles Ministry. Amid an increase in online connectivity, relational connections have suffered as church members add more and more to their already busy schedules. Research has noted multiple ways in which this significant drift from inperson engagement has brought harm to people’s overall health. The literature demonstrates a key root of this phenomenon to be widespread efforts to incorporate digital church engagement in an attempt to supply convenient access to spiritual resources. This tension between convenience and suffering relational …

Pig Sacrifice And Feasting In Roman Funerary Practices: A Case Study Of The Roman Legionary Cemetery At Legio, Lee Perry-Gal, Greg Leyfirer, Matthew J. Adams, Yotam Tepper

'Atiqot

No abstract provided.

Front Matter & Editorial, Editorial Board, Assaf Nativ

'Atiqot

No abstract provided.

Why Are The "Dones" Done? How Can Faith-Based Institutions Provide Spiritual Care For Them? A Qualitative Analysis Of Group Interviews Conducted With Disaffiliated College Students, Falon Opsahl Barton, Rachel Collins

Discernment: Theology and the Practice of Ministry

This research study explores how emerging adults who have disaffiliated from a Christian tradition understand faith, articulate why they are “done” with the church, and want to receive spiritual care. Part one of this article overviewed the existing research on emerging adult spirituality and explored the results of a quantitative survey with college students at a Protestant Christian university. This article explains the qualitative portion of the study, in which the researchers conducted group interviews with college students who identify as being “done” with church. This article then provides an analysis and suggested application of the results of this study. …

Who Are The "Dones" And Why Does It Matter? An Overview Of The Research And A Quantitative Study Of Disaffiliated College Students, Falon Opsahl Barton, Rachel Collins

Discernment: Theology and the Practice of Ministry

Based on the personal and professional experience with college students at a Protestant Christian university, the researchers designed a research study that explores how emerging adults who have disaffiliated from a Christian tradition understand faith, articulate why they are “done” with the church, and want to receive spiritual care. This article is part one of a two-part exploration of the results of this study, which triangulates data points for a deep understanding of emerging adults who are “done” with church. Part one overviews the research on emerging adult spirituality and specifically the trend of religious disaffiliation among 18-29 year olds. …

Embracing Unified Diversity: The Church’S Life-Giving Witness In A Divided World, Laura Callarman

Discernment: Theology and the Practice of Ministry

This article contends that the church’s call to embrace diversity and creative contextualization are essential to its faithfulness to the gospel. The church flourishes through varied expressions of Christian discipleship shaped by cultural contexts, and rather than striving for uniformity, it should embrace this multiplicity as a reflection of God’s nature and mission. By engaging different ecclesial traditions with appreciation, Christian communities can foster unity amid diversity, engage opportunities for growth, and enrich their witness. Ultimately, the article invites a renewed commitment to love, humility, and mutual learning, calling the church to embody an alternative story of reconciliation and hope …

A Sacramental Model For Digital Ecclesiology: Theological Retrieval For A Mediated Church, Caleb J. Atha

Senior Honors Theses

The widespread proliferation of digital technologies has opened the door to new ecclesiological questions and challenges for the Christian denominations that have integrated these technologies into their community life and liturgical practices. American evangelicalism is proposed to be especially susceptible to the aforementioned challenges due to its ecclesiological emphases and general posture towards digital media. Using Marshall McLuhan’s seminal insights in media theory, this work argues that the role of digital media in the church shows a significant congruence with Christian sacramental theology. The concept of the digital church is analyzed through McLuhan’s tetrad framework and its weaknesses are highlighted. …

Examining The Economic Impact Of Jesus, Carter F. Slyker

Senior Honors Theses

This thesis examines the economic impact of the person of Jesus and applies economic theory to the historical and biblical accounts of his ministry on earth. The study will consider the social and economic conditions of the first century Roman Empire within the context of Judea and Galilee, while focusing on key issues including poverty, social hierarchy, and taxation. It will explore three primary aspects of Jesus’ ministry to assign economic impact: the crowds he drew, the miracles he performed, and the principles he taught. These acts challenged the societal and economic norms of that culture and positively impacted communities …

Recovering The Lost Art Of Medicine: A Role For Ignatian Spirituality, Cecilia Motherway

College Honors Program

Throughout history, medicine or healing has been deeply associated with religion and spirituality, from the ancient Greek healing god Asclepius to the medieval monastic medical tradition and beyond. This lies in their common cause: addressing the vulnerability of our human existence. Humanity has long recognized that our suffering and death raise existential questions concerning our mortality that may require perspectives greater than biology and rationality can provide. However, at the turn of the 20th century, as medical technology rapidly advanced, raising the average global life expectancy by decades, the medical field removed all non-scientific, non-secular influences to position itself as …

Religious Scrupulosity: The Law And The Gospel, Robert J. Chester

Senior Honors Theses

The clear distinction of the law and gospel for the salvation and justification of an individual, highly affects the minds, beliefs, and lives of those who suffer from religious scrupulosity. Religious scrupulosity is known as obsessional fears of thinking or behaving immorally against one’s religious beliefs. Religious scrupulosity affects many in the church, and is a form of obsessive/compulsive thought that can form due to improper emphasis of gospel truth. The way the church preaches and emphasizes certain points of the gospel can change the perception and understanding of many people in the world. The evident distinction between law and …

Deaf-Centric Expression Of Biblical Language And Themes, Grace M. Tang

Senior Honors Theses

Christianity contains complicated language and concepts that many individuals can struggle to express in American Sign Language (ASL) in ways that resonate with the Deaf community. Accessibility for the Deaf extends far beyond the translation of words into signs, requiring recontextualization to fit a Deaf lens and adaptation of communication methods to match the oral tradition and Deaf culture. This qualitative study evaluates how the hearing-centered language and themes of the Bible can be effectively portrayed to Deaf audiences through comprehensive interviews with three Deaf Christian pastors and three hearing Christian interpreters. This research found that Deaf churches allow for …

Empowering Kansas City Veterans Administration Chaplains: A Spiritual Leadership Toolkit For Nursing Staff Support, Leonard Gicheru

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

This doctoral research project addresses the critical issue of burnout among nursing staff at the Kansas City Veterans Administration (KCVA). Burnout is often worsened by a lack of spiritual support, thereby negatively impacting both the well-being of nurses and the quality of patient care. This project study aims to mitigate these challenges by implementing a spiritual leadership resource toolkit, tailored to equip KCVA chaplains with creative strategies to provide spiritual care for nurses.

Based on Spiritual Leadership Theory and guided by biblical principles, this project explores how structured spiritual direction can improve the resilience and emotional well-being of nursing staff. …

Sanctification Of Marriage And Positive Religious Coping May Help Couples Be Resilient From Stress's Negative Influence, Amanda Sue Bills

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

Marriage is the building block of society and as such is an important developmental stage. Unfortunately, studies suggest that stress could be harmful to marriages. However, many resilient factors have been found to protect marriages from stress such as good communication, secure attachments, gratitude and optimism, and religion. The Bible teaches that marriage was founded by God and is a sacred institution. Further, stress should be expected in life, is useful for learning and growth, and God will help his followers to cope with it. The current quantitative study sought to discover if viewing marriage as sacred and using positive …

Illuminating The Damascus Road Journey In Modern Times - Traveling The Road To Servanthood, Lilian Parico Cavaleri

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

Servanthood focuses on serving and prioritizing others’ needs. Research shows that servanthood is associated with higher levels of employee engagement, job satisfaction, and performance, leading to improved individual spiritual well-being and team performance. Research also shows an upward trend within the last four years of companies sponsoring faith-based employee resource groups. However, there has been limited research on a servanthood model for a faith-based employee resource group in a global secular company. This Doctor of Ministry action research project conducted a groundbreaking case study and successfully developed a Bible-based servanthood model called the Seven Paths along the Road to Servanthood …

The Convergence Point Project: Assessing A Cultural Apologetics Curriculum For Today’S Believer, David L. Eadie Sr.

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

This action research project designed, developed, and implemented a comprehensive program focused on communicating the gospel through the lens of Cultural Apologetics. This initiative’s core objective was to equip participants with the vital knowledge and practical skills necessary for effectively engaging with individuals from diverse cultural backgrounds while articulating the gospel message in a meaningful way. A total of twenty-one volunteers participated in the project. They were provided a pre-questionnaire before starting, which assessed their initial understanding of Cultural Apologetics and their confidence in engaging across cultural divides. Upon finishing the program, the same individuals completed a post-questionnaire to evaluate …

A Qualitative Study Of Social Constructivism: Why Modern-Day Christians Lack The Fundamental Knowledge Of God, Samuel Singleton Iii

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this grounded theory study is to explore why some modern-day Christians lack the fundamental knowledge of the God they serve. The research uses the term “Christian foundational nescience” to describe why some modern-day Christians lack the fundamental knowledge of the God they serve. The theory guiding this study is grounded theory (Glaser & Strauss, 1965), as it will enable the researcher, through the collection and analysis of data, to discover or construct a theory or theories as to why some modern-day Christians lack the fundamental knowledge of God. Believers should know God created everything; everything made was …

Implementation Of Discipleship Tools For Parents Of Neurodivergent Children At Crosspointe Christian Church, Nathaniel J. King

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

There is a rapidly growing number of individuals in the United States being given neurodivergent diagnoses. With this rapid rise, the church must carefully consider how to spiritually disciple these individuals. This action research project sought to refine existing spiritual development tools at Crosspointe Christian Church in Grosse Pointe Woods, MI, to integrate families with special needs intentionally. Eight parents of neurodivergent children at the church participated in assessments, action steps, surveys, interviews, and a group discussion. Through this process, additional discipleship tools were tested and found to be moderately helpful in aiding parents in the spiritual growth of their …

Determining The Mental Health Climate Of The Ministers Of Christian Churches In Metro Vancouver After The Reopening Of The Churches Since Covid-19 Closure, Lap Cho Chan

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The burnout of ministers is real. Ministers are human, just like everyone else in the world. Too many people (such as church officials and leaders) underestimate the adverse effects of burned-out ministers in their churches. The pandemic had a huge impact on all the churches in Metro Vancouver, Canada. Ministers experienced exceptionally high stress and anxiety after the reopening of churches after the COVID-19 closure. Thus, the purpose of this DMIN action research project is to use the Maslach Burnout Inventory (MBI), surveys, questionnaires, and interviews to research, qualify, and quantify the mental health climate of ministers in Metro Vancouver. …

Pastoral Counselors And The Implementation Of Eye Movement Desensitization And Reprocessing, Robyn Jarrell

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The problem is that since EMDR is not practiced at CCC, it decreases the quality of care and extends the number of counseling sessions. If Christian Counseling Center’s counselors use Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing psychotherapy for trauma clients, then an increase in counseling quality will be demonstrated by decreased sessions. The study also sought to reveal EMDR's value to clients’ counseling sessions, given that CBT is the standard therapeutic approach in pastoral counseling settings. Qualitative methods included journaling, questionnaires, and focus groups. Two pastoral counselors completed the necessary training and adhered to EMDR procedures while treating eleven clients using …

The Cultivation And Harvesting Of Parasocial Relationships For Evangelism: An Exploratory Multiple Case Study Of Pastors’ Use Of Video On Social Media, Larry D. Witzel

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The digital transformation of society has resulted in people living much of their lives online. Some believe the command of Jesus to “go into all the world” necessarily includes entering the digital realm for evangelistic purposes, particularly as the effectiveness of traditional evangelistic methods has declined. This research explored the communication techniques used for digital outreach by seven pastors on social media to cultivate parasocial relationships and the calls to action they used to harvest these relationships evangelistically. This qualitative multiple case study analyzed public video communication and other social media, comparing these pastors’ online ministry with the known techniques …

Lead Pastor Stress: A Quantitative Study Of The Effects On Mental Health, Marriage, Family, And The Church, Sherri Lee Bergeron

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The church’s lead pastor has many roles and responsibilities, from teaching the Word of the Lord, baptisms, counseling sessions, and leading a staff. These are not the lead pastor’s only role; the majority also have a family, children, and a spouse at home who also need their attention. A balance must be considered between the ministry, family, and marriage. If this balance is off or the pastor becomes overwhelmed with any or all the three, their mental health may suffer and can cause depression and anxiety if not dealt with appropriately (Christianity Today, 2022). Lead pastors, while in ministry, have …

Addressing Subjective Reasoning Through Renewed Pathways: Church Discipline, Anthony F. Williams

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

Skyline Baptist Church adopts a subjective approach to the removal of members through its church discipline process. This means that decisions regarding church discipline and the removal of members are not strictly governed by objective doctrine or biblical alignment but are instead influenced by individual circumstances and the specific context of outside influence. This project seeks to establish objective measures grounded in scriptural understanding, promoting biblical alignment and mutual accountability within the congregation. The existing research provides valuable insights that contribute to the broader Christian mission; it aims to cultivate a more united and devoted commitment that reflects the teachings …