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Diversity, Equity, And Inclusion Of Women And People Of Color In Leadership In The Wesleyan Tradition, Trisha Welstad

Doctor of Ministry

The majority of Wesleyan denominations began with theological belief rooted in social action, particularly as it pertained to abolition and women’s equality. Though their beginnings were radical, today the same groups are primarily homogeneous, representing a largely white congregational and leadership demographic, predominantly led by white males. With a historical theology of diversity and inclusion, this research seeks to understand why women and people of color are excluded from leadership roles in the Wesleyan Tradition and how it may affect the future of these denominations. Methodologically, this analysis utilizes research from Deloitte Insights as a template for gauging organizational effectiveness …

Embodying God's Full Welcome: A Theology And Praxis Of Hospitality Toward Families Affected By Autism, Manuel Magana-Garcia

Doctor of Ministry

Autism is the fastest growing cognitive disorder in the world, yet many of the families affected do not feel supported or welcomed by their faith communities. A congregation that cultivates a robust theology and praxis of hospitality—one that invites people to consider God’s full welcome, and their place as guests in his kingdom—will provide a path of formation that results in a supportive, safe, and collaborative space that includes families affected by autism.

This dissertation will address the ministry opportunity by first articulating a clear understanding of the existing need. A biblical background of God’s hospitable nature will provide a …

Rising To Heaven: The Ideology Of Progress And The Semiotics Of Church Growth, Len Wilson

Doctor of Ministry

Congregational growth remains a dominant model for pastoral ministry in a USAmerican, United Methodist context today. Yet producing sustained growth has proven to be immensely difficult. Ongoing quantitative and qualitative analysis of cultural attitudes toward Christianity today show that the long-standing vocational emphasis on growth has not proven fruitful.

The claim of this work is that the ongoing problem of church decline is not strategic, but semiotic: the basis for continued congregational decline comes not from faulty planning but from a problematic conflation of growth with improvement. For many, Church Growth is influenced by a definition of human and social …

Spiritual Transformation: Community Outreach And The Harvest House Of Hope, In San Bernardino, Ca, Kevin Duane Strickland

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The Harvest House of Hope (HHH) located in the inner-city of San Bernardino, Ca offers a mission services ministry to their community, they had become inactive in their community outreach missions. The ministry concerns of HHH surround the subject of spiritual transformation and the role of the church in community outreach. The purpose of this project is to educate the men, women, and children of Harvest House of Hope on the value of mission services, in hopes to drive them towards the spirit of community outreach. The proposed educational component included a theological structure built upon the Holy Scripture, as …

How Ethnic And Religious Nationalism Threaten The Bosnian State, Matthew James Hone

Occasional Papers on Religion in Eastern Europe

When the wars ceased in the former Yugoslavia in the 1990s, as in the aftermath of other past conflicts in the Balkans, ethnic and religious divisions prevailed. Bosnia Herzegovina is perhaps the most vulnerable of the newly independent states of the former Yugoslavia, partially due to the manner it was established. Ethnic cleansing and discord have marred Bosnia while the three principal ethnoreligious entities continue to struggle to maintain their distinct identity within the context of a convoluted political system wrestling against domestic and international intrigue. Ethnoreligious nationalism threatens to further rupture the Bosnian state and create a renewed state …

Religion In Eastern Europe After The Fall Of Communism: From Euphoria To Anxiety, Paul B. Mojzes

Occasional Papers on Religion in Eastern Europe

In the decades prior to the implosion of the communist system, change could be discerned here and there in Eastern Europe. The purpose of this article is to provide a general overview of the most pertinent developments that spurred the transition from communism to post-communism, employing some fairly broad brushstrokes to make my case.

Representation Of Non-Religious And Atheistic Identities In A Highly Religious Society - Croatian Case, Nikolina Hazdovac Bajić

Occasional Papers on Religion in Eastern Europe

Since the beginning of the nineties and the collapse of communism, non-religiosity and atheism in Croatia became socially non-desirable and non-conformist positions. In sociological terms, however, these phenomena have been largely overlooked, since scholars have focused mainly on trends in religiosity and public role of religion. The aim of this paper is to get the first scientific insight into the representation of individual non-religious and atheistic identities among the members of the organizations that gather non-religious people and atheists. The paper seeks to answer specific research questions: How are non-religious and atheistic identities presented at the level of everyday life …

The Avoidance Of Burnout Among Open Bible Pastors: Creating Healthy And Vibrant Leaders In Ministry, Isaac Hebden

Doctor of Ministry

Pastors in the Open Bible Churches denomination struggle with spiritual health, even as they lead local congregations. The perils of vocational ministry can often contribute to emotional fatigue, disillusionment, and exhaustion, commonly referred to as “burnout.” Pastors serve sacrificially in their churches, giving all that they have for the lives of the others. However, the life many pastors live actually negatively impacts themselves as well as others around them, thus negating the purpose for which they strive.

This Doctor of Ministry project sought to discover how ministers can remain spiritually healthy while actively leading the local church. Much of the …

To Imagine A Future: A Social Entrepreneurship Program For Youth In High Risk Environments In Carpinteria, California, Christopher Lucian Pritchett

Doctor of Ministry

This research project seeks to examine the opportunity gaps facing the adolescents of Carpinteria for the purpose of suggesting a program that intends to address these challenges, in fitting with the mission statement to create pathways for children and youth to flourish, for the Pro Deo Foundation to fund and operate. Section One examines the problem that this dissertation seeks to address, specifically describing the difficult realities that teenagers in Carpinteria face in their everyday lives. Through research with human participants, including community members, leaders and administrators, this section gives the context of the subject matter, its history and the …

Leading Change Through Reactivity: Preparing Congregations For Change And Processing The Resultant Reactivity In A Healthy Manner, Rick Kavanaugh

Doctor of Ministry

When a pastor introduces systemic change to a congregation, it injects anxiety into the congregational system, which in turn leads to reactivity. The result is resistance to change, which often becomes hostile. Pastors who do not adequately prepare their people for change or who do not know how to help their people process the conflict that results from change resistance in a healthy manner face hostilities that most likely result in their termination or resignation. Consequently, this work seeks to analyze how reactivity results from proposed changes; what pastors can do to better prepare their people for change; and how …

Techno-Theology: A Theological Algorithm For Being Human In A Technological Age, Daniel Passini

Doctor of Ministry

In a world with rapidly changing technology that challenges our understanding of what it means to be human, our dealings with the biosphere, and our social interactions, many pastors and Christians do not have an adequate theology of technology. Our current narraphors have been influenced by our linguistics, popular culture, and an escapism theology that prevents us from interacting with technology in a theological way. Technotheology is the algorithm necessary to understand humanity’s role in a technological age through the matrix of the imago Dei. Using humanity’s ability to reason, their regency over creation, and their ability to be in …

Scriptural Contextualization: Understanding Chinese Philosophical Narratives, Gregory Appleby

Doctor of Ministry

Whether one is overseas or within their own home culture, when working cross-culturally scriptural contextualization is necessary to reduce confusion. When developing Chinese leaders, differing world views have caused conflict and confusion especially concerning an understanding of Scripture and the person of Christ. Westerners teaching, working, and living in a Chinese context participate in either widening or narrowing the philosophical gap between the East and the West concerning their understanding of Scripture. My hope is that Western leaders will see the value in alternative interpretations and understanding of the Scripture based on Chinese foundational narratives. Misunderstandings of cultural differences have …

Thriving Holistically As A Woman Married To A Minister: A Spiritual Formation Model To Support Women In The United States In The Role Of Pastor's Wife, Elisa Renae Ashley

Doctor of Ministry

While women married to ministers are blessed by God in many ways through their role as pastor’s wife, the role also presents many particular stressors. These stressors impact the systems of self, family, and church. A majority of clergy wives struggle to some degree with interpersonal loneliness, with finding confidants, and creating spiritual community wherein they can be authentically vulnerable. These struggles negatively impact the spiritual, physical, and psycho-emotional health of the women in this role. In order for them to deepen their spirituality and thrive holistically as they navigate the challenges of this role, a tailored spiritual formation model …

Demographic Changes And Faithful Response: Helping Presbyterian Churches Flourish Into The Future, David G. Watermulder

Doctor of Ministry

The problem that this dissertation seeks to address is that in an increasingly diverse society, Presbyterian Church (USA) (PCUSA) churches do not reflect the true racial, ethnic, and cultural diversity of the changing context in which they are located. This paper explores how PCUSA churches in American suburban areas can better understand themselves in order to be equipped to engage with an increasingly multicultural and globalized environment. The future health and witness of PCUSA churches will be enhanced and deepened through actively learning about cultural differences and preparing members and leaders to do ministry faithfully into the years ahead.

Section …

A Heavy Rain Has Fallen Upon My People: Sindhi Sufi Poetry Performance, Emotion, And Islamic Knowledge In Kachchh, Gujarat, Brian E. Bond

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

This dissertation is a study of the use and contestation of Sindhi-language Sufi poetry performance as a means of Islamic knowledge transmission and ethical self-formation in rural Muslim communities in Kachchh, a border district in the western Indian state of Gujarat adjacent to Sindh, Pakistan. Drawing on eighteen months of ethnographic research with Muslim performers and enthusiasts of Sindhi poetry between 2014-2018, I first examine an ecology of performative and interpretive practices revolving around the musico-poetic repertoire of the poet-saint Shāh ʿAbdul Lat̤īf Bhiṭā’ī (1689-1752 CE). I argue that the pedagogical efficacy of Sufi poetry performance is undergirded by its …

A Phenomenological Study Of The Role Of Institutional Debt In The Mid-America Region Of Acsi, John Robert Beck

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this phenomenological study was to inductively explore and understand how school leadership’s views on institutional debt impacted its use at Christian kindergarten-twelfth grade (K-12) schools in the Mid-America Region of the Association of Christian Schools International (MAR-ACSI). Institutional debt was generally defined as large and reoccurring expenses such as mortgages for school buildings. The qualitative research theory guiding this study was transcendental phenomenological reduction articulated by Clark Moustakas (1994) in his Phenomenological Research Methods. The Moustakas model provided an effective way to explore the gap in the literature found about how institutional debt impacted the planning and …

Pastoral Counseling: The Pastor’S Guide To Ministering Chronic And Terminally Ill Children And Their Families, Barbara F. Holston-Jones

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

Millions of children will die this year due to chronic and terminal illnesses. The medical and psychological communities have attempted for decades to find a methodology that will help parents and the child find hope for the future. The psychological and medical communities’ meta-analysis studies have shown that the goal of hope has been elusive for children and families in all current modalities. The Gospel of Jesus Christ is the only true assurance for parents and children experiencing chronic and terminal childhood illness. Paul wrote in his Epistle to the Romans that believing in the gospel brings life all joy, …

Ascertaining Factors Affecting Church Congregational Affiliation Among Anglophone Caribbean Immigrants In South Florida, Sheryl Marks-Williams

ATS Dissertations

No abstract provided.

Symposium 2020 Presenter List, Calvin Institute Of Christian Worship

Symposium on Worship Archive

Brief bios of presenters at the 2020 Calvin Symposium on Worship

Reclaiming The Role Of Story In Worship, Jeff Barker

Symposium on Worship Archive

Our God is a storytelling God. God’s book is a rich collection of stories. God’s church is a storytelling church. This seminar is a rich collection of storytelling examples from the Bible, history, and contemporary lives, using forms as simple as a solo testimony and as complex as enacting scenes from the missionary biography Iowa Ethiopia.

Program - 2020 Calvin Symposium On Worship, Calvin Institute Of Christian Worship

Symposium on Worship Archive

Complete program and worship book for the 2020 Calvin Symposium on Worship.

Christine "Chris" Kyker Papers, 1946-2017, Chris Kyker

Center for Restoration Studies Archives, Manuscripts and Personal Papers Finding Aids

No abstract provided.

Performance Of Islamic Stocks Versus Conventional Stocks During Crisis And Non Crisis Period: Evidence From Mena Region., Eshraq Abou El Enein

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this thesis is to examine the performance of both Islamic and conventional stocks, and to investigate whether the Islamic filtering criteria acts as a shield of protection for investors during crisis or not, based on a panel sample of 12 countries in the MENA region covering 10 different sectors from 1998-2018. Using panel fixed effect regression. We divided out sample into three periods; 1998-2006 pre-crisis period, 2007-2008 crisis period and 2009-2018 post crisis period. Our main finding is that the filtering criteria has a positive relation with the returns significant for the post crisis period and positive …

Euro-Asian Division Report: Global Church Member Survey 2017-2018, Petr A. Činčala, Pavel Zubkov, Dmitry Fokin, Shannon M. Trecartin

Faculty Publications

This report is the first examination of the Euro-Asian Division 2017-2018 Global Church Member Survey (GCMS) data. The research team worked closely with the meta-analysis team to ensure consistent implementation of the research protocol and consistent use of the questionnaire. A total of 2251 surveys were used from all ESD Unions. The findings of this document are an initial analysis of the data using the latest version of SPSS. The purpose of the Executive Summary is to highlight key findings from the study, which includes: 1. Summarizing the demographic findings in order to describe the characteristics of church members in …

Trans-European Division Report: Global Church Member Survey 2017-2018, Petr A. Činčala, Shannon M. Trecartin, Audrey Andersson

Faculty Publications

This report is the first examination of the Trans-European Division (TED) 2017-2018 Global Church Member Survey (GCMS) data. The research team worked closely with the metaanalysis team to ensure consistent implementation of the research protocol and consistent use of the questionnaire. A total of 1331 surveys were used from all TED Unions. The findings of this document are an initial analysis of the data using the latest version of SPSS. The purpose of the Executive Summary is to highlight key findings from the study, which includes: 1. Summarizing the demographic findings in order to describe the characteristics of church members …

North American Division: Report Global Church Member Survey 2017-2018, Petr A. Činčala

Faculty Publications

This report is the first examination of the North American Division 2017-2018 Global Church Member Survey (GCMS) data. The research team worked closely with the metaanalysis team to ensure consistent implementation of the research protocol and consistent use of the questionnaire. A total of 1,923 surveys were used from all NAD unions. The findings of this document are an initial analysis of the data using the latest version of SPSS. The purpose of the Executive Summary is to highlight key findings from the study, which includes: • Summarizing the demographic findings in order to describe the characteristics of church members …

Northern-Asian Pacific Division Report: Global Church Member Survey 2017-2018, Petr A. Činčala, Shannon M. Trecartin, Gustavo Emanoel, Christie Chui-Shan Chow

Faculty Publications

This report is the first examination of the Northern-Asian Pacific Division 2017-2018 Global Church Member Survey (GCMS) data. The research team worked closely with the metaanalysis team to ensure consistent implementation of the research protocol and consistent use of the questionnaire. A total of 3064 surveys were used from all NSD Unions. The findings of this document are an initial analysis of the data using the latest version of SPSS. The purpose of the Executive Summary is to highlight key findings from the study, which includes: 1. Summarizing the demographic findings in order to describe the characteristics of church members …

Southern Asia Division Report: Global Church Member Survey 2017-2018, Petr A. Činčala, Shannon M. Trecartin, Vara Deepati

Faculty Publications

This report is the first examination of the Southern Asia Division 2017-2018 Global Church Member Survey (GCMS) data. The research team worked closely with the meta-analysis team to ensure consistent implementation of the research protocol and consistent use of the questionnaire. A total of 2981 surveys were used from all SUD Unions. The findings of this document are an initial analysis of the data using the latest version of SPSS. The purpose of the Executive Summary is to highlight key findings from the study, which includes: 1. Summarizing the demographic findings in order to describe the characteristics of church members …

Magic, Alchemy, And The Spiritual But Not Religious, John C. Marshell Jr.

The Hilltop Review

In this paper, I identify a problem within the growing phenomenon of the "spiritual but not religious" community based on the particular experiences of German pilgrims attending a retreat at a Chinese Daoist monastery. Despite interests and affirmations in Daoism, the German pilgrims reacted negatively to Daoist supernatural attitudes and practices. Their SBNR beliefs clashed with Daoist orthodoxy. My research is largely based on a historical examination that contextualizes the problems the German pilgrims experienced and offers a possible remedy to their trans-cultural spiritual dilemma in alchemy and Jungian psychology.

Found In Translation: Collaborative Contemplations Of Tibetan Buddhism And Western Science, Kelsey M. Gray, Dadul Namgyal, Jeremy Purcell, Tsondue Samphel, Tenzin Sonam, Karma Tenzin, Dawa Tsering, Carol M. Worthman, Arri Eisen

Biology, Chemistry, and Environmental Sciences Faculty Articles and Research

Development of an inclusive scientific community necessitates doing more than simply bringing science to diverse groups of people. Ideally, the sciences evolve through incorporation of diverse backgrounds, experiences, and worldviews. Efforts to promote inclusion of historically underrepresented racial, ethnic, cultural, religious, gender, and socioeconomic groups among science scholars are currently underway. Examination of these efforts yields valuable lessons to inform next steps in engaging diverse audiences with science. The Emory-Tibet Science Initiative may serve as one example of such efforts. The Dalai Lama invited Emory University to develop and teach a curriculum in Western science to Tibetan Buddhist monks and …