Digital Commons Network^™

Redirecting The International Church From An Oasis Paradigm To Missional Thought, Community And Practice, David W. Young

Doctor of Ministry

The International Church (IC) environment is dynamic—people from dozens of different nations and Christian heritages worship together each week. ICs, often in global cities, can have strategic influence helping diaspora make adjustments, welcoming them and bringing a sense of community, connection, and peace during stressful transitions. As a consequence, ICs often adopt “a home away from home” vision—where the IC believes it fundamentally exists as a temporary oasis to meet the religious and social needs of its members. However, the oasis/nurture paradigm—with its consumer undertone, inward focus on member care, and shepherding is inadequate for making and mobilizing disciples. Third …

Infusing A Paradigm Of Mission And Multiplication Into The Greater Ohio District Of The Wesleyan Church, Christopher Dyer

Doctor of Ministry

This dissertation will explore appropriate methodology for reinvigorating the Greater Ohio District of The Wesleyan Church by creating a new paradigm of mission and multiplication. Statistics show there is a declining number of congregations in The Wesleyan Church of North America, and specifically, within the Greater Ohio District. Local churches are being closed at a rapid rate and multi-faceted congregational multiplication is needed to replace these lost congregations and restore missional presence. The narrative of the District is one of fear, fatigue, and closed-mindedness; discriminatory against church multiplication due to nearly two decades of perceived failed attempts which resulted in …

Instilling Health And Vitality Into The Third Wave Oraon Churches In Jharkhand, Samuel Stephens

Doctor of Ministry

This study is based on the observation that large numbers of Oraon tribals in the state of Jharkhand, India are embracing Christianity, and an increasing number of small churches in the region is evidenced. The Oraon new believers, however, lack adequate spiritual nurture, resulting in spiritual stagnancy, a leaning to syncretism, and practice of unhealthy traditions. These traits leave the Oraon churches spiritually impoverished and unsustainable. The study seeks to ascertain appropriate measures to infuse and instill such health and vitality.

Chapter one describes the nature of the Oraon people movement first and then places it within its national context. …

The Elephant In The Room:, Sarita D. Gallagher

Papers

No abstract provided.

Generous Leaders, Generous Congregations: A Study Of The Relationship Between The Financial Generosity Of Congregational Leaders And The Financial Generosity Of Their Congregations, Ryan D. Brodin

Doctor of Ministry Theses

This sequential explanatory mixed methods comparative case study research project explores personal financial generosity in pastors and Congregational Council members of five suburban mainline congregations to discover what influence their generosity has on the congregations they lead. This research involved a survey of all the leaders, interviews with each pastor, focus groups with Congregational Council members, and financial statistics for each congregation. Although there are many insights in this research project regarding financial generosity in leaders and congregations, the results do not show a direct influence of the personal financial generosity of the leaders on the financial generosity of the …

Walk Me To The Gate: Christian Practices Of Accompaniment With People Who Are Dying And Their Families, Yolanda Kali Denson-Byers

Doctor of Ministry Theses

This mixed-methods concurrent triangulation research project asks, “What practices should we incorporate into the hospice ministry of Fellowship Lutheran Church in order to help dying people and their families experience a peaceful death with love?” Utilizing two focus groups, four interviews, and a congregational census, this project finds that research participants are terrorized by death and are hungry for hospice and bereavement ministries provided by their community of faith. This exploratory project illuminates the specific practices which missional congregations may utilize to empower the priesthood of all believers to create a beloved community which points to the hope of resurrection.

Korean-American Churches And Evangelism: An Immigrant Church As Evangelistic Community, Dae Sung Kim

Papers

No abstract provided.

Teaching Missiology In And For World Christianity Content And Method, Peter C. Phan

Papers

No abstract provided.

Historic Models Of Teaching Christian Mission:, Robert L. Gallagher

Papers

No abstract provided.

Books Reviews, Zachariah S. Motts, David Bundy, Timothy J. Christian, Jeremy B. Griffin, Rabbi David J. Zucker, Shivraj K. Mahendra, Scott Donahue-Martens, Michael Tavey, Taylor S. Brown, Isaiah Allen, Benjamin J. Snyder, Garrett Best

The Asbury Journal

No abstract provided.

Teaching Christian Mission In An Age Of World Christianity:, Philip Wingeier-Rayo

Papers

No abstract provided.

Family Resilience In Displacement: Defining Validity And Reliability In A Hermeneutic Phenomenology Inquiry, Regine Rimarzik

Journal of Adventist Mission Studies

"The voices of the poor confirmed a common recommendation among scholars to combine the best of person-focused approaches with the best of variable-focused approaches in resilience studies. This could be especially beneficial for comparative studies in terms of religion and culture adherence. In other words, I am considering to slightly tweak my research topic and widen the scope towards a comparative religious study within the same environment and to specify the impact of comparative faith traditions on the human development context in displacement. Finally, my better understanding of the nature of family resilience awakened my curiosity for discovering the nature …

The Concept Of Social Justice In The Social Sciences, In The Bible, And In Adventism, Michelet William

Journal of Adventist Mission Studies

"Social justice is included in the mission of God to redeem and restore humanity. While in the early years evangelicals viewed social justice with suspicion, considering it subordinate to evangelism, since the second half of the 20th century, social justice has gained momentum among evangelical Christians who have become favorable to a more holistic approach to mission. William Carey had already set the tone in the 19th century as his work in India included missiological responses to social justice concerns. Other more recent and similarly mission-focused social advocacy work followed, such as the Temperance Movement in early Adventism, the ongoing …

Perspectives On The Missiological Legacy Of Martin Luther And The Protestant Reformation, Richard L. Starcher, Philip C. Huber, J. Nelson Jennings, Benjamin L. Hartley, Stan Nussbaum, William R. Burrows

Faculty Publications - George Fox School of Theology

Upon the occasion of the 500th anniversary Martin Luther’s publication of his 95 theses, this composite article brings together five perspectives on the missiological legacy of the reformer and the subsequent Protestant Reformation. The blend of voices makes clear that Luther and the subsequent Protestant Reformation do not have a simple missiological legacy but rather various legacies: theological, ecclesiological, political, and practical; some of which co-exist, and even collide, in the same ecclesiastical community. The scandalous legacy of a splintered and splintering church remains. Yet, demonstrations of mutual recognition, reciprocal respect, and genuine fellowship can be found in certain missiological …

Perspectives On The Missiological Legacy Of Martin Luther And The Protestant Reformation, Richard L. Starcher, Philip C. Huber, J. Nelson Jennings, Benjamin Hartley, Stan Nussbaum, William R. Burrows

Faculty Publications - George Fox School of Theology

Upon the occasion of the 500th anniversary Martin Luther’s publication of his 95 theses, this composite article brings together five perspectives on the missiological legacy of the reformer and the subsequent Protestant Reformation. The blend of voices makes clear that Luther and the subsequent Protestant Reformation do not have a simple missiological legacy but rather various legacies: theological, ecclesiological, political, and practical; some of which co-exist, and even collide, in the same ecclesiastical community. The scandalous legacy of a splintered and splintering church remains. Yet, demonstrations of mutual recognition, reciprocal respect, and genuine fellowship can be found in certain missiological …

Teaching Christian Mission In An Age Of World Christianity, Robert A. Danielson, Linda Whitmer

Academic Books

No abstract provided.

Dialogue, Independence, And Unity: Toward A Moral Solution To Political Problems Between Russia And Ukraine, Mykhailo Cherenkov

Occasional Papers on Religion in Eastern Europe

The real war continues in the center of Europe, between two so-called Christian nations. By this, I mean the war between Russia and Ukraine, which threatens to escalate into a larger, global conflict. Christians around the world appeal to the value of dialogue, urging all sides involved to come to peace. But what does it mean? And how do we reconcile those who value independence with those who appreciate a forced unity? It is important to reflect on these difficult theological and moral dilemmas.

Implementing Vocational Training At Escuela Quiteña De Estudios Bíblicos, Joshua K. Marcum

Doctor of Ministry Theses and Dissertations

This DMin project addressed the problem of the absence of a viable training model to equip graduates of EQEB (Escuela Quiteña de Estudios Biblicos) for self-sustaining ministry. Based upon a theology of vocation, the project implemented and evaluated the inclusion of a technical-skills component to EQEB’s current seminary training. The project followed the integration of sixteen EQEB students in the vocational program implemented during the 2015-2016 school year. Qualitative research data gathered from five group interviews with these students, my own field notes, and a faculty interview provided the substance upon which I based the project´s findings. Over a seven-month …

Matthew's Least Brothers And It's Application In The Catholic Church, Runbao Zhang

School of Theology and Seminary Graduate Papers/Theses

The The paper, paper, paper, paper, MatthewMatthew Matthew Matthew’s “Least BrothersLeast BrothersLeast Brothers Least Brothers Least Brothers ” and Its Application in and Its Application in and Its Application in and Its Application in and Its Application in and Its Application in and Its Application in the Catholic ChurchCatholic Church Catholic Church Catholic ChurchCatholic Church Catholic ChurchCatholic Church, exams who exams who exams who exams who exams who “the least brothers the least brothers the least brothers the least brothers the least brothers the least brothers” are in the Gospel of Matthew. are in the Gospel of Matthew. are in …

The First Spiritan Mission Method In Bagamoyo: Liberation Of Slaves, Johannes Henschel C.S.Sp.

Spiritan Horizons

No abstract provided.

Outreach From The Seminary, Seventh-Day Adventist Theological Seminary

Current: Faith Meets Life and Culture

No abstract provided.

Toward A Theology Of Community., Jiří Moskala

Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

The Case For Prioritism: Part 2, Christopher R. Little

Great Commission Research Journal

Debate is no stranger to evangelicalism. Rigorous dialogue among evangelicals ought to be welcomed as it clarifies issues, forms convictions, and sets agendas. The missiological disagreement between prioritists and holists is a case in point. Prioritists feel constrained to redress holistic reconfigurations of such fundamental concepts as gospel, kingdom, and mission. For the sake of the nations, this article seeks to compare and contrast prioritism with holism, trace the historical emergence of evangelical holism, offer reasons why prioritism more accurately represents a biblically informed approach to mission, and concludes with means by which readers can determine which viewpoint to affirm …

A Narrative, Missional Approach To Discipleship And Spiritual Growth, Travis A. Sharpe

Discernment: Theology and the Practice of Ministry

All Christians have the desire to grow in faith and knowledge of God. The difficulty is that most do not have the tools to help them accomplish the task. While churches desire to help their members grow in faith, many have never created an intentional plan to make spiritual formation possible. While there are a multitude of ways this could be accomplished, one avenue would be for churches to implement an intentional discipleship program. A discipleship program that combines a missional/narrative reading of scripture with spiritual disciplines has been shown to help participants grow in spiritual formation and join the …

Initiating A Missional Mindset : The International Leadership Institute's Eight Core Values As Impetus For Missional Living, Kenneth R. Ott

ATS Dissertations

No abstract provided.

The Partnership Between Churches And Para-Church Organizations In Nigeria : Trends, Implications And Prospects, Sunday H. Daleng

ATS Dissertations

No abstract provided.

Ite, Missa Est! A Missional Liturgical Ecclesiology, Eugene Richard Schlesinger

Dissertations (1934 -)

Since the latter half of the twentieth-century, a great many churches and ecclesial communities have agreed that the basic contours of what is called an ecclesiology of communion represents their own self-understanding. Communion ecclesiology centers upon a vision of the church as sharing together in the life of God, with ecclesiastical apparatus such as office, liturgy, and sacraments seen as facilitating this communion. Understood in this light, communion ecclesiology represents a movement away from overly juridical accounts of the church and toward a more organic conception of the church. For nearly the same time frame, a parallel missiological consensus has …

A Feasibility Study To Develop A Missions Training Center To Recruit African-American Young Adults For Global Missions Through Education And Training, Linda Saunders

Masters Theses

African-Americans have too long been disengaged from global missions; they represent less than one half of one percent of all global missionaries. Re-engaging the African-American church community in global missions can be accomplished by recruiting African-American young adults to participate in global missions by way of a global missions training center focused on education and training. For the African-American church to become engaged in global missions there are a myriad of obstacles to overcome; namely, the lack of global missions education and training within the African-American church community. While obstacles exist, they are not insurmountable. The key components for engaging …

Mission And Hermeneutics

Journal of Adventist Mission Studies

No abstract provided.

Business As Mission And Mission As Business: Case Studies Of Financially Sustainable Christian Mission Ventures With A Focus On Anglican Dioceses In East Africa, Dennis Obura Tongoi

Business as Mission Theses and Dissertations

Anglican dioceses established by The Church Mission Society and other Western-founded Christian denominations in East Africa were envisaged to grow and become self-governing, self-propagating and self-supporting. The first two goals (to be self-governing and self-propagating) have more or less been achieved. The third goal (the pursuit of self-support) is at a critical stage, especially considering that resources, in terms of funding and personnel, are in decline. This research sought to document the factors that contribute to, or hinder, the role that lay people (business people in particular) can play in sustaining the ministry and mission of Anglican dioceses. The research …