Digital Commons Network^™

The Spiritual Impact Of Female Pastoral Leadership On Members Of New Heritage Fellowship, Cheryl Russell

DMin Project Theses

This April 2023 Doctor of Ministry project thesis at Lipscomb University examines how, today, many females are waiting for opportunities to serve in pastoral leadership, hoping to partner with local churches to help carry the story of God forward in a moment of great vulnerability for the church, in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic. However, very few churches are opening their doors to females for key leadership roles, upholding a long tradition of male-only leadership. This project explores the spiritual impact of egalitarian culture and female pastoral leadership on the members of New Heritage Fellowship. My hope is that …

Intergenerational Discipleship At St. Paul's Smoke Church, Elle Rulavage

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

Intergenerational ministry through discipleship is found in the archetype of Christ and His disciples. St. Paul’s Smoke Church in Windsor Township, Pennsylvania, has impacted and influenced the area through many centuries in the generational call to follow Christ. The church has seen its ebbs and flows. In the past decade, membership has tremendously decreased, but the heart of love for God and its community is lasting. The pandemic of COVID-19 had limited ministry in the traditional sense. Still, the unorthodox ways of ministry were sought out and employed to continue St. Paul’s Smoke Church in its operation and functionality while …

One Church’S Apathy Toward Fulfilling The Great Commission, David Thomas Williamson

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

Philippians 1:9-11 records Paul’s prayer containing four assessments believers can use to measure their progress toward spiritual maturity. These areas include a love that flows, a mind that knows, a character that shows, and a fruit that grows. The purpose of all these qualities is to demonstrate God’s glory. Where spiritual maturity is absent, apathy and complacency abound, and this dilemma must be overcome before a church can effectively pursue and sustain a viable focus on church revitalization. Because theological academia has not effectively focused on the partnership between spiritual maturity and church revitalization, this DMIN research project will address …

Youth Ministry Curriculum Developing Korean American Youth's Christ-Centered Identity, Jonathan Hyung Lee

Doctor of Leadership

In this Project Portfolio, I will address the following NPO: High school students growing up in Korean American immigrant churches need a culturally and ethnically reflective youth curriculum to help them grow in their Christ-centered identity. The overall insight from this research is that there is a lack of youth pastors and youth directors available for the emerging second and third-generation Korean American youths who want to grow in their faith and identity. Although they have attended church since birth, they are growing up without a proper spiritual mentoring relationship that can help them become deeply rooted in faith. They …

Growing And Declining Churches Face Different Challenges: A Statistical Analysis Of The Top Ten Challenges Facing Churches Study, David R. Dunaetz

Great Commission Research Journal

The data behind the study The Top Ten Challenges Facing Churches (Moody, 2023) is presented and analyzed with a focus on differences between growing churches and non-growing churches. Church leaders (N = 129) indicated how difficult they believed it would be for North American churches to overcome 50 potential challenges. For most challenges, no significant difference between the church leaders from growing and non-growing churches was detected. However, church leaders from non-growing churches viewed 1) attractiveness of programs, 2) retaining young adults, 3) youth programs, 4) small group participation, and 5) effective strategy as more difficult challenges to overcome than …

Finding Them, Keeping Them – Strategies For Evangelism And Assimilation: A Review Of The Books Written By Gary L. Mcintosh, Gordon E. Penfold

Great Commission Research Journal

A short review of each of the twenty-seven books by Gary L. McIntosh traces the development of the author’s thought up to his latest release in January 2023. This review demonstrates that McIntosh’s passion is to see churches and Christian leaders apply classical biblical church growth principles in their ministry contexts. His passion for reaching and assimilating new people, and for developing Christian leaders to carry out Christ’s Great Commission with a Great Commandment passion permeates each book. The breadth and depth of his knowledge are demonstrated in his many volumes with little overlap in their subject matter. His works …

Great Commission Research Journal Spring 2023, David R. Dunaetz

Great Commission Research Journal

No abstract provided.

Young Adult Attrition In The American Church: The Suspected Causes And Suggested Cures, Randall M. Morrow

Doctor of Ministry (DMin)

Young adults in America today are deciding that the Church is no longer relevant, so they are choosing to drop out in increasing numbers. Their disaffiliation from communities of faith is also harming their personal faith. This observation is irrespective of Church denominations; their exodus occurs in most faith groups, including Catholic, Mainline Protestant, Evangelical, and Pentecostal/Charismatic denominations. Consequently, the future vitality of the Church is threatened. Why does this problem exist, and what can be done to intervene and change the downward trajectory? What should Christian parents and ministry leaders do differently to achieve a higher retention rate of …

My Pilgrimage In Church Growth, Gary L. Mcintosh

Great Commission Research Journal

A short autobiography by Gary McIntosh focusing on his role in the Church Growth Movement

A Gentle Whisper: Restorying The Narrative Of Eleven Ministers To Create A Collective Voice In The Battle Against Burnout, Darrel Sears

DMin Project Theses

This March 2023 Doctor of Ministry project thesis at Lipscomb University investigates how there has been much research poured into the subject of burnout over the last fifty years and how its effects take a toll on an employee’s emotional, physical, and mental health. Burnout is especially prevalent in helping professions like human services, nursing, social work, psychology, and criminal justice to name a few. Vocational ministry, also a helping profession, has received its fair share of attention pertaining to burnout. Countless hours and hard work concerning stress management, clergy outpatient therapy, emotional contagions, self-care practices, spiritual-care practices, and a …

The Digital Pulpit: Having Church When You Can't Have Church, Joshua W. Hall

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The COVID-19 pandemic presented unique difficulties and challenges across the globe. Churches responded to these challenges in different ways. At Mt. Olivet Baptist Church, where the researcher serves, the physical church buildings were closed and physical worship services suspended in favor of online services. This arrangement persisted for ten weeks. After reopening the physical church building for in-person services, average church attendance had decreased, church giving had increased, and spiritual formation had taken place. This research aimed to address the reason as to why these challenging conditions produced such unexpected results. To achieve this, the researcher utilized a series of …

Teaching High School Students An Apologetic Curriculum On Relativism, Ryan G. Willert

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this action research project is to develop and teach an apologetic curriculum on relativism to the high school students at Eastern Hills Church. The research project will measure the student's prior knowledge of relativism and show that an apologetic curriculum on the topic can be used in order to grow their knowledge of the worldview that inhabits their generation. There were twenty total student participants. Eight total male students ranging from 9th grade to the 12th grade level. There were twelve female students ranging from the 9th grade to the 11th grade level. Each student was given …

Korean American Young Adults: Spiritual And Emotional Formation Though Art, Hesed Lee

Doctor of Ministry

It is a well-known phenomenon in America that many young adults are disengaged from the Church, at the same time they are battling internal emotional conflicts while trying to understand their faith journey. Even though most of them grew up in the Church, participated in church programs, and learned about God, they are anxious, lonely, and struggling to discover their spiritual identity. What then, what are we missing? After conducting an anonymous online survey with Korean American young adults and gathering narrative research from Korean American young adults as well as Asian American English Ministry pastors, this paper explores the …

Practicing Presence: How The Local Church Should Target Poverty Of Solidarity With Their Neighborhood’S Youth, Sarah Lowder

Theology Undergraduate Work

A high school student attends a youth group at a local church in his neglected neighborhood. He participates in Bible studies, youth group events, and experiences an altar-call moment to accept Christ into his heart. The church was there to help him live like Christ and grow spiritually. He gets to know God at an early age through the church; however, as he graduates high school, the connection with the church starts to dwindle. One day, he finds himself in jail, still struggling with his life's physical, mental, and social factors. This is the true story of Nick, a young …

Using Tonga Proverbs In Presenting Biblical Concepts, Johan Siachibila

Journal of Adventist Mission Studies

The Tonga tribe, located in the Southern part of Zambia, is rich in cultural communication. The Tonga people often use proverbs to communicate important ideas with each other, to solve problems among themselves, during common conversations, and when teaching Tonga children. They also are proud that their proverbs are a source of wisdom, with every phase of life having important proverbs attached to them. The Tongas have more than 500 proverbs, however, in this article I will only look at some of them to illustrate how they could be used in presenting biblical principles in the Tonga cultural setting. This …

The Efficacy Of Shared Spiritual Practices Toward The Formation Of Families At Mayfair Church Of Christ In Huntsville, Alabama, Matthew P. Flynn

DMin Project Theses

This February 2023 Doctor of Ministry project thesis at Lipscomb University presents the results of a qualitative research study of the efficacy of shared spiritual practices in the formation of families at Mayfair Church of Christ in Huntsville, Alabama. Once a week for six weeks, I met with six Mayfair families with adolescents, where they were able to learn about and practice spiritual disciplines consistently together over the course of six weeks. The selected disciplines engaged different God-given human faculties intended to unite us with God and with each other. After each session, families were then invited to practice the …

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 …

Language Translation In Localizing Religious Musical Practice, John Macinnis, Jeremy Perigo

Books by Dordt Authors

The focus of this Special Issue is language translation in the process of localizing religious musical practice. As an alternative to related concepts (such as contextualization and indigenization), musical localization is presented by ethnomusicologists Monique Ingalls, Muriel Swijghuisen Reigersberg, and Zoe Sherinian in Making Congregational Music Local in Christian Communities Worldwide (Routledge, 2018) as an effective way to account for the complex, diverse, and shifting ways in which religious communities embody what it means to be local through their musical practices: "Musical localization is the process by which Christian communities take a variety of musical practices - some considered 'indigenous, …

An Order (Rlte) Of Christian Initiation Of Adults Handbook For Directors, Coordinators And Team Ministers, Patricia M. Dudas

Master of Theological Studies Honors Theses

Vatican II called for a renewal of evangelization, catechesis, and liturgical celebration. The Catholic Church then wrote new rites for the Order of Christian Initiation of Adults (OCIA). To help OCIA ministers get started with group formation on the journey of faith resulting in conversion and transformation of lives, an OCIA Handbook was written that explains how best to catechize: to discuss the Scripture with a focus on life experiences and Christian responses; to incorporate the Church’s doctrines and precepts; and, to involve more parishioners in the OCIA process to welcome new members and to reinvigorate the parish congregation’s faith.

80th Annual Pepperdine Bible Lectureship--Harbor: God Loves Forever (2023), Mike Cope

Pepperdine Bible Lectures: Programs

Program booklet for the 80th Annual Pepperdine Bible Lectures, held at Pepperdine University in Malibu, California, May 2-5, 2023. The Pepperdine Bible Lectures is an annual event hosted by Pepperdine University featuring a wide variety of lectures and classes on topics and themes in the Bible and Christianity.

Mike Cope, Lectureship Director

Evan Woods, Rachel Higgins, and Tami Williamson, Lectures Team

Learning To Cope With Grief Through The Use Of Biblical Creativity With The Community Of First Saints Community Church, Patricia Watson

Doctor of Ministry Projects

Supporting those who are grieving has long been a complicated process for church communities and pastors. This project investigated whether introducing a creative activity to a grief support group could help participants view their loss through a lens of faith and clinical aspects of grief. Although further studies will strengthen this hypothesis, a four-week curriculum was conducted with five participants at First Saints Community Church in Leonardtown, MD. Results from quantitative and qualitative analyses showed that there was a benefit to those participants.

Ministry Strategy For Retaining Youth And Young Adults In The Australian Union Conference, Jeffrey N. Parker

Doctor of Ministry Projects

Problem

In the Seventh-day Adventist Church of Australia (known as the Australian Union Conference) there is a significant loss of membership continuance by youth and young adults that falls into the category of the so-called millennials. Church attendance and membership loss of millennials is a problem in the Australian Union Conference.

Method

After consulting Scripture and current literature on families and family values, this researcher developed a quantitative and qualitative survey for Seventh-day Adventist (SDA) Australian Millennials. It used a professional survey program that guaranteed the anonymity of each person. Embedded within the 18-question survey was space for personal responses. …

Discipling The Whole Student, Scott R. Ward, David Sedlacek, Rogelio Paquini, Jasmine Fraser

Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Problems Confronting Children's Ministry : The Diocese Of Lagos Anglican Communion, Church Of Nigeria, Akinwande Godwin Odubena

ATS Dissertations

No abstract provided.

Wrestling With Disturbing Bible Passages : A Trinitarian Approach For Adults At Tri-Lakes United Methodist Church That Engages Family Systems Theory And The Twelve Steps, Jason L. Baxter

ATS Dissertations

No abstract provided.

Women And Their Roles In The Church, Matthew Niles

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

Women and Their Roles in the Church, addresses the disagreement about the roles women are allowed to serve in at Faith Baptist Church. The problem is that congregants are disagreeing about what roles women are allowed to serve in at the church. This disagreement has led to people leaving the church and finding new churches. The purpose of this study is to develop a small group curriculum to teach leading examples of women from the Bible. The purpose of the study would help expand the participants' understanding of what roles women are allowed to serve in at their local church. …

The Final Amen: Designing And Implementing A Christlike System For The Closure Of Waypointe Christian Fellowship, Christopher E. Sherwood

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

Like a myriad of other churches across the country, WayPointe Christian Fellowship (WCF) experienced a long decline leading to a critical question: Should the church permanently close? In the case of WCF, the answer was yes, which led to other questions about how to accomplish the task while maximizing God's glory, minimizing the pain felt by those involved, and preparing the congregation to migrate to another body of believers. This thesis project was designed to enable the leaders of WCF and other church leaders to answer these questions. In this pursuit, a comprehensive closure plan was created and implemented at …

A Training Program For Adult Mentors Working With Teenagers To Enhance Their Spiritual Health And Church Life, Mark Damon Albertino

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

A major problem facing the church is that a significant number of teenagers leave after high school. The researcher addressed the problem of teenagers leaving Taylorsville Church of God after high school by training adult members to mentor the church’s teenagers. In the program, seven adult mentors, which included six females and one male, and six teen mentees, which included four females and two males, participated. The training program included the following topics: mentor spiritual health, servanthood, church life, active listening, parents, empathy, compassion, spiritual health of teenagers, and current teen issues. Through a series of interviews with the adult …

Children Are A Heritage From The Lord: A Procreation-Centric Approach To Christian Marriage And Family Education, Nicholas Lee Hagerman

Doctor of Ministry Major Applied Project

Hagerman, Nicholas L. "Children Are a Heritage from the Lord: A Procreation-Centric Approach to Christian Marriage and Family Education." Doctor of Ministry. Major Applied Project, Concordia Seminary, 2022. 242 pp.

As youth and young adults are being raised in the church, they are often taught about issues related to sex and marriage. However, procreation and raising families are rarely mentioned in such teaching, which tends to focus instead on relational issues between spouses, the avoidance of sexual sins, and the marital institution's reflection of the relationship between Christ and His church. This project seeks to remedy this deficiency by taking …

Index Of Discernment Articles

Discernment: Theology and the Practice of Ministry

These pages present an index of work published in Discernment: Theology and the Practice of Ministry from Volume 1, Issue 1 until Volume 8, Issue 2. Lists by subjects and authors are presented.