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Innovation And The Local Congregation: Unleashing The Creative Power Of Communities Of Faith, Dan S. Poffenberger

Doctor of Ministry

Pastors search for ways to help their communities of faith live into their ministry with more impact, creativity and joy. Many are frustrated by the root bound nature of most congregations tightly organized in a hierarchy that limits the ability to be nimble and contextual. At the same time, culture is becoming more participatory, collaborative and creative. Thriving organizations have tapped into this culture by designing their structure to foster innovation. This work offers an examination of such organizations, their leaders and the tools they use.

Chapter One discusses the cultural shifts of connectedness and participation. These shifts have happened …

A Strategy For Developing Outreach-Oriented Small Groups For Millenial Students At Georgia-Cumberland Academy Church, Greg Hudson

Doctor of Ministry Projects

Problem

Millennial students at Georgia-Cumberland Academy (GCA) are not being inspired and equipped to actively engage in community outreach. GCA is a boarding school with 80% of students having homes in other locations, limiting their opportunity to develop connections with any local community, both at home and at school. The result is that students are graduating without needed skills to spiritually interact with their community and to share their faith in Jesus in meaningful ways. About 60% of Adventist youth are leaving the church, and part of the problem may be their lack of connection to the outreach ministries of …

On Solid Ground I Stand: Narratives On Disclosure, Resilience, And Faith Amidst Recognition Of Childhood Sexual Abuse, Wade Rhodes Dundee

Masters Theses

Childhood sexual abuse seems to be a hidden secret in American society; one of the famous, "If we don't talk about it, it won't happen" narratives. However, we know this is not true. Both the National Sexual Violence Resource Center (2012) and Center for Disease Control and Prevention (2005) state one in four girls and one in six boys will fall victim to sexual abuse before they celebrate their 18th birthday. There is a high probability that because of the alarming lack of disclosure of male survivors, these statistics could be incorrect and could hinder creating or allowing for conversations …

The Minister-Elder Relationship Within “Churches That Work”, Steve Cloer

Discernment: Theology and the Practice of Ministry

This essay is the summary of a research project focused on how the minister-elder relationship in Churches of Christ can facilitate missional transformation in an established church. Twenty-five reputable congregations of Churches of Christ were researched that were profiled as “Churches That Work” by The Christian Chronicle from 2006-2013. A survey was conducted of these congregations’ elders and ministers assessing their leadership practices and perspectives. Four congregations were selected based on results of the survey and qualitative strategies of interviewing, focus groups, observation, and document gathering were used. Five patterns of a missional polity developed: elders as nurturing pastors, ministers …

Vision, Winter 2016

Vision

A newsletter published for Deaf Catholics in USA

VisionFinding Aid

Deaf Catholic Newsletter, Advent-Christmas 2016

Deaf Catholic Newsletter

A newsletter published for Deaf Catholics in Philapelphia, PA

Deaf Catholic Newsletter Finding Aid

An Exploratory Study Of Campus Ministries Affiliated With Churches Of Christ In Ghana, Frank Obeng Essien

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The Churches of Christ in Ghana commemorated 50 years of the Restoration Movement in Ghana in 2012. As part of the historical development of this community in Ghana, the number of individuals who have accessed higher education through the various institutions of higher learning in the country have increased significantly. This development also led to the emergence of campus churches to meet the spiritual needs of members of this faith-tradition as they pursue academic interests on the various university campuses. This development notwithstanding, almost no literature exists which provides a record of the historical evolution of these campus churches and …

Calvin Theological Journal (Vol 51 No 2 - November 2016), Calvin Theological Seminary

Calvin Theological Journal

Articles: The Usefulness of Divine Majesty According to Calvin on Genesis by Rebekah Earnshaw - 181 / Sola Scriptura: An Inadequate Slogan for the Authority of Scripture by Henk van den Belt - 204 / Nuptial Reading: Hippolytus, Origen, and Ambrose on the Bridal Couple of the Song of Songs by Hans Boersma - 227 / Just What Do You Mean—Kingdom of God? Lessons from a Century (and More) of Christian Social Thought by John Bolt - 259 / Bound to the Altar: The Isaac of Genesis 22:1–19 by Arie C. Leder - 283 / Calvin Bibliography 2016 - …

Outreach From The Seminary, Seventh-Day Adventist Theological Seminary

Current: Faith Meets Life and Culture

No abstract provided.

Vision, Fall 2016

Vision

A newsletter published for Deaf Catholics in USA

VisionFinding Aid

Hand In Hand, Fall 2016

Hand in Hand

A newsletter published for Deaf Catholics in Milwaukee, WI

Hand in Hand Finding Aid

Consumerism And The Church, Donald Roth

Faculty Work Comprehensive List

"Too easily, a church can become focused on what the people want and how the service looks, becoming driven by human, rather than heavenly, desires."

Posting about how consumerism can affect the church­­­­­­­­ from In All Things - an online hub committed to the claim that the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ has implications for the entire world.

http://inallthings.org/consumerism-and-the-church/

South Carolina Conference Journal 2016, United Methodist Church. South Carolina Conference

South Carolina Conference Journal

THE JOURNAL OF THE SOUTH CAROLINA CONFERENCE OF The United Methodist Church Southeastern Jurisdiction

VOLUME I 2016

Price: $35.00 per year paid in advance by subscription only (Volumes I and II included)

Edited for the Conference by KENNETH L. NELSON Secretary of the Annual Conference

Florence Civic Center Florence, South Carolina

June 5-8, 2016

Establishing The M7 Dream Builder Pastoral Care Ministry: A Christ-Centered Spiritual Oasis For Women-By-Women With Dreams Deferred, Sylvia Medley

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

One of the long standing problems of Christ-Centered pastoral care in the local church is the need for a practical innovative pastoral care ministry for women whose dreams have been deferred that not only provides healing, hope, and encouragement, but also incorporates the discipling culture of the Great Commission. Based on Matthew 28:19-20, Proverbs 13:12, and supported by surveys, development of an M7 network will culminate in an annual women’s conference. The establishment of the women’s center will consist of a three-part program utilizing a methodology of pastoral care developed specifically for women-by-women. It will include: 1) radical Christ-Centered programs …

What The Trc Reveals About The Churches, Mark Mcdonald

Consensus

No abstract provided.

St. Francis Borgia Deaf Center Church Bulletin, May 15, 2016

Saint Francis Borgia Deaf Center Church Bulletin

A newsletter published for Deaf Catholics in Chicago, IL

Saint Francis Brogia Deaf Center Church Bulletin Finding Aid

Haven: Asceticism, Spiritual Formation, And Youth Ministry, Brandon Pierce

Discernment: Theology and the Practice of Ministry

This essay reflects upon the application of a field of scholarly study—ascetic theology— to a ministerial context: youth ministry. The goal here is to offer an example of and reflections upon the application of a personal scholarly interest to ministerial contexts.

The essay begins with an assessment of the ministry context, illustrating the problems that demanded attention and solution. It then outlines the sociological and theological theories of asceticism that informed the proposed solution. Having discussed the foundational context and ideas, the next section describes in detail the proposed solution named "Haven" and elaborates on the ascetic theory behind it. …

Involving Youth In Ministries Of Service, Maryrae Romatowski Stein

Pastoral Institute

I am currently serving the parish of St. Anthony Marie de Claret as the Director of Religious Education. Prior to outlining this proposal, I assessed the strengths and weaknesses within our catechetical programs, looked at the dynamics of the St. Anthony community, and discussed the project with our pastor to obtain his preferences. The common thread of concern was the lack of involvement and presence of the youth in the life of the parish. I decided to design and implement a pastoral project, using my ninth grade class as the pilot group, which would allow students to serve alongside adult …

Grief In Community: The Establishment Of Bereavement Ministry Teams From The Congregation At Sandy Run Baptist Church In Mooresboro, North Carolina, Andrew S. Rawls

Doctor of Ministry Projects

The Church is to be the expression of hope through the various contours of the human story. Too often congregations have difficulty expressing this hope during the time of death and extending that hope to ministry with the bereaved. In this project I studied the increase in self-efficacy in bereavement ministry with the congregation of Sandy Run Baptist Church in Mooresboro, North Carolina. The research focuses on the teaching of a curriculum that explores the biblical, theological, and clinical aspects of grief. The results of my research show this was an effective means of increasing self-efficacy.

Jodi And Jon, Jonathan Schott, Jodi Schott

Verbum

In lieu of an abstract, below is the essay's first paragraph.

"Jonathan (’02) and Jodi (’04) Schott are putting their Fisher educations to work!"

Contributors--Quaker Religious Thought, No. 126

Quaker Religious Thought

No abstract provided.

Emerging Adults And The American Church: How Brecksville United Methodist Church Can Recapture The Attention Of 18-­‐29 Year Olds, Courtney Drescher

Masters Essays

No abstract provided.

Pastoral Counseling: The Pastor's Guide To Helping Korean Youth In Crisis, Jeong Kook

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

Many Korean teenagers are suffering from physical and psychological abuse, anxiety, and depression due to dysfunctional family life. Korean Christian pastors and counselors need to be educated and trained in order to guide these families through such crisis. Using qualitative and quantitative analysis, the author surveyed over fifty troubled families. The findings were alarming and led the author to build a pastoral counseling model based on the biblical definition of the role of pastoral counseling using adept research of key scriptural principles. This pastoral counseling model provides a well-balanced biblical strategy to guide the troubled teenager through such crisis.

Discussion Of How To Effectively Communicate The Gospel Considering Generations, Cultures, And Paul’S Biblical Example., Rebeca Garnica

Selected Honors Theses

Every communicator of the gospel message should trust that God has called and prepared them to communicate His truth to His people. As a result, communicators should be stewards of God’s gifts and calling by diligently growing and preparing to reach His people. This paper is a discussion created to facilitate communicators of the gospel message with practical tools to be effective communicators. This effective communication is based on three main concepts: generations, cultures, and the Biblical example of the Apostle Paul. The purpose of this thesis is to help all communicators, but primarily those in North America, by examining …

Vision, Spring 2016

Vision

A newsletter published for Deaf Catholics in USA

VisionFinding Aid

Were You There When They Crucified My Lord?, Calvin Institute Of Christian Worship, Jeff Barker, C.J. Kingdom-Grier

Symposium on Worship Archive

The Northwestern College touring drama ensemble along with C.J Kingdom-Grier will help us remember the story of the arrest, trial, crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus. This service is a verbatim presentation of Isaiah 53 and Luke 22–24.

It Is Time To Talk, Part 4: What Adventists Really Think About Segregated Conferences, David K. Penno

Faculty Publications

In the previous articles of this series, we have reviewed the theological debate, the psychological/sociological dynamics, and the history of the Adventist Church in North America that relate to organizational segregation. In this final article, I will present my research findings that relate to this discussion and offer some possible first steps to move us toward a serious dialogue in the church.

Sanctification In Adolescence: How Karl Barth’S Two-Fold Critique Of The Church Could Influence Youth Ministry Practices Today, Joel Vander Wal

Master of Theology Theses

No abstract provided.

Cultivating Biblical Imagination Through Preaching, Edward N. Kay

Doctor of Ministry Theses

Explores the ways preaching can help increase familiarity and comfort with scripture so people are able to interpret their daily experiences and lifetime milestones with God’s story revealed in the Bible. The importance of narrative is explored, especially in relationship with competing narratives in today’s world. A variety of forms of interactive preaching are explored to evaluate the ability of the sermon to increase biblical imagination: biblical storytelling, people talking to one another, and writing down reflections to act on in the future. Sermons were preached in multiple ELCA congregation in a variety of contexts.

The Joy Of The Lord Is Your Strength: How Your Passions Can Serve God's Mission In The World, Jay Grave

Doctor of Ministry Theses

This participatory action research project utilizes praxis events to enhance the understanding of Lutheran vocation in relationship to joy bringing activities. The research question driving this project is,

How would a participatory action research (PAR) intervention utilizing praxis events encourage congregational members to recognize and exercise their own gifts and passions as avenues of joyous participation in God’s mission in the world?

Data were collected through baseline and end-line interviews, transcribed meetings of a journey team, and census surveys. Data revealed that participation did yield a positive change effect on the understanding of joy bringing passions to enhance the missional …