Digital Commons Network^™

The Kingdom Of God And The Holy Spirit: Eschatology And Pneumatology In The Vineyard Movement, Douglas R. Erickson

Dissertations (1934 -)

This dissertation explores the relationship between eschatology and pneumatology in the Vineyard movement. The Vineyard movement is a growing expression within the evangelical Protestant tradition that seeks to combine the core doctrines of Evangelicalism with the experience of the gifts of the Spirit that is often associated with Pentecostalism. As a relatively new faith expression, the Vineyard has not received a great deal of academic interest, and thus much of its core theological commitments have not yet been explored. I shall argue that the central theological distinctive of the Vineyard is their understanding of the inaugurated, enacted, eschatological kingdom of …

Cultivating The Practice Of Missional Hospitality For Small Groups At West Houston Church Of Christ, Kevin Stewart

Doctor of Ministry Theses and Dissertations

This doctor of ministry thesis presents the results of a project in which I led a team to develop a plan to cultivate the practice of missional hospitality for small groups at West Houston Church of Christ. I used missional theology as a framework to give shape to the practice of hospitality. The project team met for nine weeks in the fall of 2014. The team practiced lectio divina focused on Luke 10, participated in theological reflection on missional hospitality, and fulfilled assignments to practice missional hospitality. These activities helped form the group spiritually and informed the development of a …

Evaluating An Oral Draft Of Luke 8:4-15 In Uduk, Jeremy N. Harrison

Doctor of Ministry Theses and Dissertations

This doctor of ministry thesis presents the findings of a project in which I led a group of immigrants from South Sudan through the process of generating and evaluating an oral draft of Luke 8:4-15 in Uduk. The aim of this project was to provide a substantive field test of an oral translation methodology conducted among immigrants living in the United States who speak a language that lacks a translation of the entire Bible. The project involved facilitating basic translation training and conducting an oral drafting process with a team of three Uduk speakers. This project also involved evaluating the …

The Celtic Way: Order, Creativity, And The Holy Spirit In The Celtic Monastic Movement, Fiona Leitch

Senior Honors Theses

The Celtic monastic movement lasted hundreds of years and is responsible for much of the spread of Christianity to the West. Much of the movement’s success can be attributed to the Celtic Christians’ understanding of the importance of the role of creative culture and order as well as an openness and responsiveness to the leading of the Holy Spirit. It is these three things working in tandem that influenced the success of the Celtic monastic movement. Although the movement ended a thousand years ago, it can offer guidance and wisdom for carrying out ministry today. A case study of Cuirim …

How To Read The Book Of Revelation In The Local Church: Overcoming Obstacles And Revealing Messages, Daljin Kim

ATS Dissertations

No abstract provided.

A Biblical Guide To Maximizing Great Commission Emphasis By Transforming Your Church Government, Marcus W. Bridges

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

After learning 3500-4000 churches close their doors each year, Ed Stetzer believes, "the church will not change until the pain of staying the same becomes greater than the pain of change." This project will compare Congregation-led churches to Elder or Board-led churches to explore the need for changing the practical operation of the church in attempts to fulfill the Great Commission. The thoughts presented will provide a guide for church leaders, pastors, and church planters to adopt the style of governing policies that best results in for Jesus Christ. There will be fifty pastors polled from Congregation and Elder-led churches …

Planting, Transitioning, And Growing Multiethnic Churches, Gloria Young-Eun Kim Fowler

ATS Dissertations

No abstract provided.

Overcoming Church Euthanasia: A Plan To Revitalize Dead And Dying Churches In The Southern Baptist Convention, Wayne E. Rogers

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

This thesis will examine the problem of dead and dying churches in the Southern Baptist Convention. Membership in more than seventy-percent of churches in North America has plateaued or is declining according to the North American Mission Board. Rather than just starting new churches, this thesis will present an option to revitalize dead and dying churches in order to reverse this trend. The aim of this thesis is to promote the historical Southern Baptists plan which will help Southern Baptists regain historical parameters and goals when revitalizing dead or dying churches. The thesis will cite existing quantitative and qualitative data, …

Negotiating The Doing To Being Boundary In J. Robert Clinton's Leadership Emergence Theory, Charles W. Sattgast

All Electronic Theses and Dissertations

According to the research of J. Robert Clinton only a third of leaders finish well. Clinton describes a developmental barrier he refers to as “the doing to being” boundary that many leaders face in their forties or fifties. This barrier requires leaders to undergo a paradigm shift from finding their meaning and fulfillment in achievement to ministry that flows out of being. According to Clinton many leaders fail to successfully negotiate this important transition which contributes to the alarming failure rate of leaders. This research project addressed this problem by exploring the nature and meaning of doing and being and …

Discovering The Work Of Baptist General Conference Mission In Ethiopia: The Essence Of Mission That Lasted For Six Decades, Kebede Gonfa

All Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The researcher has explored six decades of mission work and leadership development by the Baptist General Conference (BGC) in Ethiopia. The main purpose of this project is to summarize the work of the mission in Ethiopia and its relationship to the national church with comments from local pastors and missionaries in regard to the conclusion of the work of the missionaries and the turnover to the local church, so that the current and coming generations may benefit from the strengths and weaknesses of the BGC Ethiopia ministry. The evaluations by missionaries and local leaders provides a balance of perspectives on …

Resiliency And Self-Care For Pastors In Japan Facing A Disaster, John G. Houlette

All Electronic Theses and Dissertations

For Japanese pastors facing a disaster, exercising resiliency and self-care is an enormous task as clergy deal with varying disaster-related attitudes, impact within the church and overwhelming need and opportunity in the community. In addition to surveying seminary students, pastors who experienced the 1995 Great Hanshin-Awaji Earthquake as well as pastors who lived through the 2011 Great East Japan Earthquake and seminary professors who train next generation pastors were interviewed using co-inquiry and a 360-degree data gathering approach. Results showed that managing stress, loss, relationships, compassion fatigue and burnout were common challenges. The data indicated that practicing resilient leadership entails …

The New Reformed Pastor: Zwinglian Wisdom For Modern Ministers, Scotty Jermaine Williams

All Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Throughout churches in the Reformed tradition, there is a growing interest in renewing Eucharistic practices. This growing interest has led to a series of discussions among Reformed clergy regarding the role of pastors in the Eucharistic context. According to some church leaders, many Reformed pastors have a faulty sacramentality that stems from a misunderstanding of John Calvin’s pastoral vision. Instead of compelling faith in action through the Eucharist, where communicants share the grace they receive, this sacramentality leads them to be passive recipients that keep Eucharistic grace within the church. Unlike other research, which addresses the aforementioned issue by only …

Book Review: Urban Apologetics: Why The Gospel Is Good News For The City By Christopher W. Brooks, Paul M. Gould

Great Commission Research Journal

No abstract provided.

Book Review: The Wheel Model: Catalyzing Sustainable Church Multiplication Movements By Frank Schattner, Ariel Lee

Great Commission Research Journal

No abstract provided.

Church Growth Before Mcgavran: The Methodological Parallels Of John Wesley, Bob Whitesel

Great Commission Research Journal

This article will look at methodological parallels between John B. Wesley and Donald A. McGavran. The influence of both men arose during similar social shifts that were accompanied by a perception of ecclesial apathy. Parallels will be demonstrated in McGavran’s principles of 1) conversion as a priority, 2) effective evangelism as a process model, 3) the danger of redemption and lift, 4) the importance of multiplication, and 5) pragmatism in methodology. A final section will look at the legacy of these two men and will suggest how identification can help retain focus on principles rather than on contextually-bound tactics.

A Biblical And Relevant Way To Reach Young Adults, Matthew Costner

Great Commission Research Journal

The church’s influence in America and the world is decreasing, yet America and the world’s population is on the rise. What is the church to do? Church planting is not fixing the problem, and neither are the currently existing model churches. The only way to turn around America’s church is the only method the Bible recommends—discipleship. In this article, you will see that the best way to reach young adults is not by flashy programs, the best worship, or by dropping a denomination’s name from the church title. The best way to reach young adults is by using the younger …

Prayer: A Key Component To Planting Or Revitalizing A Church, William J. Ingram

Great Commission Research Journal

This article examines prayer from a biblical and theological perspective as it relates to turning around or revitalizing declining or plateaued churches and offers practical insights into starting an intercessory prayer ministry at the local church.

The One Balm For All Earth’S Wounds: The Priority Of Gospel Proclamation In Charles Haddon Spurgeon’S Missiology, John Sypert

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

This dissertation explores the relationship between gospel proclamation and mercy ministry in Charles Spurgeon’s ministry. The dissertation argues that Spurgeon’s Pastors College, Stockwell Orphanage, and his multitude of other ministries had one clear goal: the spreading of the gospel and the conversion of the lost. This dissertation uses Spurgeon’s approach to missions as an apologetic for a more biblically precise missiology, namely, one that prioritizes gospel proclamation without neglecting the physical needs of those who suffer. This approach could be called “benevolent prioritism” because it prioritizes the proclamation of the gospel while not neglecting works of love for those suffering.

Five Types Of Multicultural Churches: A New Paradigm Evaluated And Differentiated, Bob Whitesel

Great Commission Research Journal

This article puts forth a comprehensive and reconciliation-based paradigm through which to view multicultural congregations as one of five models or types. It updates the historical categories of Sanchez, adds contemporary models, and then evaluates each through a ten-point grid of nomenclature, mode of growth, relationships, pluses, minuses, degree of difficulty, creator complex, redistribution, relocation, and reconciliation. The five models are 1) the asset sharing Multicultural Alliance, 2) the collaborative Multicultural Partnership, 3) the asymmetrical Mother-Daughter model, 4) the popular Blended approach, and 5) the Cultural Assimilation model. The result is a comprehensive five-model paradigm that includes an assessment of …

The Ecclesiology Of Training For Trainers: The Issue Of Method And I Timothy 3:6, John Henry Serworwora

Great Commission Research Journal

The implementation of the Church Planting Movement (CPM) and Training for Trainers (T4T) by the International Mission Board of the Southern Baptist Convention missions life is not without challenge. Southern Baptist missiologists and seminary professors have written numerous papers and articles supporting or contesting this methodology. The majority of criticisms focus on the emphasis in the rapidity and “mass production” of churches, fearing the theological alteration among the new believers and their churches. This article argues that the leadership process in T4T/CPM violates the Baptist ecclesiology, since 1 Timothy 3:6 essentially excludes a new believer from pastoral leadership.

Book Review: Planting New Churches In A Postmodern Age By Ed Stetzer, Joseph Mun

Great Commission Research Journal

No abstract provided.

Book Review: The Coffee Shop That Changed A Church: Discovering The Net Effect By Steve Parr, Peter Varosky

Great Commission Research Journal

No abstract provided.

Reaching The Nations Through Our Cities, Chris Clayman

Great Commission Research Journal

While the American public perceives New York City to be a post-Christian environment, reality is that the city is moving into a post-secular existence largely influenced by religious immigrants. These immigrants are symbolic of a new era in pioneer missions—one in which migration, transnationalism, globalization, and urbanization pose newer challenges and opportunities than uncharted geographies, isolated societies, and foreign cultures. “Reaching the Nations Through Our Cities” proposes that the next challenge for missionary pioneers is reaching busy, hidden, influential unreached peoples who have migrated to cities. Based on several years of research on the immigrant populations in Metro New York, …

Why Is There A Silent Exodus Of English-Speaking Adults From Western Canadian Chinese Churches?, Matthew Todd

Great Commission Research Journal

This study recommends solutions towards the retention through empowerment of Canadian Born Chinese (CBC) adults in Chinese bicultural churches. To address retention, the key risk factors and common dynamics that contribute to a “silent exodus” of CBC adults were established through qualitative research, including a survey of participants from diverse church affiliations. Based on an analysis of the literature review and survey results, this study advocates working toward the retention of English-speaking adults from Chinese Canadian churches through associated parallel independent English congregational models; this recognizes a link between the process of acculturation and the imperative to leverage mission.

My Pilgrimage In Church Growth, Ray Ellis

Great Commission Research Journal

No abstract provided.

Book Review: Replant: How A Dying Church Can Grow Again By Mark Devine And Darrin Patrick, Garrett R. Eaglin

Great Commission Research Journal

No abstract provided.

Sacra Domus: The Anglican House Church In Theology And Context, Alan Andraeas

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The author is an evangelical Anglican priest with a recently formed sacramental house church. Though the house church movement is gaining popularity, no formal guidelines or methodologies exist which address this trend from a liturgical and sacerdotal perspective--even within his diocese. Because of this void, he will examine the following critical issues:

* What are the scriptural foundations for mandating the use of liturgy?

* What are the biblical, theological, and historical precedents for house churches?

* Can there be a complementary union between priestly liturgy and the house church model?

Without guidance from other `reference parishes,' the need for …

Bridging The Latino--Anglo Gap: A Transition Towards A Cross-Cultural Church At First Baptist Church, Robbins, North Carolina, Ernesto Robledo

Doctor of Ministry Projects

In its 2,000 years of existence, the church has remained mostly segregated in regards to the inclusion of other cultures within one setting. Christians from various traditions have spent centuries trying to be more like Jesus as they worshiped in many different settings. Even though the church has been active for so long, the reality is that she has been predominantly white. Through an intentional pastoral project, twenty-four individuals participated in a four-week bilingual Bible study and a community-wide missionary event. These purposeful interactions proved that the church can change her traditional ministry pattern by engaging members of the Latino …

Discovery And Integration: A Framework Of Spiritual Formation For The Leadership Team Of Via Faith Community, Winston-Salem, Nc, Linda Marie Jones

Doctor of Ministry Projects

For the Lord is the Spirit, and wherever the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. So all of us who have had that veil removed can see and reflect the glory of the Lord. And the Lord-who is the Spirit-makes us more and more like him as we are changed into his glorious image. (2 Corinth, 3:17-18, NLT )

The process of spiritual formation can be seen throughout all of scripture; men and women, growing in faith, learning to truly love God, themselves and God's people. There is something so special to be on this journey of faith …

Church Launch: Start Small, Stay Small—Launch Large, Grow Larger!, Dave Page

Great Commission Research Journal

Launching churches is the new paradigm for church planting in America for the twenty-first century. The old school paradigm was to plant a church and watch it grow slowly, like a tree. The new church planting metaphor is launching a church, like launching a rocket ship into space. This article argues that launching large churches is the most effective means of evangelism in the short and long run. Start small, and the church will stay small, as most do. Launch large, and the church has an opportunity to keep on growing. By launching large, churches can break church growth barriers …