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My Pilgrimage In The Growth Of The Church, Charles Van Engen

Great Commission Research Journal

I have lived a life invested in the growth of the church and forming leaders who would mobilize the church toward growth. I have sought to pay forward what others did for me. Born of missionary parents, I was raised in the state of Chiapas, in southern Mexico. From 1973 to 1985, my wife, Jean, and I served the National Presbyterian Church of Mexico in Chiapas, Mexico, in leadership formation, training evangelists, pastors, and teachers of rapidly growing churches. In 1981, I received a Ph.D. in missiology under Johannes Verkuyl at the Free University of Amsterdam. I taught Mission Theology …

Building And Sustaining Foundations That Ground The Faithful: Helping Young Adults Stay Connected To Faith And The Church, Abe Thompson

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

Today’s prevailing cultural philosophy is lost in a malaise of confusion and deception. Children and young adults from Christian homes and churches are being lured by these deceptions. Even churched students and graduates from Christian schools (like Colorado Springs Christian School) are hemorrhaging from the body of Christ at unacceptable levels. This DMin thesis project report demonstrates that, on a continuum of touchpoints in the spiritual formation journey, Camp Elim staff and Gap Year programs are an effective model for those seeking to restore young adults, ages eighteen to twenty-nine, to fulfilling, rich, and committed involvement in the body of …

Partners In Pilgrimage: Transforming The Journey Of Adolescence By Guiding Teenagers Toward Faithful Lives, Redefining Success, And Cultivating Connection To God, Abigail R. Weaver

Doctor of Ministry Projects and Theses

Adolescence is a formative period in which young people seek meaning, identity, and belonging while navigating a complex array of cultural, social, and developmental pressures. In suburban American contexts, these pressures are intensified by competitive academic environments, demanding extracurricular commitments, and pervasive societal expectations that equate worth with achievement. Drawing from my experience as a youth minister in suburban United Methodist churches, this dissertation examines how such forces shape the spiritual and personal development of 15- to 18-year-olds and explores the Church’s role in guiding adolescents through this landscape with wisdom and care.

Grounded in the Christian tradition and informed …

Dementia Caregiver Support: Offering Spiritual And Emotional Guidance To Loved Ones Filling The Gap, William Reid Bishop

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The problem at Tremont Church of God is that members offering caregiver support to their loved ones with dementia are unaware of the coping skills needed for support. The purpose of this DMIN action research project is to provide an 8-week training program to teach caregivers techniques for managing their emotional and spiritual needs. The sample population for this project is church members over the age of 18 who are actively caregiving for a spouse or close relative with dementia. The sample size is between 10 and 15 participants. The training is located at Tremont COG. The training is in …

Clergy Prayer Life And Vocational Satisfaction, Zoraida C. Kelly

Great Commission Research Journal

This qualitative phenomenological study explored the lived experience of clergy concerning their prayer life as part of their spiritual renewal and vocational satisfaction. The central research question is “How do clergy describe the relationship between their prayer life, vocational satisfaction, and spiritual renewal?” This study used Michael Gemignani’s (2002) Spiritual Renewal Theory and Super’s (1953) Theory of Vocational Development as lenses. The research design consisted of semi-formal interviews with open-ended questions. The investigation shed light on the lived experience of prayer as part of spiritual renewal and its potential positive effect on vocational satisfaction. This study included five participants who …

The State Of Youth Ministry In Asian American Churches Today, Eunice Hong, Jinna Si Lo Jin

Great Commission Research Journal

Despite growing concern about youth disengagement from Christianity and the Christian church (Pew Research Center, 2025), strategies specifically tailored to engage Asian American youth remain under-researched. Drawing from interviews with 16 senior pastors and youth leaders across North America, this paper presents key findings on current ministry practices, with implications of emerging approaches to foster deeper youth engagement in Asian American church contexts.

Παράδοσις: A Comparative Analysis Of Paul And Oneness Pentecostals, John Calvin Carroll

Masters Theses

Tradition is an inescapable element of institutional life, including religious institutions. Traditions inevitably emerge whether in churches, corporations, families, or nations. Within the Christian faith, the critical issue is not the presence of tradition, but the authority and function ascribed to it. This study concerns itself with the role of tradition in both individual and communal expressions of Christianity. Traditions can foster cohesion and identity within Christian communities. However, their specific forms often vary across cultural contexts—for instance, between churches in North America and other continents worldwide. Traditions about men’s and women’s modesty may take on different forms between North …

The Divine Disciplinarian: God As The Model Father, Jacob Daniel Jones

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

A pastor is responsible for instructing a congregation regarding biblical information and instruction. When a person is unsure of what the Bible teaches on a topic, the pastor can preach sermons and teach lessons that convey biblical truth. The growing congregation of Nevada Free Will Baptist Church consisted of believers who had been away from church for some time and new converts, resulting in a lack of biblical literacy due to their limited exposure to biblical truth. One area where congregants were uninformed was biblical parenting. This study addressed the problem of biblical illiteracy regarding parenting. It informed participants about …

From Transactional To Transformational: Cultivating A Theologically Robust Learning Experience For Upper School Senior Bible Classes, Linus Nguyen

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The problem at Holy Ground Christian Academy is that its approach to senior-level Bible classes is transactional rather than transformational for life and godliness. With parents feeling pressured to find effective educational options for their children and teachers facing growing demands from administrative duties, education urgently needs a new vision. Parents want their children to succeed and leave a lasting impact on society, while educators seek purpose in their careers. Modern educational trends push schools toward a utilitarian, transactional approach to learning, and private Christian college-preparatory schools are no exception. Within the Christian college-preparatory setting, Bible classes often struggle with …

Generation Z And The Church: A Phenomenological Study Of Perceptions, Barriers, And Opportunities For Church Engagement, Hector Albert Soto

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this phenomenological study was to examine the perceptions, barriers, and opportunities that shape the relationship between Generation Z and the Christian church, with particular attention to how these factors influence patterns of engagement. Recent trends indicated a significant decline in church engagement among Generation Z, contributing to the erosion of vital resources necessary for the sustained vitality of contemporary Christian congregations (Barna, 2020; Braddy, 2021; Earls, 2020). The study was guided by three research questions: 1) What Generation Z variables did the church need to focus on to attract and retain Gen Z (e.g., social concerns, leadership …

An Implementation Of Theological Concepts: Bridging The Gap From Childhood To Adult Christian Education, Lajune A. White

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

New Jerusalem Church has the pleasure of teaching Bible stories in the children’s church and Sunday school. However, after the children age out of these spaces, they do not transition to the adult classes; they sit in the hallways. Suppose they continue this practice after aging out of the children’s classification and do not engage with fellow believers in the discipleship process. Will they remain connected to their faith-based community? The problem is whether their behavior is due to the absence of theological content in the Bible curriculum used to teach them in children’s church and Sunday school. The purpose …

2025 Denominational Survey Results, Calvin University

CRCNA Denominational Survey Results

As part of the denominational ministry plan, Our Journey , the CRCNA has contracted with DataWise Consulting to administer an annual denominational survey. The results from the 2025 survey have now been compiled.

All CRC-affiliated adults and older youth are welcome to respond to this survey as they are led. However, in order to ensure a healthy number of responses to the survey each year, CRC leaders have randomly assigned every CRC church to one of five “cohorts.” Each cohort includes about 20 percent of all active congregations, and each congregation will be asked to engage in active recruitment of …

Apologetics And Storytelling In The Lord Of The Rings, Jeffrey R. Ober

Masters Theses

Storytelling has been used for Christian education since the Christian faith first began. The problem is that while storytelling is known as a strong message of communication that has been used throughout the ages; and while it is used by some apologists like C. S. Lewis; there are more opportunities for pastors and others to engage in apologetics and evangelism using storytelling. Christians can use stories to reach others for Christ, just as others throughout history have used stories and storytelling to communicate other traditions and ideas. While this is a good start, there are more opportunities for Christians to …

Gen Mz Discipleship: Training A Generation To Live In The Postmodern Age, Christian E. Kolthoff

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The church exodus of Gen MZ is one of the most significant issues affecting the health of churches in the West. Recent research has indicated that many in Gen MZ have left the church not for lack of knowledge but because of a lack of understanding of the why. It has also indicated that Gen MZ has not been trained to respond to why they are holding on to the hope of the Gospel. So, when presented with opposing views, they struggle to maintain their faith in today’s postmodern society. It is an age in which a war on ideas …

From Inherited Belief To Owned Faith: Mentoring Emerging Adults Through Fowler’S Faith Stages, Elijah Gutierrez

Christian Ministries Student Projects (All)

This paper explores how James Fowler’s theory of faith development and Richard Dunn’s model of mentoring through pacing can be used together to support the spiritual growth of emerging adults. Focusing on the transition from Stage 3 (Synthetic-Conventional Faith) to Stage 4 (Individuative-Reflective Faith), the paper highlights the challenges young adults face as they move from inherited to owned belief. Practical strategies are offered for ministry leaders and mentors who want to walk with emerging adults through this process of spiritual formation with empathy, patience, and intentional guidance.

Pastors Of Smaller And Larger Churches Face Different Challenges: Empirical Evidence, William Ingersoll, David R. Dunaetz

Great Commission Research Journal

This study seeks to expand our understanding of the differences between the challenges faced by pastors of smaller churches and the challenges faced by pastors of larger churches. Pastors of North American churches (N = 347), generally with a theologically conservative orientation, responded to an online survey indicating how difficult they perceived each of 79 challenges to be. In general, evangelism and retaining youth were the most difficult challenges. However, clear distinctions were found between pastors of smaller churches and pastors of larger churches for over one-third of the challenges. For example, pastors of larger churches found that adequately addressing …

Innovations In Engaging The Next Generation Towards Discipleship And Mission, Billy Mcmahan

Great Commission Research Journal

This research addresses the central question: How can the church adapt to reach and disciple Generation Z in a way that speaks to their distinctive experiences and needs? To answer this question, the paper will first explore Gen Z’s defining characteristics and then examine how various organizations, particularly for-profit organizations, engage this emerging generation. Finally, the study will highlight innovative ministries gaining significant traction with Gen Z, offering insights and models for broader church applications.

Developing A Pathway For Ministry Leaders At Southside Church Of The Nazarene, Reginald David Phillips

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

This action research project created a leadership development pathway to produce more ministry leaders at Southside Church of the Nazarene. A five-step leadership development pathway culminating in discipleship integration was designed and implemented. This pathway produced a statistically significant increase in the number of new leaders in one quarter of a calendar year compared to the quarterly average of new leaders in the previous three years. Data was collected through surveys, interviews, and roundtable discussions, and reviewed by multiple researchers to help remove bias.

Preparing Three Southern Baptist Churches In Mason, Tennessee, As Lighthouses Of Hope In Crisis And Disaster: The Intersection Of The Firehouse And The Church House During A Global Pandemic, Brian J. Styer

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The Southern Baptist Disaster Relief (SBDR) ministry program faces challenges due to limited awareness among Southern Baptist pastors, leading to inadequate promotion and participation. The proposed solution involves providing targeted education, improved advertising, and encouraging local leaders to promote engagement. The project aims to prepare three churches in Mason and Stanton, TN, to serve as Disaster Relief teams through specialized training and courses like ‘Introduction to Disaster Relief.’ The goal is to increase awareness of SBDR, recruit and train new members, and inspire individuals to become endorsed SBDR and Public Safety Chaplains. The project incorporates a theological foundation to integrate …

Evaluating Instruments And Strategies For Change: A Pilot Study For Total Life Ministries, Lisa M. Hunter

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

In times of turbulence and crisis, people and families should look to the church to receive comfort, salvation, spiritual and emotional assistance, and support from the church. Declining rates of prayer and worship church service attendance levels is an issue of major concern. Continually formulating new strategies, conceptual frameworks, and theoretical and theological models are necessary to address this situation. A participatory action research intervention pilot study was conducted at Total Life Ministries church, which comprised a phenomenological study with hermeneutical consistency and a case study essence. The new strategy centered on certain prayer types and ways of praying that …

The Ecclesiology Of Catalino G. Arévalo: Inculturation, Mission, And Liberation In The Philippine Context, Zachary Ryan Dehm

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Catalino G. Arévalo, S.J., was an eminent Filipino ecclesiologist of the twentieth and twenty-first centuries. Through his work for the Federation of Asian Bishops’ Conferences in particular, he played a significant role in the reception of the Second Vatican Council (1962-1965) in Asia and in the development of inculturation as a theological norm. Yet, Arévalo offered no systematic articulation of his theology of the church. By examining his work spanning seven decades, this dissertation traces the development of Arévalo’s ecclesiology and offers five foundational principles necessary for gaining a systematic understanding of his thought: (1) ecclesiology must be situated within …

The Beginnings Of Jewish Missions In The Lcms, Jaron Melin

Grapho : Concordia Seminary Student Journal

Mission is the theological account of the relationship between the church and the world. Where are the Jews in this relationship? If the church and the Jews had a relationship status on Facebook, then it might say, “It’s complicated.” This may be true of any kind of missions, but this shows itself to be especially true in Lutheran history and in particular LCMS-history. I look at the histories as recorded by Meyer, Lieske, Cohen, Parviz, and others on the early history of Jewish Missions in the LCMS, and I reflect on the context and theology behind them using missiologists like …

Critical Thinking And Worldview Formation In Ministry, David W. Belles

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

This action research thesis project engaged eleven ministers in the International Fellowship of Christian Assemblies with a multi-session training designed to help them identify potential areas of cultural accommodation detrimental to Christian life and witness. The project utilized a multi-week training program where participants viewed training videos and attended online discussion sessions. The participants recorded their impressions throughout the four-week training period. Six weeks after the training concluded, small group sessions were scheduled to determine whether the participants could utilize the training material in their ministry. Data were collected through journaling, entrance and exit questionnaires, and small group interviews. The …

The Missionary And The Pea: An Anthropological Study Of The French Mep Economy, Michel Chambon

Journal of Global Catholicism

This paper discusses how the French missionaries of the Missions Etrangères de Paris (MEP) are linking humans and material objects to support their religious agenda. Revisiting the long history of this organization in Hong Kong and Thailand, but also its distinct recruitment and assignment policies, I highlight how these Catholic missionaries rely on their French cultural background to interconnect people and goods. While theological principles and political pragmatism shape their functioning, I argue that their economy is distinctively rooted in the French notion of terroir –the taste of place— an embodied relation to land that acts as a cultural mechanism …

Pioneer Women Administrators In The Interamerican Division Of The Adventist Church (1906–1940), Daniel Alberto Mora

Andrews University Seminary Studies (AUSS)

This article focuses on previously unpublished data concerning pioneer women who helped establish and govern different levels of the Adventist Church between 1906 and 1940 in what is now the Inter-American Division. The article begins with information obtained from different yearbooks, and then traces the identity and work of pioneer Adventist women in documents such as General Conference minutes, newspapers, civil registries, and through information provided by their descendants. It also highlights the contributions of these women as the first local missionaries and founders of the Sabbath School (1880s) and Young People’s Missionary Volunteer (YPMV) (1900s) departments. It also highlights …

Faith Comes By Hearing: Impact Of Expository Preaching In The Worldview Of Young Adults At Sda Church Plants, Kenneth Martinez

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

In this thesis, expository preaching is proposed as the mechanism to communicate a biblical worldview to Adventist young adults (people ages 18 to 40). This thesis project engaged the young adults of two Adventist church plants: Refuge Church and Triumph Church. The project consisted of preaching Adventist biblical theology through expository sermons, with the thesis that it would be interpreted as a worldview by young adults. The preaching series delivered salvation history, broken down into eight pericopes, and used the Great Controversy as its metanarrative. The goal of each sermon was to expound the assigned passage and its place on …

Retaining Students After Graduation With Biblical Servanthood, Carlos Henrique De Freitas

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

This thesis addresses the inadequate understanding of the biblical concept of servanthood among high school students (grades 9-12) within the congregation of Macland Baptist Church in Powder Springs, Georgia. As a result of this problem, students gradually distance themselves from their faith, discontinue church attendance, and cease participating in church service activities. The thesis of this paper is that exposing these high school students to various dimensions of biblical servanthood will significantly impact their understanding of this concept. The underlying assumption posits that a profound understanding of biblical servanthood, coupled with knowledge and service opportunities, will cultivate Christlike character in …

The Single Father In The Christian Church And Their Struggles, Kennedy Abbott

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

This thesis project is about a severe but unseen problem in the church. The single fathers in the Christian church have been quietly struggling because many do not seek help. Caretakers of this single-father ministry identify and are aware of the struggle affiliated with single fathers, summarized from personal experience in Chapter One. In Chapter Two, this research elucidates the severity of the problem related to children separated from either parent, possibly leading to behavioral concerns in school, the community, and the home. The fundamental principles of this research derives from gathering data relevant to this research to support this …

The Transformative Preaching And Teaching Of The Old Testament Through Its Expositional Approach, Sony Olivier

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The aura of the Old Testament preaching and teaching today has been absorbed by the enthusiasm of its fulfillment in the New. Thus, the interest in exploiting the Old Testament principles as fulfilled in Christ through its expositional preaching and teaching needs to be revised. As revealed in the book of Acts, the commitment to preach the complete Word of God, the Old Testament, is vividly clear as Christ being the center of their preaching and teaching. Therefore, in today’s context, proclaiming the whole counsel of God’s Word calls for every preacher to consider Scripture in its entirety duly, from …

Moralistic Therapeutic Deism: A Classical Critique, Michael W. Cunningham

Liberty Theological Review

In 2005, American sociologist Christian Smith coined the term “Moralistic Therapeutic Deism” in his book, Soul Searching, The Religious and Spiritual Lives of American Teenagers. At the time, this phenomenon was heralded as a new “religion” for emerging generations, yet it ascribes to no formal text, deity, or doctrine. It serves as a self-focused compilation of secular philosophy, politics, culture, and spirituality flavored with fragments from popular religions. While there is no formal MTD doctrine, there are five affirmations: (1) A God exists who created and ordered the world and watches over human life on Earth, (2) God wants …