Digital Commons Network^™

Insights From Charles Spurgeon's Preaching For A Changing Culture, John Lewis

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

This project has been done in order to increase the amount of literature available that demonstrates how to preach to a 21st century culture and to enlighten preachers to the timeless truths that transcend from the great 19th century preacher Charles Spurgeon. A close evaluation of Charles Spurgeon's biblical preaching reveals a model for pastors to emulate in a post-modern context in the local church. Spurgeon was a master communicator and a survey of his mid to late 1800's preaching reveals those areas of his ministry that are still useful in the New Millennium. By reviewing Spurgeon's sermons and writings, …

The Father's Business Person, The Shift To Tentmaking Missions Strategy, Chris White

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this paper is to discuss the important place that tentmaking holds or should hold in missions strategy. It is the belief of the author (supported by almost 20 years of ministry experience overseas) that visas and money are often barriers to ministry effectiveness. This paper would like to provide a solution (i.e. tentmaking) to these common tensions that most missionaries encounter. The value of the topic is very personal to the author's ministry: first because I am currently serving on the mission field (needing a visa and money), and second because of the potential tentmaking holds for …

A Comprehensive And Individual Perspective: A New Model For Assessing Missionary Needs In Order To Prevent Burnout, Kyra Schellenberger

Senior Honors Theses

In the last 20-30 years, missionary burnout has become a popular topic in the missionary care and support community. Although much research has been done on the issue, few studies have provided a comprehensive approach to the study and appropriate care of these missionaries. The goal of this research was to present a model that more accurately represented missionary struggles while incorporating past findings on missionary burnout. Four retired missionaries were interviewed about their experiences on the field, and their estimation of the model’s relevancy and helpfulness. Despite similar experiences amongst the participants, the responses further confirmed the individual nature …

Understanding The Effects Of Diversity In Mission From A Social Science Perspective, David R. Dunaetz

CGU Faculty Publications and Research

This study presents an overview of the results of empirical studies concerning diversity in work teams. Although these studies have most often been carried out in secular contexts, they support perspectives of human nature that are consistent with the biblical themes found associated with the Tower of Babel (the Similarity/Attraction Perspective) and Paul's metaphor of the Body of Christ and spiritual gifts (the Information/Decision Making Perspective). Key concepts are explained, including the measurement of diversity and team performance, task and relationship diversity, faultlines, cultural versus non-cultural diversity, and status. When the results of the various diversity studies are combined, it …

Mavericks Or Allies: The Role Of Faith-Based Organizations In The Anti-Trafficking Movement, Sarabeth Harrelson

Annual Interdisciplinary Conference on Human Trafficking: 2nd (2010)

As awareness of trafficking in persons (TIP) and contemporary slavery has grown over the past twenty years, so has the number of organizations forming the modern abolition movement. From vast international organizations like the United Nations (UN) to local rehabilitation centers working with four to five trafficking victims in Nepal, organizations vary drastically in their mission, size, range of influence, and perspective. Among non-governmental organizations (NGO), common activities include raising awareness and financial support, researching TIP, providing victims services, and advocating for specific policy outcomes at local, national, and international levels. Further complicating the relationship between all of these organizations …

Puentes: Journey Notes From A Bridge Person, Albert Reyes

Journal of Applied Christian Leadership

No abstract provided.

Learning While Leading: The Andrews University Leadership Program, Duane M. Covrig, Erich Baumgartner

Journal of Applied Christian Leadership

No abstract provided.

Good Teams, Bad Teams: Under What Conditions Do Missionary Teams Function Effectively?, David R. Dunaetz

Selected Faculty Publications

Missionary teams are popular, but not always effective. Five conditions contributing to healthy team functioning are examined in light of empirical evidence: trust, task conflict, commitment to decisions, accountability, and group goals.

Organizational Justice: Perceptions Of Being Fairly Treated, David R. Dunaetz

Selected Faculty Publications

When members of mission organizations perceive injustice within their organization, they work less effectively and attrition is more likely. This paper examines various types of organizational justice (distributive, procedural, interpersonal, and informational) which need to be monitored and maximized to help mission organizations accomplish their goals.

Not My Church! (Chapter 5 Of Grappling With Faith: Decision Cases For Christians In Social Work), Clifford J M Rosenbohm

Faculty Publications - College of Social Work

"You're not acting as my church acts!" church social worker Sandy Potts exclaimed. "In fact, you're not acting as His church would act!"

Peter Wilson, Senior Executive Director of Creekside Christian Church, and Rita Kimball, an assistant from human resources had just informed Sandy that she was being terminated. They had given the same news to others on the church staff as they met at fifteen minute intervals; another pair of administrators was doing the same in an adjoining room.

Committed To Serve Leaders, Jacl Editors

Journal of Applied Christian Leadership

No abstract provided.

Revisioning Mission In Postchristendom: Story, Hospitality And New Humanity, David Boshart

Journal of Applied Christian Leadership

No abstract provided.

The City Imagined: Race, Place And Identity In The Making Of Urban Church, Jessica M. Barron

Master's Theses

In this study, I will explore the racial and urban imaginary of church leaders and members seeking to create an authentic and relevant church for Chicago's unchurched, young-adult urbanite. In their quest to develop a relevant church, the varied imaginations of the city of Chicago by leaders, volunteers and members come to the forefront. How these imaginations are fostered, incorporated, rebelled against or dismissed brings to light the politics of imagining the imagined city. This paper will discuss these varied, dueling, and sometimes contradictory imaginations informing the construction, operation, and branding campaigns of Urban Church. Particular focus will be paid …

Cultural Mapping With A View Towards Discipleship In Cayambe, Ecuador, Kathryn L. Northey

Senior Honors Theses

God is a global God. He has a desire for all the nations to hear His Word. This is realized through discipleship. To effectively create disciples, it is necessary that the missionary understands the culture. Cultural mapping is a systematic way to observe and grow to understand a culture. It is beneficial to see how a model is applied to grasp this concept. This thesis examines the example of the culture of Cayambe, Ecuador, to see cultural mapping at work in an actual ministry. It will use the four layers of culture as presented by Donald K. Smith in his …

Subdivided By Faith? An Historical Account Of Evangelicals And The City, Mark T. Mulder, James K.A. Smith

University Faculty Publications and Creative Works

In an echo of Michael Emerson and Christian Smith’s study of evangelicals and the racialized society (detailed vividly in Divided by Faith), Mark T. Mulder and James K. A. Smith attempt to trace the history and literature concerning evangelicals and their relationship to the city. While there exists an interesting literature about general urban antipathy in the U.S., the authors contend religion remains a salient and under-examined component within that phenomenon. This paper calls for more theologically-nuanced studies regarding evangelicals, anti-urban bias, and geographical habits. Mr. Mulder is Assistant Professor of Sociology and Mr. Smith is Associate Professor of Philosophy …

Christian Mission In Post-Communism: Missiological Implications And The Bulgarian Context, Viktor Kostov

Occasional Papers on Religion in Eastern Europe

No abstract provided.

Neighbors In The Pews: Social Status Diversity In Religious Congregations, Philip Schwadel

Department of Sociology: Faculty Publications

For the most part, Americans interact with other people like themselves—those with similar social and economic backgrounds. This homogeneity of social networks contributes in turn to social stratification and to the unequal distribution of social capital and civic integration. Religious congregations offer a rare opportunity for Americans to interact across social status lines. I use data from the 2001 U.S. Congregational Life Survey, which includes survey responses from relatively large samples of attendees nested within a large random sample of congregations, to examine the prevalence of income and education diversity in religious congregations. In contrast to racial diversity, which is …

Worldview: The Missing Dimension Of Evangelism In Post-Communist Society, Sergei Golovin

Occasional Papers on Religion in Eastern Europe

For a while Christians considered the Soviet Union to be a great potential mission field; nevertheless when the door for missions opened wide, it happened unexpectedly. Despite thousands of missionaries and millions of dollars invested immediately in spreading the gospel in the post-communist world, after a short-term tide, church growth declined back to pre-perestroika level. The research made during that period demonstrated that the so-called awakening had nothing to do with the biblical concept of repentance (i.e. a radical change of a person’s worldview). An explanatory model of the worldview transformation dynamics in post-communist society is developed as an attempt …

Baptist Union Council Meets In Moscow, William Yoder

Occasional Papers on Religion in Eastern Europe

No abstract provided.

The Cresset (Vol. Lxxi, No. 5, Trinity), Valparaiso University

The Cresset (archived issues)

No abstract provided.

Transforming Chaos Into Beauty: Intentionally Developing Unity In Church Plants, David R. Dunaetz

CGU Faculty Publications and Research

This paper describes how unity can be developed in young church planting contexts. Two dimensions of unity are explored: Task cohesiveness and Relational cohesiveness. Empirically verified approaches to increasing both dimensions of unity in organizations are presented along with applications for church planting.

New Paradigm Christianity And Commitment-Formation: The Case Of Hope Filipino (Singapore), Jayeel Cornelio

Development Studies Faculty Publications

What does religion mean to the individual? How are people religious and what do their beliefs, practices and identities mean to them? The individual's place within studies of religion has tended to be overlooked recently in favour of macro analyses. Religion and the Individual draws together authors from around the world to explore belief, practice and identity. Using original case studies and other work firmly placed in the empirical, contributors discuss what religious belief means to the individual. They examine how people embody what religion means to them through practice, considering the different meanings that people attach to religion and …

An Ethnically Well-Mixed Christian, Peter Kuzmič

Occasional Papers on Religion in Eastern Europe

No abstract provided.

On Inter-Church Dialogue In Serbia - Current Situation, Luka Ilić

Occasional Papers on Religion in Eastern Europe

No abstract provided.

Religion Classes In State Institutions In Post-Soviet Russia, Joseph A. Loya O.S.A.

Occasional Papers on Religion in Eastern Europe

No abstract provided.

The Relationship Between Leadership Traits And Church Growth Among Pastors Of Free Churches In Germany, Edgar Machel

Dissertations

Problem. Many German Christian denominations have been losing members year by year for the past five decades. There are more and more voices that question the way pastors function as leaders. Therefore, this study looked at the differences of personality traits among pastors of Free Churches in Germany in the context of church growth. The leading research question was. What kind of leadership traits, behaviors, and attitudes are favorable to lead a church toward growth and to return stagnating churches to vibrancy?

Methodology. The “Business-focused Inventory of Personality” was sent out to 1,100 Pentecostal, Baptist, and Adventist pastors, of …

Leadership And Learning: Two Sides Of The Same Coin, James A. Tucker

Journal of Applied Christian Leadership

No abstract provided.

Resource Reviews, Phyllis Fox

The Christian Librarian

No abstract provided.

Leadership Development In Albania: Equipping Young Pastors For Apostolic Leadership, Leigh Rice

Doctor of Ministry Projects

Problem

Albania opened to Christian missions in 1992. The church is new and the pastors are young and with limited experience. Initial rapid growth has been followed by slow decline. Leadership and leadership development is in the hands of foreign missionaries with limited experience in Albania. There is a need to develop culturally-appropriate, apostolic leadership for a country with a predominately Muslim population.

Method

Library research, questionnaires, interviews, and observations were conducted to develop an understanding of the Project Director, the Albanian culture, a theology of leadership and church, and methods in leadership development. An appreciative inquiry approach was used …

Sexual Ethics Training In Seminary: Preparing Students To Manage Feelings Of Sexual Attraction, Katheryn Rhoads Meek, Mark R. Mcminn, Todd Burnett, Chris Mazzarella, Vitaliy L. Voytenko

Faculty Publications - Doctor of Psychology (PsyD) Program

Sexual boundary violations by clergy have received heightened media attention in recent years with far reaching implications for the long-term well-being of the Church as an institution. While much has been written about the causes and implications of sexual misconduct by clergy, very little research has addressed preventative efforts. Prevention begins in graduate school or seminary. How do seminary alumni perceive the quality of their training in the areas of understanding and maintaining sexual health as well as in managing feelings of sexual attraction in professional contexts? In this survey, 585 alumni from 5 evangelical seminaries answered questions related to …