Digital Commons Network^™

Training Small Group Leaders For Effective Discipleship At Ilive Ministries In Pacolet, South Carolina, Kadeem Antonio Ellis

Doctor of Ministry Projects

This project examined the need for discipleship training among small group leaders at iLive Ministries in Pacolet, South Carolina. A four-week workshop incorporating lectures, discussions, and interactive activities was designed and implemented. Evaluation tools included Pre- and Post-Tests, structured observation, and participant interviews. Findings demonstrated measurable growth in confidence, facilitation skills, and discipleship understanding. The project concluded that intentional training not only equips leaders with biblical grounding and practical skills but also highlights ongoing needs for mentoring, refined assessment, and sustainable support, strengthening iLive Ministries’ discipleship culture and offering a replicable model for other congregations.

Scoring A New Jazz Standard: A Collaborative Approach To Implementing Spiritual Care At Erlanger Hospital Palliative Care, Richard Fleck

Doctor of Ministry Projects

Just like a jazz combo brings together professional musicians who are instrument specialists to improvise together, Palliative Care brings together healthcare specialists for holistic, patient-centered collaboration. This ministry project, which is a phenomenological inquiry based on the theological theme of suffering, follows a collaborative approach to implementing spiritual care at Erlanger Hospital in Chattanooga, TN. This project describes the researcher’s collaborative work in scoring a new jazz standard for Erlanger Palliative Spiritual Care, which includes recommendations for quality improvement and recommendations for professional development.

Weeping In The Household: Equipping Pastoral Caregivers Among Grieving Families At Grace Presbyterian Church In Baltimore, Maryland, Charles Brandon Brewer

Doctor of Ministry Projects

This project sought to equip pastoral care ministry members of Grace Presbyterian Church to explore communal grief and deepen their own understanding of family systems in intergenerational grief. Participants engaged in a four-week training series aimed at reducing fear surrounding discussions of death, dying, and grief, empowering pastoral caregivers in the church to offer compassionate care to grieving individuals and families. Participants were trained to facilitate Bible studies, group discussions and were equipped with the skills necessary to guide and expand the church’s existing bereavement ministry beyond crisis intervention, strengthening pastoral care efforts, and the pastoral care ministry of the …

Solutions To Building Consistent And Sustainable Youth Ministry Programming, William C. Kincy

Doctor of Education Dissertations

This mixed methods convergent study explored strategies for building consistency and sustainability in Baptist youth ministry programming, with a particular focus on the AFC Youth Ministry. Guided by Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs (Hitt et al., 2018) and Senge’s (2006) Systems Thinking approach, the study addressed three key research questions: What needs are youth seeking to meet that lead them to join a Baptist church youth ministry? What programming can AFC Baptist Church’s youth ministry provide to youth that would promote retention of the youth in the youth ministry? What are the best practices in delivering programming to youth in a …

Gardner-Webb Team Partners With Kudvumisa Foundation In Eswatini/Swaziland, Office Of University Communications

Gardner-Webb NewsCenter Archive

Kudvumisa means “to praise” in the language of the people in Eswatini/Swaziland. It’s also the name chosen by Kudvumisa Foundation, an organization that provides medical clinics to people in this African county where medical care is lacking and HIV/Aids is prevalent.

Gardner-Webb Remembers Lives Of Fallen Service Members During Memorial Day Observance On May 24, Office Of University Communications

Gardner-Webb NewsCenter Archive

Gardner-Webb University faculty and staff, along with members of the community, gathered in front of Hamrick Hall on May 24 to pay tribute to those who have sacrificed their lives serving their country. In his speech, retired U.S. Air Force Master Sgt. John Whitaker shared a personal story to remember his friends who gave their lives on a mission to save others.

Gardner-Webb Mission Team Will Assist In Medical Clinics In Eswatini, Office Of University Communications

Gardner-Webb NewsCenter Archive

In May, Gardner-Webb University students and leaders will travel to Eswatini (formerly Swaziland) to assist in the medical clinics run by the Kudvumisa Foundation (https://www.kudvumisafoundation.org/). Impoverished families in this African country have little to no access to medical care and one of the world’s highest HIV/Aids prevalence rates. Over the last 15 years, with the help of generous donors and volunteers, the non-profit organization has built two clinics and maintains a mobile outreach van. The Foundation’s missionaries constantly strive to increase the number of families they serve.

Gardner-Webb Team Helps Build Houses In Kenya While Sharing The Hope Of The Gospel, Office Of University Communications, Ashley Rich

Gardner-Webb NewsCenter Archive

This summer, a mission team from Gardner-Webb University traveled to Kisumu, Kenya, in partnership with Houses of Hope, a ministry of Baptist on Mission. Their goal was to build and dedicate four homes for families in need. Coming out of the trip, the members of the team talked about much more than construction. They were impacted by the opportunity to carry out a valuable act of service, share their experiences and faith, and get a taste of a culture and location vastly different than that of the United States.

The Theory Of Educational Attachment, Marie Lawrence

Journal of Organizational & Educational Leadership

Educational attachment bonding helps students to progress academically and to develop strong positive emotional ties with members of the educational community. This educational bond serves as a stabilizing factor and may serve to compensate for deficiencies in early attachment bonds and thus help students develop sound psychological health. Educational attachment bonds can be formed with teachers, school administrators and staff, academic club sponsors, athletic coaches, and staff or any member of the school community. The significance of Educational Attachment Theory demonstrates the need to train educational professionals on the necessity of developing secure attachment bonds with students and to reflectively …

Gardner-Webb Teams Prepare To Serve People In Kentucky, Greece And Kenya, Office Of University Communications

Gardner-Webb NewsCenter Archive

The mission of Gardner-Webb University is to prepare graduates for leadership and service in their professional careers and personal lives. To fulfill this vision and the University’s motto, Pro Deo et Humanitate (For God and Humanity), the Office of Christian Life and Service sponsors mission trips each year. In response to needs in America and internationally, three groups will be embarking on mission trips during May to provide medical care, clothing, food and shelter to those in need.

Gardner-Webb Offers Cybersecurity Major Online And Face-To-Face, Office Of University Communications

Gardner-Webb NewsCenter Archive

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the number of individuals employed within the cybersecurity sector is slated to grow 31% by the year 2029, which far exceeds the average for all other occupations. In anticipation of the demand for these jobs, Gardner-Webb University is introducing a cybersecurity major in the traditional undergraduate (TUG) program and Gardner-Webb Online.

Developing A Lay Ministry Of Caregiving Skills To Parents And Families Who Grieve The Death Of A Child At Zion Hill Baptist Church, Cherryville, N.C., Roger Fuller

Doctor of Ministry Projects

This project aims to educate those who minister to people who may experience the difficult misfortune of the grief and loss of a child. The concentration and intent of this work are to cultivate a ministry of caregiving skills for the members at Zion Hill Baptist Church of Cherryville, North Carolina. This caring ministry of the church will serve all who grieve, but the general focus of this project is to offer specialized care in aiding those who grieve the death of a child. This training is of great necessity because most church members, having not experienced losing a child, …

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.

Trauma And Grief: Developing A Framework For Equipping The Hispanic/Latino Churches As A Healing Community In The Cooperative Baptist Fellowship Of North Carolina, Santiago Reales

Doctor of Ministry Projects

This project aimed to equip Hispanic/Latino congregations of the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship of North Carolina (CBFNC) as a healing community to help people in recovering from loss and trauma in a healthy way. Participants in five-workshop sessions over four weeks explored stories of grief and trauma from the Old and New Testament along with contemporary grief and trauma theories. Each workshop presented what the Scriptures and mental health best practices teach about how to deal with grief and trauma. Also, the project sought to determine whether the participant’s training experience impacted their stress level.

Growing In Christian Spiritual Identity Through Enhanced Biblical Interpretation At Camino Church, Charlotte, Nc, Steve Sellers

Doctor of Ministry Projects

This project evaluated the impact of biblical study and interpretation on spiritual identity, focusing on the Latino population. The project’s goal was to assess a disciplined, historically oriented study of Scripture as a pre-condition for Scriptural perspicuity to come to fuller expression.

Findings for this project indicate the process of learning biblical interpretation leads to greater spiritual identity in Latino and non-Latino populations. While any particular aspect of the learning process could not be determined as the primary source for the effect the instructor, the learning methodologies, and biblical interpretation model had meaningful impacts on the project participants.

Best-Selling Author And Professor Beth Allison Barr Speaker For Gwu Lecture Series, Office Of University Communications

Gardner-Webb NewsCenter Archive

Best-selling author and history professor Beth Allison Barr is the guest speaker for the Mary Washburn Wilson Lecture Series at 1 p.m. on Nov. 14 and 15 at Gardner-Webb University. Barr is the author of “The Making of Biblical Womanhood: How the Subjugation of Women Became Gospel Truth,” which is a USA Today Bestseller and Christianity Today 2022 Book Award Finalist in history and biography.

Celebrating Alumni: Lt. Col. Jim Davidson, Office Of University Communications

Gardner-Webb NewsCenter Archive

Students are the focus of Gardner-Webb University’s mission. Faculty members seek to engage students with unique, experiential learning opportunities to prepare them for their next steps. Whether they choose to begin a career or accept the academic challenges of graduate school, students are equipped with the knowledge and skills to lead and serve. Additionally, through GWU’s supportive and diverse Christian community, students are inspired to make a positive and lasting difference in the lives of others.

Gardner-Webb Is Only N.C. School Recognized As A Christian College Of Distinction, Office Of University Communications

Gardner-Webb NewsCenter Archive

Colleges of Distinction, a unique guide for college-bound students, has recognized Gardner-Webb for its commitment to encourage and challenge undergraduate students in their Christian growth. The University is the only North Carolina school to receive designation as a 2022-2023 Christian College of Distinction.

Tracy Jessup Retires As Gwu Senior Minister And Vice President Of Christian Life And Service, Office Of University Communications

Gardner-Webb NewsCenter Archive

In 1985, Tracy Jessup arrived at Gardner-Webb University as a freshman music education major. Except for a brief time away to earn his Master of Divinity, Jessup has served the GWU campus and community for 30 years. He retires on July 31 as vice president for Christian Life and Service and senior minister to the University.

“Not only is my professional career and ministry tied to this place, but so much of the fabric of my personal life is interwoven with Gardner-Webb,” Jessup reflected. “I met my wife, Teresa, on Aug. 19, 1985—my freshman year. Four years later, we were …

Gwu Divinity School Alumna Begins Hybrid Position As Minister Of Youth And Pastoral Care, Office Of University Communications

Gardner-Webb NewsCenter Archive

Sarah Laurence, a 2021 graduate of the Gardner-Webb University School of Divinity, is starting a job that is new for her and the church. The hybrid position at First Baptist Church in Aiken, S.C., is Minister of Youth and Pastoral Care.

A Life Worth Living: Evaluating And Assisting Army Chaplains In Suicide Prevention, John Simon Cochran

Doctor of Ministry Projects

Despite its efficiency and flexibility as a modern fighting force, the U.S. Army has experienced an alarming spike in the number of its soldiers committing suicide over the past decade – approximately a 20% increase. The goal of this project is to contribute to the lessening of future suicides by evaluating the current preparedness of U.S. Army chaplains to assist with suicide prevention and intervention efforts among U.S. Army soldiers. The study will provide actionable conclusions of how chaplains can more effectively identify, intervene, and influence U.S. Army soldiers away from the risk of suicide towards a life worth living.

Gwu Officials Announce Naming Of Searight Pace Program, Leadership Certificate And Award, Office Of University Communications

Gardner-Webb NewsCenter Archive

Raised on a farm in Alabama, an imaginative child made a basketball from scraps, taught himself how to play and earned a scholarship to college. Now, that child, the Rev. Johnny L. Searight, and his wife, Shirley P. Searight, alumni of Gardner-Webb University, want to create educational opportunities for students in similar situations. With the help of the GWU Advancement team, they have established the Searight Leadership Certificate (SLC) and the Searight Multicultural Leadership Award (SMLA).

Gardner-Webb, The Magazine 2021, Fall (Volume 56), Noel T. Manning

Gardner-Webb, The Magazine

Gardner-Webb, The Magazine, previously titled The Webb Magazine, focuses on alumni news and campus events from Gardner-Webb College; now Gardner-Webb University. This issue includes articles on the installation of "Bo," the new GWU mascot; celebrating students and alumni with military service, and updates from the office of the President.

May 2021 Divinity School Graduate Is First Military Chaplain To Have Certified Therapy Assistance Dog, Office Of University Communications

Gardner-Webb NewsCenter Archive

As the guardsmen’s rough, scratched hands reached to pet and play with a couple of puppies, tension left the room and the group relaxed. The scene marked the first time U.S. Air Force Maj. Christina Pryor Pittman, 169th Fighter Wing chaplain, utilized animal therapy at McEntire Joint National Guard Base in Columbia, S.C.

Gwu Webb Connections Panel Discusses Trends In Christian Higher Education, Office Of University Communications

Gardner-Webb NewsCenter Archive

In the final Webb Connections event for the semester, Gardner-Webb University President Dr. William M. Downs welcomed a panel of guests to discuss, “A Revival in Christian Higher Education: Building A Bigger Tent.” Webb Connections is an informative series hosted by Downs and featuring experts discussing topics of national, regional and local interest.

Gwu Campus Community Invited To Webb Connections Panel Discussion On April 20, Office Of University Communications

Gardner-Webb NewsCenter Archive

Gardner-Webb President Dr. William M. Downs invites the campus community to attend the final Webb Connections event for the semester, “A Revival in Christian Higher Education: Building A Bigger Tent.” Webb Connections is an informative series hosted by Downs and featuring a panel of experts discussing topics of national, regional and local interest.

Decreasing Stigma And Increasing Partnership: The Black Church And Mental Health Community, Harriet Lakisha Bryant

Education Projects

Mental illness of any form needing mental health assistance has come with some negative stigmas and perceived apprehension in the Black community. African Americans' low use of mental health services, historically and presently, has been well-documented. As a result, many African Americans seek assistance from within their faith-based organization, particularly their clergy staff. Pastors influence views on mental health counseling and mental health-seeking attitudes of their congregants. For my consultancy, I partnered with Watts Chapel Missionary Baptist Church, a predominantly African American church to integrate mental health services into their church-based programming and to conduct an analysis of best practices …

Nursing Attitudes To Hospice Care In The Intensive Care Unit, Claudia Lacivita

Master of Science in Nursing Theses and Projects

Nurses deliver care to patients 24 hours per day and are experts in the care of critically ill patients in the intensive care unit (ICU). The critical care nurse is trained to assess, treat, and monitor severely ill patients to facilitate their recovery, but may often feel ill-prepared and lacking the support usually available to the hospice or palliative care nurse. It also can be difficult to refocus when the desired outcome changes from stabilizing and getting a critically ill patient better to hospice or end-of-life care (EOLC). The purpose of this project was to improve the delivery of care …

Grieving Nurses' Need For Support, Tammy Patterson

Master of Science in Nursing Theses and Projects

Veteran nurses vacate their positions after more than 20 years of nursing experience due to the chronic emotional grief experienced after patient death. Nursing programs lack the curriculum support to sufficiently instruct student nurses how to appropriately deal with patient death. This lack of understanding leads the way for nurses to develop unhealthy coping mechanisms and withdrawing from the profession. A needs assessment was conducted and confirmed the desire and demand for support of nurses experiencing grief. A method was developed to support grieving nurses who are experiencing or will experience grief. A peer support group was established to assist …

The Benefits Of Integrating An Assistance Dog With Military Chaplain Corps Services At The 169th Fighter Wing, Mcentire Joint National Guard Base, South Carolina, Christina Pittman

Doctor of Ministry Projects

The ministry project is addressing the spiritual resiliency of service members in an intentional and innovative approach through the presence of an assistance dog in an active military Chaplain Corps setting; specifically, through South Carolina Air National Guard. The issue is to reach service members on a level beyond the efforts of human contact. The research shows support in positive effects or no effects of engagement with an assistance dog. The participants are service members engaging with and without Avalon, a current Assistance Dog for Ministry, with a Chaplain providing warrior care. The research data collection is a survey presented …