Digital Commons Network^™

Calm And Quiet My Soul: A Holistic Approach To Spiritual Care For The Mothering Pastor, Alyssa Bell

Doctor of Ministry

The church has seen a growing number of women emerging as pastoral leaders, many of whom are mothering children or will mother children in the coming years. In order to thrive as ministers and parents, these women need ongoing care for their souls that addresses the many facets of their being. However, such resources are scarce in the current institutional structures and spiritual patterns suggested for this demographic of clergy. In this dissertation I argue that Pastoring mothers face unique challenges in their desire to draw closer to heart of God in the midst of meeting family and ministry needs. …

Conflict Resolution To Preserve Church Unity, Christina Mccully

Doctor of Ministry

God has called the church into unity that reflects the unity of the Triune God in the midst of a culture that is polarized and entertained by drama caused by conflict. Local churches are comprised of relationships, and conflict is a byproduct of relationship. Conflict can lead to divisiveness that causes disunity in the congregation, or it can be a spark that leads to relational growth that encourages unity. Pastors and ministry leaders can learn skills and conflict management strategies from businesses, marriage experts, and the life and ministry of Jesus and Paul. Workplace conflict teaches church leaders how crucial …

Pray And Vaccinate: Worship And Pastoral Care In Times Of Pandemic In Hungary, András Máté-Tóth

Occasional Papers on Religion in Eastern Europe

The major churches in Hungary—Catholic, Calvinist and Lutheran—felt concerned about the Corona pandemic, especially about Sunday services. As in the spring wave, so in the autumn wave, the question of offline/online services was in the center of public communication. It has kerygmatic reasons—especially among Catholics—since, according to Vatican II, the Eucharist is the source and summit of the relationship with God. (Lumen Gentium 11.) Without Eucharistic celebration, congregations are "grace-poor" and priests, too, can feel deprived of their first-order mission and "service-poor." Similarly, Protestant pastors experience and exercise their priestly ministry primarily through Sunday worship, preaching, and the Lord's Prayer. …

How Christians Of The First Centuries Experienced Epidemics, Maryna Lukashenko, Lidiya Biletska

Occasional Papers on Religion in Eastern Europe

The article examines the ethical responses of the Christian communities of the first centuries to the challenges of the Antonine Plague and the Plague of Cyprian. During these times, the institutionalization and development of the Christian church took place, and thus the strategies of its social service and behavior in the conditions of acute social crises and trials were developed. Already during the first epidemics, the Christian communities showed a radically different attitude to the sick and sufferers than was accepted in the society of that time. This attitude was based on Christian love and charity, self-sacrifice and service to …

Interaction Of Religion And Medicine In The Period Of Existential Challenges: Ukrainian Context, Irina Utiuzh, Nataliia Kovtun, Ihor Kapritsyn, Iryna Vitiuk

Occasional Papers on Religion in Eastern Europe

The social transitivity of Ukrainian society has only intensified as a result of the implementation of quarantine restrictions in March 2020 that covered various areas of the country's social life. In the situation of transferring most industries and services to remote work, the problems of an existential choice in citizens' perception of quarantine restrictions and the need to ensure their own economic and physiological survival in a severe socio-economic crisis in Ukraine and military aggression by Russia appeared in 2014. In this context, it remains relevant to define how medical and religious organizations should help Ukrainian citizens adapt to the …

Spirituality Integrated Interventions For Caregivers Of Patients With Terminal Illness: A Systematic Review Of Quantitative Outcomes, Yongqiang Zheng, Anna Cox Cotton, Longtao He, Leslie Wuest

Faculty Publications - College of Social Work

This systematic review of published quantitative research was conducted to explore the effects of spirituality-integrated interventions for informal caregivers of terminally ill patients. Multiple databases were searched for articles published between January 2004 and November 2019. Twelve randomized controlled trials were identified. Methodological quality was assessed using the revised Cochrane Collaboration’s tool for assessing risk of bias. Studies were notably diverse in terms of spiritual background, intervention design, technology used, and outcomes measures. Spirituality-integrated interventions were found to show positive outcomes for caregivers. However, methodological flaws negatively affected the quality of most studies, warranting further and rigorous research into the …

Book Review: Orthodox And Greek Catholics In Transylvania (1867-1916): Convergences And Divergences, Beth Admiraal

Occasional Papers on Religion in Eastern Europe

A review of Marcarie Drăgoi, Orthodox and Greek Catholics in Transylvania (1867-1916): Convergences and Divergences, Translated by Carmen-Veronica Borbely, Yonkers, NY: St. Vladimir’s Seminary Press, 2015, 289 pp, hardback. ISBN: 979-088141-507-0.

Book Review: Orthodox Christian Renewal Movements In Eastern Europe, Walter Sawatsky

Occasional Papers on Religion in Eastern Europe

A review of Aleksandra Djurić Milovanović & Radmila Radić, eds. Orthodox Christian Renewal Movements in Eastern Europe. London: Palgrave MacMillan, 2017. ISBN 978-3-319-63354-1, 339 pp. Index.

Does Christian Faith Impact Loneliness?, Jeffrey M. Kelly

Doctor of Psychology (PsyD)

Loneliness is on the rise within the United States, particularly within younger adults ages 18-37 (Bruce et al 2019). Although much is known about the negative dimensions of loneliness, and some about protective factors to help ease loneliness, the potential impact of religious and spiritual beliefs and behaviors on loneliness remains largely unexplored. This study focused on the relationship between a committed religious faith and perceived feelings of loneliness among university students. Participants include 1,182 undergraduate students from George Fox University who participated in the National College Health Assessment (NCHA). Religious commitment was evaluated using a supplemental 6-item self-report measure …

Before You Burnout: Cultivating Sustainable Practices That Lead To Clergy Family Resilience, Dawn Kilian

Doctor of Ministry

While stress is inevitable in ministry leadership, excessive stress can lead to burnout. Pastors who experience burnout causes harmful effects on their loved ones. Burnout also contributes to health complications, spiritual dryness, marital dissatisfaction, and strained family relationships. Continuously ignoring early warning signs burnout can be harmful for pastors and their loved ones.

Focusing on the individual pastor is insufficient to inoculate the clergy family system from the devastating effects of burnout. In addition, their family members need to be cared for as well. It is proposed that clergy families would be able to thrive in ministry if they received …

Religious Organizations Under Quarantine: Ukrainian Realities, Petro Kraliuk, Igor Bogdanovskiy, Kateryna Yakunina

Occasional Papers on Religion in Eastern Europe

On March 11, 2020, quarantine restrictions were introduced in Ukraine due to the COVID-19 pandemic. They concerned all spheres of public life, including the religious sphere. Accordingly, all religious organizations in Ukraine had to adapt to the new rules and conditions of their liturgical practice. A dialogue at the state-church level took place immediately after the introduction of the quarantine. Some spokesmen for religious organizations (Greek Catholics, Protestants) called for a consolidation of efforts to support the population under conditions of the spread of the coronavirus disease.

The article analyzes the situation of religious organizations under the conditions of the …

Women In Ministry Leadership: A Spirit-Empowered Framework, Rhonda Davis

Doctor of Ministry

Emerging female leaders in the Pentecostal tradition have an opportunity to strengthen their spiritual formation and leadership development as they engage an everchanging ministry environment. Research indicates significant challenges for the female ministry leader as well as diminished access to programs designed to develop the necessary integration of leadership competency and spiritual wholeness. This research addresses the unique opportunity Pentecostal spirituality offers for spiritual and leadership growth. Building on existing research regarding female leadership, it asks: What do the components of Pentecostal formation and leadership development look like in the life of a female ministry leader?

Based on academic and …

Pentecostalism In Western Ukraine: Historical Development And Current Theological Challenges, Roman Soloviy

Occasional Papers on Religion in Eastern Europe

The purpose of this article is twofold: firstly, to examine the origins and historical development of Christians of the Evangelical Faith (Pentecostals) in Western Ukraine from 1920 until today; secondly, to give an account of current theological problems of Western Ukrainian Pentecostalism and to explore its theological renewal, which began after the Revolution of Dignity (2013-2014). In doing so, the socio-political, ethnic, and religious contexts of the birth of Pentecostalism in Western Ukraine will be studied; these include the living conditions of Ukrainians in the Second Polish Republic, religious situation in Western Ukraine between the First and Second World Wars, …

Development Of Chaplaincy In Independent Ukraine: Current State And Trends Of Development, Nataliia Ishchuk, Oleksandr Sagan

Occasional Papers on Religion in Eastern Europe

The preconditions and difficulties of the formation of the chaplaincy movement in contemporary Ukraine are systematized in this paper. It is shown that for a significant period of time after the proclamation of Ukraine’s independence, chaplaincy developed mainly by private initiatives of individual clergy or public organizations. In the first years of Ukraine’s independence, the main obstacles to its development were the atheistic legacy of the Soviet Union, ideological clichés, and the lack of a legal framework for the implementation of pastoral work. Nevertheless, as early as the 1990s, the chaplaincy ministry began to receive legal justification, significant international support, …

Attitudes Towards Mental Illness In American Evangelical Communities, Supernaturalism, And Stigmatisation, Nahanni Freeman

Faculty Publications - Doctor of Psychology (PsyD) Program

Social-cognitive variables and religious attributions regardingmental illness were examined with a homogeneous sample of 180American Evangelical Christians, using a novel tool and the MentalHealth Knowledge Scale (MAKS). In the first trial, participants wererandomly assigned to one of two Bible verse priming conditions,which made salient willpower, faith and anxiety-reduction or thesuffering Christ. Priming effects revealed that those exposed tothe willpower-faith admonishment condition showed lowerstigma on the MAKS and stronger condition recognition scores.Participants who endorsed unilateral religious causes andsolutions to mental illness also presented with less knowledgeabout mental health disorders and lower condition recognition,but the latter was unrelated to positive views regardingreligiously-informed …

Catholicism In The New Poland: A Religion And Society In Transition, Christopher Garbowski

Occasional Papers on Religion in Eastern Europe

Excerpt: "Polish society is divided along a number of lines; hardly unusual in any contemporary pluralistic society. The new divisions have not been adequately named. Michał Kuź, a Polish political scientist, has coined the self-explanatory terms “localists” and “internationalists” to describe perhaps the most pertinent current divide within European societies.1 These worldview divides are also visible along political party lines. The proportions of the parties of the divide are naturally different in Poland than in countries of the old Europe. It is relatively easy to indicate which of the parties in the political landscape of the country within the localist …

On Biblical Forgeries And Imagined Communities—A Critical Analysis Of Recent Criticism, Paul N. Anderson

Faculty Publications - George Fox School of Theology

Several weeks ago, I was contacted by several biblical scholars, asking what I thought of the article by Hugo Méndez in the Journal of New Testament Studies, as well as its treatment in the Daily Beast by the leading religion commentator, Candida Moss. I like and respect Professors Moss and Méndez, so I was of course interested in the issues they were engaging. I also had lunch with Bart Ehrman in Marburg last August, at the international Society of New Testament Studies meetings, so I was curious to see what Hugo might have done with Bart’s work on early Christian …

Dynamics And Growth Prospects Of The Protestant Denominations In Ukraine, Irina Vasilyeva, Vita Tytarenko

Occasional Papers on Religion in Eastern Europe

The intensity and nature of changes in Protestant communities in Ukraine is analyzed on the basis of broad empirical material (statistics, sociological surveys). The confessional specificity of the spread of Protestant communities in the Ukrainian territories is revealed, as well as their dynamics, geographical conditionality, and more. Changes in institutional, socio-political, cultural, and educational spheres of life of Protestant churches in modern Ukraine are recorded. Social legalization, the legal recognition of these movements as the churches and religious organizations equal to other traditional churches, as well as dynamism of Protestantism in evangelical and missionary sphere and public life, have contributed …

The Avoidance Of Burnout Among Open Bible Pastors: Creating Healthy And Vibrant Leaders In Ministry, Isaac Hebden

Doctor of Ministry

Pastors in the Open Bible Churches denomination struggle with spiritual health, even as they lead local congregations. The perils of vocational ministry can often contribute to emotional fatigue, disillusionment, and exhaustion, commonly referred to as “burnout.” Pastors serve sacrificially in their churches, giving all that they have for the lives of the others. However, the life many pastors live actually negatively impacts themselves as well as others around them, thus negating the purpose for which they strive.

This Doctor of Ministry project sought to discover how ministers can remain spiritually healthy while actively leading the local church. Much of the …

To Imagine A Future: A Social Entrepreneurship Program For Youth In High Risk Environments In Carpinteria, California, Christopher Lucian Pritchett

Doctor of Ministry

This research project seeks to examine the opportunity gaps facing the adolescents of Carpinteria for the purpose of suggesting a program that intends to address these challenges, in fitting with the mission statement to create pathways for children and youth to flourish, for the Pro Deo Foundation to fund and operate. Section One examines the problem that this dissertation seeks to address, specifically describing the difficult realities that teenagers in Carpinteria face in their everyday lives. Through research with human participants, including community members, leaders and administrators, this section gives the context of the subject matter, its history and the …

Thriving Holistically As A Woman Married To A Minister: A Spiritual Formation Model To Support Women In The United States In The Role Of Pastor's Wife, Elisa Renae Ashley

Doctor of Ministry

While women married to ministers are blessed by God in many ways through their role as pastor’s wife, the role also presents many particular stressors. These stressors impact the systems of self, family, and church. A majority of clergy wives struggle to some degree with interpersonal loneliness, with finding confidants, and creating spiritual community wherein they can be authentically vulnerable. These struggles negatively impact the spiritual, physical, and psycho-emotional health of the women in this role. In order for them to deepen their spirituality and thrive holistically as they navigate the challenges of this role, a tailored spiritual formation model …

Attitudes Towards Mental Illness In American Evangelical Communities, Supernaturalism, And Stigmatization, Nahanni Freeman, Isaac Baldwin

Faculty Publications - Psychology Department

Social-cognitive variables and religious attributions regarding mental illness were examined with a homogeneous sample of 180 American Evangelical Christians, using a novel tool and the Mental Health Knowledge Scale (MAKS). In the first trial, participants were randomly assigned to one of two Bible verse priming conditions, which made salient willpower, faith and anxiety-reduction or the suffering Christ. Priming effects revealed that those exposed to the willpower-faith admonishment condition showed lower stigma on the MAKS and stronger condition recognition scores. Participants who endorsed unilateral religious causes and solutions to mental illness also presented with less knowledge about mental health disorders and …

Conceptualizing Therapy As A Spiritual Discipline, Kristen M. White

Faculty Publications - Graduate School of Counseling

Psychological literature is in the beginning stages of reflecting the Church’s shift toward spiritual formation, incorporating theory and research regarding how spiritual disciplines might be relevant to the practice of therapy. This work may be expanded by viewing therapy itself as a spiritual discipline, particularly for the client. This article makes this connection by clearly defining spiritual disciplines and highlighting how therapy is or can be made congruent with them. It further discusses how therapy may be a very useful spiritual discipline within the Church today. Lastly, this article discusses the implications for viewing therapy as a spiritual discipline for …

Attitudes Of Religious Leaders Toward Integrating Psychology And Church Ministry, Adam S. Hodge, Joshua N. Hook, Don E. Davis, Mark R. Mcminn

Faculty Publications - Doctor of Psychology (PsyD) Program

Although psychology and religion deal with overlapping subject matter, the relationship between psychology and the church has a tumultuous history. The current study examined religious leaders’ attitudes toward integrating psychological science into church ministry. Religious leaders (N = 394) completed measures of (a) congregants’ mental health and social concerns, (b) attitudes toward psychological science (i.e., perceived barriers of integration, compatibility with church ministry), and (c) hypothesized predictors of attitudes toward the integration of psychology and church ministry (i.e., political conservatism, intratextual fundamentalism, religious intellectual humility, emotional intelligence). Overall, religious leaders expressed both positive and negative attitudes toward psychology. Conservative political …

A Pentecostal Expression Of Holistic Reflection In The Improvement Of Pastoral Leadership Practices, Gabriella Van Breda

Doctor of Ministry

This dissertation is an action research self-study undertaken with the aim of transforming my pastoral leadership practices with the extended application of assisting other leaders to do the same. The research question asks in what ways action research methodology with its inherent reflective methods contributes to pastoral leadership transformation. The primary outcome is a framework of holistic reflection that consistently and systematically works to transform my leadership practices. Through the action research methodology of constant iteration, I evaluated the effects of my leadership, reflected on the disconnect between my core values and my behavior and searched for a means to …

Fitchett And Nolans' "Case Studies In Spiritual Care: Healthcare Chaplaincy Assessments, Interventions & Outcomes" (Book Review), Xin "Lucy" Bai

The Christian Librarian

No abstract provided.

Wells' "Walk Humbly: Encouragements For Living, Working, And Being" (Book Review), Robert Lancaster

The Christian Librarian

No abstract provided.

Post-Soviet Transformation For Evangelicals, 1991-2018: Deepening Causes For Discord, Walter Sawatsky

Occasional Papers on Religion in Eastern Europe

During the great transformation between 1989 and 1991, the majority of American journalists were completely surprised by the transformations of 1989 in Eastern Europe and the collapse of the USSR in 1991, since it contradicted their stereotypes so profoundly. Several developments within the Soviet Union and Eastern Europe turned out to be signposts for those with the eyes to see. Literary figures and philosophers circulating their thinking in samizdat form, or through the emergence of dissenting movements, pointed to the disillusionment with the grand socialist promises. Solzhenitsyn had already drawn attention in his Nobel speech to the power of truth …

Learning In The Midst Of Action: Phronesis In The Seminary, Kyle J. Chalko

Doctor of Ministry

The U.S. Assemblies of God Cooperative Fellowship (AG) remains one of the least educated, and least interested in education, denominations. A perceived disconnect between graduate-level learning and practical application deters many AG pastors away from continuing their education, leading to a nationwide trend of not being “welleducated.” AG pastors have a different set of values than mainstream evangelical denominations. Thus, the pastors seek their pastoral development from sources other than mainstream higher education. If universities can create more opportunities for practical training within typical course work, provide wisdom and character development, and facilitate mentoring relationships, then AG ministers would be …

Yidbrik: Historical, Practical, Relational, And Theological Concepts And Challenges In Jewish-Christian Relations, Jonathan Esterman

Doctor of Ministry

Historically and culturally, there is a deep divide of misunderstanding and feeling of mistrust between the Jewish people1 and the religious organization of Christianity and its adherents. This rift is directly responsible for a significant portion of the past two thousand years of Jewish suffering and Christian misunderstanding as well as the current divide between the two faith traditions.2 Contemporary efforts to missionize Jewish individuals as part of the Great Commission has only further hindered relationships deeper than a superficial secular connection. In the early life of Christianity, however, there were more similarities than differences to the point where one …