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Metamorphosis Of The Traditional Church: The Hybrid Church Model, Steven Edward Adams Aug 2023

Metamorphosis Of The Traditional Church: The Hybrid Church Model, Steven Edward Adams

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

For several decades, Church attendance in America has steadily declined. This observation is corroborated by extensive surveys and academic research analyzing church attrition. The national attendance phenomenon is evident is also evident at Livingwater Church of God. Using the Livingwater Church of God as the test lab, this project utilized and implemented the Hybrid Church Model, and evaluated its effectiveness for improvements. Substantiated by practical research surveys, interviews, and academic research, this thesis addresses attendance decline with a systematic implementation, evaluation, and modification of the Hybrid Model for the local church unique to the Western North Carolina area. This ministry …


Biblical Illiteracy In The Context Of Christian Apologetics: A Response To A Growing Concern At Faith Baptist Church Of Tyler Texas, Maurice F. Mcmillion Aug 2023

Biblical Illiteracy In The Context Of Christian Apologetics: A Response To A Growing Concern At Faith Baptist Church Of Tyler Texas, Maurice F. Mcmillion

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

This thesis project addresses Biblical Illiteracy in the context of Christian Apologetics: A response to a growing concern at Faith Baptist Church of Tyler, Texas. The focal point of this project is to rectify Biblical Illiteracy in the Context of Christian Apologetics. Pastors across America have not identified that their congregations are uninformed on the basics of Christian Apologetics. This doctoral thesis project aims to give Pastors a structured format for reducing biblical illiteracy in Christian Apologetics with their congregation by providing a curriculum that can be taught and assessed. The methodological approach will be a focus group intervention. This …


Multicultural Worship Studies Of Military Chapels In South Korea, Abbey Nicole Bradley Jul 2023

Multicultural Worship Studies Of Military Chapels In South Korea, Abbey Nicole Bradley

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

Despite a large body of literature on Korean/American worship, there is little to no research that addresses multicultural worship of the United States Army Garrison (USAG) in the Republic of Korea (ROK) at the Protestant military chapels. In addition, there is also a lack of research regarding worship ministry at USAG installations in general, aside from general multicultural worship models. Developing a biblical and multicultural worship model for the Protestant USAG chapels in the Republic of Korea is essential because of the diverse ethnicities in the U.S. military and the diverse backgrounds, denominations, and cultures within the military chapel communities. …


A Causal-Comparative Study Of Learner-Centeredness Among Assemblies Of God Clergy By Credential Level, George Rexaville True Iii Jul 2023

A Causal-Comparative Study Of Learner-Centeredness Among Assemblies Of God Clergy By Credential Level, George Rexaville True Iii

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

This non-experimental, causal-comparative study sought to evaluate the learner-centeredness of Pentecostal ministers in the Assemblies of God. Building on the foundations of Adult Learning Theory and Pentecostal epistemology, this study examined the instructional practices of Pentecostal clergy. Utilizing the Principles of Adult Learning Scale [PALS] and a survey of basic demographic information, the instructional methodologies of certified, licensed, and ordained clergy in the Northern New England, Pennsylvania-Delaware, Arkansas, and Northwest districts of the Assemblies of God were examined. A Welch’s ANOVA analyzed the relationship between clergy credential level and scores on the PALS. The results of this study revealed a …


The Decalogue Of Justice: A Covenantal Application Of Biblical Justice, Andrew Mark Adil Jul 2023

The Decalogue Of Justice: A Covenantal Application Of Biblical Justice, Andrew Mark Adil

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

This dissertation aims to establish a biblical theology of justice (מִשְׁפָּט), ascertaining the commands and references to justice in Scripture are comprehensively and exclusively rooted in the Moral Law of the Torah, summarized in the Ten Commandments, and embedded in the Covenant of Grace (Old and New), making it binding on New Covenant believers and inextricably attached to the church’s Great Commission mandate. To this end, the study examines the concept of justice in the OT and the Moral Law, contrasting Reformed evangelical hermeneutics with the modern iteration of Liberation Theology in connection with the application of biblical justice. Additionally, …


Evangelistic Mentorship To Address Youth Decline At Dawn Baptist Church, Rickey Wesley Dover Jul 2023

Evangelistic Mentorship To Address Youth Decline At Dawn Baptist Church, Rickey Wesley Dover

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

This paper presents an intervention addressing young adults’ tendency to leave the church after adolescence. This thesis project proposes that false conversion in a person’s formative years drives young adult church departure. For those who have a relationship with Christ, the most probable cause for departure is the lack of sanctification and growth due to an absence of biblical training. Therefore, this project designed and implemented an evangelical mentorship program specifically designed for youth in the church. While the research approach focuses more on quantitative methods, it also has qualitative elements. This research is qualitative in many of the self-reflections …


The Biblical Worldview And Libraries, Gregory A. Smith Jul 2023

The Biblical Worldview And Libraries, Gregory A. Smith

Faculty Publications and Presentations

This essay documents the process and outcomes of a structured, group-based effort used to explore the connections between the biblical worldview and librarianship. Participants in the inquiry process included the author (as moderator) and seven of his colleagues. The process entailed examining four “frames” of the biblical narrative (Creation, Fall, Redemption, and Consummation) and eliciting implications for the realm of libraries. The biblical worldview was found to provide remarkably practical theory concerning libraries, accounting for their existence across diverse cultures worldwide; plausibly explaining virtues, flaws, opportunities, and challenges; and prescribing principles through which Christians can advance God’s kingdom through library …


Cosmic Hamartiology: Using An Apocalyptic Paul Hermeneutic To Exposit Chaos Monster Passages, Peter Terrell Bingham Jr. Jul 2023

Cosmic Hamartiology: Using An Apocalyptic Paul Hermeneutic To Exposit Chaos Monster Passages, Peter Terrell Bingham Jr.

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

Ancient mythology, precisely that of the Ancient Near East, includes the treacherous characters of chaos monsters who cause disorder due to their destructive supernatural influence in the natural world. Scripture includes chaos monsters of various sorts that cause the same destruction in the wake of their cosmic work. While an array of methodologies has been developed to study chaos monsters in the Ancient Near East considering their sources—i.e., Mesopotamian, Babylonian, Akkadian, etc.—there is a lack of a Biblical hermeneutic to adequately exposit chaos monster passages in Scripture. In the Apocalyptic Perspective on Paul, scholars have sought to develop a way …


The Warning Passages In Hebrews: Exhortations Written Using Deliberative Rhetoric To A Community Of Faith, Edgardo Rafael Báez Jul 2023

The Warning Passages In Hebrews: Exhortations Written Using Deliberative Rhetoric To A Community Of Faith, Edgardo Rafael Báez

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

Different interpretative approaches (historical-cultural, social-scientific, intertextual, oral-critical, rhetorical) and methodologies are applied when the so-called warning passages in the book of Hebrews get interpreted. Inevitably, these different interpretative methodologies have created different perspectives or views that the original author may not have intended and that the audience may not have gathered. The author of Hebrews was seeking to help the audience of his writings understand a new position through his extensive use of the Greek word κρείττων (kreittōn). Similarly, a Greek background is also evident because of the tremendous use of classical rhetoric within the Epistle. In addition, it is …


Platonism’S Influence On The Hermeneutic Of Augustine: Exploring The Philosophical Roots Of Augustine’S Interpretive Approach, Kent T. Maitland Jun 2023

Platonism’S Influence On The Hermeneutic Of Augustine: Exploring The Philosophical Roots Of Augustine’S Interpretive Approach, Kent T. Maitland

Liberty Theological Review

This paper contends that Augustine was a significant contributor to the “Spiritual Vision Model” of the Christian conception of heaven described by Craig Blaising. This model is premised on the Platonic understanding of perfection in which the soul unites with the Good, and heaven is primarily a cognitive state in which the individual possesses perfect spiritual knowledge. This model also provides a rational basis for favoring a figurative or spiritualized interpretation of Scripture over its literal meaning. Augustine’s early life and conversion reflects a commitment to the SVM’s Platonic ideals, as demonstrated in his deference to Cicero, his journey into …


The Voice Of The Singers At The Watering Places: Victory Songs As A Celebration Of Recreation, J Christian Doling Jun 2023

The Voice Of The Singers At The Watering Places: Victory Songs As A Celebration Of Recreation, J Christian Doling

Liberty Theological Review

Victory songs were sung by women to welcome home the men from victorious war. Some prophetic variants appeared from these songs that had a theology of salvation and recreation. Beside the message of the songs, the context of these songs also show that recreation was a major theme of these musical compositions. Warfare was about the expansion of creation from an ordered center in the Ancient Near East. For Israel the center was Yahweh’s presence with Israel being a new Eden. Recreation of the chaotic lands around Israel required that Israel went to war to subdue those lands and people. …


Music Literacy And Worship Theology For Volunteer Choir And Worship Teams, Timothy Ray Marsden Jun 2023

Music Literacy And Worship Theology For Volunteer Choir And Worship Teams, Timothy Ray Marsden

Masters Theses

When building a worship team and a worship-leading choir, worship pastors seek gifted volunteers within their congregations to add to the numbers of their groups. Assessing team members' music literacy and theology of worship often comes later in the process, if at all. This project aims to determine the essentials of music literacy for a volunteer choir or worship team member. It will create a curriculum for developing those skills further through weekly rehearsals. The project will also seek to define a theology of worship for the First United Methodist Church of Red Oak, Iowa, and a plan to study …


Developing Strategies To Implement The D.W.S. Program Of Liberty University In South Korea, Taeseong Kim Jun 2023

Developing Strategies To Implement The D.W.S. Program Of Liberty University In South Korea, Taeseong Kim

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

This study suggests practical strategies to implement the Doctor of Worship Studies program of Liberty University in South Korea. In the past several decades, Christian worship in South Korea has followed America’s footsteps of worship transition. As many Christian leaders in the U.S. have agreed on the urgency of worship renewal, so have Christian leaders in South Korea. True worship must be relational with the Triune God, which is the core of Christian worship. When worship lacks a rightful relationship with God, it becomes human-centered and ritualistic. Worship renewal must flow from the worship leaders to laypeople, and it is …


Charles Spurgeon And A Biblical View Of Wealth, Robert Sheppard Jun 2023

Charles Spurgeon And A Biblical View Of Wealth, Robert Sheppard

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

Charles Spurgeon preached wealth as a spiritual commodity based on his Christological exposition which countered the preaching of wealth as a divine right. Some people have come to view earthly wealth as a substance that comes as a result of obedience to God. There are also a number of people that believe that any biblical theology pertaining to wealth is amendable and see no lasting truth in the text. Spurgeon critiques these approaches. He saw earthly wealth primarily as a spiritual commodity and believed it to be a substance that should be utilized for the purpose of bringing glory to …


Genesis 9:6: The Noahic Covenant And The Divine Blood Redeemer, Seth Kenan Pryor May 2023

Genesis 9:6: The Noahic Covenant And The Divine Blood Redeemer, Seth Kenan Pryor

Masters Theses

This thesis analyzes Gen 9:6 and its theological context in Genesis to determine the most exact interpretation of this passage. Chapter one focuses on an exegesis of Gen 9:1-7, arguing for a beth pretii (price or exchange) in Gen 9:6a. This argument is based on an accumulative analysis that considers overarching themes, lack of details, speech patterns, statistics, parallels, and structure. The conclusion is that v.5 presents God as the investigator and reckoner of bloodguilt, v.6a establishes a new principle of justice, and v.6b provides the theological rationale for a serious punishment. Chapter two places Gen 9:1-7 within its theological …


A Phenomenological Examination Of Church Leaders' Perceived Impact Of Executive Coaching On Organizational Culture, Jerrell Stokley May 2023

A Phenomenological Examination Of Church Leaders' Perceived Impact Of Executive Coaching On Organizational Culture, Jerrell Stokley

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The trajectory of the seminary training curriculum has evolved pedagogically at projecting adequate church leadership education and hands-on development. However, empirical research reveals that the seminary struggles with preparing generations of church leaders for modern church responsibilities including executive leadership, tactical performance, administration, and church organizational culture (Crowson, 2021; Costin, 2008). Hicks (2012), as cited by Smith (2017) states, “Recent studies have begun to explore the need for management training for pastors” (p. 2). Graduates as well as current church leaders report feeling ill-equipped for the increasing duties for today’s church culture. This qualitative, phenomenological study evaluated mid-to-senior level Christian …


How Lifestyle Worship Develops The Qualities Of Effective Leadership In Sacred And Secular Leaders, Pervis Omar Blake May 2023

How Lifestyle Worship Develops The Qualities Of Effective Leadership In Sacred And Secular Leaders, Pervis Omar Blake

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

This qualitative study will examine how lifestyle worship develops the qualities of effective leadership in sacred and secular leaders. The study will use descriptive research regarding leaders from the sacred and secular fields. This study will prove the benefit of the approach of developing leaders through the lifestyle worship model to be impactful in both. The study shows there are common themes and qualities of leaders in different levels of leadership and varying years of leadership. Although there are separate studies on the qualities of effective leadership in both the sacred and secular worlds, there is currently little to no …


Becoming Who You Already Are In Christ: An Eight-Week Discipleship Plan To Equip Members Of Crossline Church To Live Out Their Identity In Christ, John Paul Jones May 2023

Becoming Who You Already Are In Christ: An Eight-Week Discipleship Plan To Equip Members Of Crossline Church To Live Out Their Identity In Christ, John Paul Jones

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

This action-research project focused on equipping members of Crossline Community Church to live out their identity in Christ. The intervention was an eight-week discipleship plan, “Becoming who you already are in Christ.” The action-research project aimed to evaluate the impact of equipping believers with their identity in Christ upon their transformation into Christ-likeness. The project incorporated biblical, theological, and devotional content with a comprehensive pedagogy designed for maximum influence toward progressive sanctification. The twelve participants in the intervention engaged in sermons, training classes, small groups, and personal Bible studies as a part of the action research. Triangulated evaluation tools were …


Covenant Infidelity And Political Apostasy In The Judean Monarchy: Disobedience, Punishment, And The Promise Of Redemption, Angie M. Roehrenbeck May 2023

Covenant Infidelity And Political Apostasy In The Judean Monarchy: Disobedience, Punishment, And The Promise Of Redemption, Angie M. Roehrenbeck

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

This study will focus on an exegetical examination of political apostasy, the resulting judgment of God, and the promise of redemption for the Judean monarchy. Through an examination of specific texts in the book of Kings and the classical prophetic corpus, this dissertation will show how five out of twenty-one Judean kings ruling at key junctures in Israelite history were condemned and suffered punishment for violating the covenant by committing political apostasy with the surrounding nations. Yet, despite these infractions, Yahweh was still found to be a God of hope, compassion, and mercy, forgiving when his people repented, and faithful …


Seeking Biblical Clarity Through Blended Worship In Georgia Baptist Churches, Angelia Weide Mcleroy May 2023

Seeking Biblical Clarity Through Blended Worship In Georgia Baptist Churches, Angelia Weide Mcleroy

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

Despite worship training, many leaders in Georgia Baptist churches struggle to combine music styles cohesively to produce biblical worship. Because of the musical “worship wars” regarding traditional, contemporary, and blended styles, many leaders encounter congregations that lack an understanding of blended worship that marries varied music styles. Guided by survey findings of Georgia Baptist music leaders, this qualitative research case study may identify challenges leaders face concerning stylistic music selections while striving to achieve biblical worship. By evaluating the educational and training process and biblical content, the methodological selection of music can be assessed through this study as documented worship …


Ccapg, Shame Resilience, And God Attachment: A Case Study Analysis, Jeremy Duane Bonta May 2023

Ccapg, Shame Resilience, And God Attachment: A Case Study Analysis, Jeremy Duane Bonta

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The experience of shame is a universal human phenomenon associated with a myriad of mental health conditions and positively correlated to the destructive aspects of religiosity, such as perceived alienation from God or excessive focus on human sinfulness. For the religious believer, shameful experiences may hinder the development of a secure God attachment and influence one’s internal working model of God as harsh or malevolent, reinforcing a sense of internal shame. To date, the availability of therapeutic interventions targeting shame reduction and addressing insecure God attachment are minimal. Grounded in implicit internal working model correspondence theory and shame resilience theory, …


Embedding The Theology And Principles Of Worship In Pastoral Training And Sermon Preparation, Janicka E. Newbill May 2023

Embedding The Theology And Principles Of Worship In Pastoral Training And Sermon Preparation, Janicka E. Newbill

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

A current literature investigation exposes a deficit in encouraging pastors and preachers to embed theology and principles of worship in their sermon preparation and pastoral training. This presents a concern when churchgoers gather in person or virtually to hear a sermon to strengthen their Christian walk each week. In addition, each year, seminary students and local church organizations graduate ministry leaders trained and prepared to deliver sermons designed to meet the spiritual needs of churchgoers. Yet, upon closer examination, there exist underpinning issues. Churchgoers are lacking in their understanding of worship. The Association of Theological Schools exposes a noticeable gap …


Worship Leadership From The Beginning: A Comparative Study Of Exodus 15:1-21 And Judges 5, Vivian Ann Petties May 2023

Worship Leadership From The Beginning: A Comparative Study Of Exodus 15:1-21 And Judges 5, Vivian Ann Petties

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

Although many excellent books, commentaries, and journal articles have been written on worship leadership, no framework for worship leadership has been developed based upon Exodus 15:1-21 or Judges 5. The purpose of previous research has not been to discover principles of leadership, praise, and worship, or composition of music for use in ministry nor to develop a consensus about the roles played by the males and females in these texts. To develop a proposal for filling this lacuna, the present thesis will study Exodus 15:1-21 and (comparatively) Judges 5. This qualitative study will employ the exegetical methods of socio-rhetorical analysis …


The Bible In Full Color: A High School Bible Study On The Inductive Bible Study Method, Margaret Gregory May 2023

The Bible In Full Color: A High School Bible Study On The Inductive Bible Study Method, Margaret Gregory

Senior Honors Theses

Modern Christianity is saturated with Bible studies for students. However, a crucial skill the Christian student needs to learn – how to study the Bible independently – is a topic difficult to find in contemporary youth Bible study curricula. While there is a wealth of biblically sound, helpful Bible studies that students can benefit from, it is essential that students do not remain dependent on these resources. One goal for youth ministry leaders is that their students graduate high school with the knowledge and tools they need to interpret the Scriptures for themselves correctly. The creative thesis will be an …


The Impact Of Southern Baptist Worship Ministries On Denominational Effectiveness, Laura S. Brod Apr 2023

The Impact Of Southern Baptist Worship Ministries On Denominational Effectiveness, Laura S. Brod

Masters Theses

Worship ministries maintain prominent roles in Southern Baptist (SB) churches. Despite ample available literature for today’s church educational methods and congregational discipleship, little study has focused on ways SB music ministries can bolster the spiritual health of congregants. SBs currently experience the consequences of recent scandals alongside dwindling attendance numbers. To address this multifaceted, spiritually rooted issue, this historical qualitative study proposes to discover characteristics and methods of music and worship ministries (WM) and leadership qualities that can best promote spiritual growth within SB churches to strengthen the denomination’s health. To undertake this, the study will explore SB history and …


Help For The Emotional Religious Doubter: Divine Revelation As An Epistemic Axiom And Its Significance Upon The Implementation Of Rational Emotive Behavior Therapy (Rebt), Ronald Henry Davis Jr. Apr 2023

Help For The Emotional Religious Doubter: Divine Revelation As An Epistemic Axiom And Its Significance Upon The Implementation Of Rational Emotive Behavior Therapy (Rebt), Ronald Henry Davis Jr.

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

This study addresses the concept of religious doubt concerning those who embrace the Christian tradition, i.e., those who embrace the words and works of Christ, specifically the reality of the Resurrection, as true and efficacious for both salvation and spiritual formation. The existential crisis of doubting these truths is a consistent and significant issue addressed in both religious and secular circles driven by the desire to help the individual overcome the emotional distress associated with this phenomenon. This study is designating doubt that creates an existential crisis as emotional religious doubt (ERD), i.e., it is a species/variety of doubt that …


Understanding The Resurrection Of Jesus Christ And Its Soteriological Significance, Zach Maldonado Apr 2023

Understanding The Resurrection Of Jesus Christ And Its Soteriological Significance, Zach Maldonado

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this DMIN action research project was to develop and implement a study on the resurrection of Jesus at Life Church. The problem was that people at Life Church did not adequately understand the resurrection of Christ for their belief in salvation. The study sought to help members of Life Church understand what Scripture teaches about salvation. The goal for this action research project was for members of Life Church to understand, defend, and articulate the resurrection of Jesus and its soteriological implications. There were seven total participants that took part in the study. Every participant was given …


Music Educators As Worship Leaders: The Impact In Music Ministries Led By Music Educators, Patrick Robert Eckelkamp Apr 2023

Music Educators As Worship Leaders: The Impact In Music Ministries Led By Music Educators, Patrick Robert Eckelkamp

Masters Theses

Some of the most competent musicians in local communities are the music educators in local school districts. Since the Bible commands us to play skillfully to God, local music teachers may be an excellent resource for churches. Some churches cannot hire a full-time worship pastor from a seminary or Bible college. In these scenarios, a skilled music teacher looking for additional income and sharing convictions with their church may be a great candidate to fill a vacant worship leader role. Since music teachers primarily study classical and orchestral music, there may be challenges for classically trained music educators leading a …


Is Assurance Of Salvation Of The Essence Of Saving Faith In The Gospel Of John?, Robert Vacendak Apr 2023

Is Assurance Of Salvation Of The Essence Of Saving Faith In The Gospel Of John?, Robert Vacendak

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

Catholics, Calvinists, and Arminians deny absolute assurance of salvation. Instead, they imagine only “degrees of,” “a measure of,” “a kind of,” or “some level of” assurance before final judgment. Scholarly analyses of assurance often prioritize earlier studies, not Scripture. Therefore, few question whether partial assurance even meets the Biblical threshold. This dissertation seeks a fresh inductive analysis of John’s Gospel, a book challenging the scholarly consensus. Numerically, John’s divine truth-claims regarding eternal life/assurance far exceed other Biblical books. Careful exegesis of John vindicates absolute assurance and refutes partial assurance. Regeneration occurs the moment one believes Christ has irrevocably saved him …


Equipping Covenant Baptist Church To Defend The Bible In A Skeptical World, Harlan Grant Mclain Apr 2023

Equipping Covenant Baptist Church To Defend The Bible In A Skeptical World, Harlan Grant Mclain

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The thesis of this research project is “If Covenant Baptist Church members are taught the reliability of the Bible, they will be equipped to defend their faith to a skeptical world.” The goals of this doctoral thesis are two-fold: to train adequate believers regarding the Bible’s reliability in a skeptical world, and honor God in the process through the equipping ministry of the church in accordance with Ephesians 4:11-16. Seven lessons were researched, formulated, and presented to a small group of believers in Covenant Baptist Church who desired to become more confident in defending the Bible to a skeptic. Entrance …