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From Perpetual Struggle To Liberation And Freedom: An Analysis Of Two Predominately African American Churches, Stanley Bernard Baldwin Ii Dec 2021

From Perpetual Struggle To Liberation And Freedom: An Analysis Of Two Predominately African American Churches, Stanley Bernard Baldwin Ii

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

African American Church Music has a unique and robust history dating back to the era of the African Slave Trade. This project will focus on African American Church Music and its effect on the African American worship experience in the 21st century. The creation of spirituals and gospel music helped shape the doctrine and identity in the African American Church. However, its message of suffering and “longing to go home” has limited the worship experience of the African American demographic. Musical style, historical significance, and racial issues have played a significant role in shaping the African American worship experience. These …


An Effective Online Training Strategy For Worship Leaders In Korea, Dong Hyun Kwon Dec 2021

An Effective Online Training Strategy For Worship Leaders In Korea, Dong Hyun Kwon

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

A trained worship leader plays a significant role in a modern church's proper worship experience. It is hard to find well-prepared worship leaders, and most local churches need to train those who are or will be leading their worship services. There have been various courses for this purpose by several organizations in Korea. However, these programs have usually been limited to those who are able to attend at a certain time and place set by the organization. Those who do not live in large cities or cannot afford time off during those hours have been excluded from the opportunity to …


"Read It Again!": Storytelling To Imitate The Great Teacher, Kate Whatley Nov 2021

"Read It Again!": Storytelling To Imitate The Great Teacher, Kate Whatley

Senior Honors Theses

The student’s mind is bent on stories, asking mothers around the world to ‘read it again’. These stories preserve information and emotions for centuries. In the classroom, stories enliven motivation and empathy in ways that result in higher academic achievement and social awareness. Learning to use stories as a key instructional strategy will allow for more equitable opportunities in classrooms, encourage mental health and truth telling for the teacher and the student collectively, and allow the academic community to imitate Christ by contributing to the bigger story taking place across time. In application of using stories as teachers, this thesis …


Obeying The Commission: A Model For Equipping Christians To Make Disciples, David Kofi Bempong Nov 2021

Obeying The Commission: A Model For Equipping Christians To Make Disciples, David Kofi Bempong

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

Jesus was explicit when He gave His disciples specific instructions before His ascension. In Matthew 28:19, Jesus commissions his followers to be disciple-makers. Christians today are beneficiaries of the previous generations’ efforts to fulfill this commission. The purpose of this project is to evaluate how discipleship is accomplished at Riverdale Baptist Church and to propose a strategy demonstrating practical ways people can begin making disciples. The traditional church model is losing relevance amid a society that is increasingly dissociating itself from formal religion. The body of Christ must be in touch with their communities and find effective ways of making …


Reproducing Lay Leaders In The Local Church Through Missional Mentoring, Jonathan A. Watson Nov 2021

Reproducing Lay Leaders In The Local Church Through Missional Mentoring, Jonathan A. Watson

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

In many rural churches with 250 or fewer people in attendance each week, there is a need to properly train and prepare non-paid, volunteer laymen to serve in positions of leadership. Churches have been guilty of placing someone in an area of service with very little—or no—direction of what to do or how to properly lead. Without adequate training and leadership development, the spiritual growth of the ministry can be hindered as lay leaders are not equipped to effectively disciple those under their ministry. At Bible Baptist Church, the desire is to develop a missional mentoring ministry that will help …


Rethinking Intergenerational Worship To Pass Down Spiritual Legacy Through The Generations In Korean Churches, Sungjoo Yoon Nov 2021

Rethinking Intergenerational Worship To Pass Down Spiritual Legacy Through The Generations In Korean Churches, Sungjoo Yoon

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

Korean Christianity has seen astonishing growth over the past century. As churches have grown, with the necessity of more specified education by age, generational separation in worship services and programs has become a common trend in Korean Churches. However, this tendency has also stimulated conflicts and divisions among generations in churches. Consequently, the age group segregation within churches has made it increasingly difficult for them to preserve Christian legacy through the generations. Therefore, the purpose of this thesis project is to assist Korean local churches in reevaluating and adopting Intergenerational worship as a biblical means to bind generations in one …


Youth To Adult Continuance Of Faith: How To Achieve Young Adult Retention Through Pre-Adult Instruction, Michael Leslie Tyree Jr. Nov 2021

Youth To Adult Continuance Of Faith: How To Achieve Young Adult Retention Through Pre-Adult Instruction, Michael Leslie Tyree Jr.

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

This project grows out of the late teen through the twenty-something absence of young adult believers as active Crawford Road Baptist Church (CRBC) members. This phenomenon, young adult absence, is experienced in many churches and therefore worthy of research to discover causal influences and possible mitigations. Project research included scholarly books and direct interviews with ministry experts. The project topic is youth to the young adult continuance of faith and how to achieve young adult retention through preadult instruction. Research in this effort has included discipleship, church growth, worship, culture, and relevant young adult statistical data review. This project will …


The Kingdom Of Heaven In Matthew's Gospel, Jeffery Jerome Mize Sr. Nov 2021

The Kingdom Of Heaven In Matthew's Gospel, Jeffery Jerome Mize Sr.

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this research is to clear up the misunderstanding that exists in Matthew’s Gospel. This project focuses on clarifying how a better understanding of the differences between the “kingdom of heaven” and the “kingdom of God” in Matthew’s Gospel which in turn will impact the lives of Christians today. As this study will reveal, each phrase has a unique usage that was important to the original audience. Matthew’s aim in writing his Gospel were, not only to strengthen the spiritual disposition of his church, but also to assist his readers in rediscovering their true identity. The Jewish setting …


Establishing 24-7 Worship And Prayer Reflecting The Harp And Bowl Model Depicted In Revelation 5:8 In The Local Church, Margaret Leanne Naff Nov 2021

Establishing 24-7 Worship And Prayer Reflecting The Harp And Bowl Model Depicted In Revelation 5:8 In The Local Church, Margaret Leanne Naff

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

One of the primary functions of the Church as being redeemed unto God is to worship and pray. The combination of worship and prayer releases the kingdom of heaven on the earth for the purpose of divine encounter with God, cultural transformation, and redemption of humanity. This thesis project focused on the progressive establishment of 24-7 worship and prayer in the local church to reflect the harp and bowl model depicted in Revelation 5:8. This study provided a four-week teaching that was targeted toward growth in understanding a biblical theology for worship and prayer, revelation of intercession, the harp and …


Worship, Discipleship, And Evangelism: How The Purpose Of The Church Affects Congregational Singing, Justin Aaron Mckinney Oct 2021

Worship, Discipleship, And Evangelism: How The Purpose Of The Church Affects Congregational Singing, Justin Aaron Mckinney

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

For several hundred years, in response to Charles Finney’s innovations, American churches emphasized evangelism over worship within corporate worship services. This approach redirected the vertical focus of corporate worship from God to the horizontal focus of non-believers as the primary audience. The Bible supports a horizontal audience for corporate worship for edifying fellow believers, but non-believers as the primary audience of corporate worship is contrary t¬o both the Bible and most of church history. The purpose of this project is to establish the necessity of worship preceding evangelism by examining their relationship through biblical exegesis, scholarly literature, and church history …


Apologetics And Science Instruction For Educators In Secondary Christian Schools, Brett Austin Craddock Sep 2021

Apologetics And Science Instruction For Educators In Secondary Christian Schools, Brett Austin Craddock

Masters Theses

Without the incorporation of apologetic instruction into the science classroom students will be ill-equipped to defend the Christian faith. The academic world has seen a decrease of importance that is placed on the Christian mind and therefore the academic world and the majority of scholarly debates have been left to secular thinkers. Secondary Christian schools are in the optimal position to answer the need to raise up a generation of students that may apologetically and academically defend the Christian faith. Through including topics such as Intelligent Design, irreducible complexity, anatomy, and fine-tuning to various fields of science, secondary educators will …


Ethical Decision Making In Nursing Practice: The Impact On Moral Distress, Anthony W. Green Sep 2021

Ethical Decision Making In Nursing Practice: The Impact On Moral Distress, Anthony W. Green

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

There is significant research that indicates nurses working in a hospital setting experience moral distress while caring for their patients. While there are many barriers that prevent nurses from overcoming moral distress and moving toward moral resilience, this research project focused on eliminating barriers that nurses face in making good ethical, moral, biblical decisions. The research methodology for this project was qualitative, interpretive, and longitudinal. There was an initial interview with five participant nurses at Ellis Medicine regarding their knowledge of ethics in healthcare and moral distress. The researcher then provided an education program for participant nurses to increase their …


The Cultural Relevance Model Of Worship, Mark David Brumagin Sep 2021

The Cultural Relevance Model Of Worship, Mark David Brumagin

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

n the early decades of the twenty-first century a new model of worship has begun to emerge in some North American evangelical churches. Significant events in North American church history combined with cultural ideologies inherent to the North American context have influenced particular churches resulting in new worship practices. Churches that are affected are often marked by the development of highly affective worship experiences, the production and consumption of goods, the involvement of the worship team in marketing, and an elevated use of technology. In examining the cultural values at work in this development, this study found a historical thread …


Developing The Practice Of Biblical Mentoring Through Expository Preaching At Kepler Road Baptist Church, Jerry L. Durden Sep 2021

Developing The Practice Of Biblical Mentoring Through Expository Preaching At Kepler Road Baptist Church, Jerry L. Durden

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

Developing the Practice of Biblical Mentoring Through Expository Preaching at Kepler Road Baptist Church (KRBC) is a project in which the presence and practice of mentoring in the Bible is studied and how applying that practice in the local church would benefit the individual participants and the church ministry. The author’s goal for this project was to teach participants about how the Bible presents mentoring and to instill in them the desire to adopt mentoring as a lifestyle. The research for this project was accomplished through accessing material from the Jerry Falwell Library Online and by visiting the library at …


Church Leadership: Effectual Strategic Planning Towards The Congregational Growth And Maturation Of Go And Teach Christian Ministries, Christopher L. Kingdom Sep 2021

Church Leadership: Effectual Strategic Planning Towards The Congregational Growth And Maturation Of Go And Teach Christian Ministries, Christopher L. Kingdom

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

This thesis action research project is comprised of the effectual strategic planning toward the congregational growth and maturation of Go and Teach Christian Ministries. The project was embarked upon to address what had seemed to be a problem within the church’s leadership. The focus on church growth in membership numbers, rather than the membership, had seemed to creep into the leadership of GATCM. It seemed that the programs and events of the church were geared more toward attracting outsiders and adding new members to the church rather than creating an atmosphere of growth within the church attendees. From a foundational …


Maintaining A Biblical Worldview: Mitigating Emerging Syncretism With Worldly Philosophies Through Focused Instruction In Christian Theology, Scott Kendal Leafe Sep 2021

Maintaining A Biblical Worldview: Mitigating Emerging Syncretism With Worldly Philosophies Through Focused Instruction In Christian Theology, Scott Kendal Leafe

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

Believers in the Lord Jesus Christ are granted a “new nature” that enables them to develop thinking, a worldview, based on the mind of Christ. Unfortunately, since every person’s worldview is continually being modified, it becomes ever more challenging for believers to keep their thinking consistent with Scripture. Therefore, this action research thesis assumes consistent participation in focused teaching on fundamental doctrines and theologies of the Christian faith is necessary to develop and maintain a cohesive biblical worldview. This research project comprised the teaching of a five-part Bible study course at a local church in eleven consecutive forty-five-minute classes on …


Racial Reconciliation: A Theological Approach To Building Relationships, Calvin Glass Sep 2021

Racial Reconciliation: A Theological Approach To Building Relationships, Calvin Glass

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

Racism within the Christian community in America has resulted in social unrest and has plagued the Christian church in a way that mandates urgent solutions to this untamed malady. This research focus is centered on learning a practicable methodology based on biblical principles that address racial reconciliation (building God-approved relationships) that will combat racial disunity among Christians. The study method used BBR (Building Better Relationships) consisted of interviewing and teaching a focus group representing a Black pastor and five church participants on racial relations issues within the church context. From the recommendations of the senior pastor, a focus group from …


A Framework For Utilizing Narrative Theory And Life Review In Healthcare Chaplaincy, Joshua M. Fagin Sep 2021

A Framework For Utilizing Narrative Theory And Life Review In Healthcare Chaplaincy, Joshua M. Fagin

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

In healthcare chaplaincy, narrative theory can help the patient separate themselves from their grief or terminal illness. It has been said that chaplaincy is a “ministry of presence,” however, just showing up is a low-level intervention. The purpose for this Doctor of Ministry thesis is to equip chaplains with a comprehensive framework for apply narrative theory and life review in the healthcare chaplaincy context. This thesis seeks to explore and define biblical models of storytelling and spiritual narratives. This thesis will encourage chaplains to have meaningful, engaging and longer visits in individual and group visits. If the spiritual care department …


The Erosion Of Theological Understanding, Thomas Glenn Sleeth Aug 2021

The Erosion Of Theological Understanding, Thomas Glenn Sleeth

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

Many Christian churches have been experiencing declines in attendance at Sunday services, Bible studies, and prayer meetings, and have experienced the affects of an apathetic attitude toward Christian community engagement. The lack of teaching scripturally accurate Biblical doctrine and applying scripture to daily life has led to a sharp decrease in discipleship. By examining the attitudes and reasons contributing to this lack of Christian participation and scriptural understanding, pastors and other church leadership can address the specific rationales for not living the scripture in daily life. Through the advent of a discipleship program an increase for the desire of congregants …


Effective Sermon Application In A Charlotte Exurb Baptist Church, David Keuss Aug 2021

Effective Sermon Application In A Charlotte Exurb Baptist Church, David Keuss

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

This thesis explores an improvement in expository sermon application using two technical tools added to the sermon divisions of sermon series messages. The background of applicational improvements is explored, the problem at Sandy Plains Baptist Church of Gastonia is outlined, and the solution employed. The problem is a spiritual comfort or plateau among members with previous life applications of sermons. The goal was to provide two new resources that would overcome the spiritual status quo in Sunday worship attendee’s lives. This method was tested utilizing Likert scale surveys, unpaired T-tests, and facilitator notations. The thesis project provides guidance to other …


The Development Of A Biblical Theology Curriculum For The Congregation Of Poplar Bluff First Baptist Church, Brandon Paul Spain Aug 2021

The Development Of A Biblical Theology Curriculum For The Congregation Of Poplar Bluff First Baptist Church, Brandon Paul Spain

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this project is to educate the congregation of First Baptist Church of Poplar Bluff how to understand the biblical theology of Scripture. It is the belief that if the people of FBCPB receive proper training in the subject of biblical theology that they will begin to appreciate the grand narrative of the biblical story. It is the researcher’s hope that once the people begin to read the Bible through a gospel lens they will become eager to dive deeper into the Word of God. The researcher also has hope that a healthy biblical theology will not only …


Micro-Kingdom: A Theological And Missiological Apologetic For The Microchurch Model As An Effective And Faithful New Testament Expression Of The Kingdom Of God, Donald Clayton Dodge Aug 2021

Micro-Kingdom: A Theological And Missiological Apologetic For The Microchurch Model As An Effective And Faithful New Testament Expression Of The Kingdom Of God, Donald Clayton Dodge

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

Using a bibliographic methodology, this thesis is a theological and missiological defense for the microchurch model as a solution to the limitations of the prevalent Western attractional model to effectively live out Jesus command to be a community of disciples making disciples. The declining western model is proving insufficient in a post-Christian, post-Christendom world to fulfill the intended role of the church. And as more churches are continually planted, if the erroneous presuppositions responsible for the decline of the church’s efficacy are not amended, there will be no lasting change regardless of how much effort and money is invested. New …


The Relationship Between Contemporary Evangelical Church Leadership And Church Discipleship Formation, James Lawrence Marshall Aug 2021

The Relationship Between Contemporary Evangelical Church Leadership And Church Discipleship Formation, James Lawrence Marshall

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this mixed methods study was to determine if the church leadership paradigm contributes to the problem of a lack of disciple-making in Pennsylvania Evangelical churches. A disciple is defined as an unwavering commitment to the Lordship of Christ that is illustrated by Luke 9:23 in which disciples deny themselves and carry their cross daily. This research sought to identify the causes for the lack of discipleship in Pennsylvania Evangelical churches, and had the following findings from the quantitative survey. First, the vision that leadership provides for disciple-making is much higher than either the member involvement in discipleship …


Engagement Of Millennials: Understanding The Decline Within Greater Hartford Area Churches, Victor Thomas Aug 2021

Engagement Of Millennials: Understanding The Decline Within Greater Hartford Area Churches, Victor Thomas

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

ecent trends reveal the sharpest decline in Church attendance in the Greater Hartford area has occurred within the population known as the Millennials. A question that is looming and of significance in this decade is what causes this generation to be attracted to some Churches and not others? Ten Protestant inner-city Churches within the Greater Hartford Area were studied to discover if there is a nexus between millennial participation, church leadership, and tools for equipping the millennial population of the church body. This study discovered several factors which impact millennial engagement which include, social influences, political ideologies, technology, and generational …


Washington Street Baptist Church: Training Leaders For Community Outreach, Latasha Fabrae Culkin Jul 2021

Washington Street Baptist Church: Training Leaders For Community Outreach, Latasha Fabrae Culkin

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

This DMIN action research thesis aims to create and implement additional leadership training for those who have completed prior leadership training, explicitly addressing community outreach, the purpose of the church, the outside culture, and the disciplines of a church leader. When Christian leaders go outside the church, connect with the culture, model an authentic Christian life, and use their gifts, the church is influential. When the Christian leader works in the secular arena with people who are not saved, and when the Christian leaders take their skills and training outside the four walls, they change that working community for Christ. …


Church Leadership: The Church's Responsibility To The Great Commission And A Qualitative Approach To Its Command To Make Disciples, William Maxwell Jul 2021

Church Leadership: The Church's Responsibility To The Great Commission And A Qualitative Approach To Its Command To Make Disciples, William Maxwell

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The gospel message is one that is life changing and one that must go forward in our world. As the church, every Christian is responsible for making every effort to fulfill the incredible command that Jesus gave first to his small group of disciples and essentially to every follower. Disciples of Jesus are to go out and make new disciples of Christ, teaching them the ways of Jesus and actively helping them, through the working of the Holy Spirit, to mold them into Christians that will in turn go out and be disciples that make new disciples. Consequently, this is …


Lived Experiences Of Assemblies Of God Pastors With Regards To Leadership Style, Demands, Stressors, And Ministry Burnout, Barbara Christina Chavez Jun 2021

Lived Experiences Of Assemblies Of God Pastors With Regards To Leadership Style, Demands, Stressors, And Ministry Burnout, Barbara Christina Chavez

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this qualitative phenomenological study was to discover the perception of 15 small church Assemblies of God pastors in San Antonio with regards to leadership style, leadership demands, leadership stressors, and ministry burnout. The researcher used the interpretative phenomenological analysis (IPA) approach due to the openness of collecting the data through semi-structured interviews that allowed participants to respond to open-ended questions. The additional interview instrument was the WLAB scale and the burnout inventory instrument from Iverson, Olekalns, and Erwin (1998). The researcher coded and evaluated data using NVIVO12 software. Through the association of common themes, the researcher unearthed …


Leading From Eternity: Developing Inmates With Life Sentences Into Undershepherds, Richard S. Kowalczyk Jun 2021

Leading From Eternity: Developing Inmates With Life Sentences Into Undershepherds, Richard S. Kowalczyk

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

In an attempt to reform the American criminal justice system, the United States Congress passed, and the President signed, the comprehensive First Step Act (FSA). The aim of the FSA is to identify and begin preparing offenders for release in order to reduce recidivism. Unfortunately, the provisions of FSA applied to only a small percentage of the inmate population. Further, there was very little relief with regards to the reforming of the sentencing guidelines. None of the provisions provided any direct relief for inmates with a minimum of 20 years to life sentences. This thesis project provides an opportunity for …


Trends In The Gospel Music Ensemble Experience: Establishing The Precedent And Need For Inclusion Of Gospel Choir Ensemble Experience And Pedagogy Into The Collegiate Level Music Curriculum, Arthur Demario Beard Iii Jun 2021

Trends In The Gospel Music Ensemble Experience: Establishing The Precedent And Need For Inclusion Of Gospel Choir Ensemble Experience And Pedagogy Into The Collegiate Level Music Curriculum, Arthur Demario Beard Iii

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

During the late 1990s, gospel music emergence in secondary schools and colleges brought a new awareness of a dynamic change in social-cultural, peer-relations, and many educational sector activities in America. Gospel music is part of the musical tapestry in the United States arts community. The music genre shapes, frames, and reflects the worship-life and faith expression in most African-American churches. The nature of gospel music itself encourages teachers to introduce it as a meaningful, albeit alternative genre in music education curriculum and teaching experiences. This study aims to articulate the significance of integrating gospel music ensemble into the college music …


Fidelity In Institutional Structure: Divine Family Formation And The Variance Of Church Amid Dysfunctional Behavior, Terrence Lyne Toliver Jun 2021

Fidelity In Institutional Structure: Divine Family Formation And The Variance Of Church Amid Dysfunctional Behavior, Terrence Lyne Toliver

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

There has been a rift in the providential establishment of our Lord. Humanity is indulgent unto sin and the family is suffering. Disobedience and selfishness have blinded humankind into a false sense of reality. The fallacy has taken the place of divine order in the chosen avenues into humanism depicted as science, technology, philosophy, cultism, and any other route devoid of Christ. Therefore, this in-depth study seeks to dispel or to bring to light a revelation of where humanity rests in the grand scheme of contemporary life. Two notions of preponderance present themselves, to forgo selfishness and to embrace righteousness. …