Digital Commons Network^™

Police Demographics And Stress Relief Program Utilization, Michael Wayne Whittington

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

Police officers face challenges from operational and organizational stressors. Officers often have access to stress relief programs offered by their employers such as Peer Support Programs, Employee Assistance Programs, or Chaplaincy Programs. The implementation of these stress relief programs is based on the perception of need and anecdotal evidence. Police stress and stress relief studies offer mixed results as to the way an officer chooses one program or another. One understudied area to determine stress relief program utilization is demographics. Variables such as experience, education, marital status, race, sexuality, and gender may factor into the decision as to which stress …

Pastoral Counseling: African American Attitudes Toward Mental Healthcare, William Oliver Hansford Jr

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The perspectives of African Americans at the Highway to Heaven Ministry were evaluated using diverse theological concepts in this study. The findings of this study help in deciphering reasons why African Americans primarily choose traditional versus pastoral counseling. The results of the survey were based on the responses of 100 people, all of whom were members of the Highway to Heaven Ministry. Sixty-five women and 35 men, ranging in age from 18 to 88, were enrolled in the study. The data was collected using a well-prepared questionnaire to discover the participants' most heartfelt views regarding pastoral counseling and what motivates …

The Criteria Of Liturgical Worship And Analysis Of Wesley‘S Theology And How His Approach Challenges Contemporary Christians, Especially In Terms Of Worship, Eunice H. Ahn

Masters Theses

Although liturgical traditions were introduced during the Modernism Era, they continue to play an influential role in churches today. The worship and teaching practices applied in Roman Catholic Churches reflect how important traditional liturgy is in the Post-Modernism Era. While many catholic congregations are aware of the significance of liturgy, many Christian and Protestant Churches are not. There is missing knowledge regarding liturgical traditions in these churches. This study will propose liturgical worship in contemporary Christian and Protestant congregations as an alternative proposal from the perspective of John Wesley. This proposal will discuss the criteria of liturgical worship and analyze …

The Final Amen: Designing And Implementing A Christlike System For The Closure Of Waypointe Christian Fellowship, Christopher E. Sherwood

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

Like a myriad of other churches across the country, WayPointe Christian Fellowship (WCF) experienced a long decline leading to a critical question: Should the church permanently close? In the case of WCF, the answer was yes, which led to other questions about how to accomplish the task while maximizing God's glory, minimizing the pain felt by those involved, and preparing the congregation to migrate to another body of believers. This thesis project was designed to enable the leaders of WCF and other church leaders to answer these questions. In this pursuit, a comprehensive closure plan was created and implemented at …

Understanding The 21st Century Practical Implication Of Chaplaincy Ministry In The City Of Milwaukee, Wi, Jeffrey D. Hayman

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

This research project acknowledges that God’s command for Christian hospital chaplains is to serve humanity. Jesus calls a chaplain. He then forms, transforms, and conforms them to His image of oneness. Hospital chaplains like pastors are part of care ministries that extend to various work settings, Christian and secular. The hospital-certified chaplain, by definition, can support the whole workforce in the hospital, including their patients and the patient’s families. The hospital-certified chaplain is the main focus of this research. These hospital chaplains must be qualified, endorsed, licensed, certified, or ordained to be on the frontline in the community. A hospital-certified …

How Police Chaplains Can Facilitate Building And Maintaining Trust With Law Enforcement: Through The Ministry Of Presence, Marjorie Abrahams Dent

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

CPP Chaplaincy Corps is a ministry that provides spiritual, emotional, and mental support to its law enforcement personnel. Their function is to enhance the well-being and quality of life of the police officers as they serve and protect the citizens of their city, by offering a listening ear, a supportive presence, and providing individual pastoral care. This project seeks to determine if the newly organized CPP Chaplaincy Corps can be successful in facilitating the process of building trust with law enforcement through the Ministry of Presence and Pastoral Care. It also documents the progress and changes that have been made …

Leadership Culture: An Effective Leadership Strategy For Church Growth And Spiritual Maturity, Sikiru A. Asifatu

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

In every organization, leadership culture patterns require a constant assessment to ensure members adhere to corporate practices. In church settings, leadership culture not only creates change but also transforms ministry strategy. Often, church leaders do not perceive culture as the driving force behind effective ministry operations. At Gateway Church, the researcher encountered church growth issues that other ministries struggle with as well, from organizational structure to leadership style. These problems will continue to be a challenge unless the church reinvents an effective leadership strategy focusing on ministry development. This research aims to address the leadership development issue at Gateway Church …

Addressing The Impact Of Adverse Childhood Experiences Of Adults Through The Pastoral Counseling Ministry Of Victory Church, Joseph Randall Tapp

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

Dr. Vincent Filetti's landmark 1998 study exposed the impact of adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) on children and adults. His analysis determined that childhood traumatic experiences could strongly correlate to serious health issues in adults. Exposure to childhood adversity has been shown to correlate not only with mental health issues such as depression, suicide, and substance abuse but also with chronic, life-threatening health issues such as cardiovascular disease, diabetes, cancer, and immune system issues. This DMin study aims to address the impact of ACEs on adult clients of the pastoral counseling ministry of Victory Church, a large non-denominational Christian church located …

Gendered Pastoral Care: A Hermeneutic Phenomenological Study Of The Lived Experiences Of Parishioners, Joshua D. Phelan

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

Pastoral care has a rich theological history which guides modern care applications. Pastoral care is generally understood as helping acts meant to guide believers toward spiritual formation (Clebsch & Jaekle, 1983). Gendered pastoral leadership could have an impact in how pastoral care is experienced by church parishioners. The purpose of this phenomenological study was to explore the lived experiences of twelve parishioners who had received pastoral care under both a male and a female lead pastor at three churches. Eagly’s (1987) social role theory served as a theoretical framework for this study. This research utilized personal interviews to collect data …

Building Resiliency And Effective Self-Care Among Emory Saint Joseph’S Hospital Chaplains, Shelly Marie Neal

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

Emory Saint Joseph’s Hospital chaplains have been tasked with an intricate role in providing spiritual care in the most critical and emotionally intense situations to others, however, they lacked providing that same level of care to themselves. Through the six-week research study chaplains were educated on implementing proper self-care practices and resiliency techniques, thus enabling the chaplains to be emotionally, spiritually, and physically healthy. Each week, the participants were asked to continue implementing the prescribed week’s practice and technique in addition to the previous week’s practice and technique. The participants who implemented Parker’s five self-care practices (faith, work-life harmony, meditation …

Core Values: A Phenomenological Study Of Spiritual Formation Through The Longevity Of Values Gained From Women's Ministry, Belinda Copeland

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

While many churches today have moved away from the practice of church-based women’s ministries, other churches still see their value and continue their dedication to providing specifically tailored programs to address the spiritual formation in women. The Bible reminds us in Hebrews 10:25 that we are not to forsake “the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some…” (King James Bible, 1769/2017, Heb. 10:25). However, some churches desire to assemble specific ministries separately, women from men. This study attempted to identify values in the spiritual formation of women and explored whether those values are still helpful in the spiritual …

Self-Compassion Education, A Framework For A Self-Care Plan For Military Chaplains: A Qualitative Study, Opeyemi Samuel Oluwafisoye

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

Self-compassion education promotes coping skills to ease emotional discomfort and suffering by offering a sense of belonging, understanding, and caring, similar to the benefits of empathy for someone else. No research has been done examining the buffering importance of self-compassion education as a framework for self-care among military chaplains. The current study was tailored toward understanding military chaplains’ perception of self-compassion as a framework for self-care. The dissertation aimed to determine a need to formulate a self-care plan for military chaplains to reduce their pain after helping Soldiers and their families diagnosed with trauma through different interventions. The goal of …

Heart, Soul, Mind, And Strength: Understanding Spirituality's Transformative Impact As Assisted By Intradisciplinary Integration, Christopher Taylor Stokes

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

Spirituality is an essential and deeply embedded part of Black Americans’ psyche. The counseling field has largely overlooked the roles of spirituality and religious beliefs in the development of the consciousness of this demographic. In the treatment of Black Americans, particularly Black churchgoers, this can be a serious oversight. The purpose of this DMin action research thesis is to provide sufficient intradisciplinary integrative spiritual teaching to effect holistic coping strategies for Lake Providence’s Mid-Week Bible Study Service members. The goal is to bring healing through an intradisciplinary integrative teaching approach utilizing psychology, theology, and spirituality. If the members of Lake …

Pastoral Pitfalls: Solutions To Navigating The Stresses Of Twenty-First Century Ministry, Chris Moore

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

American church clergy and their families are suffering from the effects of Twenty-First Century ministry and the stresses of the local church, according to research from the Fuller Institute, Barna Group, and Pastoral Care Inc. Much of the research in this area and its effects on the clergy and churches occurred more than a decade ago. Through updated research and surveys of current Southern Baptist ministers in the Baptist General Convention of Texas, this thesis will offer solutions to how these dangers can be lessened or alleviated. Through the presentation of updated statistics, the seriousness of this problem for the …

A Phenomenological Study Of Clergy Job-Related Stress And Stress-Coping During Covid-19, Peter Michael Foxwell

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this phenomenological study was to explore the lived experience of stress and stress-coping of five Michigan pastors who led their Evangelical Free Church of America (EFCA) congregations through the 2020-21 COVID-19 pandemic. Stress is generally defined as the psychophysiological response to a perceived threat or stressor, and stress-coping is generally defined as intentional behaviors designed to manage stress. The theoretical background of this study is the transactional theory of stress and coping (TTSC) (Lazarus, 1966; Lazarus & Folkman, 1984) as it relates to pastors’ lived experience of ministry-related stress and coping in crisis conditions. The rationales for …

A Step Toward An Interfaith Visitation Ministry To Provide Spiritual, Social, And Emotional Support To The Seriously Ill And Elderly At Their Homes In The Community Served By Good Samaritan Medical Center Lafayette, Colorado, Grant Gill Kirksey

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this Doctor of Ministry action research thesis is to identify the support offered to the seriously ill and elderly by local faith-based communities, to compare the identified interventions provided, to discuss the population’s needs and satisfaction with their local hospitals, and to discuss the results in the context of the population of seriously ill and elderly community members, and explore opportunities for Good Samaritan Medical Center (GSMC), Lafayette, Colorado, to partner with local religious communities to improve the well-being of the seriously ill and elderly in their community. This project will include the analysis of needs and …

Developing, Training, And Equipping Lay Ministers To Serve In Leadership Roles At Small African American Churches, Angelia V. Lewis

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

This thesis project explores the validity of a ministry training manual for developing, training, and equipping lay ministers at Fredericksburg Missionary Baptist Church. It assumes that if church members have leadership tools, they will use them to become more effective leaders. However, lay ministers often serve in ministry leadership roles without formal training. They should be trained and equipped by church leaders to lead effectively. Therefore, the question that this thesis project ask is, "Will a development and implementation of a leadership training manual equip lay ministers?" The Scripture is the primary literature resource for God’s provision in developing ministry …

Sky High Anxiolytics For Rocket City Women: A Holistic Health Approach Offered, Sandra L. Bruno

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The action research project aimed to implement a counseling model to equip clients experiencing anxiety with a holistic health approach. Anxiety is often treated by prescribed anxiolytics, although many women seeking counseling at Madison Counseling have not been formally diagnosed with an anxiety disorder. The study's goal was to provide participants with physical, mental/emotional, spiritual, and relational tools that can aid the participants in the reduction or alleviation of anxiety. The proposed model incorporated empirically proven techniques that balance the women's self to reduce symptomology by providing a healthy alternative to dealing with daily anxiety and stressors, thus reducing the …

The Effect Of Pastoral Care On The Direct Patient Care Staff Of The Bethany Children’S Health Center, Bethany, Ok, Job O. Ozovehe

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

This action project in the field of pastoral care and counseling is designed to determine the effect of pastoral care services of the Bethany Children’s Health Center, Bethany, OK, on the direct patient care staff. The project utilized a video intervention approach to provide needed support to the care team of the Bethany Children’s Health Center. Chapter one discusses the pastoral context of the pastoral care department. It presented the problem and the purpose statement. Chapter two examined the historical context of pastoral care and counseling. It explored the theological and theoretical foundations. Chapter three discusses the entire processes involved …

A Constructivist Grounded Theory Explaining How Families Homeschooling Learners With Special Educational Needs And Disabilities Mediate Learning Experiences, Melissa Delayne Dean

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this study was to extend Feuerstein et al.’s (2006, 2010, 2015) theories of structural cognitive modifiability and mediated learning experience to the homeschool context by constructing a grounded theory that explains how families create mediated learning experiences for learners with special educational needs and disabilities in a homeschool context. Feuerstein’s theories guided this study and provided the framework to answer the central research question: How do Feuerstein’s theories of structural cognitive modifiability and mediated learning experience extend to a homeschool context for learners with special educational needs and disabilities? Purposive sampling methods were used to identify 10 …

How To Help The Bi-Vocational Pastor At Sandy Grove Church To Have Balance In Ministry And Life Through Equipping & Teaching Of The Saints Along With A Structured Plan To Meet The Ministry Demands, Duran Kiley Odoms

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

Burnout, a subject that was birthed in the 1970s was only associated with the private and public sectors of the workforce. It has transitioned into other avenues where personal interaction takes place. Ministry is a profession where people interaction happens weekly and sometimes daily. Ministry is repetitive work that must be done daily, weekly, and monthly. Many pastors have fallen prey to this awful and painful enemy. Burnout has caused many pastors to lose their church, family, and life. The lack of ministry assistance and the demand for the job have taken a toll on many pastors whether they are …

A Phenomenological Study And Investigation Of Moral Injury With Veterans, Corey V. Douglas

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

Moral injury is not a new concept but there are present concerns surrounding the shortage of noted experiences of Veterans having dealt with moral injury. In addition, challenges in agreeing to a general definition and diagnostic criteria for moral injury are acknowledged. The lack of consensus on what is moral injury, diagnosis requirements, and treatment options are likely to complicate matters further in the future. The inability of the mental health industry and providers to determine a concrete foundation encompassing moral injury led to challenges to the delivery of care to individuals dealing with a moral injury such as Veterans …

Integrating Technology, Telehealth, And Videoconferencing As Tools For Providing Modern Approaches To Spiritual Care In The Clinical Setting As A Hospital Chaplain, Kory D. Fontenot

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The problem is that some hospital chaplains lack the proper preparation and strategies for integrating technology to provide spiritual care to patients. The purpose of this DMIN. research project is to develop strategies to integrate technology in pastoral care in the hospital that increases patient care. The strategies designed are based on existing research, resources, and successful integration models. The development process will consider the spiritual, financial, medical, and personal implications of the increased use of technology in provided healthcare consistent with, or exceeding, current expectations and quality standards. The methods will involve pre-scheduled spiritual care follow-up visit with patients …

The Chaplain As Part Of The Ministry Leadership Team, George Washington Willett Iii

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The chaplain is part of the ministry leadership team. The project aims to address the lack of a chaplain on the church ministry team, and the benefits chaplaincy adds to the ministry. Greater Faith Church lost the senior pastor to sudden death, leaving the founding bishop to serve as senior pastor. The leadership transition has caused the bishop to do most of the ministry work as the pastor. However, church ministry work is not only accomplished by the pastor. Church ministry is team leadership using all the gifts of the church. The study utilizes research methods within the church context …

Religiosity: Does It Attenuate Or Exacerbate The Relationship Between Past Childhood Sexual Abuse And Depression, Anxiety And Stress?, Karmen Lashawn Payne

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

Individuals who experience childhood sexual abuse (CSA) suffer a global injury. In addition to the impact sexual abuse has on their mental, emotional, sexual, and physical well-being, victims of CSA also experience spiritual pain. The sequelae of pain that follow CSA may lead nonbelievers and Christians to approach churches for desperately needed help. Churches may influence the experience of those seeking help. However, the degree to which ministries are helpful is conditional on their knowledge of and preparation for working with adult victims of past CSA. Past negative sexual experiences may also harm self-cognitions, potentially influencing survivors’ ability to approach …

A Single Woman’S Concerns And Struggles: Reversing The Perception Of Exclusion In The Church In The Twenty-First Century And Beyond, Bernadine C. Johnson

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The thesis research project seeks to offer the readers of the project solutions to changing perceptions while improving single women's experiences as critical community members and the local church in the twenty-first century and beyond. This study will employ mixed methods analysis using both qualitative and quantitative data. The project includes a survey by single individuals between the ages of eighteen and sixty-five or older via email. Participants will complete a thirty-two-question survey characterizing exclusionary practices in the church processes, leading to the perception of exclusion revolving around family relationships. The results of this study may allow for the positive …

Using Bible Reading In Moral Injury Therapy: A Mixed-Method Approach, John Ikenna Onuoha

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The debilitating effect of moral injury on members of the Sergeant Major Association of California in the Bay Area/Central Valley/Los Angeles area has deprived member veterans of a good and meaningful quality of life. This study aims to recognize the challenging impact of moral injury on adult Bay Area/Central Valley/LA veterans, address its symptoms using Bible reading therapy, and reassess their progress for an effective and lasting solution to veterans who are battling with war’s unseen wounds. The study used mixed research methods that incorporate the technical and social features of the combination of qualitative and quantitative means to help …

Where Faith Meets Freud: Why The Church Rejected Psychology And The Rise Of Nouthetic Counseling, Kayla Sargent

Liberty University Research Week

Graduate

Textual or Investigative

Biblical Pastoral Counseling: An Integrative Approach To Healing, Sonya Cook

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

Biblical Pastoral Counseling: An Integrative Approach to Healing, seeks to address the gap in the current biblical counseling service offered at Calvary Baptist Church. The problem with the current biblical counseling service is the lack of a holistic approach to the congregates presenting problem. This current approach takes a strictly biblical approach excluding the mental/behavioral health component from the therapeutic process. The purpose of this study is to provide justification and support of an integrative approach in bridging the gap between biblical counseling and pastoral counseling. This integrative approach would serve to broaden the scope of the current counseling service, …

The Importance Of Self-Awareness For The Prevention Of Burnout And Compassion Fatigue For Clergy, Reginald Charlestin

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

Self-care is both necessary and vital to the efficiency and longevity of ministry professionals, pastors, and people in general. When a person neglects their physical, emotional, and mental state, quality of life decreases. To study the importance of self-awareness and how to prevent burnouts and compassion fatigue among clergy, this thesis used the Macedonia Worship Center leadership staff as a study subject. The researcher studied various peer-reviewed articles that have evaluated the relationship between those who work in ministry and their levels of burnout and compassion fatigue alongside their perception of self-care to understand the importance of self-awareness related to …