Digital Commons Network^™

Formed Together: A Value-Based Model Of Mutual Spiritual Formation For Pentecostal Pastors And Churches Under 500, W. T.A. Mcmillan

Doctor of Ministry (DMin)

“Pay careful attention to yourselves and to all the flock” (Acts 20:28) is both a warning and an invitation. It insists that the pastor's inner life and the congregation's shared life cannot be pulled apart without doing damage to both. This dissertation grows out of that conviction and out of years of pastoral ministry in Pentecostal churches where the pressure to perform often overwhelms the slow work of being formed. It asks a simple but searching question: How do Assemblies of God pastors serving congregations under 500 in attendance understand the connection between their own spiritual health and the spiritual …

Developing A Church Growth Strategy For Church Revitalizations In Suburban Communities Within The U.S. Assemblies Of God, Thomas A. Galban

Doctor of Ministry (DMin)

Suburban communities are experiencing demographic and socioeconomic shifts that have presented challenges for the local church. These changes have correlated with the decline and plateau of many suburban churches within the U.S. Assemblies of God. This dissertation explores which successful models of church revitalization can be adapted, learned from, and created for suburban church contexts within the U.S. Assemblies of God. Using a qualitative research approach utilizing interviews, this study examined seven suburban churches and the pastors who successfully led through a revitalization process. Each pastor was interviewed concerning their leadership approach, strategies that were employed, contextual realities, funding models, …

Haitian Protestant Leaders’ Perceptions Of Social Media Use For Discipleship, Cherubin Dorcil

Doctor of Ministry (DMin)

This qualitative descriptive study explores how Haitian Protestant church leaders in a large urban area of the northeastern United States describe the influence of their use of social media on promoting discipleship. The study addresses a gap in understanding how digital ministry practices are interpreted within Haitian Protestant diaspora contexts and how these practices inform both theory and ministry application. Using a qualitative descriptive design, data was collected through semi-structured interviews with 12 Haitian Protestant church leaders selected through convenience sampling. The data was analyzed using thematic analysis, which resulted in the identification of five primary themes: social media as …

Digital Discipleship And Whole-Person Flourishing: A Mixed-Methods Study At Celebration Church, John W. Wyatt

Doctor of Ministry (DMin)

This study examines how digital participation influences whole-person flourishing within the context of Celebration Church, a contemporary American megachurch, addressing a critical gap in empirical research on digital discipleship and its theological implications. Using a convergent mixed-methods design, quantitative data from the Barna ChurchPulse survey compared in-person and online participants, while qualitative data from semi-structured interviews with leaders from eighteen American megachurches were analyzed thematically. Findings indicate that flourishing outcomes are largely comparable across digital and in-person cohorts, challenging assumptions that embodied participation is inherently superior for spiritual formation; however, statistically significant differences emerged in leadership involvement, serving, and engagement …

Discovering An Effective Disciple-Making Method For Men, Clifton J. Hefley

Doctor of Ministry (DMin)

This dissertation explores the development of an effective disciple-making method for men by integrating insights from early church discipleship practices and modern missional strategies such as Disciple Making Movements (DMM) and Church Planting Movements (CPM). Rooted in biblical theology and the teachings of the Patristic Fathers, the study evaluates how obediencebased, relational discipleship shaped early Christianity and compares it with contemporary missional frameworks promoted by leaders like David Garrison, Alan Hirsch, and Steve Addison. Against the backdrop of a sharp decline in church attendance and male engagement in Western Christianity, this research identifies the need for a reproducible, movement-oriented model …

The Role Of Organizational Culture And Pastoral Leadership In Sustainable Church Outreach: A Multisite Mini-Ethnographic Case Study, Althea P. Gordon-Scott

PhD in Organizational Leadership

This study examined the role of organizational culture and pastoral leadership in sustainable church outreach programs. Two churches were chosen for this multisite mini-ethnographic case study because, for multiple years, they have participated in multiple outreaches each week to their non-Christian neighbors. These two churches differed in terms of geographical location, size, demographics, and budget. Data collection included field observations, semi-structured interviews, focus groups, and document analysis. The themes that surfaced from the data were altruistic foundations, relational equity, organizational agility, organizational challenges, exemplary pastoral leadership, and the centrality of God. This research contributes to the theoretical and practical understanding …

A Framework For A Flourishing Life Within The American Pentecostal Church Through The Lens Of Scripture And Research, Josh M. Mayo

Doctor of Ministry (DMin)

This dissertation examines six Pentecostal churches across the United States, exploring the research question, “What best practices (strategies) and beliefs (theologies) within six Pentecostal churches act as breakthroughs or barriers in promoting spiritual flourishing among their attendees?” Drawing from Matt 5:2–12, the Beatitudes serve as a foundational text for understanding spiritual flourishing in God’s kingdom. A mixed-methods approach was employed, integrating both quantitative and qualitative research methodologies conducted at Cross Church in Cumming, Georgia, Real Life Church (Bowling Green, Kentucky), Vima Church (Wichita, Kansas), Harvest Time (Fort Smith, Arkansas), New Life Church (Peshtigo, Wisconsin), and Life Point Church, which serves …

Multiplying Multipliers: How To Develop Church Planters Who Multiply Through Evangelical Church-Based Planting, Patrick Grach

Doctor of Ministry (DMin)

The Evangelical Church of America is declining, while the population of the United States is growing. Though the church has a biblical mandate to multiply and fulfill the Great Commission, the church-planter pipelines within church-planting churches and organizations are shrinking, and only a fraction of churches are multiplying by developing church planters and releasing them to plant new generations of churches. The challenge of generational church multiplication is captured in the research question: How can church-planting churches and church-based church-planting networks prepare church planters to multiply? This study provides a biblical foundation for a practical theology of church multiplication and …

Getting Back To God’S Design For Womanhood: Examining Purpose, Identity, Relationships, Mission And Ministry For The Twenty-First Century Woman, Cynthia Degrie

Doctor of Ministry (DMin)

Division, debates, and disputes abound surrounding the practical ministry issues regarding the theology of woman and womanhood, leaving an unresolved stalemate, disengagement, and a mass departure from the church. As a result, the church and culture are left at a point of crisis, devoid of relevant biblical answers to their questions. The church is at a very important crossroad. Continuing on this current path is no longer an option. The time has come to develop an accurate, Scripture-driven theology of womanhood and a Scripture-guided practical ministry response to the issues the twenty-first century woman faces. The first steps entail examining …

Multiply Alabama: Moving From Church Planting To Church Multiplication By Multiplying Leaders And Churches In The Alabama Ministry Network, David P. Strahan

Doctor of Ministry (DMin)

The Alabama Ministry Network has had anemic success in planting over 150 churches since 1980. However, there has still been a ten percent decline in the total number of churches due to churches closing, churches withdrawing, or churches merging. This project studies how AMN can move from addition (church planting) to multiplication (church multiplication) to avoid further regression. The Biblical literature review examines the scriptural premise to multiply. It also discovers the church planting models of Jesus, the early church, and Paul The project used mixed research methods to develop a pathway towards church multiplication within AMN in four phases. …

Faithful Is The Word: Forging A Pastoral Mentality Based On An Analysis Of The Phrase “Pistos Ho Logos” And Its Effectiveness When Applied To Pastoral Succession, Israel Sotolongo

Doctor of Ministry (DMin)

The aim of this thesis is to develop a biblically grounded resource that will prepare incoming pastors who will succeed retiring pastors of local churches. Studies show that most church succession attempts are not deemed successful, which is concerning since, over the next ten to twenty years, the American church will experience the largest wave of retiring pastors it has ever seen. This work addressed two learning gaps, as little exists in the form of resources directed primarily at incoming pastors and research on the clause Pistos ho Logos. Therefore, the primary research questions were “What are the meaning and …

The Southern Baptist Convention’S Perception Of Diversity, Equity, And Inclusion Compared To African American Pastors’ And Leaders’ Lived Experiences, Jeffrey J. Wallace

PhD in Organizational Leadership

The study of diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) is complex and multilayered. Similarly, the study of DEI within an ecclesiastical and ecumenical Christian movement like the Southern Baptist Convention (SBC) has its challenges. Challenges and tensions surrounding the SBC, relating to women's leadership issues, the infiltration of partisanship and politics in the pulpits, racial injustice flashpoint moments, and the lack of ethnic diversity in a crucial leadership position have impacted the overall lived experience of African American pastors and leaders. This phenomenological study explored the Southern Baptist Convention's perception of diversity, equity, and inclusion compared to African American pastors’ and …

Providing Effective Pastoral Leadership Through Difficult Seasons: Overcoming Barriers To Becoming A Revitalized Church, Joseph Lee

Doctor of Ministry (DMin)

Leading churches in revitalization is challenging. Church plateau, decline, and revitalization have been issues for major denominations for years. Revitalization efforts have produced positive results for some churches, but the overall trend of decline in church attendance and participation in North America persists. One complicating factor in engaging church revitalization is the contextual nature of barriers contributing to plateau and decline. Some barriers may be specific to the churches' time, location, and culture. A second complicating factor impacting church revitalization is the COVID-19 pandemic that began early in 2020. This project explores church leadership dynamics during challenges seasons by focusing …

A Daily Time With God For Spiritual Growth: How Worship, Scripture, And Prayer Transform People Into Fully Devoted Followers Of Jesus, Luke Cunningham

Doctor of Ministry (DMin)

Bible engagement, faith practice, and people identifying as followers of Jesus are at an all-time low in America. Christians are casually attending church, occasionally volunteering, but not transforming into fully devoted followers of Jesus. Discipleship is defined differently from church to church, and “spiritual formation” is the new rave without much local church praxis. How do Christians go from a weekly faith of attendance to a daily faith of transformation? The focus of this doctoral dissertation is to present the practice of daily meetings with God as the solution to this problem. It is by laying out a clear theology …

Towards A Model Of Leadership Development: A Case Study Of A Large Evangelical Church In Virginia, Kyle W. Kramer

PhD in Organizational Leadership

Ministry leaders are leaving the vocation in record numbers, largely due to a lack of intentional leadership development or preparedness for the challenges they face. These leaders require a formalized process for developing both the cognitive and behavioral aspects of leading in the local church that authentic and spiritual leadership comprise. The exemplar examined in this case study, recognizing similar challenges, implemented a leadership development process derived from components of both authentic and spiritual leadership. Over the span of just 3 years, the church experienced a nearly 20-point increase in employee engagement, earning them the title of Best Christian Workplace. …

House Church Leaders: A Multisite Case Study, Lance Croy

PhD in Organizational Leadership

The purpose of this qualitative study was to examine house church leaders in situ within three typologies of home gatherings. Billings (2011) identified three stages of house church formats: (a) Oikos, where the congregants assemble in the home for a complete meal, including the Eucharist; (b) Domus, where the curate renovates and dedicates rooms in their homes for Christian usage; and (c) Aula, where rented facilities house larger gatherings, the liturgy becomes more formalized, and the Eucharist is no longer a full meal (Billings, 2011). House church leaders and congregants sampled fit the three typologies while addressing a gap in …

Engaging And Mobilizing Baby Boomers For Effective Ministry, Paul D. Russell

Doctor of Ministry (DMin)

In the 21st-century church in America, can Baby Boomers, who presently range from 57 to 76 years of age, be envisioned and commissioned to make a difference through effective and meaningful ministry? The intent of the research was to discover relevant information and present considerations to help those entering the last third of life make an informed contribution to the church and community. Evidence will be presented to show that Boomers need the church and that the church needs the presence and resourceful productivity of the Boomer cohort. This reality does not circumvent the essential mission of reaching other generations …

Defining, Assessing, And Progressing Discipleship: Helping Church Leaders And Laity Become Confident And Equipped Disciple-Makers, Matthew R. Ulrich

Doctor of Ministry (DMin)

Many pastors, lay leaders, and followers of Jesus have a desire to make disciples, but there seems to be a general lack of understanding at the local church level about what it means to make disciples and equip disciple-makers. The Chartis discipleship assessment (www.chartisassessment.com) was created as a discipleship assessment to assist disciple-makers in pragmatically defining, assessing, and progressing the spiritual growth of their disciples. Discipleship definitions, supplemental teaching resources, and a biblical theology of discipleship were also created to produce a robust discipleship toolkit for any potential disciple-maker to utilize. These tools were given to eleven disciple-makers to be …

Evaluation Of Church Plant Training Methods Within The Assemblies Of God, Bethlehem Backes

Doctor of Education (Ed.D)

The steady decline of churches in America is a cause of great concern among spiritual leaders (Stetzer & Im, 2016). Missiologists agree that church planting is vital to presenting the gospel to unreached people groups. If church planting is the vehicle to deliver the life-giving message of Jesus to the world, church planters are the drivers who actively accomplish the purpose of healthy multiplication. Recent data on the health of church planters indicates many of them are not adequately prepared and desire long-term support to be successful. The Assemblies of God denomination has tasked the Church Multiplication Network with leading …

God Does Not Show Favoritism: The Intentional Inclusion Of Minorities In Pentecostal Leadership, Terrell Robert Raburn

Doctor of Ministry (DMin)

Although the Azusa Street Revival, known for launching the modern Pentecostal Movement, was initially characterized by minority diversity in regard to leadership, it quickly splintered into three classic Pentecostal fellowships formed along racial lines. The research presented herein examines the racially segregated history of the Pentecostal Church in North America—acknowledging the need for the implementation of a biblically based theology of racial integration—and presents a four-step process in which minority leadership within individual Pentecostal churches is promoted, combatting the unbiblical ideology of a segregated body of Christ. The four steps include (1) the necessity for a strong visionary leader; (2) …

Evaluating The Role Of Empowering Leadership And Church Health, Brent Colby

Doctor of Education (Ed.D)

The purpose of this study was to examine the influence of empowering leadership on overall church health. This quantitative study evaluated data collected by Natural Church Development from Assemblies of God churches in the United States between 2006 and 2016. Examining results from 361 churches and 9,619 surveys, this research answered questions relating to the statistical significance of empowering leadership on overall church health, the statistical significance of empowering leadership as a predictive domain of church health, and the most statistically significant predictor of church health. The one sample t-test, binary logistic regression test statistic, and multiple linear regression test …

Healthy Church Multiplication In Modern Churches, William J. Burns

Doctor of Ministry (DMin)

Jesus’ command in Matthew 28:19 leaves no room for interpretation. The role of the followers of Jesus and of the church is decidedly clear. We are called to make disciples of all nations. An honest assessment of my local ministry context, Access Church, reveals that we, as a church, have fallen short of Jesus’ Great Commission. The intention of this research project is to understand the biblical mandate to make disciples as taught throughout Scripture, study Jesus’ discipleship methods in the book of Matthew, and, ultimately, create a new rubric to help Access Church—and other churches—understand how to measure its …

Denominational Influence In Church Revitalization, Donald J. Immel

Doctor of Ministry (DMin)

Many churches and denominations in North America have been experiencing plateau or decline for the past sixty years. In recent years, the Assemblies of God has experienced trends of plateau or decline in a majority of their churches. The PennDel Ministry Network, one of sixty-four districts within the Assemblies of God USA, has also observed that a majority of its churches are also in a state of plateau or decline. The primary intent of this dissertation is to explore denominational influence in revitalizing churches. Specific attention is given to the church’s participation in the missio Dei as well as the …

Factors That Produce High-Capacity Leaders Within The Church, Daniel O. Floyd

Doctor of Ministry (DMin)

Population is exploding, and yet the church, in some areas, is declining. High-capacity leaders, who can lead large groups of people toward gospel advancement, are needed now more than ever. The research question that this project seeks to answer is: what are the factors that produce high-capacity leaders within the church? The topic of leadership boasts a wealth of research; however, there is a gap in the research regarding what it takes to develop a highcapacity leader, as defined in this project. The research questions are answered through a qualitative phenomenological study that involve interviewing eight pastors who are leading …

Developing A Church Planting Growth Strategy For Growing Metropolitan Communities In The United States, Aaron R. Burke

Doctor of Ministry (DMin)

The United States is becoming increasingly urbanized. The metropolitan areas are thriving with new residents and new industries. While the cities are growing, the church is declining. The church has a problem to solve. How do we plant rapidly growing churches in growing metropolitan areas? The focus of this doctoral dissertation is to present rapidly growing church plants as a solution to the declining church attendance in the metropolitan areas of the United States. Not only do new churches need to be planted, but these new churches need a strategy for growth. I found this strategy by researching five rapidly …

Developing Civically Engaged, Justice Oriented Churches Right From The Start - A Hispanic Pentecostal Perspective, Elizabeth D. Rios

Doctor of Ministry (DMin)

Most church planting training programs train pastors in typical church operations systems as well as how to build their teams with a strong mission. However, often their training is vague and even non-existent in the area of biblical justice and advocacy, an area of pressing need in the changing face of the United States. We are more racially divided than ever, and we struggle with a myriad of socio-economic issues that need to be addressed at the root level. Those who are called to plant churches must therefore understand that unlike any other time in history, church planting today requires …

The Connection Between Lead Pastors' Enneagram Personality Type And Congregational Size, Jeremy David Johnson

Doctor of Education (Ed.D)

This study examines the relationship between the Enneagram profile of a lead pastor and the size of congregation. This study is motivated by the research question, “Do lead pastors of Protestant

megachurches in the United States tend to share commonalities in their Enneagram personality types?” Previous research indicates that personality plays a role in the impact of a pastor, but to date, no systematic investigation has explored the connection between the Enneagram profile of the leader and the size of the congregation. Using a sample of 58 megachurch pastors and 56 non-megachurch pastors, the Enneagram type of each pastor was …

A Phenomenological Study Of Native Village Pastors’ Perceptions Of The Alaska School Of Ministry, Cynthia L. Cohen

Doctor of Education (Ed.D)

The Alaska School of Ministry (AKSOM) was established to provide ministerial education venues in Alaska. This phenomenological study queried pastors who provide ministry in Alaska Native villages to examine their perceptions of AKSOM and perceived effects of the program on their ministries and villages. Fifteen participants, including students and AKSOM leaders from various ethnicities, were interviewed. Transcripts were analyzed to discover common themes. Five themes were noted, which included relationship (fellowship, local, approachable), flexibility, empowerment (support, confidence), practicality, and financial feasibility. All leaders and students perceived the program as a valuable and effective education tool in preparation for ministry in …

Lifters And Gifters: Keeping Millennials And Boomers Together To Build The Church, Richard Wilkerson

Doctor of Ministry (DMin)

One of the great needs of the church at this moment is to keep the primary funders, “Gifters,” and the primary workers, “Lifters,” of the church together in order to grow healthy, thriving, life-giving, Spirit-inspired churches. Inspired by the experiences of declining and plateauing church the author has witnessed and experienced, this dissertation will examine how to keep the church family together generationally, while at the same time planting new churches with the generations still intact. The research within this project, comprised of a theological study of biblical principles, a study of current literature, and surveys and interviews from pastors, …

Technological Discipleship: How Modern Platforms Can Improve Devotional Habits In Core Church, Greg D. Phelps

Doctor of Ministry (DMin)

In a society immersed and fascinated with technological devices and tools, the researcher explored the extent to which online platforms can provide a productive means to implement discipleship programs in a church plant through the use of internet video devotional materials. The relatively low practice of regular devotional habits in today’s Church has become an increasing problem. The purpose of this project was to examine the possibility of spiritual formation within the congregants of Core Church through the use of online video devotions. The project consisted of sixteen online video devotions that were created from four sermons delivered at Core …