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Kingdom Millennials Infiltrating Culture: Reaching In Toward Generation Y To Reach Out To The World, Daniel Clark Iv
Kingdom Millennials Infiltrating Culture: Reaching In Toward Generation Y To Reach Out To The World, Daniel Clark Iv
Doctoral Dissertations and Projects
As protestant Christianity meanders through time from its roots as a light post of religious ritualism to a contemporary beacon of Christ-centered worship, there has been a noticeable scattering of a critical portion of its congregants commonly known as the Millennial generation. While their absence is obvious across the entire Christian landscape, the evidence of their displacement is most definite in the small inner-city Black Church context. The writer attributes the cause of the Millennial diaspora to the unconscious loss of humanity’s God-given purpose: to exclusively worship Him forever. It is apparent that an absent generation will garner a ripple …
A Model For Identifying, Developing, And Installing Elders In The Church: The Path Family Church Has Taken, Stephen Harrison
A Model For Identifying, Developing, And Installing Elders In The Church: The Path Family Church Has Taken, Stephen Harrison
Doctoral Dissertations and Projects
The problem is that Family Church does not identify, develop, and install their potential elders well. This intervention research project addressed this problem by establishing prerequisites for elder identification, a seven-week elder training workbook, and guidelines for installation after the research project. Current elders at Family Church completed a questionnaire, participated in case studies, and evaluated their intervention project in a focus group to establish an effective method of identifying, developing, and installing potential elders. This intervention research project produced a list of prerequisites for identifying potential elders, a seven-week elder training manual, and clear guidelines for ordaining elders at …
Chaplaincy: A Practical Approach To Caring For The Human Spirit, Susan Fair
Chaplaincy: A Practical Approach To Caring For The Human Spirit, Susan Fair
Doctoral Dissertations and Projects
This DMIN project is based on the Pastoral Ministry program at Nyack College, which publicly promotes that it leads the student to become a professional in the ministry context. The problem is that the academic curriculum does not include components of Clinical Pastoral Education (CPE). The project facilitator reasons that the current environment demands that spiritual care providers possess a specific skill set extending beyond pulpit preaching, reading scriptures, and prayer. The literature review contains articles, journals, and books that explore caring for the human spirit within the physical, spiritual, emotional, financial, religious, and holistic context. The research methodology designed …
Teaching Intentional Discipleship In An Age Of Moral Relativism, David Cruz Martinez
Teaching Intentional Discipleship In An Age Of Moral Relativism, David Cruz Martinez
Doctoral Dissertations and Projects
Teaching Intentional Discipleship in an Age of Moral Relativism is essential to counteracting the downward trend of morality, religious affiliation, and church growth in America. In the church where discipleship and fulfilling the Great Commission is becoming more of an option versus a necessity, the fruit of unintentional discipleship has contributed to the transformation of America into an age of moral relativism with no end in sight unless the church reverts to its first love of the Great Commission. The project will accentuate the statistics that demonstrate the current statistical decline of church attendance in the western world and explain …
From Perpetual Struggle To Liberation And Freedom: An Analysis Of Two Predominately African American Churches, Stanley Bernard Baldwin Ii
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
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 …
Obeying The Commission: A Model For Equipping Christians To Make Disciples, David Kofi Bempong
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
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
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.
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.
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
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
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 …
Ethical Decision Making In Nursing Practice: The Impact On Moral Distress, Anthony W. Green
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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 …