Digital Commons Network^™

Planting Churches In The Changing Culture Of Southwest Virginia, Tommy Allen Jessee

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

This project is a review of the churches planted in a specific region of Southwest Virginia for the past twenty years. The project covers the church planting methods of four counties in Southwest Virginia. The purpose of the project is to look at the changing culture of Southwest Virginia, review the approaches being used in planting churches in this area, and develop a future plan to plant and transition churches. This would be a plan for the local church as well as the Southern Baptist Conservatives of Virginia and the Southern Baptist Convention.

An Examination Of The Preaching And Teaching Style Of Jesus In Relation To Current Evangelical Homiletics, Daniel Light

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

Much of current evangelical pulpit ministry has veered away from the style and content demonstrated by Jesus in His preaching and teaching. The purpose of this project is to encourage pastoral preachers and teachers to prepare and practice their preaching and teaching according to the model provided by Jesus as revealed in the Gospels. Based on an examination of available literature concerning Jesus’ ministry as a communicator, and interviews with leading evangelical pastors, the project offers personal perspectives and practical advice concerning greater effectiveness in pastoral preaching and teaching by using Jesus as a model.

Understanding Islam, Its History In Ghana, And An Effective Evangelistic Strategy To Overcome Islamic Influence In Ghana, Cherlsoon Yim

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

While church growth is waning in many places of the world, Islamic influence is spreading and getting stronger in most parts of the world. In light of this crisis, it is the purpose of this project to guide Christians and churches a better understanding of Muslims, of their faith, and of an effective method of evangelizing them with special care and love. This thesis attempts to discuss the origin of Islam, the life of Muhammad, and how Islam was spread throughout the world as a religion. Insight on how to reach Muslims with the Gospel will be gained through the …

A Strategy For The Implementation Of Contemporary Worship In A Church Of The Nazarene, Paul Mabry

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

A review of the current literature reveals much material on the topic of contemporary worship, but little that focuses on the practical steps for implementing contemporary worship in a local church. The purpose of this project is to develop a strategy for the implementation of contemporary worship. With the support of biblical and historical research, and the use of surveys sent to pastors and leaders in the Church of the Nazarene, a strategy was developed. This strategy is historically and biblically sound and helps to minimize the amount of conflict that is experienced in the implementation of contemporary worship.

A Study Of Pastoral Leadership That Has Had Great Influence On Korean Church Growth Focusing On Jae Gun Revival Denomination In Korea, Jin Soo Shin

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this thesis project is to understand what the biblical principles for Pastoral Leadership are and, to evaluate the Korean Pastoral Leadership within the Jae Gun Revival Denomination(JRD) in Korea. Based on surveys sent to the JRD pastors in Korea, the project analyzes and evaluates the actual figures of church ministry, History, church growth, and common viewpoint of pastoral leadership. This project shows that what the reason about the Korean church growth so rapidly and find out that main reason is pastoral leadership. This project wants to reveal the new future for the JRD with pastoral leadership growth.

Developing A Measuring Instrument To Determine The Level Of Discipleship Commitment Attained By Individual Christians, Henry D. Styron

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The writer’s personal experience, consultations with clergy and laity, and a review of current literature reveal a lack of genuine discipleship in the modern church. The purpose of the project is to develop a usable Biblical model of a disciple, and to develop a measuring instrument by which conformity to this model may be determined in the lives of individual Christians. The project details the creation of the model and the instrument, and then documents the field testing of the instrument in various churches and other venues, with resulting evaluation and improvement to the instrument.

An Evaluation Of The Windsor Institute For Theological Studies Of The Campbell Baptist Church Of Windsor, Ontario, Canada, Donald Bruce Mckay

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

A number of churches today are utilizing the vehicle of a local church theological institute to equip lay people. The purpose of this project is to evaluate one such institute that operates in conjunction with the Campbell Baptist Church in Windsor, Ontario, Canada. The project first examines other lay institute programs as well as current literature that can aid in developing a school of this nature. This helps provide a standard for comparison. After delineating seven essential ingredients for lay institutes the evaluation is made. This study can serve to help other churches develop a quality lay institute program.

Leadership Characteristics Of The Apostle Paul That Can Provide Model To Today’S Bbfk Pastors, Jae Kee Lee

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this project is to understand Paul's leadership characteristics and to apply those characteristics to today's Korean Baptist Bible Fellowship pastors. The project carefully examines Paul's twelve characteristics pertaining to self, interpersonal aspect, spiritual aspect, and functional competency from his writings and his acts reported by Luke. It also analyzes and evaluates current situation of the BBFK pastors' leadership based on surveys and interviews. Five practical strategies for the development of the leadership quality of the BBFK pastors are offered. Those strategies will help the pastors demonstrate such leadership characteristics more fully which were found in the apostle …

Gilbert Tennent: An Analysis Of His Evangelistic Ministry, Methods And Message During The Great Awakening, Cheryl Ann Rickards

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

Tennent was a revivalist in the Middle Atlantic and New England colonies. This project examines the ministry methods that Tennent is most known for, that of "preaching the terrors" and "searching preaching", both used to provoke examination of one's spiritual state. Tennent's morphology of conversion is examined. "The Tennent-Rickards Scale of Conversion" is proposed and compared to "The Engel Scale" of the spiritual decision making process. The spiritual problems in the churches of Tennent's day are examined. Several of Tennent's key evangelistic messages are also analyzed.

The Spirit-Filled Christian Life, Curtis Wayne Brown

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The Scriptures teach that Christians are to be "filled or controlled" by God, the Holy Spirit. This thesis will define what the Bible teaches regarding how the Holy Spirit comes to dwell within a person, what is involved in continually submitting the heart to the Holy Spirit's filling or control, and what are the behavioral and attitude manifestations in a Christian when controlled by the Holy Spirit. The filling of the Holy Spirit will be discussed in the life of the individual Christian, his family and the local church as seen in Ephesians 5:18- 6:17, Galatians 5:22-23, Romans, I Corinthians …

A Discipleship Model For Missionaries Establishing Churches In Thailand, Yong Woong Lee

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

This project focuses on using a discipleship program for new church plants in Thailand. This is one way to help accomplish world evangelization. This author's experience in Thailand has been under the ministry of Global Partners (GP) and his ministry includes both church planting and campus ministry.

The author develops an indigenous discipleship model for missionaries and the Thai church leaders to use based on the surveys and interviews. A successful mission program depends on training faithful and powerful native leaders.

Discipleship Training through effective and Biblical methods is the best way to shift the Thai Christian's paradigm which is …

Developing A Leadership Training Program For The Local Church In The Twenty-First Century, Randall Frank Ginnan

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

A review of the current literature demonstrates that there are a variety of definitions of leadership, styles of leadership, and theories of leadership training. The purpose of this project is to review these definitions, styles and theories and propose a structure to develop that would be beneficial in constructing a leadership training program. This structure will then be utilized to develop an actual training program to be used by the North Baptist Church of Coming, New York.

A Comparison Of The Resident Assistant Selection And Training Process At Liberty University With Biblical And Practical Principles Of Leadership Selection And Training, L. Mark Hine

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

Resident assistants play an important role in assisting Christian universities and colleges to accomplish their mission. The purpose of this project is to compare leadership selection and training of resident assistants at Liberty University to biblical and practical principles of leadership selection and training. This work includes a brief history of Residence Life at Liberty University. The method of selection and education of resident assistants is provided. The process that Residence Life uses is compared to a biblical and practical model. Suggestions for improvement of Residence Life’s model are offered in the concluding chapter.

The Chaplaincy Of The Alabama Army National Guard, Jimmy Black

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

A review of current literature demonstrates that very little information is known of the Alabama Army National Guard Chaplain Program. Sources provide the historical background of U.S. military chaplains. A survey of current chaplains in Alabama provides this project with statistical information illuminating the current status, and the project then reviews the job of chaplain in the Alabama Army National Guard. Recommendations address the treatment of chaplains, recruitment of new chaplains, and the education of chaplains.

Strategies For Developing Cell Group Leadership In The Korean Small Church, Sung San Lee

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this thesis is to determine if the cell group church model would be an effective strategy for church growth in the Korean Baptist Bible Fellowship. It does provide assistance for any church interested in developing a cell group church, based on the New Testament's concept of the church and its leadership. Two strong Korean cell group churches were studied: one in America and one is Korea. It describes opinions of pastors in the Korean Baptist Bible Fellowship regarding cell group church ministry.

Enabling Leaders - Empowering Church Transformation, Jack L. Eades

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The Director of Enabling Leaders - Empowering Church Transformation was given the responsibility for developing a transformational process which would be used in the West Virginia Baptist Convention churches and shared with other regions in American Baptist Churches, USA. The challenge was to develop an effective process that would enable selective congregational leaders transform a plateaued or declining church to a vibrant healthy congregation. The transformation process happened in six stages: (1) the Developmental Stage, (2) the Invitational Stage, (3) the Leadership Training Stage, (4) the Congregational Cycle Stage, (5) the Coaching Clinic Cycle Stage and (6) the Evaluation Stage.

A Study Of The Leadership To Improve The Discipleship Class In Sungkyul University, Kwang Sun Kim

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

This thesis project examines the discipleship classes of Sungkyul University in Seoul, South Korea, which are disciple-making classes to convert unbelieving students to Christianity. Non-Christian students are not just a concern there, but to other Christian universities. Therefore, these universities may profit from a study of this approach. This thesis uses the four phases of disciple making presented by Bill Hull in Jesus Christ, Disciplemaker as a standard for comparison. A study, by means of a survey, was conducted of the leadership and the discipleship classes and the results were compared with Hull's phases. Finally, recommendations for improvement are given.

Analytic Study Of Criteria To Maximize The Effectiveness And Quality Of Decision Making, Joseph E. Sanders

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

A review of current literature indicates that decision making is an evolving area of study and one of considerable importance to managers, pastors and teachers, as well as to professors and students of leadership and management. Regretfully, the subject of decision making is usually seen as merely one of several activities that differentiates managers from other employees in an organization. However, decision making is a complex process that must be understood completely and made easier before it can be practiced effectively. Given its obvious and cogent aura of organizational significance, it is surprising to note that decision making has not …

Linking Assessment, Strategic Planning, And Budget Planning, Barbara Boothe

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

Abstract Accountability, effectiveness, and efficiency are three major concerns of the University’s stakeholders, accrediting agencies, and governmental agencies. These concerns have broadened the scope of the assessment process since the 1990’s. To adequately respond to these concerns, it is important for institutions of higher learning to link assessment processes with strategic planning and budget planning. A study was made to determine if it is a common practice in public or private institutions of higher learning to link a comprehensive ongoing assessment process with the development of on-going strategic and budget planning processes. A questionnaire distributed to 178 institutions determined that …

The Considerations Of Interpretation Through The Function Of Imagery In The Song Of Songs And Its Application To The Current Believing Community, Sanggeol Lyu

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The Song of Songs parallels with the synthetic method of literary criticism. This criticism places value on the text because it is literature for the believing community to maximize the celebration of delight and consummation of love within marriage and it deemphasizes the search for the hidden meaning beyond the text. Literary criticism demonstrates not only the function of the literary message but also the aesthetic effect, and is suitable and adaptable to explain and help determine the identity of today's young adults. The study focuses on the wisdom of others and how it is adapted for today. It also …

Paul’S Pastoral Prayer In Philippians 1:9-11: An Application To Today’S Ministry, Hyun David Chung

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

No abstract provided.

Factors For Successful Adolescent Ministry In The Local Church Today, Steve Vandegriff

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this project is to wade through a number of ideologies and practices that pose as successful in the venue of local church ministry and identify those factors that truly reflect success. This will be based upon surveying several prominent veteran youth workers. The identified factors will be a reflection of the larger picture of youth ministry. There will also be some prognoses as to where youth ministry is headed in the near future.

Developing And Evaluating A Program Of Evangelism For The Local Church, John W. Ott

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this project is to develop and test a training program and a training manual that would effectively mobilize a large local church congregation for personal evangelism. To accomplish this, the thesis will strive to establish the mission of evangelism and how it relates to the problems facing the local church in this vital area of responsibility. Out of this mission, the thesis will identify and discuss some common misconceptions of evangelism. It will also set forth the biblical mandate of evangelism and research the New Testament model of evangelism both in the life of Christ and in …

A Strategy For Developing A Twelve-Month Protestant Parish Council And Protestant Ministry In The United States Air Force, Charles Nathan Davidson

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The Senior Protestant Chaplain is given the responsibility for developing the entire protestant ministry of an Air Force Base. Faced with the task of how to lead other protestant chaplains, the parish council, various worship services, a religious education ministry, and protestant programs for every age group all with the intent of having one mission statement with goals and objectives for reaching this mission a strategy was developed for obtaining this outcome. Implementing the (1) Training the Protestant Parish Council Team, (2) a protestant strategic plan, (3) a schedule of monthly meetings, (4) an organizational chart, (5) guidelines, (6) job …

Strategies For Successful Establishment And Development Of Schools For Missionary Kids On The Mission Field, Unkil Jung

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this project is to investigate and find solutions to the educational needs of missionary children. Many of MK schools are being forced to close, yet the need for a good education still exists for missionary families on the field. How to provide a good education for these missionary children has become a major problem.

This study is motivated by the writer's personal experience as the founder and director of Bangkok International Academic School (BIAS). The information for this thesis was gathered through the writer's personal visits and interviews with other educators in Christian schools in several countries. …

Turning Plateaued And Declining Churches Around, David M. Odom

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this project is to reveal that there is a danger of churches being lulled to sleep and becoming plateaued or in a declining state. The project also offers several reasons why churches stop growing and possible solutions to turn a non-growing church into a growing church.

The Biblical Approach To Church Growth Through Personal Evangelism, Ho Kyung Kim

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The greatest commandment of the Lord is preaching the gospel all over the world. It is the duty of all Christians to preach the gospel to the world. If we are negligent about it, we may lose God's blessings. When we study the way Jesus preached the gospel, we see that He personally met people individually and called them to become His disciples. Those who met Jesus personally became evangelists themselves, proclaimed God's Word, and expanded the church. Jesus built the church so that it would do His work after He left this earth. Therefore, it is the mission of …

The Development Of Family Ministry For The Local Church, Daryl W. Pitts

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

All social and cultural indications demonstrate that the American society is in desperate need. Divorce rates and addictions have multiplied both within and without the church. The local church is uniquely positioned to offer hope and healing, from a biblical perspective to those who have been beaten, bruised, and left beside the freeway of the New World Order. The local church also has the ability to provide preventative services so its members can avoid these life hazards. Based on surveys and research, this project presents a strategy to implement a comprehensive professional pastoral Christian counseling service for the local church.

An Analysis Of The Impact Of Age On The Academic Performance Of Students In The Liberty University External Degree Program, Frank Lyle King

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this project is to explore whether the age of a Liberty University External Degree Program (EDP) student impacts the degree of student success, as measured by the earned grade point average (GPA). EDP student GPAs were compared with Liberty University resident students GPAs. The EDP students consistently performed better than the resident students in all age groups examined. Demographic variables such as race, gender, socioeconomic status, marital status, military status, and amount of credits transferred to Liberty University were found not to be statistically significant factors in the performance of EDP students compared to resident students.

The Benefits To The Small Bible College Of Achieving Accreditation Through The Transnational Association Of Christian Colleges And Schools, Bruce Melton

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

As the number of religious associations and denominations in the USA proliferates, numerous training institutions will become necessary to prepare the ministers for the burgeoning number of churches. This project will attempt to answer the question of whether academic accreditation for a ministerial training program through TRACS is of benefit to the small Bible College and if so, In what way? Those colleges now holding accreditation through TRACS were surveyed to determine the actual or perceived benefits to the administration, faculty, denomination, and student. These benefits were weighed against the costs incurred in order to evaluate the process and the …