Digital Commons Network^™

Race, Ethnicity & Culture With Purpose: The Growth Of A Multicultural Church Ministry, Jamar R. Mabry

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

Christianity is a major galvanizing factor. However, it is prudent to pay attention to the real and latent divisions in society that hinder social harmony: even without the calming effect of the Christian faith. Attempting to form a multicultural church must therefore involve an understanding of the races and ethnicities that comprise the target population. That process is as academic as it is pragmatic. The academic aspect of conceiving race involves a historically literate understanding of the heritage and factors that created the present race and ethnic power relations not only in the locale: but across the entire country as …

What Are The Patterns Of Shared Viewpoints, Attitudes, Beliefs, And Opinions Of Full-Time Grandparent Caregivers About Their Experiences? A Q Methodological Study, Korrin Denee Kim

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

Objective: Millions of grandparents in the United States provide full-time care to grandchildren. Although their actions are largely altruistic, they do not come without sacrifice. Often these sacrifices are associated with major consequences. Little is known about how grandparents prioritize their sacrifices. An improved understanding of how grandparents prioritize their sacrifices could facilitate better awareness, more specialized care, and improved policies for this population. Method: I used Q methodology to investigate grandparents’ perspectives on the sacrifices that they make to raise their grandchildren. Thirteen participants were recruited using snowball and purposive sampling. To create the Q-set, I used 26 statements …

Understanding The Relationship Between Student Engagement And Persistence Among Community College Students, Thomas E. Chatman Jr

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

Community colleges enroll large numbers of students each year. However, their retention rates are dismal and have remained stagnant for more than 30 years. The low retention rates have serious implications for community colleges and the community at large. Low retention rates impact such things as individual health and well-being as well as funding for colleges to operate. As such, this correlational study was designed to understand the relationship between student engagement and specific student characteristics and persistence in college. The specific student engagement variables examined were student-faculty interaction, college GPA, academic self-efficacy, late registration, and sense of belonging. Moderation …

The Current Mental Health Status Of Professional Asl/English Interpreters In The United States As It Pertains To Disorders: Specifically Focusing On Anxiety, Depression, Stress-Related Disorders, Personalities, And Work-Related Influencers, Nicole Denu Thorn

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this quantitative, variable-centered, correlational research design is to assess the mental health status of professional ASL/English interpreters currently working in the field. Specifically, this study looked at levels of anxiety, depression, and secondary stress within this population. It was postulated that many factors impact the mental health of professional interpreters; therefore, internal factors such as personality as well as external factors such as job demands were assessed. The findings of the research may prove helpful in developing future interpreter education as well as mental health care for current interpreters. A brief history of the profession is given …

Staying Alive! Reengaging Boomers In Second Adulthood Ministry: Guidance For 21st-Century Church Leaders, Hilery L. Ward Jr

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

Never before in American history have five generations lived together within the same time period. In 1900, the average life span in the United States was 48. Since 2015, the average life span in the U.S. has expanded to 79. The advances in technology, healthcare breakthroughs, and scientific discoveries in medicine have increased longevity, creating two new, life stages: emerging adulthood and second adulthood. Emerging adulthood is the life stage that encompasses the expanded development of young adults from late teens through mid to late twenties. Second adulthood, primarily a Baby Boomer experience, begins around age 65 and continues to …

Exploring The Variables That Influence Sexual Identity Within Romantic Relationships Among Women Of Color: A Phenomenological Approach, Teresa K. Duez

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this phenomenological study is to explore the variables that influence the sexual identity within romantic relationships and how the sexual identity among women of color reflected in their body image, psychological wellness, and religious identity. This researcher will attempt to address these influences in the lives of women of color through the concept referred to as subjective openness (Moustakas, 1994). Originated by Edmund Husserl, a pioneer in the use of self-presence, Moustakas (1994) describes subjective openness as a process where the “reflective powers of self” are used when attempting to integrate oneself into the world of another …

Original Monotheism: A Signal Of Transcendence Challenging Naturalism And New Ageism, Daniel Roger Cote

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

Where once in America, belief in Christian theism was shared by a large majority of the population, over the last 70 years belief in Christian theism has significantly eroded. From 1948 to 2018, the percent of Americans identifying as Catholic or Christians dropped from 91 percent to 67 percent, with virtually all the drop coming from protestant denominations. Naturalism and new ageism increasingly provide alternative means for understanding existential reality without the moral imperatives and the belief in the divine associated with Christian theism. The ironic aspect of the shifting of worldviews underway in western culture is that it continues …

Congregational Singing In The Seventh-Day Adventist Church: An Examination Of Engagement, Anwar Gabriel Myron Ottley

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

Traditionally, Seventh-day Adventist (SDA) congregations are known for a rich history of worship music. However, the 21st century has introduced an expanded variety of worship music to reflect a number of musical genres found in American culture. SDA worship leaders face the challenge of engaging their congregations with songs that are reflective of the diverse cultures and ages represented, as well as achieving a balance of newer music and music from the historical SDA tradition. Nevertheless, without intuitive song selection, worship leaders may encounter disengagement among congregants during the time of congregational singing. This quantitative descriptive study measured which elements …

The Need For Solid Teaching On Spiritual Warfare, Charles Louis Trammell

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

Literature verifies an abundance of information on spiritual warfare, while resources that teach its concepts and practices are limited. Many bad experiences lead one to question whether church leadership adequately addresses biblical spiritual warfare. The purpose of this project is to 1) determine the need for Bible-based teaching on spiritual warfare, 2) discuss the importance of the full armor of God, and 3) discuss the implementation of the armor to provide the opportunity for an abundant life in Jesus Christ. Academic journals, articles, and books will discuss spiritual warfare concepts, theology, history, and weaponry. Also, data and statistics will demonstrate …

Leadership Dynamics And Factors Of Fast-Growing Church Plants And Revitalized Established Churches In The Christian And Missionary Alliance, Kedrick L. Hirschy

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The pursuit of this action research project is to construct a leadership growth plan for Christian and Missionary Alliance churches experiencing a decline in their local church or slow church plant growth for the sustainability of the local church in the Alliance movement.

A Study On The Healthy Church Growth Through The Revitalization Of Small Group In Traditional Church, Min Yong Park

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The church is the body of Jesus Christ, which Christ has built and became the head of it. Therefore, the church is not a building or a social organization, but a family community of the laity who saved through Christ and united under him. Recently, however, the Korean church has lost its original nature planned by God. They achieved significant external growth that made churches around the world focus. But lost the true nature and obsessed with the outward buildings and numbers. As a result, the holy influence of the church on the world diminished.

This paper defines the term …

Shared-Traumatic Experience And The Role Of The Minister Of Music: A Case Study Of Mother Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church, Wayne Singleton

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The ministry of the minister of music is essential when the local church has experienced a shared-traumatic event. Since many churches have never experienced a shared-traumatic event, there is little research to aid worship leaders in leading their congregation through loss and grief. There is a need to study the significant role of the minister of music when confronted with a life-changing event that has affected the local church ministry. Mother Emanuel AME Church, located in Charleston, SC, experienced a tragic event that significantly influenced the worship leader’s role in leading the congregation through a shared-traumatic event. This phenomenological study …

Limited Educational Opportunities And Financial Help For Military Spouses Stationed Overseas, Adriana Torres De Pérez

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this applied study was to solve the problem of limited educational opportunities and financial help for military spouses stationed overseas and design measures to address the issue. This multimethod study used a qualitative approach to understand better the problems spouses encounter in overseas posts while taking into consideration their personal experiences. A group of six spouses was interviewed individually to understand their needs, goals, and opinions. Also, data from two quantitative methods were collected and analyzed. A survey that addresses the importance of post-secondary education was available to one group of 30 spouses. Archival data were used …

Case Study On Providing Telemental Health Video Counseling Services In A Sober Living Home, Kenneth Ray Taylor

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this case study is to examine the process and report outcomes of providing telemental health video counseling to men who reside at Providence Home, a sober living facility located in Columbia, South Carolina. This case study is instrumental in design. The South Carolina Telehealth Alliance (SCTA) provided a $20,000 grant jointly, for Bright Side Counseling Center and Midlands Recovery Center to expand telehealth services into underserved populations. An extensive search, at the time of this writing, was conducted and we found no instances of telemental health video counseling services being provided to residents of sober living homes …

A Correlational And Causal Comparative Study Of The First-Year Retention Of Special Admissions Students, Kelly Sue Wright-Laurents

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

College retention has been widely studied since it is an important indicator of institutional effectiveness; however, though higher education institutions have focused on factors that increase retention and graduation rates, many students who enter college do not persist to graduation. To increase the retention of all students, both regular admissions and special admissions, many institutions have implemented programs, like first-year seminars, to help students successfully academically and socially transition to college, which are important factors in first-year retention. The purpose of this correlational and causal comparative study was to determine the most significant predictor of first-year retention for special admissions …

Recruitment Considerations For Christian, Dental, Short-Term Missions Relating To The Holistic Development Of Dentists, Diane K. Meyer

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

A painful toothache often becomes unbearable and an unsightly smile can bring distress. Since tooth decay is the most widespread, chronic disease globally, mission trips by dentists can make an incalculable difference when they offer dental treatment to under-resourced people around the world. Dental ministration opens the door to a caring witness of God’s love where, as Jesus modeled, the physical touch may promote spiritual healing. Often, the recruitment of dentists for short-term, missions is challenging. This mixed-methods, phenomenological, research study was designed to explore the gap in dental, mission research concerning the recruitment of dentists as it relates to …

Effect Of Religious Coping On Faith Maturity As Moderated By Hope, Clark Daniel Thomas

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

As a consideration based in the psychology of religion and hope theory, correlations between religious coping and faith maturity are explored with particular focus on identifying hope as a moderating factor. With hypotheses that religious coping predicts faith maturity as moderated by hope, Snyder’s trait hope and state hope scales along with the Pargament’s Brief RCOPE and Piedmont and Nelson’s Faith Maturity Scale-Short Form, developed from Benson, Donahue, and Erickson’s larger Faith Maturity Scale, are employed via survey of an adult Christian convenience sample. The study is informed largely by Pargament’s work with use of religion, unique in comparison to …

A Study On The Evangelism Training Program For Church Growth: The Case Of Bethel Bible Baptist Church In Korea, Sung Hee Lee

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this case study is to find an evangelism training program for church growth in Korea. The researcher will study the evangelism strategies for church growth and will suggest effective evangelism training program to churches in order to find effective ways for church growth. The reason for selecting the evangelism training program for this study is to use it at Bethel Bible Baptist Church because evangelism is essential ministry for church growth and lots of churches have been experiencing growth by evangelism. The researcher will take advantages and supplement disadvantages from old evangelism programs to suggest new evangelism …

A Multiple Case Study Identifying Factors Influencing Church Attendance And Engagement With Unchurched And Dechurched Families, Jason Robert Waters

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

Many medium-sized churches experienced significant growth followed by years of declining attendance (Haskell et al., 2016). Many of them are in locations that could allow for significant growth. It seems as if some once growing churches no longer recognize how to best reach their communities and how to minister to the needs of the families making up their surrounding communities. The purpose of this multiple case study, a comparative analysis, is to identify factors that positively and negatively influence church attendance and engagement among unchurched and de-churched persons and families. At this stage in the research, regular attendance and engagement …

The Struggle For Leadership In The African American Church, Curtis Lee Johnson

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

This study focuses on looking at the struggles that African American leaders have within the church setting. It analyses the failings of the church in its mandate to offer spiritual and social nourishment to the black community. There have been concerns by clergy and the community at large that the reverent position that the church leader is no longer present. In its place, lies frustration and, in some cases, anger. The study will unravel the cause of the descent of the church. It examines a plethora of literature on the area, finding both supporting and opposing information. In the methodology, …

Equipping Ministry Leaders For Service At Mount Calvary Baptist Church, Vodricka L. Epps

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

This thesis project will examine the congregational need for ministry leaders to develop leadership skills. Mount Calvary Baptist Church, located in Hopewell, Virginia, serves as the framework of this investigation. The problem addressed by this research is derived from ten ministry leaders currently serving at Mount Calvary who have servants’ hearts but lack leadership skills to develop their ministries. With adequate training and continuing education, leaders are more equipped to lead ministries. Without leaders who are adequately equipped to lead ministries, it is difficult for the church to carry out its mission and remain active. The findings of this research …

A Transcendental Phenomenological Inquiry Of First-Generation Community College Students’ Experiences, Jean Marky Leandre

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

In the United States, 36% of community college enrollments are comprised of first-generation students (FGCS); however, little is known about FGCS as a cohort. Various initiatives have been formulated to encourage success among students with constraints related to social capital, bandwidth recovery, and the education system. The purpose of this phenomenological study aimed to understand the experiences of FGCS in community colleges in the Northeast region of the United States. FGCS are defined as students whose parents did not graduate from college with at least a bachelor’s degree. This study addressed student experiences—including social interactions—that impacted academic achievement positively or …

A Study On The Awareness And Practice Of The Elderly Welfare In The Church: Focused On The General Assembly Of Presbyterian Church Of Korea In Gumi City 교회 노인복지에 대한 인식 및 실천방안 연구: 예장합동 구미노회 소속 교회를 중심으로, Young Moon Jang (장 영 문)

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

Facing the aging society, the Korean church has made various initiatives and efforts to realize quality social welfare for the elderly and has contributed greatly to society by expanding welfare facilities and operating and implementing various programs. Nevertheless, it is true that there are no specific measures to evaluate specific details and that the role of the church has been relatively undervalued. What the researcher noticed while studying the social welfare field professionally as a pastor was that the Korean church is not aware of its role and importance despite its considerable benefits and influence to the nation and society …

A Multi-Case Qualitative Study Of Servant Leadership In The Appalachian Mountains Of Southwestern Virginia, Deidra Kaye Jackson

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

There is a need for capable leaders within churches to provide interconnected stability for economically challenged regions. The purpose of this multi-case study research was to understand and assess the exposure to the Ken Blanchard servant-leadership model on Southern Baptist Convention (SBC) church congregations located in the three-county area of Buchanan, Tazewell, and Russell in the rural Appalachian Mountains (RAM) region of Southwestern Virginia (SWVA) and select outcome assessment criteria. At this stage of the research, servant-leadership was generally defined as a leader who works for the common good and attempts to empower others in ways that strengthen and transform …

Not A Megachurch? Creative Methods Toward Intergenerational Worship Within A Small Evangelical Church: A Case Study, Brenda L. Widger

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

Larger churches have historically had the advantage in the realm of creative worship ministry due to larger budgets, more volunteers and dedicated professional staff. While megachurches have dominated the creative worship model, smaller evangelical churches have struggled to capture the essence of creativity in their services. There is a need to explore the obstacles faced by the smaller church along with methods that can be applied to overcome the challenges to offer effective worship experiences that include creative worship elements in a multigenerational model. In this qualitative historical case study, insight into the processes and resources necessary to move the …

Classical Christian Education And Students' Christian Formation, Melody Kay Smith

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

Training young people to love and serve God is an important responsibility shared by both parents and church leaders. This study explored one approach to that mandate: classical Christian education, a modern revival of a centuries-long tradition. The modern renewal began in the 1980’s after a near century-long hiatus during which time classical methodology was replaced by a progressive, secular approach. Currently, research is still minimal, therefore this study seeks to fill a gap regarding this unique Christian pedagogy. The purpose of this qualitative multiple case study is to determine if any perceived relationships exist between the distinguishing characteristics of …

Exemplary Nonvocational Ministry Leadership Practices In Predominantly Black Southeastern Connecticut Churches: A Quantitative Study, Stephenie R. Guess

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this quantitative study was to determine how nonvocational (unpaid) ministry leaders demonstrated exemplary leadership practices while ministering in predominantly Black Southeastern Connecticut churches. The study also showed how much theological training nonvocational ministry leaders received. Volunteer leadership is a critical resource for the church. Purposive nonprobability sampling produced a sample from an unknown population of nonvocational ministry leaders serving predominantly Black Southeastern Connecticut churches. Surveys distribution was via U.S. mail to pastors at 20 churches identified from e-mail distribution lists and social media posts. Sixty-eight participants completed the survey, which incorporated a demographic questionnaire and the Leadership …

Christian Education: Eight Essential Elements To Foster Spiritual Formation And Christlikeness, Alice Tillman O'Neal

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

Effective Christian education in the church setting should be a process that stimulates growth. The problem is that without the provision and engagement in the essential elements of Christian education, believers can attend church for an entire life span and never grow into Christlike maturity. This research project provides a paradigm to foster the demonstration of Christlikeness by the individual maturation toward spiritual formation and the operationalizing of the community of believers as a life-giving organism. The research approach includes the examination of recognized models of Christian education, spiritual formation, and Christian community development. Additionally, pastors of fifteen churches in …

A Phenomenological Study Of The Role Of Institutional Debt In The Mid-America Region Of Acsi, John Robert Beck

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this phenomenological study was to inductively explore and understand how school leadership’s views on institutional debt impacted its use at Christian kindergarten-twelfth grade (K-12) schools in the Mid-America Region of the Association of Christian Schools International (MAR-ACSI). Institutional debt was generally defined as large and reoccurring expenses such as mortgages for school buildings. The qualitative research theory guiding this study was transcendental phenomenological reduction articulated by Clark Moustakas (1994) in his Phenomenological Research Methods. The Moustakas model provided an effective way to explore the gap in the literature found about how institutional debt impacted the planning and …

Problem-Based Learning In Physician Assistant Education At A University In Eastern South Carolina: Improving An Active Learning Pedagogy, Marvin S. Wade

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this applied study was to solve the problem of designing and delivering a problem-based learning (PBL) curriculum which enhances students’ critical thinking and prepares physician assistant (PA) students to pass a national certifying examination at a small university in eastern South Carolina. A multi-methods approach utilizing concepts from qualitative and quantitative research was used. The study was guided through a central research question: How can the problems of problem-based learning be improved in PA education at a university in eastern South Carolina? Deeper understanding is discovered through the sub-questions: (a) how would PA education faculty in an …