Digital Commons Network^™

Disrupting The Shard Perspective: Leading A Culture Of Justice For The Reimagined Church, Shermika Harvey

Doctor of Leadership

Justice issues undulate amid society. They are entrenched into society's substructures, philosophy, traditions, and behaviors, and often stand uncontested over centuries. Biblically and historically, the Church's counteractions toward society's ills bestowed a sense of peace and community amid justice issues. However, as the justice crisis has increased steadily in the United States since the 1950s, the Church's presence submerged instead of being the forerunner. Therefore, many evangelical churches in the United States are viewed through their silence regarding injustice.

The Church, designed as a foundational agent for social and cultural change, stands at the cusp of a revolutionary historic moment, …

Overcoming Obstacles To Dna Group Engagement, Charles Edward Kelly

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

Discipleship is the primary command given by Jesus to his disciples. The elements of discipleship growth are best carried out in smaller cell groups of ten to twenty people. In the model used by the researcher, these cell groups (called missional communities) are subdivided into groups of three comprised of the same gender. These subdivided groups are called DNA groups. It is within DNA groups that a more intimate environment is created for transparency, biblical learning, and accountability. The researcher found three primary obstacles to engagement in a previous iteration of DNA groups. Those three obstacles are overscheduling / busyness, …

Las Casas On Faithful Witness, Robert Chao Romero, Marcos Canales

Sacred Roots Spiritual Classics

Many Christians struggle to connect their faith with social justice. If God is a loving God, then why does he allow injustices to exist? What does God's Word have to say about poverty and racism? If God loves immigrants and the poor, then why do so many Christians actually promote injustice? 1.2 million young people are leaving the church in America every year, many because of the broken witness of numerous Christians toward immigrants, the poor, the disabled, and the incarcerated.

The faithful life witness and writings of Bartolomé de Las Casas offer understandings and answers to the many "why's" …

79th Annual Pepperdine Bible Lectureship--Harbor: No Other Jesus (2022), Mike Cope

Pepperdine Bible Lectures: Programs

Program booklet for the 79th Annual Pepperdine Bible Lectures, held at Pepperdine University in Malibu, California, May 3-6, 2022. The Pepperdine Bible Lectures is an annual event hosted by Pepperdine University featuring a wide variety of lectures and classes on topics and themes in the Bible and Christianity.

Mike Cope, Lectureship Director

Rick Gibson, Tami Williamson, and Joella Michael, Lectures Team

Household Order And The Discipleship Of The People Of God: An Exegetical Survey Of Ephesians 5:21–6:9 And Other New Testament Household Texts, Eric J. Blessing

College of Theology and Ministry Dissertations, Projects, & Theses

The apostle Paul had a clear theology around the family, as presented by Ephesians 5:21–6:9 and similar Household Codes in his epistles, demonstrating his understanding of how families function as an outflow of the Gospel and how they play into the formation of local churches. His letters unfold vital teachings about how relationships in the family are to function, and that these functions are integral to the health of local churches and their mission to spread the Gospel. However, these teachings are only evident when read within their proper context, a task that the modern Western Church generally has failed …

Parenting During A Pandemic: Exploring The Experience Of Evangelical Parents Cultivating A Spiritual Orthodoxy In Their Children During The Covid-19 Quarantine, Joseph E. Brown

All Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Beginning in March 2020 the COVID-19 pandemic forced evangelical parents to adjust their parenting and Christian discipleship. With in-person gatherings limited, families and churches had to reorient to more isolation and less community. This study sought to explore this experience among evangelical parents of congregations of the Presbyterian Church in America (PCA) in the Greater Richmond area. Using an embedded single-case study research method with multiple participants, the researcher gathered data from one hundred one participants representing about sixty families units through virtual focus groups, in-person interviews, and online surveys. This research began with an extensive biblical, theological, and historical …

The Calvin Forum: Summer 2022, Calvin Theological Seminary

Calvin Theological Seminary Forum (2002- )

CONTENTS - Vol. 30. No. 2, SUMMER/FALL 2022

Main Features: 3 - The gift of hospitality.

4 - The hospitality of God.

8 - Hospitality in the doctrine of election

12 - Misreading Jesus' command to serve

18- Bringing Global Mission experience to Calvin Seminary

24- Alumni serving around the world

Calvin Seminary News: 28 - New faculty hires

30- Calvin Theological Seminary retirees

34- Faculty Book Highlight

35- New Staff Member

36- Distinguished Alumni

University Of Memphis Magazine, 2020 Fall

University of Memphis Magazine

In this issue, "I Want To Go Where I Can Help" By David Waters, UofM Institute for Public Service Reporting, Illustration by Catherine Knowles

UofM alum Janice Ballard joined a group of health professionals helping fight COVID-19 in the Navajo Nation, one of the hardest hit areas in the world per capita.

Also featured, "Unearthing Ancient Egypt" by Trent Shadid

As an expert on ancient Egypt, the work of UofM history professor Suzanne Onstine is providing insight into the lives of everyday Egyptians.

Scriptural Holiness : Essays On Sanctification And The Holy Life, Robert A. Danielson

Heritage Material

No abstract provided.

Soul As Sanctuary: Awareness Of God Alone And Assembled At Freedom Alive Church Of Greenville, South Carolina, Paulleatha Bruce

Doctor of Ministry Projects

A Christian practicum was established at Freedom Alive Church of Greenville in Greenville, South Carolina to examine and to promote the depth of influence and impact awareness of God in self, in daily living practices, and in the world at-large have on the congregants’ engagement and participation in corporate worship. Utilizing Scripture and the employment of solitude, meditation, prayer, and worship as spiritual practices, congregants from the generations of Silent, Baby Boomer, Xer, and Millennial were enlisted to participate in a six-week study. Upon the analysis of the quantitative and qualitative data, it was revealed that congregants’ exposure to the …

Asbury Theological Seminary Academic Catalog : 2022-2023, Asbury Theological Seminary

Academic Catalogs

No abstract provided.

Economic Models Of Church Life: Three Nudges Towards Better Behaviour, Stephen Bullivant

Theology Papers and Journal Articles

Economic ideas have long shed light on diverse spheres of social and cultural life. Religion is no exception and has spawned a large and thriving subfield. However, whereas recent decades have famously witnessed a ‘behavioural’ turn in economics – with Nobel prizes going to two pioneers of the field, Daniel Kahneman in 2002 and Richard Thaler in 2017 – there has yet to be significant work done in the ‘behavioural economics of religion’. This is a shame; there are good reasons for thinking that behavioural-economic theories and findings might be particularly well suited to illumine several areas of practical church …

A Response To New Apostolic Reformation Critics Revised And Expanded, Randy Clark

Books and Other Holy Spirit Artifacts

***This book is copyrighted to Dr. Randy Clark and may not be reproduced in any form.***

This revised and greatly expanded “Response to NAR Critics” provides answers and insight regarding the confusion related to my first submission on this subject to Academia. This confusion arose in large part because my response, which was 303 pages, was not posted in full. Only 80 pages were posted. The complete document that should have been posted contained responses from seven students and one professor from Global Awakening Theological Seminary (GATS). This first truncated submission was met with several critical comments, some of which …

Wholistic Stewardship Revitalization Strategy At Pueblo First Seventh-Day Adventist Church Rocky Mountain Conference, Anton Kapusi

Doctor of Ministry Projects

Problem

During the last decade, I observed, in my role as pastor and director, that many churches were overcome with a low level of members-involvement throughout the Conferences I served, especially in the current local churches I pastor, reflected in spiritual discouragement, indifference, and apathy. Upon closer observation of the Pueblo First local church members' relationship and collaboration, I found that only the worship service and two Bible study groups were functioning, with about a dozen individuals in total attending. Some other ministries were also functioning, like the ACS and ACS Disaster Relief, in addition to the church building and …

Missional Leaders' Multiplication Through Holistic Discipleship: The Fishermen Project As A Model For German Millennials In The Central Rhenish Conference, Christian Badorrek

Doctor of Ministry Projects

Problem

If not through the influx of Seventh-day Adventists from diverse countries and their missionary efforts, the membership of the Seventh-day Adventist Church in Germany would be stagnant. Most growing churches consist of people with migrant background and a large number of them conserve their native languages in their activities. Consequently, new approaches to reach the extremely secular indigenous population are rare, since the number of people who naturally have the potential to connect with them is rapidly declining. This downward spiral leads to an overaged Seventh-day Adventist church in Germany and seems to accelerate. Only very few millennials are …

The Pilot Project For A Conference-Wide Church Multiplication Project In The Ontario Conference Of The Seventh-Day Adventist Church, Jakov Bibulović

Doctor of Ministry Projects

Problem

An assessment of the vitality of the Seventh-day Adventist churches in the Ontario Conference revealed a lack of multiplying congregations. This finding raised serious concerns. At the same time, the Ontario population net growth continued to increase at a higher rate than the Conference average net growth. There is a need for an intentional approach in identifying barriers for church growth, developing a strategy to remove these barriers, and initiating a congregational culture change that would unleash a God-given multiplication potential in congregations. In order to facilitate the congregational culture-change process, coaching in ministry would increase the chances for …

Leadership Strategy For Sustaining Mission-Focused Vision In Years Seven To Ten Of Crosswalk Fellowship, Boyan Levterov

Doctor of Ministry Projects

Problem

In January 2007, my wife and I led a core team of passionate Christian believers to start Crosswalk Fellowship as a parachute church plant. The plant was a part of the local Texas Conference of Seventh-day Adventist church planting initiative. The project had a successful start and reached the high standards to qualify for church status in the Texas Conference in less than one and a half years. Crosswalk continued to experience steady growth during the first five years of existence; However, in year five, people escaping crises happening simultaneously in the other two existing English Seventh-day Adventist churches …

Intentional Discipleship: Using A Personal Growth Plan With Microgroup Support As A First Step In Creating A Culture Of Discipleship At The University City Seventh-Day Adventist Church, Ryan Lee Ashlock

Doctor of Ministry Projects

Problem

There is a general lack of understanding and practice of discipleship within Western Christianity. This lack of discipleship can be observed within the University City Seventh-day Adventist Church. Many Christians view their relationship with Jesus as something that affects the afterlife but has little effect on the present. There is a grave need for the church to have a culture of discipleship in which people are encouraged to have a daily and lifelong connection with Jesus.

Method

Building on conclusions drawn from theological reflection and a review of relevant literature, an intervention was developed that sought to draw church …

God, Others, And Ourselves - The Stories We Tell And The Meaning We Make: A Narrative Approach To Adventist Mission In The South England Conference Of The British Union Conference, United Kingdom, Wayne B. Erasmus

Doctor of Ministry Projects

Problem

A disconnect exists between the Adventist Church in the United Kingdom and its wider context as evidenced through the reduced number of accessions coming from the majority population and from second, third, and subsequent migrant generations. This present study was to propose and trial a worldview awareness training experience.

Method

A Six Conversation journey experience was devised and presented over a six-week period in the summer of 2021 via Zoom, in line with adaptations due to the COVID pandemic. Volunteer Adventist participants would explore their individual and collective meaning and identity narratives, grow awareness and understanding of other such …

A Strategy For Planting A Growing Seventh-Day Adventist Church In Rivers West Conference, Nigeria, Smart B. Maduagu

Doctor of Ministry Projects

Problem

Rivers-West Conference of Seventh-day Adventist Church, like most Seventh-day Adventist Conferences in Nigeria, is growing at 1% (GC Statistics 2020) while the population of Nigeria is growing at 2.5% (The World Bank Data, 2021). The local Adventist church membership growth is not matching the country's population growth when compared to the obvious spontaneous growth of other Christian churches like the Redeem Christian Church of God (RCCG) which began thirty-eight years after the advent of the Seventh-day Adventist Church in Nigeria; they have about twenty thousand (20,000) churches (History and Growth of RCCG, 2014) while the Seventh-day Adventist Church in …

Implementing A Faith-Based Weight Loss Outreach Program For The Westside Community Of Jacksonville, Florida, Jonathan Peinado

Doctor of Ministry Projects

Problem

Jacksonville, Florida’s adult population has an obesity rate of 65.4% which is slightly lower than both regional and national averages (66.1%) but higher than the state average (63.2%).

Method

A faith-based weight loss program was developed for the residents of the west side of Jacksonville. The intervention incorporated behavioral, spiritual, and psychological modules. The program lasted a total of 10 weeks from beginning to end, with the main segment taking place over a 40-day (6-week) period. Participants underwent two biometric screenings, one at the beginning of the program and one at the end. They had daily health challenges such …

A Cross-Cultural And Cross-Ethnic Model Of Integrated Ministry To Second-Generation Immigrant Youth In The Seventh-Day Adventist Church In Dublin, Dan-Gheorghe Serb

Doctor of Ministry Projects

Problem

Dublin, like most major cities in Western Europe, is a multicultural and multiethnic city. Most members of the Seventh-day Adventist Church in Dublin are first-generation immigrants who tend to import their native brand of Adventism into Dublin local churches. Moreover, outside the church worship experience, immigrant members are inclined to gravitate toward mono-ethnic and mono-cultural interactions. Their children are the New Irish and are thus better integrated into Irish culture and society. This situation seems to destabilize young people in the church, with many second-generation immigrant Generation Z youth showing disinterest in church life, and some of them leaving …

Church Planting: Exploring The Actual Experiences And Stories Of Four Church Planters Of The Plant1000 Evangelism Initiative In The North American Division Of The Seventh-Day Adventist Church, Hyveth Williams

Dissertations

Problem. Plant1000 was launched in 2016 by the North American Division (NAD), the fifth largest of 13 divisions of the worldwide Seventh-day Adventist Church. Since then, it has been reported that over 1000 new church plants have been started, but we do not really understand how healthy most of these are, or not. We also do not know what they are actually experiencing in their developing into viable congregations. The focus of this dissertation is the story of four selected church plants that may be able to help us understand those dynamics that, at the moment, are little understood. -- …

Pastoral Ministry And Theological Education : The Evaluation Of The Effectiveness Of Theological Education/Ministerial Training For Pastoral Ministry In Southern Nigeria, Oluwakemi Grace Okonkwo

ATS Dissertations

No abstract provided.

Disciple Formation Small Group Study : Practicing Spiritual Disciplines In Community Fellowship, Kevin D. Clotfelter

ATS Dissertations

No abstract provided.

Women In The Early Nazarene Mission Among Spanish Speakers: Maye Mcreynolds And Santos Elizondo, Stephanie Rountree

The Asbury Journal

This paper examines the early Nazarene holiness mission among Spanish speakers, specifically focusing on two women foundational for this ministry. It argues that with the example and encouragement of Maye McReynolds before her, Santos Elizondo became a trailblazer and minority voice in implementing holistic mission within Spanish speaking communities in El Paso, Texas and Juarez, Mexico at the turn of the 20^th century. Maye McReynolds initiated the Spanish mission of the Church of the Nazarene in Los Angeles, California, where she was instrumental in converting and discipling Santos Elizondo. Elizondo moved out in her own ministry to El Paso, …

Book Reviews

The Asbury Journal

No abstract provided.

Caring For The Soul Of A Pluralistic Army: An Exploration Of Servant Leader Behaviors In Active Duty Chaplains, W. Joshua Grimes

Theses and Dissertations

The U.S. Army Chaplaincy is charged with the unique and sacred mission to “Care for the Soul of the Army” ─an Army with an increasingly pluralistic culture with respect to religious and spiritual beliefs. The purpose of this study was to explore the presence and degree of servant leadership behaviors in active duty chaplains, as an initial step in discerning the potential of servant leadership as a conceptual framework to help the chaplaincy provide effective pastoral care within a diverse organization. The study used an embedded mixed-methods design to capture quantitative data regarding servant leadership behaviors in 250 individual chaplains …

Theologia: Quaker Youth Ministry And Theopraxis In A Multicultural Context, Joel Mayward, Roger Nam, Leah Payne, Steve Sherwood, Hannah Souter, Trisha Welstad

Quaker Religious Thought

"I am convinced by my own life and by wide observation of children that mystical experience is much more common than is usually supposed. Children are not so absorbed as we are with things and with problems. They are not so completely organized for dealing with the outside world as we older persons are. They do not live by cut-and-dried theories. They have more room for surprise and wonder. They are more sensitive to intimations, flashes, openings. The invisible impinges on their souls and they feel its reality as something quite natural.” —Rufus M. Jones,

“Finding the Trail of Life”1 …

The Act Of Being : Older Adults In The Missional Church, Eva Marie Wolfe

ATS Dissertations

No abstract provided.