Digital Commons Network^™

Full Issue, Volume 38, Issue 1

Landas

No abstract provided.

Building Healthy Parent-Adolescent Relationships Within A Religious Context, Brooklyn Williams

ASPIRE 2026

Religion has been founded to be a protective factor for adolescence consistently in research.  During the project, a family life education program was developed and implemented based on the population needs. Specifically, the developmental asset research was used to develop a program for parent and child engagement.

Good Grief: Implementing Solace And Support Of Bereavement Ministry Within A Resource-Constrained Church In Chicago, Illinois, Celeste Haynes

Doctor of Ministry

Grief is a universal human experience that occurs at some point in everyone's life. This body of work explores the various benefits of implementing a bereavement support ministry in a resource-constrained church in Chicago, Illinois. The research will outline how a bereavement ministry can offer emotional support, spiritual guidance, and provide educational resources, community building, outline a budget proposal, and a grant opportunities, partnership with local agencies, training for volunteers, and practical help to bereaved members in a church, as well as the bereaved community.

Bereavement is an inevitable part of the human experience, and churches have historically served as …

Beyond Rugged Individualism: A Narrative Intervention For Men Languishing In Isolation, Chad Edward Warren

Doctor of Leadership

My NPO (Need, Problem, or Opportunity) addresses the problem that an exceptional number of men in Northwest Montana languish due to prolonged social and emotional isolation.

Across my research, the key insight was that isolation is sustained not only by personal circumstances but also by the cultural narratives that form men’s identities and expectations. Stories function as “maps of meaning,” shaping what men perceive as strength, weakness, and the good life. In this context, rugged individualism, understood as a self-reliance and isolation narrative that prizes toughness and minimal dependence, can foster admirable grit while also reinforcing shame around vulnerability, help-seeking, …

Exploring Young Adult Absence Within Inner-City Churches In Syracuse, New York, Daren Christopher Jaime

Doctor of Leadership

Young adults (ages 25–39) in inner-city churches of Syracuse, New York are experiencing increasing disenfranchisement, resulting in diminished participation, increased distrust, and a significant absence from congregational life. Research conducted for this project revealed that young adult disengagement is shaped by generational disconnects, institutional rigidity, cultural irrelevance, and broader social disruptions intensified by the COVID-19 pandemic and the ongoing political and socio-economic instability. The findings also highlighted a major desire among young adults for authenticity, credible leadership, and spaces where their lived experiences are acknowledged rather than dismissed.

This project is situated within my ministry and vocational context which integrates …

Rural Black Church Leadership And Community Development In Midwest Illinois, Derrick Smith

Dissertations of Practice

This qualitative study examines the role of a rural Black church in leadership development and community sustainability within a Midwestern Illinois town. While extensive scholarship documents the historical significance of the Black church in civil rights, political mobilization, and social advocacy, limited research explores the founding of contemporary Black churches and the intentional processes through which they develop leaders and support community sustainability in rural or small-town settings. This study addresses that gap by investigating the establishment and evolution of New Hope Missionary Baptist Church (NHMBC) in DeKalb, Illinois, and its impact on leadership development and Black community development.

Guided …

A Brief History Of Women At Asbury Theological Seminary, Robert A. Danielson

The Asbury Journal

Understanding the past roles of women within the 100-year lifespan of Asbury Theological Seminary is an important exercise in institutional history. Educational institutions frequently experience turnover in students, faculty, and administration at high rates. Institutional memory frequently is held by a few older members of the faculty and staff and more importantly by the archives of the institution. Institutional memory provides the foundation for changing policy decisions, understanding the institutional mission, and following how previous administrations dealt with a constantly changing cultural and social context. In the case of Asbury Theological Seminary, this paper explores an institution rooted in the …

That's A Great Question! A Practical Guide To Engage Teens In Honest Conversations, Linda Van Voorst

Doctor of Ministry

This Doctoral Project addresses a significant and persistent challenge within evangelical churches: 70% of Evangelical teens disengage from church upon high school graduation. While often attributed to rebellion or declining belief, this project investigates deeper formative dynamics contributing to this disengagement.

Research revealed that many adolescents do not disengage because they reject faith, but because they lack safe, relational spaces within the church to voice meaningful questions about God, suffering, identity, and belief. When questioning is met with discomfort, defensiveness, or premature answers, adolescents often internalize the message that doubt is incompatible with faith. The research also surfaced that many …

Faith That Lasts: How Local Churches Can Support Families In Passing On Their Faith To Their Children, Andrew Corbyn Thompson

Doctor of Ministry

NPO Statement

More than ever, children raised in Christian homes leave their faith by adulthood.

A major contributing factor to this tragic exodus is the North American ministry model that outsourced discipleship from the home to age-segregated church programs and professionals. This project responds to the urgent need to equip and empower parents in their foundational role as their children's first disciplers.

Key Benefit or Insights that Emerged from the Research Overall

The research for this project, grounded in biblical and theological foundations and sociological observation, highlights that lasting, authentic faith is fostered in a holistic home environment where parents, …

Space, Belonging, And Formation In The Intergenerational Church, Tara Lynn Wolf

Doctor of Ministry

This Doctoral Project addresses the following Need, Problem, or Opportunity (NPO): Redeemer Lutheran Church has limited intentionally cultivated spaces for informal, intergenerational connection, leading to reliance on programs to foster relationships, formation, and a sense of belonging. This condition challenges the congregation’s stated commitment to being intentionally intergenerational and affects relational continuity spanning generations.

Research conducted through stakeholder interviews, design workshops, surveys, and prototyping revealed that belonging and spiritual formation are formed not only by ministry programming but by the physical and social environments in which people gather repeatedly over time. Key insights indicated that churches often underestimate the influence …

Raising Not So Little Leaders, Rob M. Burke

All Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The problem this research addressed was understanding how parents, supported by local churches, can instill values of love and kindness and cultivate a servant leadership mindset in children from birth through age eighteen within the Orange County context. This study examined how churches can partner with parents to help children live out these values through the relationships, environments, and everyday rhythms that shape them. In response to this problem, the researcher explored the biblical and theological themes of love, kindness, and service in the Gospel of John and the Johannine Epistles. John shares how Jesus demonstrated these values through being …

Religion And International Relations: The Concept Of Soft Power And Orthodoxy In Kazakhstan, Ali Ukenov

Occasional Papers on Religion in Eastern Europe

This article examines the role of the Orthodox Church of Kazakhstan (OCK), a constituent part of the Russian Orthodox Church (ROC), within the framework of religious soft power. Following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in 2022, the relationship between the ROC, Russian foreign policy, and transnational religious influence has attracted increased scholarly attention. Drawing on the concept of soft power and constructivist approaches, the study combines qualitative field research with media content analysis. The empirical material includes twenty semi-structured interviews conducted with Orthodox clergy and active parishioners across Kazakhstan, as well as an examination of the case of former priest Yakov …

Desarrollo E Implementación De Una Estrategia Para Mejorar La Asistencia Y Participación En El Culto Joven De La “Iglesia Nueva”, En La Asociación Central Dominicana, Yoel Lizardo

Doctor of Ministry Projects

Problem

The youth service, or “youth society,” of the “Iglesia Nueva” within the Dominican Central Association has experienced low attendance and participation among young adults between the ages of eighteen and thirty-five. A preliminary study identified several contributing factors to this situation. These include program content that fails to capture sufficient interest, worship experiences that lack perceived relevance, limited opportunities for young people to discover and exercise their spiritual gifts and talents, a shortage of mentors, and inadequate planning and follow-up in ministry efforts.

Methodology

Theological foundations regarding the principles of youth participation in the church were examined. Contemporary literature …

Records Of The World’S Christian Endeavor Union Arc2015-003 - Finding Aid, Ats Special Collections And Archives

Finding Aids

No abstract provided.

Transformation Of Spirituality: Religious Practices Of Ukrainian Youth During The Full-Scale War, Tetiana Bevz, Olena Hazizova, Viktoriia Kapustina, Serhii Maiatskyi

Occasional Papers on Religion in Eastern Europe

This article examines the transformation of spirituality among Ukrainian youth during the full-scale war and the changes in religious practices, motivations, and individualized faith in the context of existential crises, social upheavals, and mass population mobility. The impact of war on the role of religious institutions, including the development of institutional adaptability, the shift to horizontal communication models, and the decolonization of religious narratives, is analyzed. Particular attention is paid to the formation of “social religiosity,” when faith serves not only as a tool for individual spiritual practice but also as a tool for civic participation and volunteer initiatives. The …