Digital Commons Network^™

Music Ministry Of Children And Youth: A Study And Defense For Incorporating Children And Youth Choirs In The Modern Worship Service, Veronica Leigh Haber Allison

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

Graded children’s choir ministries have been a part of churches for the last century. In recent years, there has been a growing trend away from offering music ministry opportunities to children and youth in contemporary churches. There are several reasons for this decline; the major reason is that many churches have moved away from traditional music offerings to a praise band format. It has rendered the musical training of children in church unnecessary. The limited quantity of recent scholarly literature, the decline in commercially produced music, and the discontinuation of teaching materials for children’s choir ministries also attest to this …

Building Unity Between Coeur D’Alene Bible Church And Summit Christian Academy Communities Through Leadership Engagement Groups, Nathan T. Duncan

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The Western church must model unity to its congregation and the local community as part of the battle against the growing cultural focus on individualism. The purpose of this action research project was to develop and build unity between Coeur d'Alene Bible Church (CBC) and Summit Christian Academy (SCA) by utilizing Leadership Engagement Groups (LEGs). LEGs consisted of individuals from the leadership team of each ministry, five from CBC and four from SCA. They met for five weeks to pray, examine biblical unity, and discuss how they can practically assist the other ministry in their ministry goals. Questionnaires, which measured …

The Importance Of Bridging The Generation Gap Within Grace City Church: A Plan For An Intergenerational Discipleship Program, Keila A. Boychak

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The generation gap exists within the local church. The purpose of this praxis problem was to address the lack of intergenerational ministry in the church and create an intergenerational discipleship program to start the process of bridging the generation gap. The researcher intended to study the generations that are involved within Grace City Church and better understand how to reach them. In following Paul Hersey and Ken Blanchard’s Situational Leadership Theory (1969), the researcher planned to create a practical program that assisted in gaining participants, who are among various generations and are currently members of the congregation. Through the implementation …

Singing Sad Songs To The Savior: An Examination Of And Argument For Biblical Lament Songs, Kaden Hofheins

Senior Honors Theses

Christian lament songs play an important role in the context of the local church. There are several key differences between Christian lament and secular “sad songs” that are due to Christianity’s perspective of suffering that revolves around the hope of Jesus Christ. Christian songwriters have been writing lament songs through the lens of biblical hope in Christ throughout church history. Due to the nature of lament songs and how they give voice to negative emotions, which can help people to process their grief, and the communal nature of corporate worship, it is important that local churches ensure they use lament …

Ripe For The Harvest: Developing Servants Through Spiritual Formation At Fairhaven Church Of Rootstown, Vincent A. Maltempi

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

This action research project addresses the need to develop committed Christian servants within a church ministry context by utilizing a spiritual formation initiative focused on service as a means towards and evidence of spiritual formation and development. Fairhaven Church of Rootstown had not been instructed on the fundamental need for members to serve together. Consequently, service within the church was not a necessary part of discipleship or its spiritual growth plan. The purpose of this intervention was to create and implement a three-fold spiritual development initiative focused on Christian service that includes a sermon series, a midweek study, and a …

Worshipers At War: The Church’S Call To Praise On The Frontlines, Keely Cox

Senior Honors Theses

As spiritual warfare wages on and battles are constantly fought, the worship leader must understand the power of worship the Church wields in the love and strength of the Lord. In order for the role of the worship leader to be fully recognized and understood as a significant part of the body of Christ, its unique history must also be examined. It can be seen in the appointment of the Levites to the ministry of the Israelite tabernacle and their leadership on the battlefield. It can be found in first-century Christian leaders who persisted to praise the one true God …

Building Healthy Families Through Intergenerational Worship Ministry, Frank Richard Gillespie

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

Although literature exists concerning family ministry in the local church, there is little research that gives explicit insight into music and worship ministry’s role in helping to strengthen families. Since worship is one of the ultimate functions of both the church and the family, this study integrates family ministry methodology with worship ministry methodology to discover theological sound and practical ways to build up the family through corporate worship, structured music programs, and community involvement. Guided by biblical and historical foundational teachings on church and family, this qualitative research study identifies perspectives that have not yet been explored and documented …

Aging Voices In The American Church Choir: A Study In Ethnomusicology And Ethnodoxology, Shirley Claudeen Ehler

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

Despite American church choirs being a distinct culture across all denominations and independent church entities, this traditional worship community of singers is a minority culture in the United States. Furthermore, existing journal literature frequently features young voices, e.g., children's, middle school, teen, and university choirs and choruses. Aging-voice research literature began to appear in the 1990s for individual voices or voices in community choirs. Aging voices are a unique ethnicity found in every race within the church choir culture. Researched literature on the aging voice in the American church choir is conspicuous by its absence, pushing American church choir aging …

And The Lord Added To Their Number Daily: A Historical Overview Of The Growth Of The American Evangelical Church, Erica Morgan Wrench

Masters Theses

The Rise Of The Part-Time Worship Leader In The Mid-Size Southern Baptist Church, Donald Oren Blakeney

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this paper is to explore the prevalence of part-time, bivocational, semi-retired and volunteer worship leaders within mid-size Southern Baptist church and the need for further training and education through a denominationally-driven mentor program. The known decline in attendance and financial giving that most Southern Baptist churches have experienced has affected the moneys available to fill staffing needs and thereby require a reassessment of staff positions; the percentage of the budget allocated for staffing and continuing education. Most of these part-time worship leaders are already educated in another field and cannot allot the resources for a return to …

Is The Moral Standard Taught In The Church Of Christ Too High?, Jim Bill Mcinteer

Jim Bill McInteer Sermon Outlines by Topic

From the Jim Bill McInteer collection of sermon outlines and cassette tapes.

Musical Contextualization In The Local Church: A Pragmatic Exploration Concerning The Philosophy And Methodology Of Assimilating Sacred Music Into The Worship Vocabulary Of A Congregation, Kaleb Gooden

Senior Honors Theses

God’s mandate for all worship pastors is that they minister to their local body of believers in an effective way. This directive necessitates the use of scripturally and culturally appropriate music that clearly communicates the Gospel to the church congregation. This creative thesis further investigates musical contextualization in the local church.

Five philosophical pillars represent the most basic structure on which the entire process of local church contextualization stands. The minister must be rooted in scripture, led by the Spirit, present-minded, future-driven, and committed to service. After evaluating these philosophical concepts, this thesis will then explore the methodological contextualization process …

The Integrated Small Group : Bible Study, Community, Ministry, And Mission, Joleen A. Willis

ATS Dissertations

No abstract provided.

The Integrated Small Group : Bible Study, Community, Ministry, And Mission, Joleen A. Willis

ATS Dissertations

No abstract provided.

Transmission And Reception Of Blended Family Narratives In The Church Context, Christopher W. Perry

ATS Dissertations

No abstract provided.

The Relationship Of Missional Outreach To United Methodist Church Growth In The Central Appalachian Region, 1990-2005, Carol D. Crawford

ATS Dissertations

No abstract provided.

Deploying Laity Into Ministry Among Lay-Releasing Congregations In The North Georgia Conference, James Francis Ellison

ATS Dissertations

No abstract provided.

A Team Approach To Creative Worship , Tommy R. Gray

ATS Dissertations

No abstract provided.

Patterns Of Free Methodist Worship: Historic Freedoms , Claude E. Griffith

ATS Dissertations

No abstract provided.

The Local Church In A Christian Academic Community: A Process For Discovering And Developing Its Identity, Mission And Ministry , Arthur S. Brown

ATS Dissertations

No abstract provided.

Effecting Ministry In The Local Church , J. Wesley Hertel

ATS Dissertations

No abstract provided.