Digital Commons Network^™

Wholely: A Youth Ministry Program To Develop Life Skills For Students, Brenda Antigua

Christian Ministries Senior Capstone

Churches usually focus primarily on people's spiritual lives. The mission of youth ministries is to foster a relationship with God among young people from an early age, but the church is called to do more because God cares holistically for his children. Wholely is a ministry that works with the academic, educational, and professional needs of students in Humboldt Park, Chicago, IL, providing them with monthly workshops that teach them life skills to prepare them for the future; mentorship from devoted leaders; inductive Bible study to learn what the Word says about them and what they are learning; a resource …

Youth Mac: Exploring The Impact And Influence Of Varied Youth Pastor Leadership Qualities And Practices That Lead To Efficacious Student Ministry, George L. Fultz Ii

PhD in Organizational Leadership

Congregations across the United States are experiencing significant declines in youth and young adult engagement and retention, raising a red flag when thinking about the long-term sustainability of the church. While previous research has focused on senior pastoral leadership, there has been limited exploration of youth pastor leadership and its effects on church growth and adolescent retention. This qualitative study utilizes McGavran’s church growth theory to investigate how youth pastors’ leadership styles influence ministry effectiveness. This research used semistructured interviews with six youth pastors from diverse congregations to collect the data. After completing thematic analysis, four themes emerged: (a) the …

Pastors Of Smaller And Larger Churches Face Different Challenges: Empirical Evidence, William Ingersoll, David R. Dunaetz

Great Commission Research Journal

This study seeks to expand our understanding of the differences between the challenges faced by pastors of smaller churches and the challenges faced by pastors of larger churches. Pastors of North American churches (N = 347), generally with a theologically conservative orientation, responded to an online survey indicating how difficult they perceived each of 79 challenges to be. In general, evangelism and retaining youth were the most difficult challenges. However, clear distinctions were found between pastors of smaller churches and pastors of larger churches for over one-third of the challenges. For example, pastors of larger churches found that adequately addressing …

The Beacon, March 28, 2025, Beacon Staff

The Beacon, 2024-2025

The history of NW RUSH dance; Moody March weather in Iowa; "Mayhem": an album true to its name; Robert Pattinson triumphs in "Mickey 17"; Senior Spotlight: Ailee Moquist breaks norm; Le Mars Art Center hosts Regional Art Forum; The founding and history of P&W; In like a lion; PGC and PathwayU celebration; RUSH of the past; Embracing the call to local missions; More funding, not less; DME: theology through theatre; The state of Pope Francis' health; A conversation with a March Madness expert; Tony Hoops receives national recognition; Men's basketball season in review;

Exploring The Concept Of Eternal Security In The Primitive Church Of Orlando, Fl, Evelyne Petion Laroque

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

This study explores the concept of eternal security in the Primitive Church of Orlando, Florida. The purpose is to accede to a genuine guarantee of eternal life. The Primitive Church of Orlando, Florida, may not understand the concept of eternal security, but the fault may not be entirely theirs. Theologians and believers have debated eternal security for centuries, with some advocating for “Once saved, always saved.” Moreover, others emphasize assurance of salvation. It is unclear how this ongoing argument serves God’s redemptive purpose for His Church. Still, it continues to frustrate believers’ spiritual formation worldwide. This study presents findings on …

Addressing Church Retention In A Post-Christian Age: A Multi-Faceted Approach, Lawrence Kendall Gurley

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

Declining and shuttered churches in America have become the norm in the past several decades. Congregations and church organizations have witnessed a steep decline while the average age of members and clergy continues to rise. Interventionist efforts to alter the calculus of these trends have been underway for many years in both mainstream and evangelical circles. Only recently have Pentecostal organizations begun to address this decline. The research shows that church decline and attrition, although pervasive, are not inevitable but require concerted and sustained efforts to restore health and a sense of mission to local churches. This dissertation builds on …

Wilderness & Wonder: Creating Compassionate Spaces For Those Who Have Been Wounded And Forgotten By The Church, Tyler Dresbach

Doctor of Ministry

Harm caused by Fundamentalist Evangelicalism prevents individuals from re-engaging in a faith community, creating a need for compassionate spaces that foster healing and reconciliation. What is one supposed to do when the only group they have known to be a healing and life-giving community is the source of their hurt, disappointment, and confusion? Often, individuals disengage from the religious community and are left to navigate the complexities of life and faith on their own. Yet these individuals, while skeptical of the Church, have increasingly expressed a desire to reengage with a faith community—but if not within the formal structures of …

The Bison, March, 07, 2025

The Bison Newspapers

No abstract provided.

The Lumberman, The "General," The Watchman, And The Comeback Queen: The Afterlife Of Slavery In The Bayou City From 1861 To The Present, Karen Kossie-Chernyshev

Faculty Publications

Using oral history and genealogical research, this essay examines the historical ties of a lifetime resident of Houston's historic Fifth Ward community to selected members of William Marsh Rice’s family from the period of slavery to freedom. This narrative reaffirms the role that oral history plays in our understanding of the afterlife of urban slavery in Houston, Texas, the nation’s 4th-largest city.

Union-Wide Master Guide Training Shapes Future Youth Leaders, Lake Union Conference Of Seventh-Day Adventists, Cheryl Logan

Lake Union Herald

No abstract provided.

Chimes: February 24, 2025, Calvin University

Chimes

Budget pain ahead: Preparing for the future and the end of "invest to grow" at Calvin by Ethan Meyers & McKenna Wilkinson

Hekman LIbrary to prune physical collection by up to 40,000 books in the next few years by Addy Offutt

Students gather for poetry and pasta hosted by CISD by Natasha Jayaputra

Calvin men's and women's track and field riding high as indoor championship loom by Zach Kern

"Autonomy, belonging and a chance to grow": three decades of LOFT at Calvin by Graham Kort

The Bison, February, 21, 2025

The Bison Newspapers

No abstract provided.

The Beacon, February 20, 2025, Beacon Staff

The Beacon, 2024-2025

NW students go local for new SSP; Sickness spreading on campus; Lumineers leave fans automatically bored; Marvel introduces a brave new captain; Senior Spotlight on Brandon Englin; "The Little Prince" brings childlike wonder; This week in Beacon history; Local SSP provides chances to serve; Reasoning behind dropping classes; Unfortunate illness; Dance marathon: more than a party; My greatest love story; Raider track and field success at GPAC meet; NW cheer takes top spot at Concordia; Women's soccer preparing for Spain SSP; Controversy over USAID funding; ICE given deportation orders;

Raising Worshippers: Cultivating A Life Of Praise, Angela Perigo, Jeremy Perigo

Faculty Work Comprehensive List

"One of the best things we can do for children in worship is to model what it means to be a worshiping community—especially on Sunday mornings, but also in other areas of life."

Posting about ­­­­­­­­faith formation in families from In All Things, an online hub that offers insight into maintaining and faithful and orthodox Reformed Christian worldview while fearlessly engaging in every aspect of contemporary life – until all is made new.

Raising Worshippers

The Bison, February, 07, 2025

The Bison Newspapers

No abstract provided.

Local Baptist Leader, Jason Ballard, Featured Speaker For Gardner-Webb Greene Lectureship, Office Of University Communications

Gardner-Webb NewsCenter Archive

Jason Ballard, associational mission strategist for the Greater Cleveland County Baptist Association (GCCBA) in Shelby, N.C., is the speaker for the C.O. and Eliza Greene Endowed Lectureship on Tuesday, March 4, at Gardner-Webb University. His topic is “Leading Change in the Local Church.”

Gospel Catechesis:Transformative Discipleship, James Hampton

Syllabi

No abstract provided.

Multiple Staff Ministry, James Hampton

Syllabi

No abstract provided.

Multiple Staff Ministry, James Hampton

Syllabi

No abstract provided.

Multiple Staff Ministry, James Hampton

Syllabi

No abstract provided.

The Beacon, January 31, 2025, Beacon Staff

The Beacon, 2024-2025

Inequality in men's and woman's retreat; NW advice on adulting for students; A journey through Mac Miller's mind; Bob Dylan biopic deemed underwhelming; NW forgoes foreign language requirement; Faculty art exhibit displays diverse styles; The paths of maximum efficiency; Men's vs. women's retreat; College campus snow days policies; Adulting 101; TikTok ban: double-edged sword; Unity in the body of Christ; Cheer and dance kick off competitive season; A deeper look into the NW vs. Dordt rivalry; Women's soccer welcomes new head coach; What happened with TikTok; NW Students stand out at KCACTF;

Returning To The Edge: Religious Education, Affiliation, And Accompaniment, Patrick R. Manning Ph.D.

Immaculate Conception Seminary School of Theology Publications

The aim of this article is to envision approaches better suited to facilitating an encounter with God’s love for those who find themselves at the edges of church affiliation. The first part of the article involves an exercise in pastoral listening, endeavoring to understand the present concerns and realities of such people as they experience them. The second part offers principles and examples of the kind of accompaniment that current research and practice suggest is better suited to our present situation and the needs of people who do not feel at home in the Church.

Focused On Faith, Sarah Moss

The Voice

No abstract provided.

From The Archives: Basketball And Holiness At Asbury Theological Seminary, Robert Danielson Ph.D

The Asbury Journal

No abstract provided.

2025 Agenda And Acts Of Synod, Crcna

Agendas and Acts of Synod

Redeemer University, Ancaster, ON: Rev. Stephen Terpstra, president; Rev. Ken Benjamins, vice president; Rev. Joshua M. Christoffels, first clerk; Rev. Gary van Leeuwen, second clerk

The Banner - V. 160, No. 1 - (January 2025), Christian Reformed Church In North America

The Banner

No abstract provided.

Weeping In The Household: Equipping Pastoral Caregivers Among Grieving Families At Grace Presbyterian Church In Baltimore, Maryland, Charles Brandon Brewer

Doctor of Ministry Projects

This project sought to equip pastoral care ministry members of Grace Presbyterian Church to explore communal grief and deepen their own understanding of family systems in intergenerational grief. Participants engaged in a four-week training series aimed at reducing fear surrounding discussions of death, dying, and grief, empowering pastoral caregivers in the church to offer compassionate care to grieving individuals and families. Participants were trained to facilitate Bible studies, group discussions and were equipped with the skills necessary to guide and expand the church’s existing bereavement ministry beyond crisis intervention, strengthening pastoral care efforts, and the pastoral care ministry of the …

From Principles To Implementation: Evaluating Social Justice And Inclusive Education In Holy Cross Elite Institutions Of Bangladesh, Md Shaikh Farid

Journal of Catholic Education

This paper examines how Catholic Social Teaching (CST), particularly its commitments to social justice and inclusive education, is interpreted and enacted by the Congregation of Holy Cross within three elite institutions in Bangladesh. Drawing on institutional documents and semistructured interviews with educators and administrators, it analyzes how Catholic educational ideals are negotiated within competitive urban contexts. The findings show that while Holy Cross institutions articulate strong commitments to human dignity, moral formation, and service to the poor, these values are expressed mainly through institutional culture and outreach initiatives rather than systematically embedded in admissions, academic structures, or governance. Meritbased admissions, …

“Off To Greek Camp”: A History And Examination Of Greek America And Its Adaptation Of American Summer Camp Culture, Julia J. Walsh

Honors Theses

Camps are one of the most distinct institutions of American childhood, offering children a place to socialize and explore their identities. Since the late 19th century, camps have been used to inspire religious, social, and ethnic identity. Extensive research has been done into some kinds of summer camps, this thesis attempts to add to this literature through analysis of Greek Orthodox Summer Camp programs run under the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America (The Metropolis of Boston Camp and Ionian Village). This dissertation examines the role of the modern religious summer camp in building and maintaining Greek American and Greek Orthodox …

In Praise Of Dust, Hasler Gomez-Perez

Theses and Dissertations

A desire path is a physical manifestation of where a system has failed, but also where it has been refused, where a new path has been made. The wake exists in the post, it is not a singular, untethered event, but a subtle double entendre that lives in the post-death, but also in the pre-life—not a liminal limbo, but a superposition of dying and waking.

This collection was assembled and composed over the course of two years as I navigated my practice, myself, and others. Present here are my thoughts, my experiences, and in many ways my beliefs. IN PRAISE …