Arts and Humanities Commons^™

Spiritual Health Support Groups In The Local Church: Addressing Spiritual Wellbeing In West Virginia’S Eastern Panhandle, Grant Michael Davis

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

Mental health services in the Appalachian region of the United States were lacking, both perennially and at the time of writing (Smith & Fisher, 2016). As the needs of this region and the nation continued to climb, the availability of trained, clinical counselors remained stagnant or worse. This lack of socially necessary services created a need that could be addressed in part by the local church. While professional counselors were in short supply and took a great deal of time to educate and train, the repercussions of the then-current mental health crisis needed to have immediate solutions and relief. The …

Grace Within The Holiness Code, Michael B. Bowe

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

Leviticus introduces the concept of God’s holiness—his unique, innate, and ontological otherness—and calls his people to reflect that holiness in their own lives. While scholarship has traditionally focused on Israel’s sacrificial cult practices, it has often neglected the theological trajectory of holiness within the broader canonical framework of the Torah. This dissertation seeks to reframe the Holiness Code (Leviticus 17–26) not merely as a set of ritual prescriptions, but as a theological narrative that exposes the limits of human effort and invites reflection on divine grace.

Chapter 1 surveys the history of interpretation and critiques the limitations of historical-critical and …

Examining Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.’S “Letter From Birmingham Jail” Through A Historical Lens Of Black Theology And Evangelical Theology: Forming A More Perfect Theology, Lisa P. Christian

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

A key theological justification for nonviolent resistance in the Civil Rights Movement is “Letter From Birmingham Jail.” This dissertation presents a historiographical and theological analysis of King’s letter, arguing that it serves as a framework for critiquing the validity of Black and Evangelical theologies’ responses to injustice. It engages in a critical dialogue between Black theology and evangelical theology, examining how theologians such as James H. Cone and Carl F. H. Henry interpret King’s claims about justice, morality, and nonviolent resistance within the context of segregation in the 1960s South.

Tracing key theological developments that shaped the doctrines, dogmas, and …

Discipleship-Led, Servant Leadership: A Process For Equipping And Training Simultaneously In The Local, Revitalizing Church, Joseph Raymond Noel Smith

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

Church revitalization has been a topic of conversation in church circles for the better part of the last two decades. While numerous books and trainings have been produced to facilitate the many necessary components of church growth required for revitalization, still more than 3400 churches close their doors annually (Rainer, 2020). Additionally, 39% of professing Christians are not currently engaged in any form of discipleship (Barna, 2022) while 45% of churches are utilizing volunteers to accomplish the work of the ministry (The Unstuck Group, 2017). These numbers indicate a substantial need within the church for a program which can simultaneously …

Knowing Life In The Gospel Of John, Daniel Lewis

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

This dissertation examines the concept of life (ζωή) in the Gospel of John and argues that Johannine life is best understood as present, covenantal participation in God through Jesus Christ. While the Fourth Gospel has long been recognized for its distinctive emphasis on life—using ζωή more frequently than any other Gospel—scholarly treatments often define eternal life primarily in relation to eschatological destiny, soteriological status, or Christological revelation. This study addresses a gap in Johannine scholarship by asking not only when life is received, but what kind of existence John intends his readers to understand and experience. It contends that John, …

One Body Many Members: Toward A Vision Of Individual And Corporate Maturity In The New Testament, Rebecca Mohr

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The apostle Paul and the author of Hebrews both discern within the early Christian communities a critical deficiency: some individual believers did not realize the value they would bring to the corporate Church body by maturing and remaining committed to the fellowship. For Paul, growth in Christ is inherently ecclesial; the believer’s Christian maturity contributes to the edification and unity of the body, as articulated in Ephesians 4, where maturity in faith and knowledge safeguards the church from fragmentation and instability. Spiritual immaturity, therefore, is not merely an individual shortcoming but a communal liability that threatens the integrity of the …

Preaching To Those Who Stay, A Preach Model For Spiritual Formation: Action Research Project, Taronda Croutch Hall

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

Preaching to Those Who Stay: A Preaching Model for Spiritual Formation, a thesis aimed at providing a preaching model that is intentional in preaching for spiritual formation. It moves away from a topical, sermon-based model delivered by a single male preaching voice toward a series-based team-preaching model that incorporates male and female preaching voices. The action-research preaching model modified the entire Worship Service, making it more sermon-focused. It addresses the needs of a small ministry that has existed for nearly twenty years. Its purpose is to address stagnant spiritual growth among individuals who have remained in one ministry for a …

Genesis 1:1-11:9 Shows That Humanity Is The Object Of God's Love: A Dissertation, Donna R. Dilworth

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

Most scholars turn to the New Testament when exploring the concept of divine love, citing passages such as John 3:16 and 1 John 4:8 to illustrate God’s sacrificial love through Christ. However, this dissertation reexamines the Primeval History of Genesis 1:1–11:9 as a foundational witness to divine love, arguing that these early chapters reveal humanity as the object of God’s enduring affection, even in the absence of the Hebrew term ʾāhāḇ (“love”). Rather than focusing solely on the term “love,” it is crucial to consider the nature of God himself. Scholars widely agree that the assertion “God is love” (1 …

Faith And Flourishing: Describing The Lived Experiences Of Christian Counselors Who Integrate Christian Faith Into Their Wellness, Angela Joy Stanley

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this phenomenological study was to describe the lived experience of counselors who integrate Christian faith into their wellness. The basis for this study was rooted in the work of Myers and Sweeney’s (2004) model of the indivisible self and the spiritual framework of coping for optimal health as introduced by Walker et al. (2015). Both models provide a holistic approach to wellness that recognizes the complexities of wellbeing which require the integration of multiple dimensions. Further, each model points to spirituality as an essential part of wellness. The research questions that guided this study were as follows: …

The Effects Of Narrative Identity Awareness On The Relationship Between Adult Attachment, Shame, And God Attachment, Jacqueline H. Watson

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

This quantitative study examines the interconnectedness of adult attachment, shame, God attachment, and narrative identity awareness. Insecure adult attachment has been shown to result in increased shame experiences and has been linked to insecure God attachment. Awareness of narrative identity has been used to improve left-right brain integration and correct problematic narratives that often lead to shame. This research employs Likert scale-style questionnaire data, parallel mediation, and linear regression-based models to assess the connections between study variables. More specifically, it examines whether narrative identity awareness moderates the relationship between adult attachment, shame, and God attachment. Participants included self-identifying Christian adults …

The Father Is Seeking True Worshipers, Lissa M. Smith

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

It is God’s desire to dwell with His people, be their God, and for them to be His children (Exod 29:45 –46; Lev 26:12; Ezek 37:27; Rev 21:3). This dissertation examines the pericope of John 4:19–26 using a biblical-theological method by exploring God’s manifest presence through each person of the Trinity within a tabernacle/temple themed framework. It then presents evidence to show how the conversation between Jesus and the Samaritan woman at the well is the turning point in which man’s worship transforms from a predominately physical aspect to a predominately spiritual aspect.

“Yet a time is coming and now …

Harmonizing Faith: An Investigation Of The Efficacy Of A Small Group Study On The Theology Of Music For Spiritual Growth, Timothy Davis

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The problem this study addresses is that Trinity Anglican Church in Connersville, Indiana, had not cultivated a theology of music among its congregants to enrich encounters with God through music. The purpose of this DMIN action research project was to implement a small group study on the theology of music to enrich encounters with God through God-honoring, captivating music. The researcher employed a novel approach: Luke 10:27 served as a paradigmatic framework for exploring how music relates to the dimensions of heart (i.e., emotion), soul (i.e., spiritual encounter), strength (i.e., embodied experience), mind (i.e., intellect), and neighbor (i.e., communal and …

A Phenomenological Study Exploring The Psychological Impact Of Race And Gender On Black Clergy Women, Quaitra A. Bynum

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this transcendental phenomenological study was to explore the psychological impact race and gender have on Black clergywomen serving in leadership positions in the church. The current research explored how Black clergywomen perceive race and gender in the Black church, how race and gender influence Black women when pursuing senior clergy positions, and how strength and resilience impact Black women who serve in church leadership positions. The theories guiding this study were the Black Feminist Theory, Intersectionality, and the Strong Black Woman Theory. In the early 1980s Black women activists such as Patricia Hill Collins and Kimberlé Crenshaw …

The Perceived Effectiveness Of Kotter’S Change Leadership Model In The Knox County Association Of Baptists Churches, Luke England

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this phenomenological study is to understand the perceived effectiveness of Kotter’s change leadership model in Southern Baptist churches in the Knox County Association of Baptists located in East Tennessee. This phenomenological study utilizes a qualitative research methodology to uncover the perceived effectiveness of Kotter's eight-step change leadership model in Southern Baptist churches in the Knox County Association of Baptists in East Tennessee. This research seeks to understand the five major challenges Senior Pastors believe to be the greatest impairment to instituting change within the local church. Moreover, this research uncovers the perception of pastor’s agreement towards the …

Church Attendance, Post-Pandemic Stress, And Resilience Factors, Pavel Bugriyev

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

Stress levels among adults increased, and a sense of community loss occurred due to the COVID-19 pandemic and subsequent events. Despite previous studies establishing an association between religious practice and psychological well-being, much remains unknown about the differences in religious practice format (i.e., in person, virtually, and not at all) with post-pandemic stress and resilience-related traits. This quantitative cross-sectional study examined whether the format of church attendance (in-person, virtual, or no church attendance at all) was related to post-pandemic stress and resilience-related traits. Also, whether hope, making meaning out of hardship, and perceived social support statistically mediated the difference in …

The Influence Of Theological Beliefs On Corporate Worship Practices In Southern Baptist Churches Of New Mexico, Stephen Jeffery Martone

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

Despite Southern Baptist Churches of New Mexico cooperating in mission, education, purpose, and aligning with “The 2000 Baptist Faith and Message,” the way in which each local autonomous church incorporates theological truths in corporate worship and practice remains largely unstudied. This qualitative research project examines the diverse methods employed in theological education and their implications, considering variations in liturgical and worship styles, be they traditional, blended, or contemporary. In response, and guided by survey replies of pastors and worship leaders in the Southern Baptist Churches of New Mexico, the results reveal the challenges, process, application, and importance of choosing songs …

Intelligence-Based Missionary Preparedness, Barry Marbach

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

This Dissertation in Praxis applies Biblical imperatives, theoretical research on leadership, relevant training models, and leading with intelligence to improve missionaries’ overall effectiveness. The dissertation supports CLUB1040 as a relational missionary movement created to contribute to the fulfillment of the Great Commission. CLUB1040 trains and mobilizes indigenous church leaders throughout the Middle East and North Africa. This mission includes inspiring the church to make this generation the one that reaches every unreached nation. Recognizing the possibility of hostility to the Gospel due to religion and culture, the intent of the training is to introduce intelligence to mitigate the danger and …

Walking With The Wounded: Chaplains As Agents Of Christ’S Healing Ministry, Fred Okechukwu Anucha

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

This Doctor of Ministry action research project evaluated the effectiveness of an eight-week Christ-centered training intervention designed to strengthen hospital chaplains’ confidence and clarify sacramental boundaries in end-of-life care at AdventHealth Celebration. Hospital chaplains frequently encounter situations in which patients and families request sacramental or spiritually significant practices during moments of crisis, yet chaplains often lack structured training that addresses how to respond with both pastoral sensitivity and theological clarity within a multifaith healthcare environment.

The project implemented an eight-week training program that integrated theological reflection, case-based discussion, and practical ministry applications intended to strengthen chaplains’ confidence in providing spiritual …

Participating In The Righteousness Of God: Divine And Human Agency In Paul's Theology Of Transformation Within The Framework Of Second Temple Judaism, Jeffery J. Vincent

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

This dissertation investigates the nature of divine and human agency in the Apostle Paul’s theology of transformation, with particular attention to how Paul’s participatory soteriology is shaped by and diverges from Second Temple Jewish understandings of covenantal life. Situated within the broader interpretive context of the New Perspective on Paul (NPP), this study introduces the theological logic of transformation in Paul’s letters, with the aim of constructing a coherent understanding of synergistic agency that remains faithful to both the Pauline corpus and Paul’s Jewish context. Paul’s theology of transformation is best understood as a covenantal-participatory model of synergistic agency, wherein …

The Local Church And The Great Commission: Implications Of Serving On A Short-Term International Mission Trip, Charlie Richard Futch

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

Mission teams from churches of all sizes across the United States participate in international mission trips throughout the year. Taking the gospel of Christ to the lost is the heartbeat of those participating on international mission trips. As more and more churches become involved in the Great Commission through these trips, short-term missionaries have an opportunity to not only impact people from other cultures around the world but influence their own lives as well. Potential areas of impact for short-term missionaries include future spiritual growth, especially in the areas of core Christian disciplines. The purpose of this quantitative research study …

The Canonical Use Of The Psalter In The Formal Quotations Of Jesus, Didactically Applied To His Self-Identification As Messiah, Andrew W. Richardson

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

This dissertation investigates the canonical use of the Psalter in the formal quotations of Jesus, focusing on how he uses these citations didactically in his self-disclosed explication of a holistic, Old Testament Messiah. Rather than treating Jesus’s use of the Psalms as isolated prooftexts or rhetorical devices, this study contends that Jesus interpreted and applied the Psalter as a unified canonical whole whose theological trajectory assimilates disparate Old Testament messianic expectations. These layered expectations are encapsulated in Jesus’s own self-disclosure as that Messiah. This study adopts a canonical methodology that emphasizes the final form, theological unity, and intertextual development of …

Empowering Lay Leaders For Relational Discipleship At Christian Stronghold Church, Philadelphia, Pa, Keith Paul Bethel

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

This thesis project examines how empowering lay leaders for relational discipleship can revitalize member engagement and spiritual formation at Christian Stronghold Church, an evangelical, multi-generational congregation in West Philadelphia experiencing declining participation and stagnating discipleship models. The ministry context includes significant demographic diversity, leadership transitions, shifts in discipleship structures, and the lingering effects of the COVID 19 pandemic, all of which have weakened historical patterns of evangelism, Bible study involvement, and leader development. The purpose of this study is to design, implement, and evaluate a relational, leader led discipleship intervention that strengthens lay leaders’ capacity to disciple members, deepens member …

A Critical Examination Of Visions, Dreams, And The Authority Of The Holy Spirit In Biblical Prophecy, Michael Turner-Muhammad

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The Holy Spirit's function as the mediating agent of perceptible prophetic encounter remains underdeveloped in the works surveyed for this study. Scholars in pneumatology, prophetic studies, and divine embodiment have each addressed at least one of these dimensions. Pneumatology explains the Spirit’s role in inspiration but not how revelation becomes perceptible; comparative studies provide context, but not its pneumatological structure; and embodiment scholarship affirms anthropomorphic encounters but does not identify the Spirit as their mediating agent. The result, in the works examined here, is the absence of a unified theological account of how the Spirit mediates perceptible divine communication across …

Vulnerability Through Story Deepening Male Relationships, Paul Samuel Hahn

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

Men need a vulnerable community. This action research project examines the development of a vulnerable community within the local church context at Maranatha Bible Chapel in Horseheads, NY. The men of Maranatha Bible Chapel feel the persistent challenges in Western culture that erect barriers to vulnerable masculine relationships within the community. Even though the men of Maranatha Bible Chapel report high participation in the church, they chronicle feelings of isolation and a desire for closer relationships between the men in the congregation. This action research project seeks to address the problem of vulnerable male relationships at Maranatha Bible Chapel by …

Reducing Burnout And Compassion Fatigue: Chaplain-Led Peer Support Group Among Clinical Staff At Choices Healthcare, Matthew Lehman

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this Doctor of Ministry action research project was to help reduce burnout and compassion fatigue among the clinical staff at Choices Healthcare. Burnout and compassion fatigue are becoming a healthcare crisis, and hospice agencies are no different. The study was open to any member of the clinical staff, which included chaplains, social workers, nurses, home health aides, and the team leaders of each team in the organization. The study aimed to reduce burnout and compassion fatigue through a series of chaplain-facilitated group education and processing sessions. Humans are relational beings, and getting together to share experiences in …

Technology Idolatry: Daniel’S Fourfold Ancient Antidote To This Modern Problem Facing A Christian Singles Group In Dallas, Kimberlee Bousman

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

With the rise of artificial intelligence and devices like cell phones, humanity is more connected to technology than ever. Increasingly, many people, including Christians, have become addicted to technology, spending hours scrolling. One biblical character who lived in an idolatrous culture yet remained entirely devoted to the Lord was Daniel. Making spiritual disciplines an integral part of his life enabled Daniel to stay obedient to God. This study was conducted to help a singles group that was struggling with spending too much time on technology and making it an idol. This qualitative phenomenological study was designed and implemented over seven …

God’S Design For Human Nature: Paul’S Biblical-Theological Use Of Creation Theology In Romans 1:18–32, Eunsoo (Daniel) Seo

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The world in which the Apostle Paul ministered was not a theological vacuum, but a sophisticated marketplace of competing worldviews and diverse moral frameworks. Within the specific milieu of first-century Rome, the cultural forces of Stoic philosophy, Roman imperial ideology, and pagan polytheism created an environment where complex expressions of human nature and sexuality emerged. Dominant Roman social stratifications often celebrated or normalized same-sex relations and blurred the distinctions of the created order. Paul found himself proclaiming a message of a Sovereign Creator in a society that had been conditioned for centuries to view the human nature through the lens …

Inviting A Personal Response To Ite, Missa Est: Developing And Offering A Focused Retreat To Extend The Sensory Experience Of The Holy Mass, Celina Chavez

Master of Theological Studies Honors Theses

Holy Mass is a deeply sensory experience, connecting the human with the divine by way of the human senses. At its close, the faithful are sent forth with the final blessing and dismissal; however, some may not understand what this entails.

This thesis examines the necessity of a relationship with Jesus Christ in and stemming from the Eucharist with reference to the Catechism of the Catholic Church, spiritual writings regarding the liturgy and Christian love, and reflections on the missionary nature of the Catholic Faith. It proposes catechesis in the form of a teatime retreat, engaging the senses as a …

"Oh That I Had A Dozen Voices": Accessible Music For Volunteer Church Choirs, Nicholas D. Klemetson

Doctor of Pastoral Music Projects and Theses

The COVID-19 pandemic significantly impacted church music ministries across the United States. In an era during which church attendance and interest in organized religion are declining, churches were forced to shut their doors, which only deepened the worsening issues in the US and internationally. Most houses of worship in the United States are modest in size but contain a small but enthusiastic group of volunteers who find great fulfillment in sharing their musical gifts to express God’s love. Despite these churches being the majority, mainstream music publishers’ offerings cater overwhelmingly to larger music ministries with sufficient participation to present SATB …

Exemplars Of Faith: The Biblical Legacy Of Women In Chaplaincy, April M. Knoke

Doctor of Ministry Projects and Theses

Abstract This dissertation argues that women in Scripture are not marginal figures but foundational to both the theological understanding and practical expression of chaplaincy. By integrating biblical exegesis, historical theology, socio-cultural analysis, womanist interpretation, and pastoral theology, the study identifies a consistent divine pattern of inclusion and empowerment. This pattern affirms the essential role of women in providing spiritual care within contemporary institutional settings.

Chapter 2 examines four Old Testament figures, Miriam, Deborah, Huldah, and Abigail, highlighting their leadership within patriarchal contexts through prophetic, judicial, diplomatic, and intercessory roles. Chapter 3 turns to the New Testament and explores the ministries …