Arts and Humanities Commons^™

Project Portfolio: Questions Leaders Ask As Modeled By Jesus, Kristy Newport

Doctor of Leadership

For people to be seen, heard, and understood, it is important for a leader to ask good questions. If this does not take place in a small group or within an organization, people do not feel appreciated. Often the result is people leaving a small group or organization. In order to address this need I have wanted to educate organizational leaders in the skill of asking good questions. As a marriage and family therapist I have experienced the power that questions bring. It is my hope to empower organizational leaders with tools for them to connect with those they lead. …

Does Character Matter In Our President?, Marykate Morse

Faculty Publications - Portland Seminary

Last night Randy and I had dinner at our neighbors. We’ve cultivated a relationship over 10 years, and it hasn’t been easy. They were initially leery of us because we are Christian. Now, we’re good friends. During the meal, my friend turned to me and said, “You’re a Christian. How come 70% of Christians voted for Trump? I didn’t think Jesus was like that. Why would they vote for someone like him?” We had a good conversation, but alas, a lot of people are looking at us and asking this same question.

Who Gets The Bigger Share Of God’S Love?, Marykate Morse

Faculty Publications - Portland Seminary

During this election year cycle, there is a contest for the soul of America, and it is being fought in the church. It is being fought particularly among many Evangelicals. I’ve heard the battle cry to take back America and return to our Christian values and heritage. It’s a chilling prospect that some are willing to overlook a Christ who died rather than ‘take back’ the Jewish land for God’s kingdom. It’s also a chilling prospect that some are willing to resort to lies in order to restore an ideal imagination of what this country should be as a Christian …

The Essential Need For Integrity In Leaders And Systems (Part 2), Marykate Morse

Faculty Publications - Portland Seminary

So, why is integrity so hard?

We find it hard because we don’t ultimately trust God, and therefore we take control. We all do this. The desire to control comes out of our fears that God isn’t really there for me or for my mission. The desire to control comes out of our fears that we won’t be noticed, or successful, or good enough, or safe, or happy. The desire to control comes out of the ungodlike pressures to produce shiny fig leaves, regardless of whether there is fruit or not.

The Essential Need For Integrity In Leaders And Systems (Part 1), Marykate Morse

Faculty Publications - Portland Seminary

In Berlin, the Reichstag is the German capital building. Much of the history of the German nation can be traced to what happened to, in front of, and in that very building. The building has existed since 1884 when Germany had emperors. In 1918, from its balcony, Philipp Scheidmann announced the collapse of the German empire and the beginning of democracy. 15 years later on January 30th, 1933, Hitler was appointed Reich Chancellor. One month later, the parliament center of the building was destroyed by fire and by 1939, WWII was raging.

70 million people died because of WWII. And …

Q&A With Dr. Marykate Morse: On Hierarchy, Authority, And Stewarding Power Well, Marykate Morse, Missio Alliance

Faculty Publications - Portland Seminary

MISSIO ALLIANCE: What is the difference between hierarchy, authority, and power?

DR. MARYKATE MORSE: Hierarchy, authority, and power are all non-value words. There is neither ‘good’ nor ‘bad’ inherent in their meanings. The moral implications come from how persons exercise their role, authority or power. For instance, a ‘parent’ or a ‘boss’ is a morally neutral word, but you can have good parents and bad parents, good bosses or bad bosses.

Hierarchy basically means a ranking of those in authority. It is a role. A position of hierarchy usually means someone is given the authority to make decisions and to …

Hierarchy: A Word Christian Leaders Can Confuse With The Dark And Love To Hate, Marykate Morse

Faculty Publications - Portland Seminary

For us sensitive, Christ-centered souls, certain words evoke a definite aversion. One of them is the word, ‘hierarchy.’ I wouldn’t be surprised if every one of you in some way or another have experienced a hierarchy that was used to abuse, control, or break you. Women and People of Color (POC) particularly feel it when those in authority dismiss their God-given right for safety and for control over their own bodies and voices. All of us have felt the competitive, dominating edge of others lording it over us. With their bodies, words, structures, and maneuverings, leaders in authoritative hierarchies have …

Come Let Us Reason Together: Promoting Interdisciplinary Collaboration Between Clergy And Mental Health Professionals Regarding Demonic Oppression And Mental Illness, Juanda Green

Doctor of Ministry

Within the church, congregants who claim to be oppressed by demonic spirits seek prayer to be set free from their influence. In ministries where this type of prayer is available, ministers report that while the prayers provide relief, relief is often temporary. Consequently, these members continue to seek prayer for deliverance. In these situations, do clergy who provide this spiritual intervention realize that the congregate may have an underlying mental health issue?

Research shows the opinions of pastors regarding the etiology of mental illness; on one end demonic spirits are viewed as the culprit for mental disturbance, while the other …

Incarnational Discipleship: Inquiry Into The Need For For Cross-Shaped Discipleship And Cruciform Spiritual Formation In Charismatic Churches In A Post-Christendom Culture, Wayland Henderson

Doctor of Ministry

A synopsis of the Project Portfolio begins with the NPO statement: This Doctoral Project includes a discipleship model to help the Gathering Kingdom Community be spiritually formed through Pentecostal and Orthodox traditions and shows the relationship between prophetic function and discipleship for members to flourish personally and function as witnesses of the Crucified Christ in a post-Christian culture. Key insights that emerged from the research are that the current discipleship models in many Pentecostal and Charismatic churches are disconnected from how the Early Church viewed discipleship and what it means to be a witness to the culture. My ministry context …

Herding Cats And Other Ironies:A Practical Theology Of Ecclesial Administration, Richard C. Wood Jr.

Doctor of Ministry

NPO Statement

Pastors of congregational or similarly structured churches are not prepared for theological, philosophical, and Spirit-led oversight of the administrative or business aspects of leading a church.

Key Insight

The key insight is while there are several places pastors can get “how to” information on church administration, there few people talking about church administration as a spiritual or theological topic that is just as important as leadership and biblical studies. The “why” has to be addressed before the “how” in order to break the cycle of having pastors unprepared to oversee the administrative aspects of a local church.

Vocational …

Commonplace: Gathering Families Of Faith Around The Table In The Manner Of The Earliest Christian Communities For The Future Of The Church, Daniel Hues

Doctor of Ministry

It has become evident that American Christianity is declining at a staggering rate throughout the nation. In my own denomination, the Lutheran Church – Missouri Synod, membership dwindled by 5% even before COVID impacted our churches even more significantly. Over the last decade the amount of non-religiously affiliated persons has increased exponentially as many people of faith are leaving behind their religion altogether. Research suggests that there are various reasons for this decline. This project aims to answer the problem of individuals leaving their churches and their beliefs behind by creating innovative spiritual communities designed to form, integrate, and re-engage …

Dare To Serve: The Importance Of Servant Leadership To Christian African American Women Ceos Within The Nonprofit Industry, Sheila Tolbert

Doctor of Ministry

African American Christian women CEOs of smaller nonprofit organizations face multiple challenges in developing the necessary leadership skills to ensure their organization’s success including a deficiency in formal leadership training, difficulties in balancing Christian beliefs with leadership responsibilities, and limitations in interacting with boards of directors. The lack of appropriate leadership skills hinders their ability to effectively lead their nonprofit organizations, improve their organization’s performance, and limits career advancement.

The current options for leadership training do not adequately address the challenges and opportunities faced by these leaders. The lack in leadership development results in a deficiency of African American women …

Trauma Informed Theology: A Framework For Developing A Culturally Competent African American Intimate Partner Violence Curriculum For The Pentecostal Clergy, Bridget P. Robinson

Doctor of Ministry

The objective of this dissertation study is to increase the awareness of intimate partner violence (IPV) among Pentecostal clergy. African American women experience higher rates of intimate partner violence in the United States. There are unique risk factors for IPV in the African American community, considering the social and cultural context of the African American experience during colonization and post-colonization. Throughout these experiences, the Black church has consistently served as a steadfast source of hope for the community. However, considering the concerning prevalence of IPV among the African American community, church leaders may not be aware of the profound effects …

The "State Of Art": Evolutionary Ethics In Thomas Hardy's Tess Of The D' Urbervilles, Brooks Lampe

Faculty Publications - Department of English

What was literary naturalism? One might be tempted to say it was an experiment in fiction (at least in Europe), eventually absorbed into its more successful sibling, Realism. Or one might argue it was a seminal movement which has been misunderstood and read reductively as depicting humans as passive pawns in an indifferent world. Beyond this obstacle of perceived one-dimensionality, there is the less obvious but equally challenging charge that naturalism was, at bottom, a propagandistic genre, appropriating, as Keith Newlin suggests, melodrama for the purpose of persuading readers to "redress social imbalance" ( 4). Finally, there is the muddiness …

When Traditions Meet: The Case Of Georges Florovsky, Adolf Von Harnack, And Jaroslav Pelikan, Theodor Avramov

Occasional Papers on Religion in Eastern Europe

The author examines the relationship and mutual influences of Georges Florovsky, Adolf von Harnack, and Jaroslav Pelikan as a path towards approaching the majority of the history of Christianity in a methodological key. An interesting figure emerging from the research is that of Nikolay Glubokovsky, who spent the last part of his life in Bulgaria and through whom the previously mentioned authors came into contact. An argument is provided towards a more personal approach towards historical scholarship and Pelikan is suggested as acting as the figure allowing for the disagreements between Florovsky and Harnack to be creatively brought together and …

Project Portfolio: Spiritual Sexuality A Guidebook For Parents, Kelly Edmiston

Doctor of Ministry

In this project portfolio, I will address the following NPO: Christian parents of school-aged children don’t know what to teach their children about sex.

As the Lead Pastor of the Vineyard Church of Sugar Land/Stafford, I found that Christians lack integration between sexuality and spirituality. Kids and teens learn about sex from the media, and they learn about spirituality from parents and church. This led me to focus my project on an integration between the two. Spiritual sexuality is a guidebook for parents of school-aged children. In my research, I found that parents feel overwhelmed and ill-equipped to lead their …

No Leaders But The Laity: Equipping, Educating, And Training Laypeople To Lead The Local Church, Christian Bass

Doctor of Ministry

The unfortunate story for many modern independent local churches is decline, disconnect, and irrelevance. This was only exacerbated by the 2020 global pandemic. Despite well- intentioned staff and many “church growth” tools, the independent local church saw many pastors and members leave and institutions close. The good news, however, is the church was never intended to be a cookie-cutter home, a franchise, or a satellite location. It was designed to be a contextualized incarnation of the unique Gospel expression of a local community by and for the people. More than ever, the church needs its laypeople to see themselves as …

Project Portfolio: Stronger Together Virtual Clergy Groups In Small Congregations, John Fillmore

Doctor of Ministry

Ministers in small congregations suffer from isolation and a lack of personal and professional relationships that can encourage and equip them for more effective ministry. Ministry in smaller congregations combines the common continuous responsibilities of pastoral ministry in a context in which pastors are often overburdened with competing expectations and demands. Often serving as a solo minister, clergy are isolated in dispersed congregational settings and struggle to find time to participate in supportive relationships with other pastors. Utilizing discovery workshops and numerous qualitative interviews, this project found a nearly universal desire for meaningful relationships between pastors, as well as consistent …

Stop Feeding The Homeless: A Theological And Theoretical Examination Of Reconsidering Homeless Aid Through Informed Collaboration With Faith-Based Organizations, Marci Lynn Jackson

Doctor of Ministry

This dissertation examines the issue of homelessness in Dallas, Texas. It argues that simply providing meals to homeless individuals is not enough to address the complex factors that contribute to homelessness. Instead, long-term and sustained solutions are needed, which require the collaborative efforts and substantial involvement of the Church.

This research uses qualitative methods, such as field observations, interviews, surveys, attending webinars, and conferences to examine the homeless ecosystem in Dallas, Texas. It highlights the importance of collaboration and faith-based organizations to address homelessness, emphasizing systemic issues and potential improvements.

This research explores the Church's involvement in addressing homelessness, examining …

Project Portfolio: Connecting Women With God Through Reflective Spiritual Practices, Victoria Niebrugge

Doctor of Ministry

Although there are various learning offerings within the context of the church, women can experience a disconnect between the head and the heart, between knowing about God and knowing God. The women involved in this study hunger for greater intimacy with God. They attend weekend worship services and weekly church Bible studies. Yet, they say they know there is more of God, desire to know Him more profoundly, and are searching for a deeper relationship with Him.

The roots of the practices used for spiritual formation today are found in the ancient rhythms of the desert mothers and fathers of …

A Theological Exposé: A Microcosmic Review Of The Relationship Between The Black Male And The Black Church In The City Of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, Danielle L. Paul

Doctor of Ministry

Christianity has a prolific history, including a powerful African presence whereby many of the core tenets of faith originate. Unfortunately, biblical history and the Bible's many references to Black people are often referenced only during Black History Month or specific cultural events. As a result, many Black Christians cannot defend why Christianity is a Black man's religion. The inability to defend, coupled with the notion it has nothing to offer Black men, has created a breach in the Black man and Black church’s relationship. The Black male presence is absent in Sunday meetings, ministries serving the community, and, ultimately, the …

Lifeskills And Generation Z: Equipping For Holistic Development, Societal Engagement, And Post-Pandemic Resilience, Annette Taylor

Doctor of Ministry

This dissertation conducts a thorough examination into the integration of life skills with a faith-based approach. Rooted in theological foundations and biblical exemplars, this study explores how these qualities can serve as a catalyst for transformative change amongst Generation Z.

By examining theological principles and drawing inspiration from biblical narratives, this study seeks to demonstrate their practical relevance in addressing the complex socio-cultural and spiritual challenges faced by Generation Z. Moreover, Parachurch ministries play a significant role in fostering these skills, equipping Generation Z to become agents of positive change and social healing, fostering their holistic development, and empowering them …

Befriending Doubt: Finding Freedom And Belonging In The Face Of Uncertainty, Jana Koh

Doctor of Ministry

The NPO for this project is as follows: American Millennials (adults aged 25-45) experience a lack of safety and welcome in their communities of faith during a season of spiritual doubt, causing them to disengage from their communities of faith and falling into risk of negative outcomes.

Throughout history, from Galileo to the American Colonies to present day, the church has not handled those who experience doubt in their faith with care, leaving the doubter feeling unsafe or unwelcome in their community of faith. However, a close reading of Scripture reveals that God is not intimidated or deterred by doubt; …

Intergenerational Christian Community: A Vision For Spiritual Formation For All Ages, Robin Pyles

Doctor of Ministry

For decades, American churches have been struggling with shrinking attendance, particularly among young people. An increasingly polarized society that elevates individualism and secularization, along with widespread escalating age segregation, has contributed to this trend. In response to these societal norms, many local churches have defaulted to a primarily age-segregated programming model. This model results in the absence of a sense of community and belonging, and a lack of Christian spiritual formation growth among both youth and adults within the church. This research revealed that creating regular opportunities for meaningful cross-generational interactions that combine shared experiences of play, creative expression, intentional …

Examining The Synergy Between The Marketplace And The Church In Ghana: Strategies For Enhancing Socio-Economic Development, Grace Opuni-Darko

Doctor of Ministry

This dissertation explores the complex relationship between the marketplace and Church in Ghana, seeking to identify collaborative strategies that lead to sustainable socio-economic development. The study aims to unravel the complexities of this relationship and identify effective strategies that can foster sustainable growth and development within the Ghanaian context. At the core of this research is an in-depth historical analysis, tracing the evolution of the Churches' role in the Ghanaian economy from colonial times to the present day. This historical perspective provides a critical backdrop for understanding current dynamics and trends. The study employs a multifaceted approach, incorporating both qualitative …

Thin Places: A Six Week Prayer Guide For Experiencing God In Your Everyday, Keith Riley

Doctor of Ministry

My NPO statement is that at Menlo Church, Menlo Park Campus there is a lack of applied knowledge for adults in how to listen to God. My ministry context is at Menlo Church which is a historic presbyterian church set in the highly educated and affluent town of Menlo Park, which is in the San Francisco Bay Area. I began working at Menlo Church in 2019 and found there was a general intellectual knowledge of prayer and spiritual formation. This intellectual knowledge of spiritual formation has been influenced by leadership of John Ortberg as senior pastor, and other voices such …

Analysis Of Public Media Discourses Of The Main Actors Of The Church Crisis In Ukraine, Hennadii Khrystokin, Vasyl Lozovytskyi

Occasional Papers on Religion in Eastern Europe

By analysing the main public statements of the actors of the church crisis in Ukraine, we managed to identify their basic narratives, main discursive logics, power positions, hidden motives and interests that influence social processes. To do this, we used the techniques of narrative analysis of public discourses. The main actors (players, participants) in the church crisis are representatives of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church (next - UOC) and the Orthodox Church of Ukraine (next - OCU), the Ecumenical Patriarchate and the Russian Orthodox Church (next - ROC), government agencies, popular media, international and Ukrainian experts. Theological, political, state, and mass-media …

The Problem With The Performance Of Alternative Or Military Service Of Ukrainian Adventists In War Conditions, Valentyna Kuryliak Dr

Occasional Papers on Religion in Eastern Europe

The article discusses the lack of legal documentation faced by Ukraine in defending its borders and national interests, taking into account its historical experience. Attention is drawn to the issues encountered by Protestant churches, especially, but not exclusively, the Seventh-day Adventist Church. A proposal has been made to utilize the volunteer non-combatant potential of churches, regulating it legislatively without involving the Ukrainian court system. The question of alternative (non-combatant) service during mobilization and in times of war in Ukraine is analyzed. The author argues the necessity of preserving the right to alternative service for church members, which according to the …

Bolivian Indigenous Quakerism, Emma C. Mamani

Quaker Religious Thought

Bolivians received the tradition of Quakerism from a group of young adult Friends missionaries from the United States of America in 1919. Bolivia is a multicultural country because of the thirty-six Indigenous communities that make up seventy percent of the Bolivian population. Bolivian Quakerism has kept the roots of Quakerism practiced by early Friends since 1919, yet the influence of Indigenous traditions is also present: in the worship service format, in Bolivian Quakers’ theology, and in church work. Quakers in Bolivia are a Christ-centered, evangelical, and programmed faith community in South America. I was born in an Indigenous Quaker family. …

Whiteness And Quaker Universalism In Britain, Mark D. Russ

Quaker Religious Thought

In this article I do not address Fox’s message or his cultural limitations. Rather, I turn this question back on to the Quaker universalist discourse itself. How is the theology of the Quaker Universalist Group shaped by the conditions of its time?