Religion Commons^™

Ecumenical Diplomacy: The Art Of Welcoming Dialogue For The Sake Of Mutual Christian Collaboration Toward Peacemaking, Justice, And Ethical Citizenship, Tiffanie Paige Wilson

Doctor of Ministry

The project was developed in response to the NPO: How can we become proficient in better listening to and learning from each other to understand the ethical and intellectual commitment and stakes behind theological, political, and social perspectives different from our own? In a pluralistic society, such deep understanding is necessary to enable working together toward ecumenical diplomacy. A key insight emerging from research was just how impactful the path of ecumenical diplomacy would be for participants. People are truly weary of the polarization experienced in the United States, particularly theologically and politically, and are eager to learn a new …

Spiritual Formation And Trust Building Envisioned For Nerima Baptist Church's Leaders In Japan Through Group Spiritual Direction, Nozomu Makita

Doctor of Ministry

Group spiritual direction with participant leaders within Nerima Baptist Church in Tokyo, Japan, was introduced across eight monthly sessions wherein directees developed the practice of silence, listening to themselves, others, and Holy Spirit. The experience of being accepted by God and others through safe relationships found the church in a relational culture of authentic relationships. The residual effect was the experience of one's own full acceptance by God and others, which further carries potential for lasting impact on the leadership style of the church through the 1-on-1 interaction. The group spiritual direction was facilitated by Sachi Nakamura, a spiritual director …

Becoming A Spiritually Formed Leader An Invitation To A Life-Long Journey Of Stability, Fidelity, And Obedience, Brad Pembleton

Doctor of Ministry

The project was developed in response to the following need within non-denominational churches that lack vision and resources to invest in their spiritual leaders: Leaders of non-denominational churches should be trained and equipped to attend to a life-long process of being spiritually formed to effectively nurture God’s people. To address an overwhelming need for spiritual leaders to grow in their spiritual formation to the glory of God and for the sake of others, this is a two-fold strategy that utilizes both the left and right brain to engage beliefs, doctrine and strategies while also focusing on relational experiences, emotional development …

Gcm: Generations In Community On Mission A Theoretical Framework For Intergenerational Disciples On Mission, Denise C. Johnson

Doctor of Ministry

The increasingly unstable and changing world in which we now live requires a resilient, discerning, and adaptable family of God, who is intentional about reaching their community with the hope of Jesus. This project sought to address the disconnect between the congregants, the relational network, and the tools necessary to walkout the fulfillment of their identity on mission. The following NPO was initiated due to my background working in disenfranchised settings within public schools as a Special Educator and School Counselor and the three decades working in interdenominational foreign missions’ partnership, together with Foursquare Missions International. This final form was …

Infobesity: How Does Information Overload From Digital Technologies Affect Our Relationship With Jesus, Andy Gabruch

Doctor of Ministry

My research project is based on the NPO of how information overload from digital technologies affects our relationship with Jesus, according to Mark 12:30-31, and how followers of Jesus can redeem digital spaces. My key insights of the research led me to the conclusion digital information overload is based on the lack of moderation and regulation of digital technologies as followers of Jesus. Furthermore, my research led me to the effects of information overload to five categories Jesus speaks of in Mark 12:30-31 of our hearts (emotions), soul (identity), mind (cognitive reasoning), strength (physical), and relationships (social skills) according to …

The Wise Professor: The Skillful Art Of Living In God's Mission, Aaron Badenhop

Doctor of Ministry

Today’s Christian professor in the secular university setting is likely an expert in their academic field. Likewise, many Christian faculty are sincere in their faith and devout in their practice. The Christian professor’s expert knowledge is impressive and their heart for God is admirable. Yet, today’s Christian professor is simultaneously likely to be ill-equipped and disconnected from having a missional impact in their secular university context. In my work with Cru at The Ohio State University, this challenge is complex; there are no easy answers. Christian faculty are typically educated and trained in environments that assume the irrelevance of God …

Storied Discipleship: Nine Practices For Jesus-Shaped Living, David Bach

Doctor of Ministry

This project germinated out of the observation that many evangelical congregations are facing the malaise of a profound lack of true faith formation, which is creating a wide gap between authentic Christ formation and secularization, and is further exacerbated by the genuine blind spot of denial in the minds of Christians that this is problematic. In a distracted and frenzied world, faith formation is becoming less of a priority, which is caused by an inherent bent toward selfish independence. Changing the narrative on these observations would mean Christians prioritize and cultivate their relationship with Jesus Christ, propelling them outwardly towards …

Re-Innergized The Ministry Of The Holy Spirit, Stacey Spence-Baldwin

Doctor of Ministry

In this Project Portfolio, I will address the following NPO: The church is in decline or dying because it lacks connection with the Holy Spirit. Through the church relying on human reason instead of the will of the Holy Spirit, the church has lost its light. The key finding in my research is that when a church embraces the guidance of the Holy Spirit, it will live again. This finding came from my personal experiences of the Holy Spirit resurrecting three small rural churches which were in decline/death back to life. When congregations allowed the Holy Spirit to prompt their …

Becoming All Flame Orthodox Spiritual Formation Curriculum And Lenten Meditation Based On The Liturgical And Monastic Tradition, Melaku Terefe

Doctor of Ministry

The monastic and liturgical tradition and literature of the Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church is underutilized to address the need for spiritual formation and direction ministry. This poses a challenge to Ethiopian Orthodox youth and the laity in general who are struggling to identify their spiritual needs and necessary spiritual disciplines. The goal is to provide practical solutions for addressing these needs and to make the Church's liturgical and monastic traditions more accessible to the broader Orthodox community, thus allowing the congregation to align with the precepts of spiritual formation that have been passed down in the church from generation to …

Race Matters: The Gospel, Racial Reconciliation, And The Church, Terry Crist

Doctor of Ministry

The modern Pentecostal movement has been marred by racial incongruence and division. Defying the segregationist laws of the day, the earliest revivals of the twentieth century were racially integrated, reflecting a biblical vision for the oneness of a new humanity in Christ empowered by the Holy Spirit. And yet, the unity born from these early revivals proved insufficient to sustain racial equity within the movements. A century later, Pentecostal (and Charismatic) churches fail to reflect racial diversity at the highest levels of authority, direction setting, and power-sharing. The lack of clarity surrounding key theological concepts such as the imago Dei, …

Renewing A Nation: The Impact Of The African Diaspora On The African American Family, Culture And The Black Church, Lolita R. Gilmore-Randall

Doctor of Ministry

Despite the notion the past can never be removed, disassembled or altered, variant versions of African American history continue to serve as a fluid document in time without accountability, acknowledgement, or consciousness of the liabilities associated with the African diaspora. Studies show an estimated 12.5 million African men, women, and children were forcibly transported as part of the transatlantic slave trade, an egregious act that remains impactful to this day. African Americans represent 12% of the American population, but constitute 2.3 million, or 34%, of the total 6.8 million in correctional facilities. Though African American children make up 14% of …

The Church Surviving Crisis An Examination Of Leaders' Disaster Response, Joel A. Tudman

Doctor of Ministry

In March of the year 2020, the church would change drastically and quickly. In-person gatherings shifted to online worship. The pandemic fostered change for the church and it had to adapt to a digital era overnight. Abrupt change of such for churches and other organizations called for business meetings and a change in the application of the vision. Some churches upgraded audio and video equipment to facilitate their vision effectively and some closed their doors. The world has seen many crises and the church has always long suffered right along with the world. When a crisis strikes the world like …

The Decline In Black Men's Church Attendance: The Role Of Male Presence In Church And The Family, Gregory James Tate

Doctor of Ministry

The Black Church in the United States has historically played a significant role in the community providing a sense of belonging and purpose. However, there has been a significant decline in the attendance of Black men in the church. Despite being the largest ethnic group to attend a place of worship, 70-80% of Black men do not attend church services, either in-person or online. This trend is concerning, especially since over 80% of those who do not attend consider themselves religious and believe in a higher power. This paper explores the reasons for this trend and its effects. Chapter 1 …

Transgenerational Wellness: Trauma Informed Christian Spiritual Formation, Winford Amos

Doctor of Ministry

Certain mindsets, processes, and practices produce health inequities and disparities including poor spiritual health. Young adults between the ages of eighteen and twenty-five years old are experiencing challenges with mental health and substance use resulting in a high rate of suicides and overdose related deaths. Many are experiencing co-occurring substance use and mental health challenges and have a history of trauma. There are limited options available for integrated treatment. Accessibility to services is very difficult due to limited providers and limited resources at this age. Church attendance has decreased significantly for young adults which limits the capacity of the church …

An Examination Of Ministry Essentials For The 21 Century Post Pandemic African American Urban Church, Kenneth Sullivan Jr.

Doctor of Ministry

It is the goal of this research to explore the needs of the urban African American church in the post-pandemic era, and the adjustments it can make to remain a thriving, relevant entity within the culture. This body of work is designed to examine and explore how the African American church can pivot on a massive scale in this era. To pivot means to change course and/or direction. It refers to turning the body from one position or orientation to another. The church is referred to as the body of Christ in scripture, a body that may benefit by shifting …

Semiotic Transfiguration: Becoming More Fully Human, Vern Hyndman

Doctor of Ministry

Jesus invites us into a new life, not simply adherents to a set of standards. Jesus invites us through a power not our own to become most fully human; alive Spiritually, Physically, Intellectually, Relationally, and Emotionally (SPIRE). We become Jesus-InSPIREd holistic human beings, invited to participate in God-powered transfiguration of ourselves and others.

The United States Military uses challenge coins to encourage soldiers, and the coins display visual metaphors that echo the values and objectives of the donor and the donor’s unit. I made a challenge coin for Leonard Sweet as a gift of thanks for his generosity to me …

Women's Holistic Transformation And Self-Help Groups, Desta Demessie Madie

Doctor of Ministry

Women in Adama City are enslaved to generational poverty due to a lack of alternative income generating means and unproductive expenditures related to spiritual practices in hopes of attaining supernatural power. A Self-Help Group is a development intervention approach that is aimed at empowering women. This research critically examines the role of SHGs in promoting holistic transformation of women in three areas: women’s economic empowerment, and socio-political empowerment, and women’s spiritual transformation with reference to the Ethiopian Kale Heywet Church Development Program. The SHG approach will be reviewed within a framework based on the concept of Christian holistic transformation. The …

Old Faith New: Risking It All For The Kingdom Of God, Bridget Thornton

Doctor of Ministry

The opportunity existed to develop a curriculum on a theology of risk for Key West United Methodist Church. This will enable us to begin to risk substantially for the Kingdom of God. This NPO was developed over the three years of the DMIN program; each milestone provided clarity to get to this final NPO. I began searching for tools used by United Methodists in previous times of liminality and discovered the need for a theology of risk. A hero who risked for God’s kingdom emerged in this search, Robert Strawbridge. Strawbridge was a layperson who exceeded his authority to reach …

Restory Your Church, Mark Youngman

Doctor of Ministry

This project provides a framework for churches at a turning point or near closure to “ReStory” and consider legacy options for their future including a restart, repurpose, or reallocation of resources. This is the key insight of this project: Churches that tell their past and present stories are well positioned to stay connected to a future vision that meets the needs of the community through creative and innovative means.

I am a pastor in the Tennessee Western Kentucky Conference of the United Methodist Church. In this context, I have witnessed the closure of dozens of churches in both urban and …

Bridging The Digital Divide: Digital Technology And Church, Martina L. Hagler

Doctor of Ministry

The proliferation of digital technology provides churches with more paths for reaching a broader audience to facilitate and foster spiritual engagement across members and non-members of the church.

Digital technology brings a significant change in how we communicate and commune. The digital revolution is opening doors for quick forms of communication, interaction, and response. Digital technology provides semiotic resources through digital platforms, websites, social media, videos, and images which facilitate and foster multimodal communication. These digital technology semiotic resources offer a dimension of technology that is still underutilized in many sectors of life, including the church.

The ministry context of …

The 835 Weekend: A Model For Recruitment Of Generation Z Entrepreneurs Toward Church Planting In Europe, Mark Good

Doctor of Ministry

The continent of Europe, once a center of spiritual renewal and missionary mobilization, has now become a gospel desert. The need for church planting is acute. The means to address this need is partly through the deployment of church planting teams, yet there is a dearth of both European and expatriate missionary young adults ready to take up this charge. Generation Z entrepreneurs must be successfully engaged and recruited to meet the need for pioneering career church planters among the least reached peoples of Europe. The key insights discovered regarding recruitment of Generation Z to missionary careers come from the …

Bridging The Gap Between Orthodoxy And Orthopathy In The Life Of The Reformed Pastor, Daniel Mckinney

Doctor of Ministry

What if Reformed pastors cared about every aspect of their humanity with the same passion they care about their doctrine? When we think about the health of the reformed pastor, we tend to think mainly in terms of our orthodoxy. From 2018-2022 I have witnessed the most orthodox of pastors fall into marital unfaithfulness, resign due to relational conflict, and suffer from burnout. All of this within the state of Utah, where there are only 7 PCA churches. Therefore, there is a need to bridge the gap between Reformed Theology and the emotional, spiritual, and relational health in pastors of …

Imago Dei: Identity, Story, And Who We Are In Christ, James Dylan Branson

Doctor of Ministry

Imago Dei: Identity, Story, and Who We are in Christ seeks to address the NPO: Many people feel like they do not belong in church. This project was developed in the context of international evangelical churches in Hong Kong. Stakeholders involved included pastors, lay leaders, and members of the international church community. Those involved come from a variety of national backgrounds.

The journey began with asking the question of what constitutes genuine biblical community and why many churches do not feel like a community. However, through the various workshops that were conducted during the research phase, it was discovered that …

Effective Hospice Chaplain Ministry, Dawn M. Linder

Doctor of Ministry

This project is a book which examines how Christian hospice chaplains can maintain and utilize their Christian identity and minister effectively to non-Christian/non-religious patients and their families without evangelizing them. It was determined that narrative, or story, is an essential part of each person's life, especially as a person looks back on their life while approaching death. A person's life goals change as death becomes imminent, and with change comes grief. Hospice chaplains can companion the patient as they navigate this unfamiliar territory and help them recognize new goals. Chaplains can help patients look back on their lives to see …

Hope For The Heartbroken: A Sacred Space For Grace, Patricia Mayes

Doctor of Ministry

This project addresses pathways for hope rising from heartbreaking behaviors of unresolved grief due to a loss from any source that prevents one from a life of peace, love, and future happiness. The audience is those persons and groups experiencing any life event that threatens a sense of well-being and loss of hope for a better future. Some of those events are death of a loved one, job loss, disruption of family dynamics, civic and cultural discord, workplace discord and dysfunctional relationships.

The key insight emerging early was while a local regional need existed, little support existed given current free …

Bridging The Gap: A Guided Journey Engaging The Christian Faith Across Generations, Chad Ibach

Doctor of Ministry

The need that is addressed through this project portfolio is the recognition that there is a lack of space for intergenerational relationships and conversations around spirituality and the Christian faith to occur between older generations and Generation Z specifically. As we look at the church today, we are seeing many different gaps occurring between generations, these two in particular. The focus of this project portfolio is to address this problem of the generational gaps within the church in hopes of creating long-lasting intergenerational relationships. The problem is addressed by gathering individuals from different generations and taking them through a sixmonth …

The Satnav Series: Discipleship Journeys In Today's Culture, Tracy Cotterell

Doctor of Ministry

The Project was developed in response to the following NPO (specifically opportunity): In a disorientating culture, forming disciples in the way of Christ needs a relational, experiential model that enlarges their capacity to integrate Bible, Spirit, self and context. A key insight emerging from research was millennial Christians’ sense of being outmaneuvered by a rapidly changing culture. This left them feeling stranded with insufficient way-markers towards flourishing, fruitful lives as followers of Jesus in their context. Research also identified a yearning for a discipleship model that was relationally rich, holistic and experiential in its approach, and which responded directly to …

Eucatastrophic Tales: Tell The Story Of God Through Children's Literature, Matthew Beck

Doctor of Ministry

In this Project Portfolio, I will address the following NPO: Teachers of children have underappreciated or not recognized the faith formation possibilities found in children’s literature. The overall key finding of my research is that children’s literature is an ideal medium through which adults can facilitate conversations about God with children. This finding emerged from the ministry setting of the local church, and as an extension, the Christian university. My project is a thorough, informative book on the faith formation possibilities of children’s literature, and a more accessible companion resource: a universal bookmark guide. The book contains 5 chapters plus …

Exploring The Root Causes Of Intergenerational Conflict And Its Resolution Between First Generation Korean Missionaries And Second Generation Korean American Leaders In Ubf, Sarah Ahn

Doctor of Ministry

The context of my ministry is the University Bible Fellowship (UBF), a nondenominational, world mission and campus mission organization. In this context, my NPO is to identify the root causes of intergenerational conflict and to propose practical solutions for conflict resolution between first generation Koreans missionaries and second generation Korean American leaders in North America UBF. My Project consists of two parts. Part 1 is the outline of the position paper. It includes sending the outline to people for their feedback. My benchmarks are based on this outline. Part 2 involves the position paper based on the analysis and findings …

Apprentice Life: Finding Life In The Way Of Jesus, Tim C. Mccarthy

Doctor of Ministry

The Apprentice Life: Finding Life in the Way of Jesus course is a project designed to address the difficulty of mobilizing more experienced believers at a large, western Canadian, evangelical anabaptist church to embrace their role in helping new believers grow up in their faith. The author has explored Old and New Testament teachings, various historic Christian traditions, contemporary faith formation theory, disciple-making literature, and the insights of local and expert contributors. Based on these discoveries, new believers are most likely to become resilient apprentices of Jesus when more experienced mentors in faith accept responsibility to pass on a living …