Religion Commons^™

Burnout And The Gospel: Moving From Burnout To True Elders With The Gospel Grand Narrative, Cary S. Peterson

Doctor of Ministry

Burnout among Western church leaders occurs at an alarming rate. Effective responses must go beyond the symptoms of burnout to the theology these leaders chose, which ultimately shapes their visions of life and leadership. This project explores the experience of burnout and its relationship to the prevailing version of the gospel in the Western church, suggesting this epidemic is connected to in an inaccurate version of the gospel that finds fertile soil in the leader’s own unresolved personal identity issues. Part 1 (Chapters 1-3) introduces the burnout epidemic and the prevailing version of the gospel in the West. Chapter 1 …

Promoting Missionary Mutual Care Through Spiritual Community, David L. Shepherd

Doctor of Ministry

Personal struggle and the stressors that catalyze them are inevitable in missionary life. When overly focusing on ministry and enculturation demands, cross-culturally based Christian workers can often neglect intra and inter-personal spiritual formation. The result of such neglect is a lack of purpose, vitality, endurance and effectiveness, and in some cases, the missionary leaves the field altogether. For missionaries to thrive and succeed requires that they place a high priority on mutual and intentional care. Therefore, I will explore the necessity and means of cultivating spiritual community among on-thefield missionaries for their mutual care and development. Chapter 1 introduces the …

A Renewed Homiletic For The Twenty-First-Century Church, Douglas Witherup

Doctor of Ministry

This dissertation proposes that a homiletic recapturing a methodology implicit in Jesus’ preaching (story/image/metaphor, questions, and supernatural encounter) enables preachers to more effectively communicate to a twenty-first-century audience. Section one identifies the problem: namely the recent devaluing of preaching and the continued reliance on a 2500-year-old propositional homiletic. Section two examines other proposed solutions, including inductive preaching, postmodern voices, and current popular preachers. Section three examines our thesis, both by investigating Jesus’ preaching methodology in the canonical gospels and seeking to discover if and how that methodology translates to an effective renewed homiletic. Sections four and five outline the dynamics …

Reclaiming The Kingdom Of God Metaphor For The Twenty-First-Century Church, Timothy R. Willson

Doctor of Ministry

In this dissertation I will argue that an egocentric eschatology (preoccupation with what happens to the individual at the moment of death) has unwittingly trumped the importance of incarnating the Kingdom of God in this present world. It is my assertion that a better understanding of Kingdom of God theology and the promotion of its priority will inspire Christian discipleship leading to reformation and renewal in the church. For this to happen, we must fundamentally renovate our definition and articulate the meaning of “Kingdom of God” as His sovereign reign and rule over a people He has called out, set …

Embracing Maturity: An Ignatian Christian Leadership Formation Model For Emerging Adults, Todd Dustin Clark

Doctor of Ministry

The research of this project is concentrated on the integration of the disciplines of leadership, developmental psychology, and spiritual formation to inform a nine-month Christian leadership formation process for postmodern emerging adults. As the Staff Development Facilitator for an Outdoor Science Camp ministry (OSS), my task is twofold: (1) In regards to our mission, I aspire to help staff members develop leadership skills that prepare them to be excellent experiential educators; (2) in regards to formation, I desire to facilitate relevant spiritual growth for emerging adults. I believe the overlapping and pragmatic connection between these two goals is the art …

Congregational Leadership Development Through Mentorships: Preparing Each Generation For The Church's Future Through Family Systems Theory, Danny Wayne Russell

Doctor of Ministry

For some churches the most important qualification for a church leader is the person's age. When traditional churches have less younger people, they begin thinking of ways to attract the younger generations. Some churches may conclude that having a younger person in a leadership role will help them attract young people. Because the focus on the church becomes getting younger people, a younger person in a leadership role is most desired; therefore, the person's age becomes the deciding factor of who should be a deacon or elder in the church. Through looking at family system theory, the above approach to …

Support Groups For Men: Encouraging Healthy Relationships With God And Others, John Henry Mckinney Ii

Doctor of Ministry

Over several decades, societal shifts have dramatically impacted masculinity. One school of thought, hypomasculinity, views men as dominant, controlling, and abusive. Their approach to reforming men is pedagogy. Hypermasculinity—another school of thought—considers culture as domesticating men. Often, they see reform occurring through men’s support groups.

There is an intentional design to domesticate men, making them softer and more manageable. Obviously, there is nothing immoral about desiring the transformation of man. The issue is not the desire but the methodology supporting it. So, how is change to be successfully implemented?

Some churches are offering men support groups. Such groups provide recovery …

The Faith Web: A Networking Of The Body Of Christ To Mitigate Relationship Voids And Strengthen The Faith Community, Scott M. Ness

Doctor of Ministry

This dissertation introduces a new philosophy, The Faith Web, as a method to validate relationships and provide reciprocal social capital between people for the sake of building Christian community, support, and formation. Section 1 describes the ideals of Christian community and examines the ways these ideals are not realized. Special attention is paid to relationship voids caused by death, divorce, fatherlessness, and absenteeism of parents. Section 2 examines the communal life of ancient Israel and the present day community that occurs in Computer Mediated Communication (CMC) and Social Networking Sites (SNS). This juxtaposition draws upon the strength of both approaches …

Fire, Water And Wind: God's Transformational Narrative, Norbert Haukenfrers

Doctor of Ministry

"Fire, Water, and Wind: God’s Transformational Narrative" explores factors in forming a healthy sense of personal identity. The impetus for this dissertation is the observation that people in Prince Albert, Saskatchewan, Canada and the surrounding area, are searching for meaning and identity. They are dissatisfied with their current situations and many are actively seeking escape from their current life experiences. This is evidenced by the number of people participating in high-risk behaviors and activities such as drug or alcohol abuse, gambling, engaging and soliciting prostitution, pornography, multiple sex partners, unprotected sexual encounters, smoking, or violent crimes, and far too many …

Shift: Expanding Preaching For A Social Media World, Bryce Ashlin-Mayo

Doctor of Ministry

Many have argued that the introduction of information technology and the subsequent birth of social media alter the way we communicate and relate socially. This phenomenon has comprehensively changed the methods and means of communication, the social structures and the social norms in which we operate. As Walter Ong exposes, we have moved into a Secondary Orality age transforming the way we communicate and relate socially.1 This change has created what Marshall McLuhan termed: "An Age of Anxiety," where people are using old tools in new environments.2 This reality has entered into the field of homiletics, resulting in previously dominant …

R3al Hope: Living With The End In Mind, Richard J. Callahan

Doctor of Ministry

Jesus offers Abundant Life yet so many Christians settle for less. Why? There are myriad theories as to what constitutes Abundant Life (AL). As the evidence of history and Scripture are integrated, AL is consistently experienced in three realities: relationship, responsibility and restoration (RE3). Relationship + Responsibility + Restoration = Abundant Life or R3AL. R3AL Life existed in Creation, was made accessible to Fallen Eikons1 through Jesus and will be central to New Creation. While many Christians are aware of why they were created and the transformational power of Jesus, R3AL life eludes them. They have a flawed eschatology that …

Jesus And His Jewish World: A Resource That Brings First-Century Biblical Context Into The Twenty-First-Century World Through Technology, Paul D. Conway

Doctor of Ministry

THE PROBLEM The twenty-first century Assemblies of God Christian and communicator are separated by thousands of years and miles from Christ's first-century context. Few tools provide a three dimensional resource that converge the literature, land and language to construct a bridge that empowers learners to cross that distance independently. Many resources available are scholarly, scattered or static. Those privileged to visit the Holy Land leave enthusiastic but fail to export large portions of the educational experience. This often results in the traveler sharing their images and impressions for several weeks until all that remains are emotional memoirs and a dim …

Message, Mode And Milieu: Recalling An Ancient Approach To Christian Discipleship Sufficient For The Western-Consumerist Context Of The American College Student, William John Westfall

Doctor of Ministry

American university students today are steeped in the ideals and practices of Western-consumerism. Rather than leading lives of self-sacrifice, as Jesus modeled, these emerging adults, even those who claim to be "Christians," typically reflect the self-centered ideals of the consumerist culture around them. There are at least two reasons for this reality. First, Western-consumerism tenets are diametrically opposed to Christian values. Students are pulled along by powerful cultural forces, which serve to shape both belief and behavior. Second, the Western social construct is becoming less conducive to a life lived in close community. As a result, this emerging generation is …

The Role Of Spiritual Formation And Ministry Governance In Developing Mission-Oriented Governing Boards, Allen Schoonover

Doctor of Ministry

Congregations of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America have struggled over the last generation to reach out effectively to new members. This struggle is the byproduct of a changing ministry context leaders are trying to address. By the 1980s, those elements that had fueled the growth of the Lutheran Church the United States throughout the previous century had largely faded. An awareness of these changes and the corresponding decline in membership and contributions has prompted leaders to examine how to reach out more effectively to those outside traditional ethnic and cultural Lutheran enclaves. In order to improve their congregation’s effectiveness, …

Living Rhythms: Movements Toward Health And Holiness, Jill K. Sidler Fleagle

Doctor of Ministry

Human beings can honestly profess to believe what they do not believe. (Dallas Willard) Christians seek relational health apart from spiritual health and vice versa. The problem is one of belief that it is possible to live in intimate fellowship with the Lord while in broken or unhealthy other primary relationships. Jesus addressed the problem of compartmentalized thinking when one of the Pharisees asked him to identify the most important commandment (singular) in the Law. Jesus' answer inextricably linked loving God with loving others in his response of not one but two commandments: You shall love the LORD your God …

The Hope Of An Open Hand: Civility As An Invitation To Incarnational Ministry, Kevin Dwight Glenn

Doctor of Ministry

No abstract provided.

Ordinary Community: Missional Communities As A Helpful Ecclesial Response To The Problem Of Postmodernism And Consumerism For The American Evangelical Church, Christopher W. Marshall

Doctor of Ministry

There is a storm approaching the shores of the American evangelical church that is two-fold. First, there is a macro shift in cultural worldview from modernity, which was embedded in the tenets of the Enlightenment project to a new era called postmodernity. Postmodernity is characterized as a harsh reaction against the utopian ideals of the modern world. What is the appropriate ecclesial response of the American evangelical church to the postmodern world? Secondly, the dominant cultural challenge to Christianity in America is the organizing of life around the attachments of a consumer lifestyle. Consumerism dominates American life however it is …

Describing A Pentecostal Spirituality And Eploring These Expressions Within A Spiritual Formation Model, Jeremy Daniel Sims

Doctor of Ministry

Richard Foster states, “The desperate need today is not for a greater number of intelligent people, or gifted people, but for deep people.”1 But how do we understand what it means to be a “deep person?” We need a description of what a deep relationship looks like and a model of the spiritual growth process that makes that possible. A spiritual formation model is a tool designed to identify the organic process of growth for the believer in Christ and describe how that believer might tunnel into the depths of maturity by partnering with the Holy Spirit. As a Pentecostal, …

Relational Discernment : Moving Towards A Holistic Approach, Vonna Thomas

Doctor of Ministry

No abstract provided.

These Dead Bones Can Rise Again: Preventing Church Closures In North America, Rodney F. Bertholet

Doctor of Ministry

No abstract provided.

Global Discipleship Communities Empowered By The Holy Spirit, Fueled By The Gospel For The Mission Of God, Andrew Bloemker

Doctor of Ministry

No abstract provided.

From Decision Making To Discernment: Using Ignatian And Friends Models Of Discernment In A Baptist Context, Leon Kendell Cameron Jr.

Doctor of Ministry

No abstract provided.

The Jesus Prayer For Pentecostals: A Fresh Proposal For Spiritual Formation In The Pentecostal Church, Charles T. Dawes

Doctor of Ministry

No abstract provided.

Holiness Of Heart And Life For The 21st-Century Church, Catherine Newberry Davis

Doctor of Ministry

No abstract provided.

No Longer In Kansas: The Mainline Church In The Postmodern Age, Susan Leo

Doctor of Ministry

No abstract provided.

Funny Uncles And Sons Of Hell: Gospelling In A Persistent Postmodern World, Joseph R. Skillen

Doctor of Ministry

No abstract provided.

Unified Variance In The Local Church : Fostering The Harmonics Of Difference By Following Christ, Valuing Relationships, And Rallying Around A Common Mission, John C. Tittle

Doctor of Ministry

No abstract provided.

The Faith Journey In H3, Randall J. Davis

Doctor of Ministry

No abstract provided.

Transcending The Cultural And Socio-Political Conditions In Friends Decision-Making Processes: Case Of Burundi, David Niyonzima

Doctor of Ministry

No abstract provided.

Together, Full Of Wisdom And The Holy Spirit: A Paradigm For Congregational Discernment And Decision Making, Merrie Schoenman Carson

Doctor of Ministry

No abstract provided.