Religion Commons^™

Maintaining Spiritual Connectedness Over An Entire Ministry By Elders In The North Georgia Annual Conference Of The United Methodist Church, Charles W. Green

Doctor of Ministry

No abstract provided.

Wealth And Discipleship In Affluent America, Jeffrey T. Lincicome

Doctor of Ministry

The question addressed by this dissertation may be stated as follows: How do wealth and affluence affect individual and communal Christian discipleship? In response, we propose that while wealth and affluence provide some discipleship opportunities, there are many more dangers and risks to Christian discipleship connected to wealth and affluence. To be faithful disciples of Jesus Christ in the midst of affluence, people must be aware of its dangers, and have a church home committed to wrestling with the challenges together. In Chapter 1, the ministry challenge is described through the narrative account of church members and a description of …

Creating An Environment For Growth: Utilizing Classical Spiritual Disciplines Within A Spiritual Formation Curriculum For A Postmodern World, John R. Morley Jr.

Doctor of Ministry

The postmodern college students of today are highly tolerant of others, technologically advanced, overly protected, and exceedingly busy. Excitedly though, many of these young men and women, desire to live in community and are returning to more traditional Christian values. These spiritually sensitive students are looking for ways to grow in their personal relationship with Christ and serve others in the world. They are coming to traditional Christian colleges in record numbers in search of opportunities to deepen their walk with Christ, but many of these students do not possess the necessary tools to do so. To help these young …

Building An Ethos Of Discipleship For Transition In The Twenty-First Century, Greg J. Boulton

Doctor of Ministry

The tension between old and new tears at the heart and soul of the church in the United States. For example, does the church focus on building new churches and allow old ones to die? Do church leaders develop a more effective ethos that renews the hearts and minds of Christians in old and new churches? This paper deals with how leaders can develop an ethos that sustains discipleship in the life of its members. It is the thesis of this paper that long-term members of the Christian faith can be revivified through a biblical discipleship process. The paper explores …

Spiritual Formation: An Emerging Narrative In Clinical Supervision Of Counseling And Family Therapy, Evangeline Willms Thiessen

Doctor of Ministry

Clinical professionals in the disciplines of counseling and family therapy, despite the many decades of separation between spirituality and science, currently face the challenge to attend to the spiritual realities and resources of clients' stories. As spirituality, an aspect of therapeutic diversity, moves increasingly to the forefront of counseling and family therapy literature, many clinicians still find it uncomfortable or difficult to negotiate the experiential path of addressing spirituality in practice. Although the need to address spirituality and religion is recognized, there continues to be a lack of conceptualization and methodology to guide the training experiences and preparation of clinicians. …

Pastoral Care, An Effective Front Porch For The Postmodern Church, Mark B. Hale

Doctor of Ministry

For over 18 years, Disney has offered over a million alumni the opportunity to benchmark the philosophies of the Walt Disney World resort. Since I am implementing the metaphor of the front porch as an integral part of the overall care model of the church, I ask, who better implements a welcoming, front porch atmosphere than Disney? Where Disney has elevated the mouse as its icon of celebrating and welcoming, I propose that Jesus is the icon for the front porch.

Rex Miller in The Millenium Matrix reminds us, "That original thinking will certainly include experimenting with past mediums of …

Unspoken Prayer In Spiritual Formation: Tool Or Trouble, Wayne Lewis

Doctor of Ministry

The questions addressed in this document are: Can unspoken prayer be used in Christian spiritual formation? If so, how? And are there dangers that come with its use? For the purpose of simplicity and utility, the term "unspoken prayer" will refer to prayer that is not verbalized with voice or mind and is prayer offered to God as listening, focused waiting, or thought focused meditation. Unspoken prayer is utilized by Christians in forming a more intimate relationship with Jesus as Savior and Lord. Many terms are used for this type of prayer including contemplative prayer, silent prayer, listening prayer, and …

The Kingdom Of God: An Ancient/Future Ontology Of Leadership For The Twenty First Century Church, Stephen A. Campbell

Doctor of Ministry

The Church is facing a crisis ofleadership. For the past several hundred years the Church has embraced an ontology, or basic understanding of the nature ofleadership, based on a modern interpretation of the world. With the emergence of the postmodern world, Church leaders need to embrace a new, ancient/future ontology ofleadership based on Jesus' teachings on the kingdom of God. This will enable the Church to be relevant in the twenty-first century. Chapter two will evaluate Jesus' teaching regarding the kingdom of God. This examination will reveal four characteristics of that kingdom which will serve as the basic framework for …

Building A Reformed Life: Recovering John Calvin's Theology Of The Christian Life For The Church Today, Neil E. Trainer

Doctor of Ministry

The problem addressed by this dissertation may be stated as follows: How can members of First Presbyterian Church, and others like it, be assisted in both their understanding of God's plan and their appropriation of God's power for their growth toward maturity in Christ's likeness? To address the stated problem, we propose to recover John Calvin's theology of the Christian life, which understands spiritual formation as the necessary and progressive reformation of the deformed image of God after the pattern of Christ through spiritual union with Christ by the process of repentance. In this light, spiritual formation is viewed as …

Conforming To The Image Of Christ: Structuring A Spiritual Growth Paradigm For Churches Of The Stone - Campbell Movement, Jerry J. Dean

Doctor of Ministry

There is a general need for churches of the Stone-Campbell movement to reach beyond reading for the gathering of knowledge for doctrinal purposes. It becomes necessary to balance the desire for biblical truth with a pursuit of spiritual growth. This is referred to as finding a balance. This balance is achieved through a process of spiritual development and maturity. The central claim for this thesis is that Restoration churches of today, given to a rational, empirical form of hermeneutics, need to allow spiritual growth practices to run parallel with rational thinking.

Preach To Reach: Seven Characteristics Of Effective Evangelistic Preaching, Alan Ehler

Doctor of Ministry

Although studies continually show that Americans consider themselves spiritual, church attendance has continued to decline. A common reason people give for not attending church is that the sermons are boring and irrelevant. Far too few pastors effectively communicate in a way unchurched people understand, relate to and connect with in their sermons. In order to address this problem we will propose seven traits that characterize preaching that effectively reaches unbelievers and leads them to lasting faith in Jesus Christ: I) biblical, Christ-centered content, 2) relevant to unbelieving listeners, preached with 3) persuasive appeal, using 4) engaging illustrations and 5) dynamic …

The Lazarus Project: The Dying And Raising Of The Rural Church In The Minnesota North District-Lutheran Church Missouri Synod, Richard John Manual Hans

Doctor of Ministry

Rural communities and the church at large currently face the difficult challenge of rapidly dying rural churches. As a result of this decline the six thousand churches in the Lutheran Church Missouri Synod (LCMS) face a number of issues including the loss of financial aid for mission work in United States and abroad. The closure of this one church also affects the middle judicatory. The district depends financially upon the churches in its district to support mission starts and financial concerns affect a congregation's ability to support a pastor. Overall, the closure of the local church demonstrates a lack of …

Relational And Incarnational Leadership: A Flattening Of The Congregational Hierarchy And A Shared Journey Of Faith, Timothy D. Ozment

Doctor of Ministry

The problem addressed in this paper is: How can mainline congregational leadership move a church forward toward health in a postmodern world wherein the mainline Church as a whole is in such serious decline? This problem will be addressed by proposing a model of pastoral leadership that lives relationally and incarnationally with the congregation, flattens the hierarchy, and nurtures key lay leaders who are empowered to: answer their personal call, cultivate intentional relationships, and nurture the congregation into a missional and incarnationally focused living organism. Pastoral leadership, as we will argue, is, therefore, primarily living incarnationally and relationally with a …

E-Learning And The Academy: A New Paradigm For Training Youth Ministry Students, Richard Chromey

Doctor of Ministry

The technological revolution of cyberspace has forced various institutions to reinvent. In recent years, many colleges and universities have converted partially or wholly to distance education or "e-Iearning." However, countless other schools and learning institutions (especially ministry training) remain firmly entrenched within site-based, seat-time, lecture-rooted, modern educational frames.

And therefore, the problem arises: how can cyber technology and on-line educational delivery systems train and equip youth and family ministry students for professional or lay ministly?

The purpose of this work is an investigation of electronic learning in order to propose alternative strategies for future youth ministry education. Ultimately, readers will …

A Seven Strand Cord: Braiding Together Leadership Development For Mid-Adolescents, Richard Barrett Bartlett Ii

Doctor of Ministry

The emerging culture is necessitating different leadership paradigms: preparation of leaders in a "business as usual" fashion is becoming inadequate. Mid-adolescents in churches who are being "called" or "shoulder tapped" as emerging leaders need an intentional process of leadership development.

This paper will recommend leadership development of mid-adolescents through the metaphor of a seven strand braided cord which includes these threads: discernment, an understanding of call, rite of passage events, mentoring, spiritual formation, service/ministry opportunities, and commissioning. The goal of this research is to suggest that these kinds of learning experiences, which the Church could be providing today, will best …

Chaordic Ministry: Structuring Church Ministry For The Emerging Culture, Warren D. Schatz

Doctor of Ministry

Many churches are struggling to adapt to changing needs and characteristics of people in the twenty-first century. For decades churches operated by developing standardized programs to reach large groups of people with relatively homogenous needs. The fragmentation of culture into ever-smaller affinity circles means that people often have very different and unique needs from each other. Further, fragmentation has also affected the character and pattern of lifestyles in the emerging culture. There is no longer any standard pattern of work, recreation and home life. Each family has its own needs and its own schedule. This means people no longer have …

Chaordic Ministry: Structuring Church Ministry For The Emerging Culture, Warren D. Schatz

Doctor of Ministry

Many churches are struggling to adapt to changing needs and characteristics of people in the twenty-first century. For decades churches operated by developing standardized programs to reach large groups of people with relatively homogenous needs. The fragmentation of culture into ever-smaller affinity circles means thatpeople often have very different and unique needs from each other. Further, fragmentation has also affected the character and pattern of lifestyles in the emerging culture. There is no longer any standard pattern of work, recreation and home life. Each family has its own needs and its own schedule. This means people no longer have the …

Chaordic Ministry: Structuring Church Ministry For The Emerging Culture, Warren D. Schatz

Doctor of Ministry

Many churches are struggling to adapt to changing needs and characteristics of people in the twenty-first century. For decades churches operated by developing standardized programs to reach large groups of people with relatively homogenous needs. The fragmentation of culture into ever-smaller affinity circles means that.people often have very different and unique needs from each other. Further, fragmentation has also affected the character and pattern of lifestyles in the emerging culture. There is no longer any standard pattern of work, recreation and home life. Each family has its own needs and its own schedule. This means people no longer have the …

William Hobson And William Keil: Religion And Polity In Nineteenth Century Oregon, Connor Fitzgerald Edmonds

Doctor of Ministry

In 1925, Ione Juanita Beale-Harkness compared the Quaker settlement in Oregon's Chehalem Valley (Newberg) to another Christian communitarian settlement less than twenty miles away in Aurora. Harkness ' research showed how differing Protestant faith traditions, separated in doctrinal beliefs, were united in their choice of settling in Oregon as a place to practice and preserve their lifestyle. By focusing on the administrative structure of both settlements and by providing more detail in respect to the historical antecedents of each settlement, this writing aspires to learn why these settlements, with such similar beginnings, are today very different in terms of the …

Pneumanaut: Demonstration And Proclamation Through Abstract, Metaphor And Sculpture, Eric Keck

Doctor of Ministry

The theology of academia lacks appropriate metaphors and abstracts to demonstrate, embody, and announce the kingdom of God. A solution is the creation of new metaphors and abstracts to add insight and definition. The purpose of this project, then, is to interpret and create some new metaphors for theological themes commonly used in academic circles. Because of prior knowledge readers bring with them when they engage with theology, their positions and starting points sometimes limit their understanding of the sensus plenior or fuller meaning, of the original text. By providing new metaphors for these theological themes, readers will enter into …

On Healing And Christianity: An Examination Of Origen And Tertullian's Views On Healing And Christianity, Brian L. Brunner

Doctor of Ministry

This paper examines the theological and practical views of Origen and Tertullian on the relationship between healing and Christianity. Its introduction examines the reason for the study, outlines research into this field, and explains the research method utilized. The following two chapters devoted to Origen and Tertullian begin by examining the role of healing in their theology. The chapters then move to a discussion of their understanding and view on the nascent Western medical science found in the Greco-Roman world. Each chapter then ends with a look at their views on the role of faith healing. All of these subjects …

The Birkat Ha-Minim And Its Relationship To The Johannine Situation In The First Century, Matthew C. Versdahl

Doctor of Ministry

In the discussion of Christian origins, Judaism, and their relationship to the gospel of John, the Birkat ha-minim remains an important element; particularly as it pertains to the occurrence of άποσυνάγωγος; in John 9:22; 12:42; and 16:2 and John's pejorative presentation of the 'Ιουδαιοι. Some have contended that it explains why, in these verses, Jewish followers of Jesus were ostracized from the synagogue which resulted in John's animosity in the use of 'Ιουδαιοι. In other words, they hold that the Birkat ha-minim functioned as a means of programmatic expulsion of Jewish Christians from the synagogue in …

The Equipping Paradigm Of New Testament Fivefold Leaders For Parishoner- Based Ministry, Kenneth Ross

Doctor of Ministry

This study addresses the need for a more equipping oriented leadership model to engender parishioner based ministry in the church and community. The study begins by recognizing the steady national and ecclesial decline in morals, ethics, marriage and family in America. This decline reveals the waning influence of the church in American culture. At the same time, there is evidence of a significant departure from the institutional church, in great part by Christians that want to "be" the church rather than just attend church. I propose that one possible solution is to return to a more equipping role for ecclesial …

Exploring A New Paradigm For Evangelism In The Emerging Culture, Michael Mcnichols

Doctor of Ministry

It is my claim that evangelism has become focused on the proclamation of a message that is presumed to be an accurate expression of the biblical concept of gospel. Evangelism within the evangelical community, perceived primarily as proclamation, has become a specialized function of the church. It is too often separated not only from the normative experience of the average Christian but also from the idea of discipleship, or spiritual formation. There are possible solutions to this problem, such as more training, increased efforts at city-wide crusades, more seeker-oriented services, continuation of church planting, a stronger focus on those "gifted" …

Strengthening Church Leadership And Preventing Pastoral Burnout Through Imago Relationship Therapy, Keri Warren

Doctor of Ministry

Pastors have their own family system and, therefore, bring into the church and ministry their family-of-origin functional and dysfunctional thinking patterns and behaviors. Pastors who receive insight into and healing of early-life woundedness and dysfunctional patterns, especially those patterns that are core to Bowen's family systems theory, will be less likely to compensate for their woundedness through the church family system and less likely then to experience burnout. It is the thesis of this dissertation that pastors engage in Imago Relationship Theory techniques with their spouses, and experience personal healing and self-differentiation leading to further spiritual identity development, become better …

The Cult Of Comfort, Raymond W. Leach

Doctor of Ministry

The tension in which we find ourselves when it comes to the accumulation of wealth and material possessions is a common one for Christians in the United States. This is a natural result of living in a culture that is driven by the pursuit of comfort. It is aggravated by the fact that so many of our tendencies when it comes to money, happiness, and success are conditioned by the world instead of being shaped by the Word of God. We strive for worldly kingship, but we are called to otherworldly kingdom participation. We pursue comfort as defined by our …

Reading Scripture With Both Eyes Open: God's Story Could Be Hazardous To Your Status Quo, Winn Griffin

Doctor of Ministry

The real-world ministry problem addressed in this dissertation is: Scripture is often read and studied in a de-storied, fragmented way as a result of the Enlightenment Project. This problem will be addressed by: proposing a theological narrative (Story) as the alternative way of reading and studying Scripture.

Section 1 will discuss the problem of how readers of Scripture can be helped to understand themselves within the larger narrative of the Story presented from Genesis to Revelation. Section 2 will discuss the problem of reading the text of Scripture in a fragmented way as a result of the Enlightenment's propensity toward …

Prayground.Tv: Penultimate Written Statement, David Mcdonald

Doctor of Ministry

Prayground.tv is an online experiential prayer exercise. It is designed to facilitate personal expression and creativity, high user interactivity, and conversation among peers in order to help postmoderns engage spirituality that is both individual and communal. The Internet has quickly become the voice for virtual community and personal expression and prayground.tv is a helpful tool in exploring the tension between the communityoriented teachings of Jesus while helping each user internalize those teachings.

Section Two will show that, based on external data and outside sources, this dichotomy is especially real in a postmodern context and needs to be addressed. Here I …

Training Volunteers To Effectively Make Disciples Of Troubled Youth In The Emerging Postmodern Culture, Dwight Spotts

Doctor of Ministry

One of the great opportunities for the Christian community in an emerging postmodern culture will be the renewed potential for incamational ministry to troubled youth. For over a half century the evangelical church in America has failed to significantly impact the problem of delinquency. This has not always been the reality. Yet current research pertaining to the relationship between religion and delinquency shows that when contextual variables are considered the church can have an inverse effect upon delinquency. In other words, the practice of religion does have something positive to offer troubled youth.

While it is has traditionally been assumed …

Intentional Discipleship: Spiritual Formation As Trinitarian Immersion For The 21st Century, Craig W. Henningfield

Doctor of Ministry

The local Christian congregation is remarkably active. Pastors serve the congregation in a variety of roles. Church leaders meet to plan so that tasks, funds and activities are properly ordered. Church members participate in the various ministries and opportunities offered. Citizens of the local community take advantage of programs designed for them. Christian congregations, sometimes called "religious malls," are busy.

Yet, with all the activity, church members still come and go, complain about the decisions being made, resist changes in their "religious tradition," struggle with various addictions, expect more than is being provided, and wonder how Christianity relates to their …