Practical Theology Commons^™

Creating Harmony Through A Unified Definition Of Discipleship, Dereck S. Jackson

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

It is difficult to function as one unified group in an association of churches where autonomy is central. The ninety-one churches that call Converge Northeast their association desire to start churches, strengthen them, and send people into the harvest field. However, this group of capable churches and leaders has been unable to sustain church health, lacking church growth. After bringing in new leadership, there has been a resurgence of relationship building and vision casting. What might this group of churches need to become vibrant disciple-making churches? Unity among autonomous churches will require that leaders are on the same page and …

Examining Discipleship Strategies In Christian And Missionary Alliance Churches, Osvaldo A. Alvarado

Doctor of Education (Ed.D)

In this quantitative study, discipleship strategies of churches in the Christian and Missionary Alliance were surveyed, to determine if discipleship strategies were effective at fulfilling the mission of helping people connect with God and grow spiritually. Data were collected from 30 church attenders from Western Pennsylvania churches, 27 of which fully completed the research survey. The internal reliability level of participant responses was evaluated and considered excellent. Results showed that the study participant perceptions that they grew in their faith in Christ through the discipleship opportunities provided at their church was statistically significant with a very large magnitude of response …

"Caste: The Origins Of Our Discontents"[Review]/Wilkerson, Isabel., Boubakar Sanou

Andrews University Seminary Studies (AUSS)

This is a book review by Boubakar Sanou.

"Here Are Your Gods" [Review]/Wright, Christopher J. H., Joseph A. Nesbit

Andrews University Seminary Studies (AUSS)

This is a book review by Joseph A. Nesbit.

Prayer, Leadership, And Church Planting Movements : Learning From The Prayer-Lives Of Western Renewal Movements And Their Leaders, Matthew Porter

ATS Dissertations

No abstract provided.

Reading The Signs Of The Time: Three Voices In The Confessional Lutheran Church As They Relate To Segregation, Racism, And Apartheid In South Africa From 1900–1978, Christoph Dietrich Weber

Doctor of Philosophy Dissertation

Weber, Christoph, Reading the signs of the time: “Three voices in the confessional Lutheran Church to segregation, racism, and apartheid in South Africa from 1900–1978.” Ph.D. diss., Concordia Seminary, 2022. 425 pp.

According to August Vilmar, reading the signs of the times was an essential task of all pastors and theologians. It was a part of their prophetic task to interpret the world and its context with the word of God and to proclaim the voice of the church in law and gospel. The three theologians analyzed in this dissertation: Karl Meister, Hermann Sasse, and Friederich W. Hopf respected Vilmar …

How Pornography Negatively Impacts Men’S Perceptions Of And Interactions With Women, Christopher J. Pinedo

Selected Honors Theses

This thesis demonstrates the harmful effects that pornography has on men’s perceptions of and interactions with women. The Literature Review examines the current research that illustrate pornography’s negative impacts on men’s perceptions and expectations of women. Common themes occur throughout the literature that reveal how men’s shifting mindsets due to pornography consumption affects how they socialize with women and how their romantic relationships are harmed. Additionally, the thesis discusses the content of pornography and how pornography’s aggressive and violent material may influence men’s sexual attitudes and expectations. There is also the acknowledgement of literature that supports and advocates for pornography …

"For All Peoples: A Biblical Theology Of Missions In The Gospels And Acts" [Review]/Keener, Craig S.", Boubakar Sanou

Andrews University Seminary Studies (AUSS)

This is a book review by Boubakar Sanou.

"White Too Long: The Legacy Of White Supremacy In American Christianity" [Review]/Jones, Robert, Trevor O'Reggio

Andrews University Seminary Studies (AUSS)

This is a book review by Trevor O'Reggio.

"Engaging Theology: A Biblical, Historical, And Practical Introduction" [Review]/Blackwell, Ben C. And R. L. Hatchett., Sussie Stanley

Andrews University Seminary Studies (AUSS)

This is a book review by Sussie Stanley.

The Prevalence Of Unaddressed Trauma In The Lives Of Ministerial Leaders And Pastoral Care-Oriented Steps To Greater Spiritual And Emotional Health, Deanna D. Shrodes

Doctor of Ministry (DMin)

Ministerial leaders carry an abundance of responsibility in innumerable areas while simultaneously managing life-threatening crises at the same time. They provide pastoral care for those they serve in addition to overseeing a plethora of areas such as discipleship, program development, fundraising, and conflict management. Pastoral leaders often keep unhealthy and unsustainable schedules and receive inadequate compensation particularly in comparison to their professional counterparts. The weight of the ministry alone lends itself to stress and burnout if the leader is not careful to maintain adequate self-care. If unaddressed trauma is present along with all of the stressors commonly found in the …

Intentional Male Allies/Advocates: How Male Leaders Can Successfully Champion Female Ministers In The Assemblies Of God U.S.A., Saehee H. Duran

Doctor of Ministry (DMin)

While the Assemblies of God (AG) endorses women in ministry through its position paper and bylaws, a dichotomy has existed between its egalitarian theology and practice since its inception in 1914. One key to narrowing such a gap involves intentional and countercultural male leaders who actively train, empower, affirm, and mentor women called to ministerial leadership. This research defines biblical egalitarian leadership, identifies exemplary female leaders and their male champions in the Old and New Testaments, and explores the best practices of male allyship for female leaders through a literature review and a qualitative survey of active AG male allies …

A Pneumatological Theology And Christological Philosophy Of Church Conflict For The Post-Pandemic Western Church To Outlive, Outlast, And Outlove, Scott Bowman

Doctor of Ministry (DMin)

Church conflict is increasingly at the forefront of denominations as they suffer internal and external conflict. The need to develop a better perspective and manage relationships in church conflict may depend on the church’s theology. The research of this project seeks to establish a pneumatological theology in dialogue with family systems theory and Christological philosophy of church conflict. The theology of church conflict is divided into four sections: reason, experience, history, and scripture. The Christological philosophy centers on Jesus’ conflicts as every passage in the book of Luke is examined through the lens of conflict. A contextually transferrable Spirit-empowered theology …

A Gospel Centered And Holistic Approach To Caring For Indivduals Experiencing Poverty, Leon Battle

Doctor of Ministry (DMin)

Poverty is a major contributor of negative effects to individual health, mental health, and quality of life. The call God has for Christians is to care for individuals experiencing poverty. The question the research aims to answer is: “What elements are important to provide a holistic feeding program that meets the need of an individual physically and spiritually?” Literature on the issue of poverty, a thorough review of scriptures, as well as insights from experts in the field provided information on historical and contemporary issues affecting the poor. Data for this project was collected through a mixed methods study consisting …

Toward Transformative Christian Education That Facilitates Spiritual Formation At Miracle Temple Church Of God In Christ, Devale A. Hodge

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The discipleship or Christian education ministry at Miracle Temple Church of God in Christ (COGIC) is not fostering intentional spiritual formation within its congregants. Spiritual formation intentionality is missing within the congregation. The lack of spiritual formation intentionally naturally leads to a discipleship deficit. And this deficit is seen and felt within this project’s context. Yet the call to return to deep and transformative disciple-making, which produces Christlikeness is vital and commonplace. This thesis project attempts to examine and address the struggle of discipleship and spiritual formation intentionality at Miracle Temple COGIC. To address the problem the researcher implements a …

Table Of Contents 59:1

Andrews University Seminary Studies (AUSS)

This is the Table of Contents for Volume 59 Issue 1.

The Continuity Mindset For Christian Mission, Jack T. Davison

Great Commission Research Journal

Missionaries from the Global North regularly serve as trainers for Christians in the Global South. From personal experience, missionaries are regularly seen as being qualified to do this work simply because of their position. Rather than missionaries assuming they are competent purely on the basis of their titles, I believe they should instead practice the Continuity Mindset for Christian Mission, a mindset that emphasizes the continuity of one’s identity and ministry in one’s home culture with one’s identity and ministry in the host culture. This practice includes elements of vulnerable mission, nonresidential mission, tentmaking, cultural intelligence, and authentic leadership. I …

Book Review: The Life And Impact Of Phil Parshall: Connecting With Muslims Edited By Kenneth Nehrbass And Mark Williams, Stephen Jester

Great Commission Research Journal

No abstract provided.

An Examination Of Three Models Of Missional Communities For Sharing The Gospel With Muslims In The United States, Mike Urton

Great Commission Research Journal

Missional communities are small groups within a local church that serve those outside the church with the aim of sharing the gospel, perhaps even providing them the possibility of joining the group. Missional communities have been used effectively by local churches in reaching the surrounding community or a specific group of people. This article examines three different models of missional communities, discussing the strengths and challenges associated with each one. Based on these observations, along with observations on the evangelical Christian and Muslim communities in the United States, three recommendations are presented for helping missional communities effectively share the gospel …

Book Review: Towards A Pentecostal Theology Of Praxis: A Case Study By John Mark Robeck, Norlan Josué Hernández

Great Commission Research Journal

No abstract provided.

About The Great Commission Research Network Spring 2022, David R. Dunaetz

Great Commission Research Journal

No abstract provided.

Book Review: When Everything Is Mission By Denny Spitters And Matthew Ellison, Kenneth Nehrbass

Great Commission Research Journal

No abstract provided.

The Sinner’S Prayer: An Inappropriate Ritual For Thai Christian Culture And A Suggested Replacement, Kelly M. Hilderbrand

Great Commission Research Journal

The practice of encouraging seekers to say the sinner’s prayer has become commonplace in Thailand. However, the practice is relatively recent and has developed out of Western individualistic assumptions. It is not an explicitly biblical practice and has serious practical problems, producing decisions for Christ that often do not result in a long-term commitment to Christianity. The practice also runs counter to many Thai cultural norms and can be harmful to evangelism and discipleship in Thailand. This article suggests a different approach, the prayer challenge.

Book Review: You Found Me By Rick Richardson, David C. Thiessen

Great Commission Research Journal

No abstract provided.

Writing Literature Reviews In Church-Based Research, David R. Dunaetz

Great Commission Research Journal

Because of the knowledge explosion taking place, literature reviews in church-based research are needed more than ever. Summaries and syntheses of previous research make this knowledge available to practitioners and help researchers focus on what remains unknown. In contrast to empirical studies, literature reviews rely on previously published studies to make conclusions and advance theory. These studies may include both church-based research and more general research that is not particularly Christian. In contrast to meta-analyses which focus on synthesizing statistical information, literature reviews focus on conceptual synthesis and theory advancement. To write a literature review, authors must first choose a …

Social Media As A Tool For Evangelism Among Youth And Young Adults, Trisney J. Bocala-Wiedemann

Great Commission Research Journal

This research aims to answer the question of which social media platforms youth prefer and what types of content they prefer. Using data collected from a quantitative survey of Seventh-day Adventist schools, this research seeks to identify the most-used social media platforms and most appealing types of content so Christian churches, media organizations, and digital missionaries can more effectively utilize social media as a tool for evangelism among youth and young adults, defined as people 15 to 24 years of age.

Leadership: Essential For A Church To Grow Numerically And Spiritually, Steven L. Estes

Great Commission Research Journal

This article relates the spiritual gift of leadership (Rom. 12:8) to numerical church growth. Scripture presents spiritually gifted leaders as those who received authority from God and had knowledge of his will for his people. Biblical leaders delegated effectively and encouraged those who were given tasks to accomplish. The overall scope of biblical teaching on leadership indicates that pastors/elders should have the gift of leadership. Allowing those who qualify and have the gift of leadership to emerge is crucial for the health of a church.

My Journey In Church Growth, Bob Orr

Great Commission Research Journal

At the request of my good friend Gary McIntosh, I am going to recount my more than 40-year journey in the field of Church Growth.

Book Review: The Innovation Crisis: Creating Disruptive Influence In The Ministry You Lead By Ted Esler, W. Handley Jr.

Great Commission Research Journal

No abstract provided.

Book Review: Evangelism In A Skeptical World: How To Make The Unbelievable News About Jesus More Believable By Sam Chan, Cameron D. Armstrong

Great Commission Research Journal

No abstract provided.