Practical Theology Commons^™

Schillebeeckx And Homilies: Why Should Sermons Be More Than Words?, Paulinus Daeli

Obsculta

This article highlights the importance of good preaching by exploring the relationship between theology, rhetoric, and spirituality through the theology of Edward Schillebeeckx. It argues that preaching must go beyond words to create a deep experience for the congregation. By exploring Schillebeeckx's theological foundations, the article also discusses the conflict between the liturgy of the Word and the Eucharist in Holy Mass, and suggests a comprehensive approach to preaching. The article emphasizes that both aspects of the Mass must work in harmony to provide spiritual nourishment. Finally, it concludes by emphasizing the importance of preaching as a communal act, which …

Jesus-Centered Preaching: A Christocentric Approach Based On The Hermeneutical Implications Of The Gospels As Βίοι., Mark Palmer

Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to discover the implied hermeneutic of the Gospels as βίοι and to propose a congruent homiletic. The study addressed the following research questions: What is the genre of the Gospels and the resulting hermeneutic? Does current Christ-centered preaching account for his hermeneutic? Does Christological research account for intrinsic characteristics? What is the intrinsic Christology of Mark’s Gospel? What homiletical process is needed to align with the genre-based hermeneutic of the Gospels? The methodology of this study followed a four-step process: Genre research confirming the Gospels as βίοι, Christological research including the development of an …

Seminario De Predicación Expositiva Para Los Líderes Del Distrito De Hood River, Oregon, Félix Toribio

Doctor of Ministry Projects

Problem

The leaders of the Hood River Adventist Church lack training in expository preaching, which constitutes a significant challenge in this area. With technological advances and access to various digital information sources, the church leaders prepare their sermons using information obtained from the Internet and other digital platforms, without conducting a hermeneutical study of the text.

Methodology

To achieve the central objective of this research, a study was conducted following a quantitative paradigm, using a pretest-posttest design, based on the analysis of biblical literature, the contributions of Ellen G. White, and the work of contemporary authors in the field. This …

A Theology Of Public Witness For Churches Of Christ In The 21st Century, Collin Packer

Discernment: Theology and the Practice of Ministry

In a time of increasingly divisive rhetoric and polarization, churches are facing new challenges that threaten their unity and mission. Churches of Christ find themselves in a peculiar position in this cultural moment. We do not bear the negative baggage associated with Evangelicalism’s drift into Christian nationalism and an enmeshment with the Religious Right. And yet, our witness has been muted through our silence pertaining to matters of public life and ethics. In this paper, I set out to investigate the historical reasons for our silence and to suggest a theology of public witness for Churches of Christ in the …

Pneuma And Logos: Strengthening Sermon Preparation Through A Spirit-And-Word Approach To Biblical Exegesis, Natalie Barnoske

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

Powerful preaching results from honoring the Word and Spirit as active participants in the sermon preparation process. However, the influence of postmodernism and the lack of resources clarifying this convergence point have led to a polarization of perspectives in biblical exegesis. Therefore, this DMIN action research project designed, implemented, and evaluated a Pneuma and Logos Approach to biblical exegesis based on five essential pillars of hermeneutics, derived from William Oliverio’s Pentecostal Hermeneutics in the Late Modern World. By integrating inductive skills of biblical exegesis with holistic habits of Lectio Divina, this project proposes that stronger sermon preparation skills can be …

Sermon Series Impact : Evaluating The Impact Of A Sermon Series From The Book Of James, Santosh Sharma

ATS Dissertations

No abstract provided.

Hearing God's Word Through Ecclesial Listening, Nathan Burrow

Doctor of Ministry Theses and Dissertations

This project dissertation was designed to enhance ecclesial listening when sermons are preached at the Hillcrest Church of Christ. The challenge of listening to the Word of God in a way that forms community is not unique to Hillcrest. It is a common problem for preachers and churches today. Our context, marked by shifts in church membership, societal division, and the isolating effects of digital culture, calls for a renewed emphasis on listening as a church community. This project explores the ways in which we can cultivate practices that encourage ecclesial listening—a way of hearing the preached Word that draws …

Growing In The Word : A Homiletical Process To Foster Spiritual Maturation In A Congregation, Jonathan William Beckum

ATS Dissertations

No abstract provided.

Reformation To Transformation : Power Of Pulpit Preaching In The Reformation Era, Transforming Believers To Be Like Christ And Making A Missional Impact On Their Community, Stanly John Varghese

ATS Dissertations

No abstract provided.

Formative Preaching : How Preachers And Their Sermon Preparation Are Shaped By Lectio Divina And Ignatian Contemplation, Gaia R. Stanley

ATS Dissertations

No abstract provided.

What Shapes The Political Worldview Of The Preacher?, Randy Saultz

ATS Dissertations

No abstract provided.

Transforming Pastoral Ministry : Spiritual Formation Practices For Biblical Preaching, Jeffrien Joel Joseph

ATS Dissertations

No abstract provided.

Inductive Bible Study : Equipping Independent Pastors In Tamil Nadu, Samuel Joshua

ATS Dissertations

No abstract provided.

Effective Intergenerational Preaching : Preaching Effectively Across Generational Lines Effecting Holistic Transformation, Immanuel Vasudevan

ATS Dissertations

No abstract provided.

Encouraging Conversation: Sharing The Oral History Of Nepalese Refugees Through Dialogical Preaching To Inspire Intercultural Collaboration, Matthew Clark

Doctor of Ministry Major Applied Project

Clark, Matthew J. “Encouraging Conversation: Sharing the Oral History of Nepalese Refugees through Dialogical Preaching to Inspire Intercultural Collaboration.” Doctor of Ministry. Major Applied Project, Concordia Seminary, 2025. 286 pp.

The project attends to the context of Ascension Lutheran Church in St. Louis, Missouri, where a minority group of church members are refugees from Nepal. As Ascension grows in ethnic diversity, however, much of the congregation has only a shallow multicultural level of engagement, where different cultural groups are only aware of each other as they exist parallel to one another with limited interaction.

The project seeks to answer the …

Developing And Implementing A Course On Homiletics To Enhance The Preaching Of The Seventh-Day Adventist Pastors In The Western Ontario Region, Laurentiu A. Prelipcian

Doctor of Ministry Projects

Problem

Pastors in the Western Ontario region are divinely entrusted with the responsibility of delivering contextually relevant sermons that foster spiritual growth and inspire transformation within their congregations. While these ministers are deeply committed to their calling and possess substantial theological training and pastoral experience, the continually evolving field of homiletics and the shifting expectations of contemporary audiences requires renewed engagement with current preaching methodologies. For many, formal instruction in homiletics iii occurred decades ago, and opportunities for sustained exposure to emerging current preaching strategies have been minimal or nonexistent. This project seeks to address this critical deficiency by designing …

Reading In Frames: A Guide For Homiletics, Mason Lee

Discernment: Theology and the Practice of Ministry

The past thirty years have witnessed an explosion in volume of work produced within Homiletics. The sheer variety of topics, questions, themes, orientations, and points of emphasis can make it intimidating for a working preacher to engage in these resources or know where to begin. The options seem too broad; the approaches, issues, and resources so diverse as to become unwieldy. Said differently, those of us within the field of Homiletics are prone to look upon this expansion as a form of “Pentecost” in which the diversity is a gift that can lead one to better preaching. Yet the question …

Discovering A Preacher's Voice : How Pulpit Preachers Find Their Style And Voice, William Brian Mercer

ATS Dissertations

No abstract provided.

Exploring How Pentecostals Preach About Depression, Robert D. Mcbain

Salubritas: International Journal of Spirit-Empowered Counseling

A qualitative analysis was completed on twelve sermons into how Pentecostal preachers talk about depression from the pulpit using the Assemblies of God (AG) as a purposive sample. Findings illustrate that preachers talked about faulty thinking as the source of depression and interpreted depression as a transformative journey occurring within the context of a God encounter where the believer fixed their faulty thinking. While the way the preachers interpreted depression is not without critique, the article suggests that preaching about depression as a journey of encounter may help listeners frame their depression experiences within a narrative framework that helps them …

Influence Of Preaching’S Rhetorical Appeal On Evangelical Listeners’ Motivation, Nicholas Anene Oji

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

Preaching is a form of rhetorical narratology aimed at persuading its audience via sermons to experience a renewal of the mind and the transformation of their life. While previous research established the fact that listeners comprehend sermons through their rhetorical appeal, it has been unclear how this has motivated evangelical listeners to act. The purpose of this qualitative narrative study was to explore how the rhetorical appeal of preaching influences evangelical listeners’ motivation at evangelical churches in Savannah, Georgia. A comprehensive approach to exploring a sermon’s rhetorical appeal was utilized by focusing jointly on individual perception and social context. The …

Adult Learning Theory And Preaching : The Barriers To Applying Adult Learning Theory, Timothy M. Hall

ATS Dissertations

No abstract provided.

Programa De Capacitacion Sobre Predicacion Expositiva Para Ancianos Y Otros Lideres De Las Iglesias Adventistas Del Septimo Dia En El Distrito De Silver Spring, Maryland, Willy A. Benzaquen

Doctor of Ministry Projects

Problem

Most Adventist pulpits are served by people who are not pastors. By 2023, the Seventh-day Adventist Church had 175,144 congregations, and only 21,903 active ordained pastors. This indicates that, even if all pastors preached every week in some Adventist church, still 87.5% of Adventist pulpits around the world would be in the hands of someone who is not a pastor (Office of Archives, 2024). The author of this project serves as pastor in a three-church district, and it is simply impossible for him to preach in every one of them every weekly worship service. For that reason, at least …

Disruptive Homiletics: Liberationist Hermeneutics And The Preconditions Of Critical Consciousness, Joel (J.T.) Young

Faculty Scholarship

No abstract provided.

Adapting The Digital Pulpit : A Study Of The Transition To Online Preaching, Robert Mike Bankston

ATS Dissertations

No abstract provided.

Towards Best Practices For Preaching In The Digital Age : Updating Preaching Practices In East Texas, Timothy A. Turner

ATS Dissertations

No abstract provided.

Finding A Voice: A Preaching Model To Address The Postmodern And Post-Soviet Young Adults At The Compass Seventh-Day Adventist Church In Tallinn, Estonia, Mervi Cederstrom

Doctor of Ministry Projects

Problem

In Northern and Eastern Europe, probably more than in any other part of the world, the gap between the inner culture of the Seventh-day Adventist Church and that of the surrounding culture has grown large, hindering the church’s ability to share the Gospel to young adults (ages 16-29) in a meaningful and clear way. It is especially true about people who have grown up in the Postmodern and Post-Soviet context of Estonia and have very little biblical knowledge. This present study concentrates on homiletics and how this culture gap can be bridged via preaching.

Method

A five-part preaching series …

A Lay Preachers' Training Program At Reading West Adventist Church Focusing On Preaching That Connects With Second Generation Seventh-Day Adventist Young Adults, Trevor A. Thomas

Doctor of Ministry Projects

Problem

The pastoral team and church members observed that most teenagers at Reading West up to the age of 18 attended church with their parents. However, from 18 to 25 years, the pastoral team and church members saw a drop in their attendance. Many attended universities in other cities. However, Reading, being a university town, should have attracted more Adventist young adults from other churches, and the young adults of Reading West should have returned during university term breaks. Sadly, most did not. Instead, they either visited other churches following popular youth preachers, attended other churches with a contemporary style …

Bilingual Preaching : A Proposed Methodology For Multicultural Churches, Fikri Youssef

ATS Dissertations

No abstract provided.

Team Based Sermon Preparation : Building Sermons And Pastors Through Relational Collaboration, William Vaughn Stafford

ATS Dissertations

No abstract provided.

To The Glory Of God Evaluating Origen’S Exposition Of The Scripture In His Leviticus Homilies, Andrew Johnson

Doctor of Philosophy Dissertation

Johnson, Andrew M. “To the Glory of God: Evaluating Origen’s Exposition of the Scripture in His Leviticus Homilies”. Ph.D. diss., Concordia Seminary, 2022. 237 pp.

Origen has been called “Adamantine,” an impossibly hard metal. Many have found his work to be strong and powerful and equal in its density. Origen’s preaching is almost impenetrable to the Evangelical preacher. This dissertation seeks to offer an entry for modern evangelical preachers to engage with the historic practice of figural exposition in Origen’s Leviticus homilies. The dissertation investigates the interpretative, homiletical and rhetorical histories which intersect in Origen’s homilies. It unpacks Origen’s use …