Practical Theology Commons^™

Creating A Millennial Generation Contextualized Church Culture, Christopher Deitsch

Masters Theses

The Millennial generation, or Generation Y as some people know them, is the biggest generation in the United States of America history. As they flood schools, universities, and the job market it is easy to see that there are major differences between them and previous generations. Simultaneously, the church in America has hundreds of individual churches each year closing and tens of thousands each year declining; most churches are ceasing to grow. The inability to reach Millennials is one of the reasons for this decline. This thesis purposes to give a snapshot of the Millennial generation, overview a few of …

A Study Of Social Injustice And Forgiveness In The Case Of North Korean Refugees, Jin Uk Park

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The current study evaluated the psychometric utility of Decisional Forgiveness Scale and Emotional Forgiveness Scale for the North Korean refugee population and explored the relationship among social adaptation, religious commitment, unforgiveness, forgiveness style and mental health variables (trauma symptoms and depression) among North Korean refugees. Confirmatory Factor Analyses were conducted to investigate the North Korean version of DFS and EFS with collected data from 269 North Korean refugees. The forgiveness instruments, when modified with appropriate item deletions, could be considered as useful for North Korean refugees. In the Multiple Regression Analysis, four of five predictors (social adaptation, hurt characteristics, forgiveness …

Sabbath & Management, Theology & Application, Michael E. Cafferky

Faculty Works

Without detracting from the importance of setting aside one day of worship each week some scholars believe that the meaning of Sabbath contains broader principles. This paper presents a summary of Sabbath theology based on two biblical themes: Creation and Covenant. It provides support for why managers should consider applying Sabbath principles in their work. Part III shows some of the ways in which this might play out in managerial work.

Fading From The Family Portrait, Andrew Root

Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

The Ten Commandments 2.0, Adam J. Copeland

Faculty Publications

Since the Ten Commandments still enjoy a primary place in both church teaching and cultural debate, it will be both helpful and faithful to interpret them anew in the light of our new media and new technologies. Adam Copeland does just that in this article.

Life On Screen And Other Musings On Faith, Food, & Media, Mary E. Hess

Faculty Publications

Media and food have this in common: a healthy diet of either one nourishes us, while an unhealthy diet causes problems. Just as we eat together in families, we should find ways to engage media together as well.

Concordia Seminary Magazine | Summer/Fall 2012, Paul Devantier

Concordia Seminary Magazine

From the classroom to the field

A Screen-Based World: Finding The Real In The Hyper-Real, Andrew Root

Faculty Publications

What is real? In our media-filled world, have we mistaken the image for the real thing? The church is called to proclaim the real, not by rejecting the use of sign and image, but by affirming those that speak the truth of our existence.

Effectively Ministering To Congregants With Attention Deficit Disorder (A.D.D.), Jason Whitehurst

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

A survey of recent medical studies show a rise each year in the number of people diagnosed with A.D.D., or Attention Deficit Disorder. However, pastors have not been adequately educated on how to effectively communicate, counsel, and minister to those with A.D.D. The goal of this project is to educate pastors and church leaders about the nature of A.D.D., the statistics, the symptoms, so that they may better understand how to minister to these people in their congregation. Medical statistics, findings, and new approaches to preaching and ministering will be utilized in this project to fulfill the goal.

A Model To Recruit And Implement Volunteers To Serve And Create A Culture Of Biblical Servanthood In The Church, Rodney Briles

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this project is to develop a viable and applicable model for finding and recruiting volunteers to serve the local church and create a culture of Biblical servanthood. The project focuses on: where to find potential volunteers; discerning the volunteer's giftedness; the enlisting process; interviews; and training the volunteer to serve. It also provides practical methods that allow the local church to create a culture of Biblical servanthood. The content of the project is built on the foundation of God's Word coupled with resources from experts in the field.

A Strategy To Transition A Traditional Church Educational System To A Small Group System: A Case Study Of Eternal Life Baptist Church, Kyoung Gil Cho

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this thesis is to research the avenues in which to have Eternal Life Bible Baptist Church transition to a small group system. This thesis was done through field analysis and literature research, as well as the case study of Eternal Life Bible Baptist Church (ELBBC). The case study was totally focused on the process of changing to a small group system at Eternal Life. The author was a minister at Eternal Life for 8 years, and an associate pastor for a year. In a few years the author will become the next senior pastor of Eternal life …

The Application For Church Planting Through The Intercessory Prayer Ministry Of Young Adult Ministry In Choong Hyun Presbyterian Church, Kwang Lee

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this thesis is about researching church planting through the intercessory prayer ministry. This project describes several spiritual awakenings through this ministry. The most important result of spiritual awakenings is that skeptical believers in spiritual life have been changed into positive ones and passive believers have been transformed into active ones. Actually the author as an assistant pastor ministered in Choong hyun Presbyterian Church for almost five years. His wife and he led this ministry for one and half years. The author tried to find out the biblical background related to intercessory prayer through the New Testament, write …

The Impact Of Church Age And Size On Turnaround, Gary Mcintosh

Great Commission Research Journal

Other than a congregation’s beliefs and values, the two key aspects most helpful in understanding a local church are its age and size. While other studies have compared the growth and decline of a church to its life cycle and size barriers, this article examines the primary intervention strategies found most helpful by church consultants for different size and age categories.

Book Review: Here Today, There Tomorrow: Unleashing Your Church’S Potential By Gary L. Mcintosh, Robert Vajko

Great Commission Research Journal

No abstract provided.

In Search Of The Healthy Church: A Meta-Ethnographic Study, Russell L. Huizing

Great Commission Research Journal

After a brief literature review, eight of the primary contemporary church health resources are subjected to a meta-ethnographic study. The resources’ combined twenty-six health indicators are translated through the meta-themes of organizational structure, developing community, church characteristics, and personal characteristics. A discussion and visual synthesis of the translations point to the church literature developing community through organizational structure which in turn cultivates church and personal characteristics. Future research recommendations include expanding the study of church metaphors beyond “body” and identifying metaphor-specific characteristics through exegetical study

Identifying And Reaching Ethnic Groups In The City, Anthony Casey

Great Commission Research Journal

Immigrants are arriving in the United States in large numbers. We know the statistics, but what we do not know is who these people are, where they are living, and how we reach them with the Gospel. This article presents a strategy for identifying and reaching ethnic groups in the city. The first section provides information for locating internationals through research at the national, state, and local level. The second section examines issues related to urban ethnic church planting such as meeting felt needs, understanding worldview issues, dealing with preliterates, and training and partnering with other churches.

What Makes A Multi-Site Church One Church?, John S. Hammett

Great Commission Research Journal

This article examines the phenomenon of the multi-site church movement in light of the historic belief in the oneness of the church. It discusses historic understandings of oneness, the definition of oneness used by multi-site advocates, and the single most commonly raised objection to multi-site churches—that they fail to assemble. It evaluates the validity of that objection and multi-site churches as a whole and finds that the oneness of a local church in the New Testament requires relational and geographical closeness that most multi-site churches lack.

The Heartbeat Of The Believer, S. Joseph Kidder

Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Sideways Leadership: Perceptions Of The Senior Pastor’S Transformational Leadership Style And Its Relationship To Church Effectiveness, Donald D. Rumley

Great Commission Research Journal

What if research could demonstrate how a more collaborative or transformational approach to church leadership had a positive impact on the overall effectiveness of the church? Would pastors adjust their leadership style, and would seminaries expand their pastoral training curriculum? Research continues to affirm the importance of leadership in the health and effectiveness of organizations from multiple contexts. Everything from schools to politics shows the need for leadership. Yet, little quantitative research has been done to see the impact of leadership within the church arena. Is it possible that leadership style correlates to the effectiveness of corporate America but has …

Closing Our Doors: Ten Reasons To Consider Why Your Church May Be In Trouble . . . And What To Do, Danny R. Von Kanel

Great Commission Research Journal

1) Motivation/problem statement: Churches across America are in decline. This article points out ten possible reasons a person’s church may be soon closing its doors and offers possible solutions. 2) Methods/procedure/approach: I used my experience and several recent research surveys by Barna Research, Faith Communities Today 2005 Survey, and the Leavell Church Growth Center to present a variety of church door slammers. 3) Results/Findings/product: If churches will take note of these door slammers and use the suggested solutions listed, they can address each and turn their church around. 4) Conclusion/implications: If churches want to be healthy in the truest sense …

Building Self-Replicating Core Teams For Church Planting, J. R. Miller

Great Commission Research Journal

“Building Self-Replicating Core Teams for Church Planting” will assist church planters in building more effective teams that can reproduce themselves in the second-generation leadership of the church. The article begins with a summary of the problem in building self-replicating core teams and continues with a look at the example of the apostle Paul’s church planting ministry. The article goes on to share the results from a survey of highly experienced church planters in the United States. It concludes by presenting a list of key components necessary for building core teams for church planting. The principles were shown through research to …

Book Review: Understanding Your Mormon Neighbor By Ross Anderson, Travis S. Kerns

Great Commission Research Journal

No abstract provided.

The Engagement Of Newcomers In Church Attendance: Theological And Case Study Research From Australia, Ian Hussey

Great Commission Research Journal

Church attendance, as a percentage of population, is declining in Australia. However, the Australian National Church Life Survey (NCLS) has identified a number of churches that have large percentages of what the NCLS calls “newcomers”—those who have joined their church in the previous five years and had not previously attended a church. This article reports on theological and sociological case study research into newcomers, the process of engagement, and the churches with which they engage. A model of church engagement in the first century churches is identified and its effectiveness in twenty-first century Australia confirmed.

Book Review: The Ethics Of Evangelism: A Philosophical Defense Of Proselytizing And Persuasion By Elmer John Theissen, Thomas P. Johnston

Great Commission Research Journal

No abstract provided.

Book Review: Leading Small Groups With Purpose: Everything You Need To Lead A Healthy Group By Steve Gladen, Robert L. Turner

Great Commission Research Journal

No abstract provided.

Book Review: The Post-Racial Church: A Biblical Framework For Multiethnic Reconciliation By Kenneth A. Matthews And M. Sydney Park, Stephen G. Crouse

Great Commission Research Journal

No abstract provided.

The Impact Of Faith And Experience On The Development Of Coaching Philosophies, Douglas Hochstetler

Movement and Being: The Journal of the Christian Society for Kinesiology, Leisure and Sports Studies

The purpose of this paper is to address coaching philosophies in the context of experience and faith. In particular, how do coaches at Christian colleges develop their ideas and beliefs about coaching which guide their actions and behaviors? To what extent does faith impact these philosophical commitments? What is this process of decision-making and growth like? Does this development process occur intuitively, through rational discourse and planning, or perhaps through some sort of symbiotic process? This paper is both descriptive and normative, both reflective of the experiential process in developing one’s coaching philosophy as well as prescribing effective ways to …

Muscular Christian Themes In Contemporary American Sport: A Case Study, Andrew R. Meyer

Movement and Being: The Journal of the Christian Society for Kinesiology, Leisure and Sports Studies

Muscular Christianity is often credited as being influential in Western sport ideology but is rarely mentioned in contemporary analysis. This paper identifies instances of muscular Christian ideals, as defined by Thomas Hughes, observable in the contemporary American sport context, addressing the continued religious impact of sport. Muscular Christian themes were identified in various media, including, online videos, magazines, books, and commercials involving American cyclist Lance Armstrong. Two of Hughes’ themes were observable in the media portrayal of Armstrong: a body used for the protection of the weak and a body used for the advancement of all righteous causes. These findings …

Spirituality And The Therapeutic Recreation Practitioner: Exploring The Implications For Practice And Research, Angela Wozencroft, Phd, Steven N. Waller Ph.D., Gene A. Hayes, Larry Brown

Movement and Being: The Journal of the Christian Society for Kinesiology, Leisure and Sports Studies

There is a growing body of literature that relates to spirituality and leisure. Within this corpus, several scholars continue to address the relationship between spirituality and therapeutic recreation. Much of the available literature chronicles the health and wellness benefits that accrue to the client/participant but little attention has been devoted to understanding the relationship between the personal spirituality of the therapeutic recreation (TR) professional and its influence on service delivery. The purpose of this essay was three-fold: (1) to examine the influence of spirituality in the work lives of TR practitioners; and (2) to chronicle existing literature that relates to …

Proverbs And Work, Theology Of Work Project, Bruce Waltke, Alice Matthews

Theology of Work Project

1. Introduction to Proverbs
2. About the Book of Proverbs
3. What Do the Proverbs Have to Do With Work?
   • The Valiant Woman (Proverbs 31:10-31)
4. The Wise Worker is Trustworthy (Proverbs)
   • A Trustworthy Worker is Faithful to His or Her Fiduciary Responsibilities (Proverbs)
   • A Trustworthy Worker is Honest (Proverbs)
5. The Wise Worker is Diligent (Proverbs)
   • A Diligent Worker is Hard-working (Proverbs)
   • A Diligent Worker Plans for the Long Term (Proverbs)
   • A Diligent Worker Contributes to the Profitability of the Enterprise (Proverbs)
   • A Diligent Worker Can Smile at the Future (Proverbs)
6. The Wise Worker is Shrewd (Proverbs)
7. The Wise Worker is Generous (Proverbs)
8. The …