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Religious Thought, Theology and Philosophy of Religion Commons™

Open Access. Powered by Scholars. Published by Universities.®

2017

Bethel University

Articles 1 - 15 of 15

Full-Text Articles in Religious Thought, Theology and Philosophy of Religion

An Investigation Of Self-Care Practices And Principles Among The Pentecostal-Apostolic Clergy, Chelsea A. Hall Jan 2017

An Investigation Of Self-Care Practices And Principles Among The Pentecostal-Apostolic Clergy, Chelsea A. Hall

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The goal of this research project was to investigate the perspectives and practices of self-care among Pentecostal-Apostolic (P-A) clergy, and create a set of principles to assist the P-A clergy in conducting a God-honoring self-care. This was done through use of a convergent-parallel mixed method research design, with a case study approach. Literature reviews were conducted in biblical, theological and psychological research areas, while a survey containing both qualitative open-ended questions and quantitative Likert-scale items was developed and distributed via email to P-A clergy from the United Pentecostal Church International, Worldwide Pentecostal Fellowship, and Independent organizations. Thirty-four complete responses were …

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A Model For The Development Of The Leaders Of A Regional Gospel Movement, Daniel Ray Nold Jan 2017

A Model For The Development Of The Leaders Of A Regional Gospel Movement, Daniel Ray Nold

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The problem this research project addressed was the need for a leadership development model for a regional gospel movement. While it is hoped that the research will serve regional gospel movements nationwide, the specific focus was the development of a model for leaders of a gospel movement in State College, Pennsylvania and the surrounding area. As the needs of our world expand and the transformative influence of the typical local congregation decreases, followers of Christ are seeking new expressions of church and new paths of transformation. This is driven by a desire to take the whole gospel to the whole …

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How Crisis And Relationship Lead To Faith Ownership, Jason D. Steffenhagen Jan 2017

How Crisis And Relationship Lead To Faith Ownership, Jason D. Steffenhagen

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College is often the time when students are asking questions about their identity and worldview. These questions are brought on by conflicting authority figures and institutions while experiencing a location change and significant transition. The painful circumstances within someone’s life can also play a significant role in a student attempting to resolve tension and make sense of previously unchallenged belief systems. The question this project engaged is how college students take ownership of their faith. The methodology for the project was mixed methods with a qualitative emphasis. The research instruments utilized were the Faith Development Scale, an online open-ended questionnaire, …

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From The Suburbs To The City: Seeking The Shalom Of An Inner City Neighborhood, Elias Soiles Jan 2017

From The Suburbs To The City: Seeking The Shalom Of An Inner City Neighborhood, Elias Soiles

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Journey Community Church, a five-year old white, suburban, college-educated, middle class church, moved into the Bell Hill neighborhood of Worcester, Massachusetts on July 1, 2015. This was a neighborhood of which Journey Church knew almost nothing and of which it seemingly had little in common. The Bell Hill neighborhood is poor, working class, culturally and ethnically diverse with whites comprising less than forty percent of the population. This project outlines the model of ministry that enabled Journey Church to begin to reach its neighborhood and contribute to its holistic flourishing. The biblical and theological review examined the role and nature …

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Homophobia In The African American Church In Dmv, Nurney Kasem Mason Jan 2017

Homophobia In The African American Church In Dmv, Nurney Kasem Mason

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A look at some causes of homophobia in the African American(AA) church in the Washington DC metropolitan area. Using mixed methods and interviews, the researcher uncovered some reasons why homophobia exists in the AA church. Based on the data the researcher constructed a rubric scale AA leaders can use as a reference. The researcher offered fourteen recommendations AA church leaders can use as a tool to assist them in ministering to the LGBT members in the AA church.

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Cultivating Emerging Leaders: Understanding A Pastor's Role, Spencer A. Click Jan 2017

Cultivating Emerging Leaders: Understanding A Pastor's Role, Spencer A. Click

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The purpose of this study is to understand the influence and impact a local church pastor can have in the development of emerging leaders. The researcher sought to understand a biblical model of the leader/follower relationship through examining the examples of Moses/Joshua, Elijah/Elisha, and Jesus/the disciples. These examples provided insight into the behaviors of established and emerging leaders and what roles each play in the developmental process. To further the study, a review of relevant literature pertaining to transformational leadership and follower-focused leadership models was completed. Servant leadership, situation leadership, and redemptive leadership were examined to understand the part an …

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The Crucible Of Orthodoxy And Orthopraxy: Examining The Intersections Of Social Justice, Moral Development And Theology, Eydie Dyke Shypulski Jan 2017

The Crucible Of Orthodoxy And Orthopraxy: Examining The Intersections Of Social Justice, Moral Development And Theology, Eydie Dyke Shypulski

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The purpose of this research was to better understand the relationship between moral development, theology and social justice within a Christian context. An apparent disconnect exists regarding how people of faith apply personal morals and theological perspectives when positioning themselves with regard to public policy and social justice issues. The researcher sought to extract information that would have implications for professional social practice, social work ethical and practice pedagogy, for faith-based institutions of higher learning and for the broader Christian community. A theological reflection included a brief examination of Aristotelian and Thomistic philosophies of moral and ethical development followed by …

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From Apathy To Mission: A Critical Transition For Pastors And Leaders Of Faithful, Yet Changing Congregations, Dale R. Stiles Jan 2017

From Apathy To Mission: A Critical Transition For Pastors And Leaders Of Faithful, Yet Changing Congregations, Dale R. Stiles

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Throughout the researcher’s 20 years of ordained ministry in the Lutheran Church he has continually been interested in the critical role effective biblical discipleship practices have on the 21st century church as well as the Church of the future. It is also of interest to many clergy and leaders of communities of faith, and with good reason. Many feel the discouragement when observing high levels of apathy within their churches and among the people they are called to serve. It is evident in many communities of faith and among individual believers that there is a problematic lack of passion, urgency, …

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The Need For Interchurch Unity Among Northern New England Evangelical Churches, Philip Andrew Wood Jan 2017

The Need For Interchurch Unity Among Northern New England Evangelical Churches, Philip Andrew Wood

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This project addresses the lack of and need for unity between evangelical churches in northern New England. It is not an area known for cooperation, being open to change, or orthodox Christianity. It is a region with typically small churches that should unify under the Gospel message, yet many of these churches have lacked the desire to cooperate in the past. This project provides a route to a more cooperative, Christ-like, and unified evangelical interchurch community. Biblical and theological sources were used to gather data for this project. This data focused on passages pertaining to church unity and disunity from …

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A Model For Small Church Leadership To Support Their Minister’S Self-Care, Jeremy Allard Jan 2017

A Model For Small Church Leadership To Support Their Minister’S Self-Care, Jeremy Allard

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The complexity of vocational ministry is difficult to manage and maintain. Balancing the complex nature of the church, relationships, family life, spiritual and personal life provides the minister with a struggle that rarely ceases. Pursuing self-care within this environment can provide relief to the struggle but is difficult to do alone. The study seeks to provide a model for local church leadership to support their minister so he or she can successfully manage ministry and personal life through self-care practices. The project identified ministers employed at Stone-Campbell churches with a weekly attendance of less than 125 in Minnesota and Wisconsin. …

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Biblical Metaphors For Servant Leadership: A Strong Foundation For Leadership Development, Gary A. Runn Jan 2017

Biblical Metaphors For Servant Leadership: A Strong Foundation For Leadership Development, Gary A. Runn

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This project addresses the lack of a biblically grounded model for servant leadership. Research explored three biblical metaphors as the foundation for a leadership development framework: servant, shepherd, and steward. First, the servant metaphor, through a posture of worship and submission to Jesus, gives expression to servant leadership through representative authority and genuine humility. Second, the shepherd metaphor, through a posture of selfless sacrifice to followers, gives expression to servant leadership through compassion and care. Third, the steward metaphor, through a posture of extreme faithfulness to the Master, gives expression to servant leadership through courage and risk-taking in the mission. …

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Life Mapping As A Means Of Redemptive Transformation: Change The Name And The Story Is About You, Noel A. Sherry Jan 2017

Life Mapping As A Means Of Redemptive Transformation: Change The Name And The Story Is About You, Noel A. Sherry

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This project explored the formation practice known as Life Mapping, on the hypothesis that it is a catalyst for varied forms of spiritual transformation, quickening, and awakening. Though there are clear antecedents in the Christian tradition, the practice was initiated when Saint Augustine explored the work of God in his life, recording that first spiritual autobiography in his classic theological and philosophical work Confessions. A “Life Map” is a contemporary term for a spiritual quest to make sense of one’s whole life. This researcher discovered the practice with mentors who guided him through a church crisis at midlife using a …

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The Whole Servant Leader: Leading From The Inside Out, Jewel Denise Williams Jan 2017

The Whole Servant Leader: Leading From The Inside Out, Jewel Denise Williams

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While research on servant leadership focuses on the behavior or actions of leaders toward the follower, this project examines the inward development of those leaders to determine what godly attributes need cultivation to demonstrate the seven virtues of Kathleen Patterson. Patterson’s doctoral work “Servant Leadership: A Theoretical Model,” was published in 2003 by Regent University School of Leadership Studies. The examination of the lives of pastors, leaders, and lay leaders defined as servant leaders based on Patterson’s theory helped in the development of an attribute-driven virtue-focused servant leadership development model for this project. These leaders were asked to share what …

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Shared Leadership: Bringing The Local Church Back To Its Biblical Roots Of Leadership, John A. Harrison Jan 2017

Shared Leadership: Bringing The Local Church Back To Its Biblical Roots Of Leadership, John A. Harrison

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The North American culture is experiencing seismic shifts in its leadership structures. One of these shifts is the growing momentum from traditional, hierarchical leadership models to flatter, team-driven, shared leadership structures. The first section of this project aims to understand the biblical and theological reasons for shared leadership. The relationship within the Triune God and other examples of shared leadership from Scripture are used to build the foundation and rationale for this type of structure in the local church. This section also identifies factors that caused the drift from shared leadership through a plurality of elders in the New Testament …

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The Impact Of Hurts On Effective Ministry In Local African American Church, Imogene Lowery Jan 2017

The Impact Of Hurts On Effective Ministry In Local African American Church, Imogene Lowery

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The project sought to understand the impact of hurts on effective ministry in a local African American church. The research tried to understand hurts, what hurts were and how hurts or past hurts impacted others. The research revealed that hurts had occurred within this local church and that some members reverted to passive aggressive means to handle their hurts. The research also showed that the underlying cause of hurts in this congregation was due to members of this local assembly as well as the way in which they responded to their hurts. The research utilized two surveys one taken by …

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