Theses/Dissertations from 2015
Reconciling the Body: Working Toward Ecclesial Unity, Brien J. Aadland
In this project the researcher studied the similarities and differences of the United Church of Christ and the Emerging church. In Christianity, Christians should be unified in goal and mission in the Kingdom of God. The researcher explored...
A Petition For God's Forgiveness in Gambella Ethiopia, Omot Olopk Aganya
This thesis project explored the root causes of the ethnic conflicts in the Gambella region of Ethiopia. It examined the issues of ethnic, social, political, and historical conflict occurring at the regional level, which are vital to compre...
The Discipline of Applying the Gospel for Servant Leadership Development, Matthew P. Anderson
This project examined the relationship between the gospel and servant leadership development. The purpose of the project was to show the need for a process to develop servant leaders at the heart level and propose a model for developing ser...
Exploring the Principles Behind Effective Collaborative Ministry on Multi-Point Charges in the Peninsula-Delaware Conference of the United Methodist Church, Drew Mitchell Christian
The Peninsula-Delaware Conference of the United Methodist Church covers the Eastern Shore of Maryland and the State of Delaware. The area, known as the “Birthplace of Methodism,” has 451 churches. Many churches are older, small membership c...
Building Sustainable Faith Experience for Urban Youth, Stephen James Crawford
Every generation of believers face obstacles in figuring out how to pass on the Christian faith to the next generation. The North American urban church is currently experiencing attrition rates that are startling to the researcher. It is cr...
Factors that Affect Sustainability of Transitional Homes for Sexually Exploited Women, Ruth E. deGuzman Dalman
The problem this thesis project addressed was the factors that prevent the sustainability of transitional homes for sexually exploited women. The goal was to gain understanding as to why some transitional homes fail and what components are ...
Preaching as a Cultural Formation Tool, Jason P. Esposito
The problem addressed by this project is a lack of awareness some pastors have of the power their preaching has to shape their church culture. In response to this problem the researcher explored the biblical foundations of preaching with a ...
Advocacy For A Biblical And Communication Based Interpersonal Competency Course For Seminary Education, Philip H. Frazier
This project advocates for a change in communication course teaching for Baptist and independent seminaries in the United States and Canada. The researcher used a mixed method of quantitative and qualitative processes to analyze communicati...
Discovering the Work of Baptist General Conference Mission in Ethiopia: The Essence of Mission that Lasted for Six Decades, Kebede Gonfa
The researcher has explored six decades of mission work and leadership development by the Baptist General Conference (BGC) in Ethiopia. The main purpose of this project is to summarize the work of the mission in Ethiopia and its relationshi...
A Co-created Incarnational Missiology For Evangelizing Hip-hoppers, Ferguson Lee Harris
This research project contextualized the gospel of Jesus Christ for unbelieving hip-hoppers. The research showed that hip-hop culture is a distinct culture that is worthy of contextualization by Christian evangelists. The literary review an...
Resiliency and Self-care for Pastors in Japan Facing a Disaster, John G. Houlette
For Japanese pastors facing a disaster, exercising resiliency and self-care is an enormous task as clergy deal with varying disaster-related attitudes, impact within the church and overwhelming need and opportunity in the community. In addi...
The Systemic Integration Of Kenyan Immigrants Into The American Culture, Yabesh Nyakang'o Maroko
Important social transformation has occurred for many Kenyans migrating from Africa to the Twin Cities, Minnesota in the last two decades of the 1900s. This influx of immigrant singles and families migrated to the West in hope of transformi...
A Theology and Practice for Implementing Pastoral Care Through Community Groups at Calvary Church, Joshua Paul Mateer
As a church of over 4000 attenders, Calvary Church in Grand Rapids, Michigan was in need of a system and structure that would provide care for all who were in need. This project developed a system of care based on the biblical principles of...
A Qualitative Analysis Of Moral Leadership Crises In Kenyan Evangelical Churches As It Relates To Developing Authentic Leaders, Peter N. Mulinge
This project addressed the moral leadership crises among the evangelical churches of Kenya. Evangelicalism is the fastest growing religious movement in Kenya, a country that already has Africa’s largest percentage of evangelicals overall. T...
Toward Permanence: Addressing the Need for Accessible Premarital Care for Deaf Couples, Peter Christopher Myers
Deaf people in America have become increasingly recognized in recent years as a distinct community. While Christianity within the Deaf community has a recorded history dating back some five hundred years, little is known regarding pastoral ...
Conversion: A Reflection On The Influences Involved In The Personal Eternal Change Event Within The Global Community, Edward Charles Nelson
What is conversion? For many, conversion is defined psychologically, sociologically, anthropologically and culturally, philosophically, or religiously and theologically. No matter how conversion may be defined academically, that definition ...
Rediscovering the Urgency of Intentional Discipleship in the Naga Churches in Nagaland, Orenvungo Ngullie
The problem this research addressed was the lack of intentional discipleship which has resulted in spiritual apathy and has hampered the development of leadership in the local churches in Nagaland, rendering Christians ineffective to impact...
Providing Relevant and Effective Leadership for Millennials, Valorie Cannon Nordbye
This thesis surveyed the leadership style preference of Millennials. Other areas focused on their loyalty to bosses, the importance of a company’s values and social practices, and their preferences about working independently or collaborati...
Avoiding Division within a Church: A Proactive Approach for Identifying Sources of Conflict and Creating a Healthy Ministry Environment, Kenneth V. Polley
Serious conflict in a church can damage its vitality and ministry effectiveness. The problem this research addressed was factors in a church ministry which can allow serious conflict to form and expand. In response to this problem, the rese...
Negotiating the Doing to Being Boundary in J. Robert Clinton's Leadership Emergence Theory, Charles W. Sattgast
According to the research of J. Robert Clinton only a third of leaders finish well. Clinton describes a developmental barrier he refers to as “the doing to being” boundary that many leaders face in their forties or fifties. This barrier req...
Exploring Leader Anxiety within the Family System when Implementing Organic Leadership Development, Bruce Michael Sexton
The purpose of this study is to develop a theory regarding the level of anxiety in the church family system when implementing organic leadership development. The researcher analyzed three biblical leaders’ developments while considering the...
Leadership Development Through Theological Education in the Theological Education Initiative of Central Missouri, April A. Welch
Access to leadership development through theological education is limited in places without seminaries. The Theological Education Initiative of Central Missouri started the Emerging Church Leadership Institute to fill that gap. Utilizing ph...
The New Reformed Pastor: Zwinglian Wisdom for Modern Ministers, Scotty Jermaine Williams
Throughout churches in the Reformed tradition, there is a growing interest in renewing Eucharistic practices. This growing interest has led to a series of discussions among Reformed clergy regarding the role of pastors in the Eucharistic co...
Chaplain, Pastor, Leader: A Biographical Study Of Leadership Transitions In The Life Of Chaplain (Colonel) James E. Wright, Brian P. Wright
A distinct transition occurs when military chaplains return to civilian service as pastoral leaders. This project engaged in a biographical study of (Colonel) Chaplain James E. Wright in order to understand the effect service as a military ...
A Qualitative Study Of Doubt In The Evangelical Tradition, Benjamin B. Young
This project explored the difference between evangelicals who doubted and stayed in the evangelical Christian faith and those who left the fold. Grounded theory was the primary research methodology and data was gathered from interviews with...
Theses/Dissertations from 2010
Sojourn through Spiritual and Religious Tension: A Quantitative Study of Intercultural Competence and Worldview Development, Naomi Ludeman Joy Smith
In today’s increasingly interculturally connected world, educators are charged to prepare students to be productive global citizens. The dilemma is determining pedagogy to effectively support students through the intercultural challenges th...