Dissertations / Theses on the topic 'Religion|Clergy|Religious education'

The project director chose to design a church revitalization partnership strategy. This strategy would enable First Baptist Church of Rockwood to assist another church in the Big Emory Baptist Association needing revitalization. The nature of the seven-step strategy provides flexibility, so the strategy can be used in a variety of ministry contexts.

Chapter one presents the purpose and nature of the ministry project. After listing the project’s ministry and professional objectives, the project director described the project’s ministry context, rationale, assumptions, limitations, delimitations, description, and definitions of terms. Through these descriptions, the project director explained the how and why of the project.

Chapter two addresses the biblical foundations for the ministry project. The project director details the benefits of a revitalization partnership from Ecclesiastes 4:9–12, the necessities for a revitalization partnership in Nehemiah 2:11–20, and an example of a revitalization partnership in 1 Corinthians 16:1–4. Each of these passages support the purpose for the strategy created through this ministry project.

Chapter three examines the ministry foundations for the ministry project. First, the project director discloses the historical foundation for revitalization partnerships. Next, the project director cites current authors emphasizing the need in revitalization partnerships for strong leaders and intentional planning. Finally, the project director details the seven-step structure for the project’s strategy.

Chapter four details the course of work the project completed to accomplish the project’s goals. The project director enumerates three phases of work. Phase one describes the people involved in the ministry project. Phase two explains the process of the ministry project. Phase three details the product of the ministry project which was validated by the expert panel and members of FBCR.

Chapter five analyzes the results of the ministry project. After presenting a summary of the project’s seven step strategy, the project director evaluates various issues such as objectives, strengths and weaknesses, and the project’s process. The project director then reflects on lessons learned and future implications for the project’s strategy.

Although typically not responsible for leadership decision-making that impacts the spiritual growth of the entire organization, youth ministers play a vital leadership role in congregational health as leaders of smaller communities within greater communities of faith. This leadership role is threatened by numerous challenges facing youth ministers of all denominations. Specific to this study, the vital role of youth ministry in Churches of Christ is threatened by high turnover rates of those within the profession. The purpose of this study was to determine leadership practices and strategies that are employed by long tenured youth ministers in Churches of Christ, identify the challenges those youth ministers have faced in implementing leadership practices, discover how they measure successful youth ministry leadership strategies and practices and ascertain their recommendations for implementing leadership strategies and practices within their profession.

Data were collected from 15 full time youth ministers in Churches of Christ from throughout the United States. The qualitative, phenomenological study utilized a 12-question semi-structured interview format to gather the lived experience of subjects. Key study findings identified 70 themes that answered four research questions. Specifically, self-awareness was the top trait study participants used to describe themselves as leaders. Additionally, participants identified creating an others-focused environment as the top strategy or practice as a contributor to long tenure at the same church. The findings of this study have substantive implications for men and women considering youth ministry as a career or calling, and for institutions of learning that train those preparing for the youth ministry profession.

Making a Difference: Professional Socialization and Practice of the Clergy is a reflection upon pastoral preparation and practice within the Church. This case study of ministerial graduates of Nazarene Theological Seminary and Nazarene Bible College seeks to understand, first, how these institutions envision and propose to prepare their students for professional practice in the ministry and, secondly, to understand how this preparation has affected the practice of their graduates in the models of ministry graduates utilize, the relationships to authority which they employ, and the professional mobility which they find within the practice of their ministry and the hierarchy of the Church of the Nazarene. The structure of the analysis grows out of the work of Wilcox (1982). As a reproduction theorist, she found that differing educational systems socialized their students in ways that maintain inequalities by teaching different kinds of skills, preparing students for differing relationships to authority, and creating different expectations about their future roles as adults. This structure was applied to two professional schools of clergy preparation. A document analysis was oeutilized to investigate the impact of professional theological education upon the practice of the clergy. Skill development was not found to be significantly influenced by institutional socialization. Relationships to authority were somewhat related to institutional patterns and expectations. Mobility and opportunity were highly influences by institutional type. Reproduction theory was found to be helpful in explaining professional socialization but not complete. The power of the workplace and an understanding of professional education as certification into differing levels of the profession were also useful in explaining the findings. At its essence, this research tried to answer the desire of all educators to know if their work effects practice and, importantly, if that effect has had a liberating and positive impact or a limiting impact on their students. This understanding may provide a basis for the revision of mission statements, expectations, and patterns of socialization within educational institutions and may provide a clearer understanding for future students of the power of professional preparation to expand or limit their practice within the field.

Clinical Pastoral Education (CPE) is professional theological education that emphasizes experiential learning through a process of action and reflection referred to as the "clinical method." In Clinical Pastoral Education, theological students, ordained clergy, and qualified lay persons, under the direct supervision of a trained supervisor, are given opportunities for learning and growth in the art of pastoral care. CPE seeks to integrate knowledge and insights from theology, the behavioral sciences, and learning theory into pastoral functioning.

This ministry project examined the future of Clinical Pastoral Education in light of a profound cultural shift toward a postmodern worldview, and presented an integrative theistic model for a basic unit of CPE that addressed the most pressing challenges that epitomize this paradigm. It incorporated three of the most salient dimensions of postmodern contextualization, a sense of community and relationship, an appreciation for diversity, and a holistic approach focused on the whole person with emphasis on emotional health and well-being and spiritual formation. Since Clinical Pastoral Education is first and foremost theological education, the primary goal of this program was "to prepare God's people for works of service" (Eph 4:12 NIV)

The ministry project was designed as an extended, part-time unit of CPE. The clinical setting was Sentara CarePlex Hospital in Hampton, Virginia. The age range for participants was limited to the generations most affected by the postmodern worldview. Since CPE is graduate-level theological education, the targeted age range for participants in this project was from age 26 to age 51.

The integrity of the CPE learning process requires small group interaction. Five chaplain interns were participants in this ministry project. Because of sample size, a qualitative approach which relied on the self-report of the participants was used in evaluating the ministry project. The responses given by the CPE interns who were a part of this study strongly supported the premise that an integrative, theistic model for Clinical Pastoral Education designed specifically for postmodern individuals would be efficacious in helping them meet their professional ministry goals, equipping them to do the work of ministry in their churches and communities.

For many years, churches have known that young people have not found the corporate worship of their congregations meaningful. To churches' credit, they have both acknowledged the problem and tried many different solutions to fix it. Unfortunately, most solutions lose steam after changes to the style of the corporate worship service. This dissertation suggests that the problem is not the style of music or the formality of the liturgy, but rather the inability of congregations to help young people anticipate an encounter with God in worship. After examining John Wesley's understanding of religious experience and worship as well as the historical shifts in liturgical practice of American Methodism, I use qualitative research methods to detail the experience of corporate worship for teenagers in three United Methodist congregations. Then, leaning heavily on the work of Howard Thurman, I propose a theology of magnitude that suggests that the Church is the normative home for the anticipated encounter of God. Finally, I propose five strategic turns necessary to return magnitude (the significance which comes from the anticipation of an encounter with God) to worship in United Methodist congregations.

This final project report set out to design a peer-led learning model that would assist pastors in building competencies and strengthening peer relationships among Presbyterian pastors in northern New Jersey. The project addressed a national trend that reveals an increasing number of pastors are leaving Christian ministry today because of inadequate support and their lack of varied and specialized skills to serve congregations. However, some of the most recent research by the U. S. Congregational Life Survey (US CLS Wave Two), the Sustaining Pastoral Excellence (SPE) project, and the Faith Communities Today (FACT) survey confirmed pastors and their congregations benefit by pastors participating in peer learning.

Grounded in the theology that Christian ministry is nurtured by communities that embody and practice what they believe, and by theories that enduring learning takes place in association with others, this project drew from Presbyterian ecclesiology, the company of pastors (Calvin), a community of practice (Wenger), self-directed learning (Knowles), group theory (Johnsons), and the areas of learning pastors volunteered to lead. There were no attending costs and the monthly format was simple: pastors shared a meal and fellowship followed by worship and relevant teaching led by the pastors themselves.

Twenty-five pastors, representing one-fifth of the congregations in three regional bodies, attended one or more of the nine gatherings. A large part of the report concentrated on the more active twelve mature, highly stressed, and highly motivated pastors who represented different urban and suburban communities, genders, races, and sexual orientations. The report evaluated what facilitated and hindered this project's objectives. Its conclusion provided seven insights for pastors and seminarians, denominational agencies and regional body leaders, seminaries and foundations concerned about pastoral preparation for the rigors and challenges of congregational ministry.

This exploratory study uses a qualitative, case study approach to investigate the perspectives of faculty and administrators at three Protestant seminaries about why their institutions decided to embark on programs for the alternative delivery of theological education. Alternative delivery includes all forms of instruction other than to students in a typical classroom on the home campus. The study also explored perspectives on the impacts of alternative delivery programs on the organizational culture and mission of the institutions, as well as on gender patterns and spiritual formation. The author conducted 32 personal interviews with faculty members and administrators at Concordia Seminary in St. Louis; Covenant Theological Seminary in St. Louis; and Fuller Theological Seminary in Pasadena. Among the perspectives offered by faculty and administrators about why their institutions decided to pursue alternative delivery programs were: (1) to respond to pastoral shortages, the needs of churches and prospective students, and denominational leaders; (2) to fulfill the seminary's mission; (3) to promote the institution and extend its "reach;" and (4) to grow student enrollments and enhance revenue, thereby strengthening the home campus. Concerning the impacts of alternative delivery programs on the seminaries, faculty and administrators believed that such programs increased enrollment, but disagreed about the revenue effect. Many of those interviewed believed that alternative programs had impacted the organization, technology, operations, personnel, decision-making, quality, and curricula of the seminaries---both positively and negatively. In all three cases, female enrollment appears to be impacted positively by alternative programs, but perspectives differ about whether spiritual formation among students enrolled in alternative programs is comparable to that of students on the home campus---although some interviewees believed spiritual formation is stronger among extension cohorts. Major findings include awareness by faculty and administrators that: (1) alternative delivery impacts the seminary both positively and negatively in numerous, unintended ways; (2) transfer of learning can occur from alternative programs back to the home campus, impacting traditional programs positively; (3) alternative programs can increase female enrollment; and (4) such programs can improve relationships with a seminary's various constituencies and extend the seminary's "reach."

A common plea in missions is the need to train pastors and church leaders for the rapidly multiplying churches in the Majority World, resulting in numerous formal and nonformal theological education training programs. In spite of these efforts, many rural churches remain without pastors.

Using appreciative inquiry and participatory action-reflection research methods, together with 49 participants consisting of church elders and representatives of women, youth, illiterate members, and church ministers from 6 churches in the Northwest Region of the Ethiopian Kale Heywet Church, this study examines the factors limiting rural churches from having their desired pastor, describes the ideal minister desired by rural churches, and initiates a training program to train the type of pastors the stakeholders desire.

The study reveals that rural churches struggle to have pastors because their most desired individuals migrate to urban centers, high numbers of non-wage-earning youth as members limit the economic capabilities of rural churches, and inflexible theological education programs do not take into account or seek to address economic constraints, community education standards, or the size of rural churches.

The study reveals that rural churches situated in communities that place a high value upon Western-styled education and high levels of certification desire an educated pastor trained through formal theological education using literate communication techniques. This emphasis upon certification frequently results in rural churches selecting individuals to become pastors who do not embody the rural churches' ideal personality or spirituality character traits, commitment to ministry, or age. After receiving theological training, these educated young ministers frequently seek salaries considered inappropriate or not available in rural communities, resulting in their migration out of the rural community to seek higher wages or better educational opportunities, leaving rural churches without trained pastors.

To fulfill their desire for pastors who embody the characteristics honored in rural communities and who will remain in the rural communities, rural churches must train bivocational semiliterate pastors using nonformal theological education training approaches that combine oral and literate communication techniques.

Purpose. This study collected data that was used to determine whether principals' instructional leadership behaviors that researchers have determined to affect the teachers and students in the public school system can also be applied to the seminaries in the Church Educational System. It was hypothesized that where high incidents of instructional leadership behaviors were found in the seminary principal, teachers will perceive a more positive classroom environment, and more students will enroll, a lower percentage of students will be removed, and a higher percentage of students will complete the school year. Methodology. The research was descriptive and comparative. The study examined the relationships among three different variables: (1) The perceived behaviors of the principals were measured by administering the Principal Instructional Management Rating Scale, (2) The teachers' perceptions of the classroom environment were measured by administering the Classroom Environment Scale, (3) The enrollment totals, removal rates, and the completion rates were obtained from each seminary. Findings. This study concluded that the principals' instructional leadership behaviors that were identified in the public school system to significantly relate to a positive classroom environment and higher student outcomes did not relate significantly with seminaries in the Church Educational System. Of the 412 correlations produced by the analysis, only 26 were found to have coefficients $\ge$.30. Of the 120 possible independent variables that were regressed, only 17 significantly predicted the three dependent variables at the.10 alpha level. Each time the principals or the teachers perceived a leadership behavior it had a negative impact on the teachers' perception of friendship, innovation, and student involvement the classroom. Recommendations. Additional research could be conducted to determine: (1) Why each time the teachers or the principals perceived an instructional leadership behavior it had a negative impact on the teachers' perceptions of the classroom environment, (2) Whether new instruments that better reflect the uniqueness of the seminary classroom could determine any principals' behaviors that relate to teacher and student success measures, (3) What variables affect the seminary students' propensity to enroll, remain, and complete a full year of seminary more than the behaviors of one principal.

This thesis considers how religious diversification has shaped the roles of clergy and seminaries. The focus of this qualitative, interview-based study is seminaries and clergy affiliated with various denominations of Judaism and Protestant Christianity in greater London and New York City. Religiously diversifying societies in the US and England have brought forth new challenges for clergy and seminaries, prompting new questions about how or why a faith community should or should not engage with diversity in the public square. This study investigates how seminaries and individual members of the clergy, as sources of religious authority, are responding to religious diversification in different ways - the former sluggish to recognise the impact of religious diversification in curriculum and pedagogical structures and the latter seeing it as a resource for social action initiatives, local networks, and political activism. This has created a gap between training and practice whereby clergy have assumed greater religious authority in religious life. Beyond contributing to the field of sociology of religion, this thesis concludes by allowing the experience of clergy in interreligious engagement to inform appropriate pedagogies that could be employed by seminaries.

The mental health literacy (MHL) rates of Christian clergy in the United States remains underinvestigated in the current literature. This gap of knowledge is problematic for the large numbers of individuals with mental illness who seek assistance from clergy and may receive inadequate care for their concerns. As theoretically designated by the behavioral models of health care and MHL research, denomination-type, educational variables, and demographic characteristics were investigated as potential predictors of MHL. A sample of 238 Christian clergy from throughout the United States completed the web-based Mental Health Literacy Scale and demographic questionnaire. Results of analysis of variance (ANOVA) revealed no significant differences among MHL scores of Evangelical Protestant, Mainline Protestant, Catholic, and Historically Black Protestant groups. Results of the multiple linear regressions showed that number of years of postsecondary school, degree-type, age, and geographical location were not significant predictors of MHL scores. Higher numbers of clinical MH training courses and female gender did significantly predict higher levels of MHL scores. The findings provided the first parametric measure of a diverse, national sample of Christian clergy and indicated a need for increasing MHL trainings. Results also provided counselors and counselor educators with information useful for initiating and modeling interprofessional trainings, collaborations, and referral partnerships with clergy who currently serve as front-line mental health workers to millions of U.S. residents. The results may also inform social justice initiatives to reduce mental health care disparities in underserved populations.

The purpose of this ministry project is to educate religious leaders about an alternative to approaching organ donation and organ transplantation, using the Theory of Gift Exchange as the model paradigm. This ministry project is based on the premise that religious leaders generally use dated statistical material, life changing stories, and personal experiences to raise awareness on the subject. Thus, the Theory of Gift Exchange is a different approach and a unique model for religious leaders to begin understanding the complex nature of organ donation and organ transplantation, and ultimately embracing it with less reluctance. The results of this ministry project discovered that practically every religious leader was unfamiliar with the idea of Gift Exchange. However, they were familiar with this concept only as it relates to the exchanging of personal gifts around special occasions and holidays. Thus, the conclusion gathered from this ministry project suggests that the 'Theory of Gift Exchange' is an excellent model to educate about organ donation and organ transplantation. This conceptual idea makes it easy for a religious leader to understand and embrace the subject, and feel less threatened by it, particularly because one can see that the overall intent is about gift giving and gift receiving.

Nairobi is one of the fastest growing cities in Africa with an average of five hundred people coming to the city on a daily basis. More than seventy percent of these people end up living in the informal settlements. An appropriate model of theological training for church leaders needs to be developed, so as to equip them to work with congregations and communities within the informal settlements, to address the needs and potential of people living in the context of Kibera informal settlements and to bring about spiritual and material transformation in their midst. A qualitative and comparative study was undertaken and data was collected through semistructured interviews and focus group discussions. After interpreting the data, the researcher found out: The problems and needs of the community and challenges of church ministers in the informal settlements are enormous. It includes unemployment, poor housing and sanitation, and a general lack of resources to meet basic needs; as well as negative ethnicity, inadequate ministers‟ stipends and the dependence of church members on ministers.  The existing models of theological education have not effectively equipped church ministers to face these challenges in informal settlement ministry. The research study end by proposing a model that will enable church ministers‟ witness to the incarnation of Christ among marginalized people in the informal settlement of Kibera. This model of theological training will be informed by African, Freirian and Western approaches to education. It will aim to form, inform and transform the pastoral work of ministers in informal settlement contexts.
Christian Spirituality, Church History & Missiology
M.A. (Theology in Missiology: Specialization in Urban Ministry)

This academic study provides a historical background to the unsung hero Dr. Manas Buthelezi. He is amongst many such heroes who contributed enormously to the liberation of South Africa. Buthelezi fought against apartheid by promoting human liberation and rights; just like other circle unrecognized of heroes who were interested in combating the agonies caused by the apartheid system. This academic study presents the work of Buthelezi in the South African political, socio-economic, cultural and ecumenical effort at combating the apartheid policies. The history of Buthelezi‟s contribution can be deliberated in relation to the South African political and socio-economic dimensions. Church history is an alternative engagement to the social struggles hence a church leader like Buthelezi had to participate in the public arena. Not really; the focus is more on issues within the current ELCSA. Broader historical evidence is considered on the theoretical writings in the field of church history. The analytical aim of the study develops how the struggles internal to the church and the understanding of struggle for liberation in South Africa. The study highlights the history of Lutheranism in South Africa as the background of creating an understanding of this research. The findings of the study are that although the Lutherans were fighting against apartheid system in South Africa they were divided on racial identify between the white and the black. This was also operational in the church in South Africa as well. The church in South Africa was theologically challenged around issues of struggle and liberation. The white community was part of the apartheid government aimed as its interests to benefit from the dominant values of racial connections. The dominant apartheid government oppressed the black community through racial discrimination. Study shows how Buthelezi and other theologians critiqued both the church and the state to resistant apartheid that was operational in the church and the society. The study investigates his contribution in this respect. It will be necessary to look at what happened historically in apartheid and Black Theology. The intention of this study is to investigate how Bishop Dr. Manas Buthelezi in South Africa was involved and committed in the struggle against apartheid. I would like to analyse and reflect on his contribution and writing during apartheid, as this has not yet been researched. Buthelezi served the Lutheran Church and the South African Council of Churches (SACC) as its president, from where he viewed apartheid ideology and practice as contradictory to the Word of God and human wholeness of life. One cannot research Buthelezi without considering his Church where I will explore the ordained ministry and the „lay‟ ministry. Questions on teaching, training and service offered by the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Southern Africa (ELCSA) raise serious matters about its present and future. In the conclusion, I provide an analysis of the problems outlined and make recommendations which can be considered to be alternatives to challenges that face our South African context and that of the church. My recommendations are opened to everyone, to engage each other to furnish alternative solutions to the problems that face the church and the South African context.
Christian Spirituality, Church History and Missiology
M. Th. (Church History)