Abstracts A-B
Title: A Projection and Strategy for Church Growth Using an Analysis of Recent Growth at the Burgin, Kentucky, United Methodist Church (1987)
Abstract: This study came about because of an inquiry by the then pastor of the Burgin, Kentucky, United Methodist Church, who approached the writer to see if he would be interested in coming to the church to do an analysis that might lead to the discovery of ways for the church to be revitalized to grow. The pastor had come into a situation where he had found himself with a demoralized congregation. He was at a loss to know just what to do to recover from the devastating effects of the church split which had occurred some months prior to his arrival in 1984.
The writer proposed to the pastor that they go beyond his request for a one day visit and instead do a major project which would both help the church and provide the writer with the necessary laboratory for a Doctor of Ministry project. The pastor took that proposal to the church board which granted approval and pledged their cooperation. Five members of the church were asked to serve on a reflection committee to work with the writer, thereby providing him with the required local data and accurate interpretation of that data.
Given the contextual components identified in chapter 1, research for this project was directed toward the examination and evaluation of the growth history of the Burgin church with a view toward developing a ten-year growth goal. Church growth principles and research techniques emerging from the writings of Donald A. McGavaran and C. Peter Wagner, the two leading exponents of modern church growth theory, were utilized. It was the hypothesis of this project that small, relatively inactive United Methodist churches like Burgin could and would project for growth when apprised of the biblical mandates and of possibilities for achieving growth. A very basic assumption of this study was that most churches located in Kentucky should and could be growing churches.
Following the analyses of growth statistics, worker deployment, and community demographics detailed in chapters 3 through 5, the reflection committee made a projection of 100 percent growth for the next decade (beginning from a base of 49 members). Chapters 6 and 7, discussing the dynamics working for and against growth, accentuate the discovery that the church had grown in the past and conclude that it can grow again. Chapter 6 deals primarily with the nature of the church, with special attention given to the marks of a church as delineated in the United Methodist Discipline. The model found there is compared to certain biblical motifs for church life and ministry.
Among the factors projected to be important to the recovery of vitality and growth for Burgin are: (1) lengthened pastoral tenure, (2) humble yet strong pastoral leadership, (3) developing charismatic modes of ministry (including small groups), (4) training and deployment of evangelistic workers, and (5) focusing on ministry to others. With these dynamics at work, the writer and the committee concluded that the Burgin congregation could do more than survive, it could flourish.
Title: Strengthening the Vitality of New Hope Free Methodist Church, Rochester, New York, Through the Use of Eight Quality Characteristics (2000).
Abstract: As newly appointed pastor of an eight-year-old urban church that had endured several leadership transitions, the author sought an approach to assess and improve the church's health. Natural Church Development (NCD) provided both a biblical paradigm and a scientifically valid assessment tool for this process. The paradigm is an ecological one, based on the agricultural analogies of Scripture. It addresses the church both as organism and as organization, and argues for human effort on the organizational side to support to the life, vitality, and reproducibility that God has designed in the organism. Natural Church Development evaluates eight quality characteristics in the church, advocating the use of the church's identified strength to build up its least-developed characteristic.
The project at New Hope Free Methodist church involved three administrations of the NCD survey at seven-month intervals. Between surveys, leaders of the church worked to improve their church's weaknesses in passionate spirituality and need-oriented evangelism by the church worked to improve their church's weaknesses in passionate spirituality and need-oriented evangelism by the strategic use of its strengths. Over the course of the study, the church's overall health index rose from thirty-eight to fifty-one on a scale of one to hundred, with the scores for the two identified weaknesses increasing at about the same rate as the rest of the characteristics. Interviews with seven survey participants at the end of the study period revealed that they perceived benefits in the process both for the church and for themselves as individuals, with minor reservations.
Both the quantitative and qualitative findings, then, led to the conclusion that the process of facing up to weaknesses and rallying strengths around them did increase the vitality f the church. Strategic effort helped a group of believers to examine themselves and open their lives to the Spirit of God for correction and growth. In that way, the NCD model, assessment, and implementation process spurred the pastor and leaders on toward becoming stronger Christians and forming a healthier church.
Title: Ministry in Small Membership Churches: A Bachelor's Degree Course for the Students of the Evangelical Methodist Seminary of Costa Rica (1997).
Abstract: Most of the Evangelical Methodist churches in Costa Rica are small membership churches. Pastors ministering in these congregations have little training in the dynamics behind small membership churches. Particularly, this is true in the context of the Evangelical Methodist Church of Costa Rica (EMCCR) and it's seminary, the Evangelical Methodist Seminary (EMS).
Therefore, the researcher designed a course on ministry in small membership churches with a twofold purpose. The first purpose was to provide the students with a body of knowledge on small membership churches; and the second purpose was to encourage them to implement actions based on that knowledge. Twelve EMS students took the course. These students are current pastors of Evangelical Methodist churches in different areas of Costa Rica.
The study establishes that four months subsequent to the course revitalization in these churches was occurring through the ministry of the student-pastors. In other words, and as defined in the study, revitalization relates directly to the impact the course makes on the students and the implementation of new action in their ministries.
Following three phases, the researches completed the study. In phase one, the researcher conceptualized and developed the course. In phase two, the researcher taught the course to the students at EMS in Costa Rica. Phase three was the assessment of course results. For the assessment, the researcher used three instruments: survey questionnaire on the ministry in small churches, a student's cognitive achievement pretest and posttest, and a follow-up interview.
These three instruments provided the researcher the necessary data. Frequency distribution analysis on this data allowed examination of the study's major findings.
As the researcher observes in the conclusions, this study is a starting point in the long way toward affirming the importance of the small membership church. Revitalization is possible, and EMS student-pastors who took the course know this first hand.
- Akkerman, Jay Richard – full dissertation
Title: The Graphic Gospel: Preaching in a Postliterate Age (2004)
Abstract : The purpose of the study was to determine which factors related to congregational receptivity toward the use of visual media in preaching by exploring factors including generational group, gender, dogmatism, postmodernism, and postliteracy. The study consisted of a researcher-designed, cross-sectional quantitative survey of attitudes toward the use of visual media in preaching. The survey was completed by 113 respondents age fourteen or older at New Hope Community Church of the Nazarene in Tempe, Arizona. The research findings contradicted the popularly held notion tying age to receptivity toward visual media, and underscored the importance of pastoral integrity in a visual hermeneutic.
Title:Crossroads United Methodist Church in Recovery: A Study of the Incorporation and Effectiveness of Seven Essential Elements Necessary for Church Revitalization (2000).
Abstract:This dissertation presents a study of a designed and implemented two-year plan for revitalizing Crossroads United Methodist Church from a state of decline into a vital and growing congregation and to evaluate the plan's effectiveness. The research of pertinent literature covering revitalized churches suggests there are seven common elements programmed into churches that have made recoveries from decline to vitality. This project implement those elements into the life of the Crossroads congregation.
Biblical research came from two prominent areas: first, images for the church in the New Testament, specifically from the book of Ephesians, and second, the examination of two biblical leaders, Moses and Nehemiah, who led their constituency through periods of change and revitalization. Research then centered upon material from leadership resources written for business and industry in order to present a more complete picture of what leaders who lead change really do.
The research also sought to answer questions regarding change process itself. Since American business is itself in a period of redefinition, research gathered from writers who study change process aided the project also, the process of change in the local church is often hampered since there is no economic leverage on those who participate. In business, people participate in change more since their livelihood depends upon it. This study sought to discover a productive method of change when working wit an all volunteer organization. To incorporate the seven essential elements complied from the literature review, a timeline is produced that is designed to program the seven essential elements into the life of the congregation over a two year period. At the end of the two years, each of the seven elements were in place and their effectiveness has been evaluated.
Scientifically, the project gathered data in two ways. The first was a careful cataloguing of participation levels commensurate with the vows of the United Methodism: upholding the church through prayers, presence, gifts, and service. Also catalogued with these statistics are tow others: a tally of the number of new adult Christians which came into church membership during the project, and an average of small group attendance over the period of the project. The second set of data was gathered through a researcher generated and validated survey questionnaire meant to determine the effectiveness and acceptance of the planned change within the congregation. Following the calculation of congregational responses to the survey and a display of statistical numbers in tables, conclusions are drawn and recommendations for further study are offered.
Title: A Study to Evaluate a Church Intervention Recovery Program at East Stonewall A.M.E. Zion Church (1995).
Abstract: As the pastor of East Stonewall African Methodist Episcopal (A.M.E. Zion Church in Charlotte, North Carolina, the researcher had been counseling chemically dependent persons (alcoholics and drug addicts) and their families without any visible results. The pastor discovered that these persons demand a lot of attention, time, and resources, and were resistant to taking any action that would break the cycle of dependency.
The related literature in this research suggest that pastors and church members who are either ill-informed or mis-informed merely support continued use. They support continued use by either serving to cover-up, protect, shield, or ease the immediate problems created by drinking or drug use. Pastors and church members can only help by relating to the dependent person or family member in a consistent pattern that encourages healthy change and reinforces sobriety and healthy emotional interactions.
East Stonewall contracted a substance abuse consultant group to institute a Church Intervention Recovery Program (CHIRP). This program is designed to train a team of clergy and lay persons in a local church to operate a ministry to chemically dependent persons and their families. A team was recruited, trained, and organized to operate a ministry of intervention, referral, and support.
This research evaluated East Stonewall's CHIRP as indicated by: (1) the number of persons who came forward for pastoral counseling in which their own chemical dependency or that of a family member was the presenting problem or was discovered to be a problem; (2) the number of persons who entered a detoxification facility, entered a treatment program, attended a self-help support group, and sought professional help as a result of CHIRP; and (3) the responses of counselees as to the difference CHIRP mad in their lives.
This research utilized case studies to observe the effect of CHIRP on those suffering with chemical dependency who came forward for pastoral counseling. The following data were collected: (1) notes from pastoral counseling sessions prior to CHIRP (between August, 1986 and March, 1990) in which chemical dependency was the presenting problem; (2) notes from pastoral counseling since the establishment of CHIRP ( between June,1990 and December, 1993) in which chemical dependency was either the presenting problem or wad discovered as a problem; and (3) responses of counselees to a semi-structured interview protocol designed to record their evaluation of CHIRP.
Prior to CHIRP eleven persons sought pastoral counseling and not one person responded to recommendations to seek help. Since the institution of CHIRP, sixteen new persons sought counseling and eleven persons have accepted recommendations to seek help. A specific accounting details: five persons either entered a detoxification facility or a treatment program; and six persons attended at least one self-help support group meeting. Twelve persons agreed to be interviewed. Ten of these persons credited East Stonewall's CHIRP as having a positive influence in their decisions to seek help and in their recovery.
The research supports the conclusion that East Stonewall's CHIRP was an effective program in improving the results from pastoral counseling with the chemical dependent family. The successful result of the research can be credited to the pastor and team: (1) having an understanding of the problem and the individuals affected; (2) being able to recognize the symptoms of the problem; and (3) becoming a symbol of East Stonewall's commitment to minister to the chemically dependent family. CHIRP can be an exciting and empowering tool for the church on all levels (universal, denominational, and local) to establish an effective ministry to the chemically dependent family.
Title: A Study of the Impact of a Community Building Workshop Upon the Sense of Community of First United Methodist Church of Alexander City, Alabama (1993).
Abstract: This work is a study of community building in the local church. The author evaluates the implementation of a Community Building Workshop based upon the work of Scott Peck as developed by the Foundation of Community Encouragement. The workshop was qualitatively evaluated utilizing the insights of David Chavis and D.M. McMillan into the Psychological Sense of Community.
The author describes the theories of M. Scott Peck and Chavis and utilizes the work of Deitrich Bonhoeffer's work, Life Together, to analyze various approaches to community in light of theological insights.
The workshop raised issues of the authenticity of community within the church as a whole and between staff and members in particular. There seemed to be significant differences between the sense of community experienced by staff as opposed to that experienced by members. This was analyzed in terms of their four major components that Chavis and McMillan propose as constitutive of a sense of community. The tendency towards what Peck calls "pseudocommunity" seems to be a powerful factor in inhibiting the church's mission; especially in meeting the needs of its members who must overcome the effect of "pseudocommunity" in order to surface their needs. This resulted in a seemingly high emotional connection while the integration of member's needs was consistently observed as the lowest scale within the study.
The author concludes that the Community Building Workshop is a significant intervention that, if used carefully, could significantly help the church to experience a deeper level of community. The workshop is not seen as a panacea in the struggle for community within the church.
Title:The Impact of Personal Grief Due to the Loss of a Spouse on a Pastor's Ongoing Ministry: A Study in the Loss in the First Fifteen Years of Ministry (1993).
Abstract: Pastors are often seen as "professionals" in the area of grief, serving as primary caregivers to those in grief over the death of a loved one. What happens to a pastor's faith and ministry when grief comes to the parsonage? This study is an exploration of the changes that occur in the faith and ministry of a pastor when he or she is faced with personal grief due to the loss of a spouse.
The sample is limited to pastors for whom the death occurred during the first fifteen years of ministry, as that period typically leaves one more open to transition than in later years. The study included qualitative and quantitative data acquired through written surveys by twelve United Methodist pastors, representing more than 46% of those who fit the criteria for this study. Analyses of Spiritual Well-Being and Fear of Death were made along with the Impact of Grief and Process of Grief. These finding were compared according to gender, length of marriage and ministry, remarriage status and number of children.
This study revealed that most pastors perceived major impact of the grief experienced in their lives, personally, professionally and in relationship with God. The pastor's sense of spiritual well-being is strengthened as he or she allows the personal grief experience to influence ongoing ministry. Pastors with children demonstrated a greater sense of religious and spiritual well-being and less fear of death of self than those who had no children. Pastors who were able to reconstruct faith and ministry out of the grief experience demonstrated a greater sense of spiritual well-being and fulfillment in ministry.
This project is one of very few which dealt specifically with pastors and personal grief. It provides a framework for further study of how pastors grieve and steps that might be taken to enable pastors to become reconciled with grief in ways that will bring positive impact on life and ministry.
Title: Doctrinal Preaching in an Emerging Postmodern Age (1998).
Abstract: The church of the late twentieth century has lost its doctrinal moorings. If this condition is left unchecked, the great doctrines of the church, many of which took centuries to hammer out, could conceivable be lost to the larger populace of the church. If the church as a whole loses sight of these great doctrines, many in the church will be left "tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of doctrine" (Ephesians 4:14, NKJV).
This problem is exacerbated by the emerging postmodern age in which ideas of dogma, meta-narrative, or absolute truth are generally seen to be intolerant and are therefor dismissed.
This study seeks to discover a method of preaching that will engage hearers in a emerging postmodern age with the great doctrines of the church.
The study uses the Spiritual Well-being Scale to measure the change in the sense of spiritual well-being in a small United Methodist congregation after they have heard a series of doctrinal sermons over the course of ten months.
The study concludes that the prescribed method of preaching did result in a statistically significant rise in the sense of spiritual well-being among the participants.
Title: Tell Me the Stories: A Curriculum for Confirmation (1999).
Abstract: This study sought to gain an understanding of the impact of story on the spiritual development of junior high school students who participated in a ten-week confirmation class, September 1998 - November 1998, at the First United Methodist Church, Marion, Indiana.
In order to achieve this, two groups of students were observed. Seven teens participated in a ten-week confirmation class that used story as primary teaching method at First United Methodist Church, Marion, Indiana. A second confirmation class, which did not use story as its principal teaching method , was also tested. The second class was comprised of seven junior high school students from the Westminster Presbyterian Church (Presbyterian U.S.A.), Marion, Indiana.
Both groups were given the Spiritual Well-being (SWB) instrument before the confirmation classes started, at the conclusion of the classes, and six weeks after the classes ended. This study was a quasi-experimental, nonequivalent control group interrupted time-series design. The data presented here indicate evidence of positive spiritual growth in both groups, some of which persisted to six weeks.
The story treatment group SWB rose from pre-test to post-test, then declined at the six week posttest However, it remained higher than at the pretest level. The Presbyterian group SWB rose from pretest to posttest, then increased again at the six week posttest
Of the discrete elements of the story treatment confirmation experience measured, a confirmation retreat, Bible stories, and the movie "Simon Birch" were rated by teen confirmands as the three most positive contributors to spiritual growth.
Title: Christian Charities and Cultural Changes: A Descriptive Study (1992).
Abstract: Demographically it would seem that in the constituency from which Canadian churches and para-church organizations raise funds for recruiting and supporting various missionaries, the predominantly Anglo-Saxon support base is remaining static while the over-all population is increasing. I would propose that the churches and para-church organizations need to be more aware of the opportunities to expand this support base afforded by the ethnic and cultural changes taking place.
This study has potential value and significance for churches and para-church organizations in that the Canadian Bible Society (C.B.S.) could serve as a model for restructuring organizations.
The goal of this project is to design new methods and plans for the CBS in it's organizational structure and it's system of operation enabling their fund raising and recruitment to embrace new immigrant communities of the Chinese in the Metropolitan Toronto area.
Title: Four Generations and Visionary Change A Case Study of Canyon First United Methodist Greater Unity in the Midst of Sixty-Seven Percent Growth (1999).
Abstract: This study provides a working model for the denominational church to grow in its vitality, its attendance and membership, and, in the process, its effectiveness in carrying out the work and ministry of Jesus. This potential was demonstrated through the sixty-seven percent growth that occurred in this congregation in this decade. The study offers help in understanding the generational balance that is necessary for healthy growth and also offers encouragement to apply stated principles of honoring others with different philosophical and theological perspectives arising out of their experiences in their generation. Defined steps of individual and corporate change are presented to specifically enable the honoring process and the incarnational ministry that can emerge in the congregation.
One key element of this model is now this process equips the church and its pastor to manage the changes necessary for that church to grow in vitality and effectiveness in carrying out the work and ministry of Christ. This element focuses on how to manage the emotional responses--specifically grief--that are produces in the lives of individuals as the congregation experiences significant change.
The theological framework for this renewed vitality is formally stated in the opening of chapter 2, and is woven into the principles and experience of the case study throughout the balancing chapters. This framework centers on how the church can reflect the unity and diversity of the Trinity, the incarnational ministry of Jesus, and how the church can more effectively carry out the work and ministry of Jesus in our society and world today.
Title: The Effects of a Discipleship Program on the Local Church (1990).
Abstract: Discipleship is lacking in typical evangelical churches in North America. Most parishioners who attend our churches would testify to a conversion experience but would confess to never moving into an ever deepening relationship with Jesus. Responsibility to lead followers of Christ into an intimate relationship with their savior rests with the church.
In this local parish the need for spiritual leadership was detected. This deficiency was noticeable especially among the male members of the church. The purpose of the discipleship program was to develop a program that would initiate spiritual growth and eventually produce strong leadership within the church.
Regular attenders were selected from the congregation for the project. The men met with the researched once a week for a year. During those meetings the men were taught spiritual disciplines and were accountable for the disciples in the weekly sessions. After gathering and interpreting the data, the researcher cam the conclusion that the discipleship program enhanced the spiritual lives of the participants. The men involved in this project are now strong spiritual leaders in the church. The leadership positions that are occupied by the disciples of this project were given to the men by the congregation because of their strong spiritual lifestyles. Each man is making a significant contribution to the local church as well as to the community.
Title: A Spiritual Formation Curriculum for Oakland City University (1999).
Abstract: The purpose of this study was to evaluate and document the changes in the spiritual lives of students participating in a spiritual formation curriculum developed for Oakland City University, Oakland City, Indiana. The study included the development of a spiritual formation curriculum that had three main components. (1) A theological and historical overview of spiritual formation. (2) The use of Myers-Briggs Type Indicator to help students discover how their natural dispositions influence their spiritual pilgrimage. (3) The establishment of weekly accountability groups.
The research design involved the pre-and post-administering of the Personal Questionnaire and the Spiritual Life Inventory for gaining quantitative data. I also maintained a daily journal of class sessions and instructor-student accountability sessions. This journal documented lecture topics, class discussions, and personal issues influencing student's spiritual pilgrimages. This data was used to provide descriptive information.
The major implication of this research is that students can benefit from participation in a spiritual formation curriculum offering. Oakland City University should consider including a spiritual formation curriculum in it's educational structure and make it a required offering for students preparing for ministry service.
Title: A Design for Local Church Evangelism in the Context of Crusades (1991).
Abstract: This project/dissertation addresses a problem in the area of evangelism within the life of local congregations in the United Methodist Church, which is primarily the avoidance of the mission to evangelize and make disciples. The components of this problem are an inadequate theology of evangelism and an inadequate strategy for evangelism.
Within the framework of this author's ministry as a full-time evangelist the purpose of this project/dissertation was to increase a congregation's knowledge and understanding of a theology of evangelism, of the leadership required to execute a program of evangelism, and strategies for implementing a program of evangelism. In order to address the frequently inadequate and apathetic programs of evangelism within local churches of the United Methodist Church, this study developed, implemented, tested in five local churches, and evaluated a manual to be used in the context of crusade evangelism for training local church/parish teams in theology, leadership and strategies for evangelism. The manual follows a workbook format where local church teams worked through the material with assignments after each session, then met with the author during the crusade to make plans for instigating more effective evangelistic ministries. This project has been evaluated by the project church teams and/or team leader who two evaluation questionnaires, the author's field supervisor and reflection group.
The research for this study includes Scripture, a review of literature in the three critical areas, and interview with pastors and other evangelists.
This study has significance because it addresses in the local church the inadequate theology of evangelism present within the denomination and sets forth a theology of evangelism bases on New Testament Scripture and Wesleyan doctrine. This study also sets forth some characteristics of leadership necessary to carry on a productive ministry in evangelism. This study also enlightens and equips local churches with a better comprehension of relevant strategies for evangelism.
Evangelism is considered to be a primary task and responsibility of the church, and this study addresses this task for the purpose of making evangelism effective.
Title: Preaching to the Secularized Who Misunderstand the Nature of God (1997).
Abstract: This study investigates the ability of the gospel, when preached in relevant forms, to effect transformation in the lives of highly secularized people who misunderstand the nature of God.
To help accomplish that purpose, this study researches (1) the biblical understanding of gospel, (2) the preaching context in which sermons are heard, and (3) forms of preaching that effectively demonstrate the thesis that preaching transforms lives regardless of what people bring to the listening of preaching.
The setting of this study is Chapel on the Hill, a nondenominational church in Lake Geneva, Wisconsin. This congregation was established seventeen years ago to attract to the kingdom of God those previously unattracted. This study reveals that a majority of the congregation had no immediately prior church affiliation of any kind. It also indicates these highly secularized people can be reached for God when the gospel is preached in relevant forms with practical life application and according to biblical understanding.
This dissertation utilizes a congregational questionnaire to measure religious background, preaching effectiveness, and theological understanding. Another measurement form, targeted at a smaller group systematically selected from the church membership roll, evaluates four sermons to ascertain if the type of preaching they represent brings the gospel to secularized people and provides a corrective for misunderstanding of the nature of God.
The congregational questionnaire, preaching evaluation form, subsequent group reflection, and forty years of pastoral observation indicate that preaching from a biblical understanding of gospel in pertinent styles and forms to those who are influenced by secularization and misunderstand the nature of God, results in transformed lives.
This study encourages those who already think biblical preaching produces transformation of life regardless of religious background or theological understanding and invites others to consider strengths of biblical preaching. This study also creates an extensive bibliography for further reflection and research.
Title: Speculative Model of Christian Growth: Melding Matthew and Erikson (1984).
No Abstract available. Contact D.Min. Program or B.L. Fisher Library for complete dissertation.
Title: The Christian Leader As Spirit Driven Visionary (1997).
Abstract: The purpose of this study was to discover how Christian leaders with strengths and expertise in vision formulation hear and/or discern the voice of the Holy Spirit in their lives during the process of creating vision for their ministries. Both the leadership and visionary literature of corporate America and the church were surveyed in order to lay the groundwork for this study.
Thirty leaders were chosen to be interviewed based upon their meeting of the following criteria: five years of ministry experience; recognition as visionaries by peers and colleagues in ministry; experienced in forming a vision statement or plan by which a ministry is led; and achievement of some measure of success in leading ministries in the fulfillment of their vision. Data analysis focused upon the transcripts of these interviews.
Major findings included 1) visionary leaders follow a number of different routes toward catching God's vision; 2) God uses a variety of elements to impart vision; 3) living a life of personal devotion to God is essential for visionary leadership; 4) vision is best created in community with others; 5) vision unfolds developmentally; 6) vision is macro in scope; and 7) God transmits vision along a disengagement-engagement continuum.
This research addresses the integration of leadership development and spiritual formation. Through the conducted interviews, case studies emerge which reveal the interplay between one's spirituality and one's practice of visionary leadership. This dissertation provides a look at how a select group of visionary leaders actually create and form vision as they seek the mind and heart of God.
Title:A Study to Explore the Process of the Merger of Four United Methodist Church in Elkhart, Indiana (1997).
Abstract:The purpose of this study was to explore the process of the merger of four United Methodist churches in Elkhart, Indiana, to see if an implicit or explicit model emerged and to judge the model's success in order to ascertain its relevance for other churches considering merger. This study sought to recover the process used in the merger in an attempt to provide a step-by-step procedure for other United Methodist churches in similar situations.
Three hundred and eight people responded to a researcher-designed instrument questionnaire that required quantitative and qualitative responses. Semi-structured interviews with the four former pastors and the District Superintendent were also conducted. A statistical comparison utilizing data from the 1992 and 1996 North Indiana Conference Journals was also considered.
The study revealed that an implicit model led to the success of this four church merger. The study also clarified the common misperception that mergers generally result in losses, not gains. Three years after the merger was consummated Faith church remains statistically stronger than the combined churches would have been in 1992. The merger clearly shows what can happen when declining churches come together seeking renewal and revitalization in an effort to reverse the decline and to reach out more effectively in ministry and mission.
The finding of this study will contribute to the ongoing literature about church mergers and relocation. The finding in this study will also help declining churches refine their ministry priorities as they struggle to be faithful in mission in their existing communities. This study will provide the story of a successful four church merger.
Title: Personal and Corporate Spiritual Growth Through the Discipline of Silence and Solitude (1989)
Abstract: The Summerville United Methodist Church experienced a steady decline in most phases of corporate life from 1976 through 1986. The major groups in the church experienced significant loss of members. The majority of the church members appeared unconcerned about their spiritual growth and the growth of the church. This writer determined the underlying problem in the church to be acedia, or spiritual apathy.
Attempts to breathe spiritual life into the church through revival services, fellowship activities, and attendance campaigns failed. The lack of spiritual life precluded the members' participation in these programs. The writer determined that a small core within the congregation could experience renewal. The writer sought voluntary participants for a small group project utilizing the discipline of silence and solitude as a means to spiritual growth.
Twelve persons participated in the project. These person reacted to a series of twelve sermons on the theme of silence and solitude during the Sunday morning worship services. They met each Tuesday night to consider the previous Sunday's sermon and practice silence and solitude in their own lives. The practical experiences with silence and solitude came in the form of increased devotional activities, meditation, and the reduction of the busyness and noise levels in the participants' lives.
The writer used two methods of data-gathering. The correlation of a pre- and post-research questionnaire determined the participants' growth in their observances of silence and solitude. The observation method of data-gathering determined the effectiveness of the project on the corporate life of the church.
The research questionnaire indicated the participants grew in their understanding of silence and solitude and in their willingness to incorporate the discipline into their daily lives. Observation revealed significant growth in the program of the Summerville Church following the completion of the project. Several small group participants moved into leadership positions. Spiritual growth ministries, such as prayer groups, prayer chains, and revival services, became an integral part of corporate life. Attendance in several of the church's major groups increased. The Council on Ministries adopted an evangelism emphasis. The congregation undertook several capital expenditures, including: re-roofing of the church building; re-carpeting of the sanctuary and Sunday school wing; parsonage renovation; and the purchase of new hymnals, a new baby grand piano, and new organ speakers.
The data indicated that the small group project utilizing silence and solitude as a means of spiritual growth served as a catalyst for personal and corporate spiritual growth in the Summerville United Methodist Church.
Title: Leading Lay Ministers: A Study of the Relationship Between Leadership and Factors Associated with Lay Minister Job Satisfaction in the Fort Worth Free Methodist Church (1995).
Abstract: The purpose of this dissertation is to study what factors impact job satisfaction among 12 lay ministers in a small church. The volunteer lay ministers consisted of nine Christian education teachers, two hospital visitation workers, and a worship leader. The researcher conducted a four month program of intervention using semi-structured interviews, derived from, Management by Objective principles, and relevant leadership theories. A researcher designed questionnaire was administered before and after the program indicating marginal improvement in participant job satisfaction.
The study found linkage between age, gender, and job tenure to job satisfaction, with younger, female lay ministers showing the highest job satisfaction. Lay ministers with multiple jobs tended to have less job satisfaction. Participants who met the most often with their supervisors were also shown to be more satisfied.
Due to the small number of subjects, inferences to lay ministers in other churches should be made cautiously.
Title:The Christian Founder-Leader: Qualities Necessary for Founding an Effective Ministry of Evangelism and Discipleship, with Case Studies of Founders (1994).
Abstract: The writer of this dissertation constructed a profile describing the necessary qualities of an effective Christian founder-leader from a study of the leadership literature. He then tested and refined that profile through three case studies of living founder-leaders of effective ministries of evangelism and discipleship.
From an analysis of the Biblical, historical, and modern leadership literature, the researcher developed a new theoretical profile of the Christian founder-leader as a (1) Visionary, (2) Model and (3) Enabler. To support, reject, or modify his proposed profile, he then conducted case studies of international evangelists Luis Palau, founder of the Luis Palau Evangelistic Association, and John Guest, founder of John Guest Evangelistic Team, as well as Elmer Thompson, co-founder of Worldteam (formerly West Indies Mission).
The case studies involved researching written sources descriptive of the founder-leaders and their organizations, conducting personal interviews with the founder-leaders and their inner circle of leadership, and recording on-site observations in a journal during the writer's multi-day visits to the international headquarters of each organization.
From the case studies, the author identified nearly forty leadership components which described the founder-leaders. From these, he isolated nine "essential leadership components", which all (or nearly all) sources in every case study identified as describing an effective founder-leader.
Three of these nine essential leadership components, vision, focus, and dependence on God, appear to specifically depict the proposed Visionary facet of leadership. Three more components, gospel preaching and/or Bible teaching, action/involvement in ministry, and initiative, specifically depict the Model facet. Three final components, a team (concept of ministry), delegation, and being a relationship builder, specifically depict the Enabler facet.
These case studies results strongly supported the proposed profile, but they also refined it. The refined profile describes and effective founder-leader of a ministry of evangelism and discipleship as (1) a Godly Visionary, with a God-given vision and focus, (2) a Ministry Model, who exercises God-given gifts to serve others, and (3) a Team Builder, who builds strategic relationships with others to accomplish the vision.
Title: The Effect of Metanoia, A Forty-Day Season on Prayer, On Heart Attitudes of Murray Hill United Methodist Church (2000).
Abstract: Church health is the byword for congregational leadership in the twenty-first century. The majority of research on church health has focused on the horizontal or human dynamics of health in the church. Many studies have examined interpersonal communication, church culture, leadership competence, and other factors in the human community that impact church health. Even so, the body of research has remained virtually silent on the role of prayer in church health. This study engaged the congregation of Murray Hill United Methodist Church in a forty-day season of prayer, Metanoia, in order to explore the degree to which focused prayer enhanced the health of the congregation in terms of upward, inward, and outward directed heart attitudes.
This inquiry employed a quasi-experimental design in which intact groups and individual members of Murray Hill United Methodist Church participated in a host of prayer initiatives intended to deepen the life of prayer within the on-going life of the church. Metanoia examined fifteen heart attitudes that grow out of the life of prayer as they related to church health. The study employed a researcher-designed instrument, The Church Heart Exam, administered in a pretest/posttest design to measure shifts in heart attitudes. A systematic sample of 102 church members served the experimental group. 100 members of Saint Luke United Methodist Church in Lexington, Kentucky served as a non-treatment control group. The research question addressed in this study was:
What impact, if any, did a forty-day season of prayer conducted in the context of intact groups have on congregational heart attitudes of Murray Hill United Methodist Church as measured by the Church Heart Exam?
Title: Discipleship through Small group Ministry in a Congregation of the Church of God (Anderson) (1992).
Abstract: The purpose of this project was to design, implement and evaluate a thirteen week discipleship program in a congregation of the Church of God (Anderson). The project would demonstrate that a Christian can grow toward spiritual maturity through the structured disciplines of Bible study, prayer, personal sharing, and outreach training, as practiced in small groups.
This study employs the explanatory model and utilizes an experiment that can be duplicated by other congregations in the Church of God (Anderson). Applying a pre test and post test to both an experimental group and a control group, composed of participants from the Calvary Community Church of God in Alexandria, Indiana, raw data were gained for statistical analysis. These data were evaluated using the Mystat system for statistics.
The pre test and the post test results demonstrated the effectiveness of the discipleship program. Seventy-five percent of the participants in both groups experienced an increased sense of spiritual well-being. Concurrently, an accountability factor including regular attendance at thirteen structured sessions was introduced into the experimental group to determine its affect upon the development of spiritual maturity. The results indicated no significant difference between the experimental group and the control group.
Important in creating a cyclical system for promoting Christian discipleship, this project encourages spiritual growth, prompts behavioral change and promotes developmental opportunity. Weaknesses, however, were revealed in a group participation limited by the size of the congregation, the lack of a true random selection process, and a restricted number of groups.
The project verbalized elements of doctrine important to a congregation of the Church of God. The majority of participant in both experimental and control groups were spiritually enhanced and challenged to greater ministry
Title: The Development of Ecclesiastical Autonomy for the Free Methodist Church in Canada (1990).
Abstract: The thesis statement of this reflective history is a declaration that the Free Methodist Church in Canada has been discovering its own identity and its place in Canadian culture and at present is seeking to develop and implement appropriate strategies for effective ministry.
The thesis statement is supported by documentation of reasons why the American Free Methodists were invited to Canada initially in 1874. This documentation notes the appointment of the first Canadian Free Methodist minister in 1876, the formation of the first Annual Conference in 1880 and later the division of East and West Ontario Conferences in 1895.
This reflective history records a growing interaction of the church with Canadian culture. It documents the need for increasing autonomy from the mother Free Methodist Church in the United States in order to communicate in the cultural norms that are distinctly Canadian. This journey to autonomy was noted to have started in 1920 with the Sarnia Convention and the inception of the Canadian Executive Board, the formation of the Canadian Jurisdictional Conference in 1974 until the final step toward a Canadian General Conference in 1990.
Documentation has shown the rise of Canadian national identity culminating in a Canadian Constitution in 1982. This was the same year that Canadian Free Methodists began the process that ended in autonomy through the General Conference status in 1990. Extensive documentation has been included to describe and evaluate the process of attaining Canadian General Conference status.
A noted Canadian historian, Pierre Berton, in Why We Act Like Canadians: A Personal Exploration Of Our National Character has been used to delineate the broad distinctives between the American and Canadian cultures.
Further, the work, Fragmented Gods; The Poverty and Potential of Religion in Canada by sociologist Reginald W. Bibby has been noted in terms of future religious trends in the Canadian culture. By reviewing the insights of both these works and the mission of the Free Methodist Church in Canada, strategies for future presence and ministry have been suggested.
Title:Game Plan for a Healthy Congregation: A Collegial Group of Clergy (1998).
Abstract:A pastor in his first assignment is warned several times by different people, "Watch out for Mary." No one would elaborate on what they meant. Months later the pastor goes to Mary with a trusted church leader to confront her about accusations she made against a church board member. She cried and claimed we were "out to get her." Later that day her husband came to the pastor's study in a rage. Feeling physically threatened, the pastor had a revelatory thought: "Church should not be like this."
Thus the purpose of this study is to cast a vision for healthy congregations in the Church of the Nazarene. The literature review focuses on family systems theory as it forms characteristics of a healthy congregation. Both secular and religious material addresses barriers to health and activities to promote health.
Six pastors from an Appalachian district in the Church of the Nazarene were chosen to form a pastor's group. The charter of that group was to share their experiences and thoughts on congregational health. Through interview sessions and three focus group sessions the pastors developed their visions of health for their congregations and methods to cast them. The researcher developed a church health survey to find any relationship between the pastor's perception of health in his congregation and the vision and methods developed. The pastors spent six weeks casting their visions for health in their congregations. At the close of that time they debriefed their church boards and returned for a fourth focus group session.
No relationship between the visions and methods the pastors designed and their perception of their congregation's health was found. The study does find that the work of forming and then casting a vision for a healthy congregation was a positive experience. The data also supports forming categories of health the pastors used to describe health in their churches.
Two central methods used by the pastors to cast the vision were sermons or worship service events and teaching time with the church board. Many other methods were developed by the pastors as well. The study closes with suggesting a process that pastors and churches can use to cast and implement their vision of health for their congregations.