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Public Church Framework as Process for Antiracism: Integrating Racial Identity Development Models and Theological Commitments
Get PDFThis paper discusses various models of racial identity development and offers the Public Church Framework as one way that faith communities can engage in antiracism work
Luther Seminary Capstone
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Defying Expectations: One Female Preacher\u27s Exploration of Preaching Performance, Listener Expectations, and Emotion
Get PDFIn this thesis, one female preacher explores preaching performance, listener expectation, and emotion. Using exploratory research methodology, the thesis seeks to answer the following questions in a particular context: What are listener expectations of sermon delivery? Do listeners hold differing sermon delivery expectations for female preachers? How does meeting or straying from these expectations affect receptivity of the message? Data was collected through interviews with pastors, focus group questionnaires, and feedback forms of respondents who responded to sermons preached with different performance choices by both a female preacher and a male preacher. The results revealed a bias around performances related to emotion. On this basis, preachers would benefit from further research in the areas of emotion and preaching performance for the sake of expanding interpretations of Scripture and performances of the Word
Contextual Leadership Within Chin Immigrant Churches in the United States
Get PDFThis research explores the leadership practices of Chin immigrant congregations in the United States, focusing on how they can develop a more effective leadership practice in dealing with the new context of the new land. It attempts to answer the question: What kind of leadership practice will help Chin immigrant leaders apply adaptive leadership theory for implementing contextual oriented leadership theory for the church? The initial motivation for this research arose out of the researcher’s interest in the perception of Chin immigrant congregations on the issue of leadership. A qualitative case study research method was employed in this research.
The research result indicates that the context of the immigrant churches in America challenges the traditional practices of leadership in Myanmar. It also challenges the total validity of western theories and methods of leadership when applied to different people with different cultures. Myanmar immigrant church leaders and ministers need to re-evaluate their understanding of leadership practice within the context of the immigrants they serve. At the same time, they should reconsider women’s participation in the church\u27s leadership role and let young people with contextual understanding of the new land participate in the leadership role for effective ministry to the immigrants in the US
Power Perfected in Weakness: The Effectiveness of Spiritual Practices on Personal Power in the Lives of Men
Get PDFThis mixed methods Action Research project studied the effects of spiritual
practices in the life of men in a Lutheran congregation. The project was framed by Janet Hagberg and her work on personal power in “Real Power: Stages of Personal Power in Organizations,” Narrative Theory, and masculinity. These frames were integrated with biblical and theological lenses of the theology of the cross, spiritual practices, and Trinitarian theology, including a significant lens from Richard Rohr and his book, “Adam’s Return: The Five Promises of Male Initiation.”
The study offered insight into the impact of specific spiritual practices with the intent of shifting awareness in men\u27s lives from an external sense of power to inner meaning. The results showed the effectiveness of engaging in communal spiritual practices to help men understand the importance of personal power
Poverty Alleviation in the Rural Areas of Kunene Region in Namibia: The Role of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Namibia (ELCIN)
Get PDFListening to Millennials: An Exploration of the Relationship Between Millennials and the Church
Get PDFThis mixed methods exploratory research project investigated the relationship between the millennial generation and the Christian church. Through interviews of seven millennial couples connected to my congregation, six millennials not connected to the church, and conversations churched millennials had with peers, I was able to learn what the variables were that impacted their involvement or lack of involvement with the church. A survey of the congregation was also conducted to compare spiritual practices of millennials with other generations in the church. The results indicated the importance of a strong Christian upbringing and meeting millennials where they are at spiritually
Seeking the Wellspring: Exploring Generosity in a Financial Drought
Get PDFThis action research project utilized transformative qualitative methods to explore the concept of generous giving by examining the attitudes of a small non-random sample of participants within a congregation before and after an intervention consisting of a seven-part sermon series. Theoretical lenses included generosity, adaptive change, and emergence theory. Biblical lenses included Isaiah 43:18-21 and Isaiah 58:6-12 (wellspring in the desert), John 4 (the Samaritan woman at the well), and John 7:37-39 (living water). Theological lenses included missional pneumatology and the missio Dei, the Christian steward, and the holy currencies of the Cycle of Blessings. Findings revealed that presentation of a new consideration of generosity and generous giving influenced the study participants’ attitudes and practices of generosity and may foster openness to change and deeper discernment of the missio Dei
Hospitality in the House of God: Deconstructing Habit and Building Missio Dei
Get PDFThis research project addresses neighborliness, change, and hospitality in the life of a mainline church of 1,200 members. It is a congregation that has traditional worship and programming with progressive values. The congregants are not comfortable with change and are coming to terms with the missing Millennial generation. Mixed method Action Research using missional practices of hospitality and neighbor interviews offered new faith formation and relationship growth with neighbors. There were also educational opportunities on change, the missional church movement, and neighborliness. The work relies on the theology of Serene Jones, Kosuke Koyama, and Miroslav Volf
Preaching the Law with the Gospel
Get PDFPreaching tools like the Revised Common Lectionary infrequently draw preachers to the legal texts of the Pentateuch, even though the New Testament, and especially the four Gospels, are heavily influenced by the legal texts of the Pentateuch. Congregations are at a disadvantage in understanding the New Testament message when one of the primary sources that shaped the New Testament is ignored. This study addresses this problem by utilizing relevant scholarship focused on New Testament interpretation of the legal texts to develop suggestions for preaching these texts. The four gospels are surveyed to glean insights into how they interpret the legal texts of the Pentateuch. Four scholars are then consulted to present possibilities for preaching derived from the Apostle Paul\u27s letters. Then, the legal texts are addressed more directly, followed by the presentation of six broad suggestions for preaching these texts. The study closes by applying the suggestions to a sermon preached by the author, highlighting ways these suggestions could make the sermon better and ways the sermon already utilized the suggestions well. The hope is that a preacher reading this project can approach the legal texts of the Pentateuch with confidence and preach these texts to a congregation regularly