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Creating Congregational Care Teams at St. Stephen’s United Methodist Church in Albuquerque, New Mexico
Full text linkThe purpose of this project is to create congregational care teams to serve the emotional and spiritual needs of the parishioners at St. Stephen’s United Methodist Church (SSUMC) in Albuquerque, New Mexico. Congregational care should be done by clergy and laity primarily to address and assuage those who suffer from emotional and spiritual distress. This paper will focus on three key areas.
In Part One, the historical contours of SSUMC’s past and its overall congregational care ministry will be explored. The importance of holistic care—body, mind, and spirit—will be examined within the church context. Currently, all congregational care is clergy-centered and focuses inwardly, stifling growth on all levels. However, one of the strengths of the congregation is its willingness to offer care, albeit on a limited basis.
In Part Two, theological literature and teachings relevant to this specific ministry challenge will be explored. The literature reviews will reflect the central and important role of clergy and laity in the long tradition of Christian soul care. A theology of congregational care from a biblical perspective will be introduced. This theology will be examined through a lens of cross-cultural compassion, applying tradition and experience through a narrative approach. Clear and concise communication is essential to ensure that all those who need spiritual care are not neglected.
Finally, in Part Three of this study, a ministry strategy that incorporates a pilot care team will be discussed. At SSUMC, the best practices of other pastoral care ministries will help form the foundation of the congregational care teams. The objective is for care teams to be transformed on a personal level, so that the tasks that they must perform become opportunities to release the power of prayer, healing, nurture, listening, and compassion. This ministry strategy will be assessed to determine its effectiveness
The Immersion Experience: A Contemplative Approach to Spiritual Transformation Guided by Ignatian Spirituality and the Spiritual Exercises
Full text linkThe purpose of this project was to offer a spiritual formation program for leaders at Urban Church that introduced them to Ignatian Spirituality and the Spiritual Exercises with a view to providing a holistic, contemplative approach to spiritual transformation. Such an approach to formation is a rich alternative to the historic formation approach in a Pentecostal context which tends to focus on inspiration and education rather than transformation.
The first part of this paper discusses the history of Pentecostalism in Australia, with a particular focus on the genesis and subsequent development of the Australian Christian Churches (ACC) movement which is the Pentecostal denomination to which Urban Church belongs. Consideration was given to how within the Pentecostal church, discipleship has been heavily influenced by an evangelical emphasis on correct doctrinal belief and eschatological urgency. This section also provides a short history of Urban Church and demonstrates how Ignatian spirituality and a contemplative approach to formation supports the broader vision and mission of the church.
The second part of this paper focuses on the theological foundation for an Ignatian approach to spiritual transformation. This section includes a literature review covering Ignatian Spirituality, The Spiritual Exercises as well as touching on the teaching of Dallas Willard. Utilizing those sources, it is argued that an Ignatian approach to spiritual formation is not only appropriate, but an exciting and energizing one for a Pentecostal context.
The final part of this paper describes the content and evaluation of the Immersion Experience which was aimed at introducing participants to Ignatian spirituality, Ignatian discernment and the first movement of the Spiritual Exercises. The approach to the project was four-fold including teaching, individual and group exercises, personal reflection and communal exploration of the movements within the soul of the participants
Intellectual and Academic Performance in Adults with Childhood Hemispherectomy
No full textResearch on cognitive outcomes of adults with childhood hemispherectomies (HE) is limited. In this study, I examined intellectual and academic functioning in adults who have undergone a HE using the Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale (WAIS-III; Wechsler, 1997) and the Wechsler Individual Achievement Test (WIAT-II; Wechsler, 2005). The WAIS-III consists of four cognitive indices (perceptual organization, processing speed, working memory, and verbal comprehension). The WIAT-II consists of four academic composite scores (reading, math, oral language, and written language). The scores of individuals with HE (N = 8) were compared to the age-based standard scores on WAIS-III and WIAT-II using a series of one-sample t tests. Means of right hemispherectomy (RHE; n = 6) and left hemispherectomy (LHE; n = 2) were compared for qualitative observations on hemispheric lateralization. Significant differences from test norms were found on perceptual organization (Cohen’s d = -1.54), processing speed (Cohen’s d = -3.78), working memory (Cohen’s d = -1.18), and mathematics (Cohen’s d = -1.28) compared to established norms of WAIS-III and WIAT-II. Individuals with HE performed significantly worse than expected on these four indices. A trend was found on Reading composite (Cohen’s d = -1.01). These differences suggested that individuals with hemispherectomy have deficits in flexibility of mental images, scanning information efficiently, manipulating sequential verbal responses, and mathematical reasoning. Further, when LHE were removed, RHE subgroup revealed larger effect size for PSI (Cohen’s d = -6.58) compared to the total sample, which implied RHE subgroup was more deficient in processing speed
Training God-Dependent and Community-Connected Disciples Who Are a Faithful Presence in a Secular Age
Full text linkThe goal of this project is to equip the adults at Wellspring Church to be Goddependent and community-connected disciples who are a faithful presence of God in a secular context. It is carried out at Wellspring Church in Pacific Grove, California, and it uses Charles Taylor’s understanding of secularism as the primary framework for reflection.
The theological reflection section provides biblical insight into secularism in the West. It highlights the biblical narrative’s focus on a transcendent God breaking into and dwelling within the immanent frame as well as how the biblical focus on an everlasting kingdom undermines the “YOLO” (You only live once) of the immanent frame. It also underlines the New Testament focus on community as well as the relationship between authentic expression and community in the letters of Paul. This section also notes the church’s call to be a faithful presence in the world as well as makes the case that the cross-pressures of secularism provide an opportunity for Christian witness.
The manual design section of this project shifts in a more applied direction. It outlines the theological goals of the training manual, the desired learning outcomes, and the target population of the ministry initiative. It also explains the process of implementation and assessment of the manual at Wellspring Church in Pacific Grove, California.
Content Read: Tony Jones, Ph
First-Time Adult Offenders: A Psychoeducational Group Therapy Intervention Manual
No full textA psychoeducational group therapy intervention was created to address the unique psychological needs of first-time adult offenders (FTAOs). FTAOs have been found to have a higher level of internal motivation for change when compared to repeat adult offenders. This motivation is highest in the first three to four months of the sentence, after which they start to present similarly to repeat adult offenders. Additionally, research suggests that FTAOs present with different psychological needs, such as a higher level of anxiety. Unfortunately, there is a lack of available research and psychological resources for this population. As a means to fill this gap and provide a psychological resource for FTAOs, I have developed a psychoeducational group therapy intervention manual to address their unique psychological needs. In this intervention manual, I utilize the cognitive-behavioral therapy model as a framework because it has shown to be an effective modality of treatment for offender populations. The purpose of the manual is to provide FTAOs with psychoeducational resources and concrete tools that will assist during this transitional period. Through the 7-week program, participants will gain self-awareness and learn how to utilize their internal motivation to address their psychological needs. The 7-week intervention program comprises of 90-minute weekly sessions, which include introductions to new concepts, self-reflection activities, group discussion, and weekly homework assignments
Equipping Leadership for Cultural Renewal: A Discipleship Strategy for Communities of Mission
Full text linkThis project aimed to design and implement a discipleship strategy of short-term training and longer-term communities of mission for cultural renewal among the students and parents of Signal Mountain Presbyterian Church. The goal was to equip and empower them to be the faithful presence of Jesus’ love in the various cultural spheres of their ordinary lives. This study begins by examining the unique context of Signal Pres through its geographic and demographic location, cultural situation, and leadership challenges in considering its mission and methods.
The core reflections of the project work through culture, Scripture, and theology to draw four conclusions. First, it argues for retelling the full biblical story of salvation for creation and culture. Second, it recovers the church’s ancient-future position of “voluntary exile” and its posture of “faithful presence” within the world. Third, it examines the need for renewing habits to shape gestures of worship and mission. Fourth, it recommends revising church structures for training and sending to serve in the world.
The ministry project itself was led and implemented by a Core Team from Signal Mountain Presbyterian Church in Signal Mountain, TN, from summer 2017 to summer 2018. They created and designed a course of discipleship that practiced those conclusions and equipped participants to scatter and form smaller communities of mission for faithful presence in a particular domain. Though participants completed the course, they did not then serve together and grow into a community of mission. Significant adaptation may be necessary for future efforts
As the Father Sent Me, So I Send You: A Strategy for Training Storehouse Church Members to Activate their Sent Nature
Full text linkThis doctoral project will create a training resource that will equip the members of Storehouse Church to activate their sent nature.
Storehouse Church was founded in 2001 by a seven-person church-planting team of young adults. The church has grown consistently over the years, moving from one rental facility to the next. In 2012, Storehouse Church was able to purchase an existing church building nestled on 8 acres in Plymouth Meeting, PA. The specific need of the church is to train and equip members to embrace their sent nature and engage in missional activity.
Part 1 of this project will describe the unique context of the Plymouth Meeting community, specifically its proximity to urban centers and suburban development. The project will highlight the history and ministry of Storehouse Church. Detail will be provided about the challenges Storehouse Church leaders must overcome to fully participate in the training experience titled “The Sent Lab.”
Part 2 of the project will review books that provide a biblical foundation for understanding missional activity. The works that have been chosen for this project consist of the thought leaders in this important topic. The insights from this section will form the foundation for the development and implementation of The Sent Lab.
Part 3 will draw upon the work in Part 2 to present a two-part strategy for activating missional activity in the local church. First is a retreat environment where participants are taught the biblical, theological, and practical aspects of missional activity. Second, utilize personal coaching based on personal application of the material. The objective is to mobilize church members to engage in specific steps toward application. The feedback from the participants will be utilized to refine the process thereby creating a reproducible strategy for mobilizing believers in missional activity through the local church
No Foreigners in the Kingdom: The Revitalization of St. James AME Zion Church
Full text linkThe purpose of this project is to explore the causal factors of church decline through the perspectives of church leadership, membership, community engagement, social factors, political and economic climate, denominational polity, and human choice to determine if church decline is fatal. It is argued that, though these factors contribute to church decline and eventual death if not addressed, a church can be revitalized to new life when appropriate measures are taken. Church revitalization is a long, tedious process but when a pastor and congregation determine to commit the time, effort, and resources necessary to bring the church back to a healthy state, it is possible to do so.
The thesis was tested at St. James AME Zion Church in San Mateo, California, a local church that had been in a slow yet steady decline for several decades. This is evidenced by the fact that the children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren of the most senior members are no longer members of the church, few new members have joined, and the church focus turned inward to protect the remnant who remained.
An examination of Scripture confirms that decline has never been an expectation for the Church of God. The expectation was and remains, church growth and expansion. The hypothesis that church decline can be reversed is tested by developing and implementing a revitalization process for ministry at St. James, creating a new church within an established, historic structure. The process began by performing an environmental scan in every area of ministry, creating the supporting framework for changes made thus far by the revitalization team, a combination of staff and lay leadership.
This project will necessarily continue after publishing, but what has been concluded thus far is that St. James is already experiencing new life, new membership, and a bright hope for the future
Secondary Traumatic Stress, Burnout and Compassion Satisfaction Among Ministry Workers: An Exploratory Study of the Impact of Adverse Childhood Experiences
No full textMinistry workers often serve on the front lines of responding to individuals who have experienced trauma (Drescher & Foy, 2010). This work can often be taxing and may result in ministry workers experiencing adverse effects. The Professional Quality of Life scale (ProQOL; Stamm, 2010) highlights secondary traumatic stress (STS), burnout and compassion satisfaction (CS) as differing reactions to working with survivors of trauma. The Adverse Childhood Experiences Scale (ACES; Felitti et al., 1998) assesses the role of childhood trauma as a risk/resiliency factor. In this study, I examined the ways in which ministry workers experience trauma related material in their ministry contexts and in their own lives. Ministry workers (N = 211) completed a self-report survey. Hierarchical multiple regressions revealed total number of ACES predicted STS, but did not significantly predict burnout or CS. Participants self-report of the likelihood of working with trauma survivors in their ministry contexts was indicated as a significant predictor of CS. Additionally, narrative data regarding ministry workers’ report of the impact of their work was coded utilizing ProQOL constructs (STS, burnout and CS) as pre-determined themes. Additional themes reported by participants included spiritual impacts, self-care and no change (to well-being). These findings suggest that early childhood trauma may play a unique role in relation to ministry-related stress. Additionally, the frequent report of positive spiritual impacts demonstrates that future studies would benefit from exploring the unique role of spirituality/religion as a resilience factor
Introducing Contemplative Spirituality and Practices to a Pilot Small Group at Peace Hill Christian Fellowship
Full text linkThis study sought to investigate the effects of contemplative prayer practices on three areas of the interior life: (1) the effect of contemplative silence on overcoming chaotic thought and anxiety, (2) the effect of contemplative practice of appreciative delight, focused on finding God in all things, on overcoming negative and depressive thinking, (3) the effect of contemplative rest in the finished work of Christ on the ability to overcome shame and distrust of God.
The creation account of Genesis 1:1 - 2:3 reveals contemplation as an essential element of God’s character through which God overcomes chaos, delights in all of creation, and chooses to rest. Contemplation is an innate ability of human beings made in God’s image and a necessary aspect of human life and thriving, without which life becomes chaotic, depressive and restless. These contemplative practices have been used in different eras of church history, but have, until recently, been forgotten in modern society.
The project attempted to reconnect a group of Protestants to historic contemplative spirituality. The hypothesis is that contemplative practices create a deeper connection with God and have a healing affect on those wrestling with chaotic thought and anxiety, negative and depressive thought, and guilt and distrust of God.
The thesis was tested on a small group at Peace Hill Christian Fellowship in Southeastern Virginia. Subjects took part in a ten week study, after which the affects of contemplative prayer were analyzed. The general conclusion of the study was that the introduction of contemplative practices did lead to greater intimacy with God and had some healing affect on areas of chaotic thought, depressive thought, and restless guilt. While the findings of such a small sample cannot be conclusive, the study hopes to open the way to further research.
Content Reader: Randy Rowland, Ph