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EXPERIENCES OF EGYPTIAN YOUTH PARTICIPATING IN DISCIPLESHIP AND MENTORING GROUPS AFTER ATTENDING AN EVANGELICAL YOUTH CAMP IN EGYPT
Get PDFSpiritual development plays a vital role in young people’s psychological health and wellness, and spiritual awareness is beneficial in developing morals and coping strategies when dealing with real-life situations (Lee et al., 2020). A lack of scholarly literature addressing the spiritual growth of Egyptian youth involved in evangelical camps and now living for Christ in a predominately Muslim society prompted this study. This qualitative narrative study was based on the theoretical framework of social constructivism pioneered by Vygotsky. The research participants were four Egyptian youth who had attended a Christian camp, made the life-changing decision to follow Christ, and were involved in a discipleship and mentorship program after camp. All interviews were conducted in English and Arabic using Zoom video conferencing and were recorded and transcribed using the Otter.ai transcription application in English. The four Egyptian youth shared detailed information about their lived experiences during and after camp to provide stories about the spiritual discipleship program with mentors after camp. Data was collected, verified for accuracy by the participants, then coded and analyzed to reveal four emergent themes. The themes were, Egyptian life, the participants’ spiritual experience at camp, discipleship with mentors after camp, and recommendations for future camps. Findings from this study suggested spiritual discipleship and mentorship played a significant part in the participants’ spiritual growth after camp
Generational Differences in Assemblies of God Ministers Regarding Assemblies of God Doctrinal Beliefs
Get PDFMinisters with a strong belief in the Assemblies of God’s Statement of Fundamental Truths and doctrine are essential to the future success and proliferation of the Assemblies of God mission and churches. This study aimed to assess and compare ministers’ denominational and doctrinal beliefs in the AGUSA by generational groups. The researcher examined the history and current literature concerning generational differences, varied religious beliefs and practices among the generations, the early history of Pentecostalism and the Assemblies of God in America, and specific characteristics of the Silent Generation, Baby Boomers, Generation X, and Millennials. The aim was to provide insights that would add to the existing knowledge about ministers’ doctrinal beliefs by generational group. The findings revealed that the mathematical relationship between generational groups of ministers concerning AG doctrine and beliefs was statistically significant at the p \u3c .05 level. Furthermore, the findings offer insights for future research, provide implications for practice, and serve as a call for action by AGUSA leadership to proactively address the challenge of these and future generational differences in doctrinal beliefs
STUDENT PREFERENCES ABOUT STUDENT-TEACHER COMMUNICATION AND STUDENT PERCEPTIONS OF TEACHER PRESENCE IN AN ONLINE MIDDLE SCHOOL
Get PDFThe purpose of this non-experimental, quantitative survey study was to determine how middle school students in fully online language arts courses perceived their teachers to be present and what methods of communication with the teacher middle school students desired. The purposive sample was composed of 100 sixth and seventh grade language arts students from a large virtual school in the southeastern United States. Student responses were overwhelmingly skewed, and results from the survey indicated a statistically significant finding. Students in online middle school find their teachers to be present and desire to be communicated with using text messages first and phone calls second. The researcher found that communicating with students using the desired mode of communication is beneficial to students in online learning environments and that students find teachers to be present when teachers communicate with students with immediacy. Keywords: virtual school, online education, online learning, online school, virtual education, middle school, teacher presence, teacher immediacy, communication, sixth grade, seventh grade, eighth grade, junior high school, junior high, jr. high, jr. high school, teacher-student communication, student-teacher communicatio
A GOSPEL CENTERED AND HOLISTIC APPROACH TO CARING FOR INDIVDUALS EXPERIENCING POVERTY
Get PDFPoverty is a major contributor of negative effects to individual health, mental health, and quality of life. The call God has for Christians is to care for individuals experiencing poverty. The question the research aims to answer is: “What elements are important to provide a holistic feeding program that meets the need of an individual physically and spiritually?” Literature on the issue of poverty, a thorough review of scriptures, as well as insights from experts in the field provided information on historical and contemporary issues affecting the poor. Data for this project was collected through a mixed methods study consisting of ten nonprofit and local church leaders. A content analysis approach was utilized and the research looked for trends and insights. The findings of the research concluded that local churches and non-profit organizations could benefit from training staff and volunteers on evangelism, implementing evidence-informed curriculum for clients, and using metrics to help inform whether the services offered to families are making an impact. This project will inform the reader of potential methods to incorporate in Christian feeding programs to provide a holistic approach to care for the needs of individuals living in poverty
THE LIVED EXPERIENCE OF TEACHERS’ SOCRATIC PRACTICE: A HERMENEUTIC PHENOMENOLOGY
Get PDFThis hermeneutic phenomenology studied the lived experiences of four high school teachers’ Socratic practice. The purpose of the study was to describe the essence of high school teachers’ lived experience of Socratic practice and explore what the teachers’ lived experiences suggested about their understanding of Socratic practice. The data for this study were collected in semistructured interviews with four teachers. As a hermeneutic phenomenological study, the researcher did not bracket himself. Instead, he clarified his reflexivity and examined transcripts of the written interviews through a hermeneutic circle. The study found four significant themes among teachers’ descriptions of their lived experiences with leading Socratic discussions: being delighted, being troubled, being a dialogue-builder, and being Socratic. The four themes were also broken down into subthemes. The subthemes for being delighted were being delighted by different perspectives, being delighted by student ownership, and being delighted by student growth. The subthemes for being troubled were being challenged with engagement, being timebound, being self-doubting, and being conflicted. The subthemes for being a dialogue-builder were being process-oriented, being goal-oriented, being growth-oriented, being clear about expectations, being in control, and being empathetic. Finally, the subthemes for being Socratic were being a guide, being argument-followers, being observant, and being a gadfly. The teachers’ experiences suggested some disagreement about Socratic practices. The study also described the differences between Socrates’s and the teachers’ approaches to the Socratic method. The study’s findings emphasize a need for further research into the definition, purpose, and nature of Socratic practices in the classroom
MENTAL HEALTH OF CREATIVE PROFESSIONALS IN MINISTRY
Get PDFThis study examines the perceptions of creative professionals working in ministry. A “creative” is defined as anyone whose job relies on their ability to create and innovate, and the focus of this research is on creatives that serve in church environments where their creativity and spirituality are intertwined with their work. A quantitative research approach was designed to study the creative’s perception on six key-areas of their work/life balance. The resulting survey was administered online to willing participants who identified themselves as creative professionals in ministry. The data found that found that the creative\u27s perception of their organization as stifling their creativity was a statistically significant predictor of a decline in job satisfaction and spiritual fulfillment, and predicted an increased likelihood job-related stress, feeling emotionally drained due to work, and of spiritual burnout as a result of working in ministry. The findings are discussed in depth in the final chapter
LONELINESS AND THE CHURCH: CREATING EFFECTIVE DISCIPLESHIP SYSTEMS FOR THE NEXT GENERATION
Get PDFLoneliness is the most common shared experience. With Generation Alpha already predicted to be the loneliest and most anxious generation of all time, it is more important than ever for next-generation ministry leaders to step ahead of the trend of loneliness and establish effective discipleship systems within their ministry. This study explores to what level people are experiencing loneliness on a daily basis and how their church involvement impacts said loneliness. The church is good at offering large group and small group connections for individuals, but most participants said their church does not offer mentorship opportunities, neglecting the vital intimate dimension of connection Dr. Vivek Murthy discusses. This study proposes a youth leader training manual for churches to implement to make sure each student is able to have a one-on-one coaching relationship with their leader
MENTORSHIP PROGRAMS AS AN EFFECTIVE METHOD OF HUMAN TRAFFICKING PREVENTION
Get PDFThousands of people are having their human rights violated as victims of sex and labor trafficking throughout the United States. Human trafficking prevention is a significant factor in combatting modern day slavery; however, there is a substantial lack of existing literature on the topic. As a result of previous research determining mentorship programs as a strategy to reduce juvenile delinquency, this study explores mentor programs as a preventative strategy for combatting human trafficking. This mixed-methods, exploratory study investigated what mentorship programs across the United States are doing to prevent children from becoming victims of human trafficking, and what still needs to be done within those programs to reduce human trafficking. The results of the online survey sent out to mentorship program staff and directors presented that most mentor program participants (83.3%) are not currently providing information about trafficking to mentees. Qualitative analysis of the study results demonstrate that mentorship programs need more education, more mentors, and an increased focus on human trafficking to prevent mentees from trafficking. The results of this study implicate that mentorship program staff should consider including trafficking awareness training for staff and mentors, as well as including an anti-trafficking curriculum in their program targeted toward mentees
Towards a Model of Leadership Development: A Case Study of a Large Evangelical Church in Virginia
Get PDFMinistry leaders are leaving the vocation in record numbers, largely due to a lack of intentional leadership development or preparedness for the challenges they face. These leaders require a formalized process for developing both the cognitive and behavioral aspects of leading in the local church that authentic and spiritual leadership comprise. The exemplar examined in this case study, recognizing similar challenges, implemented a leadership development process derived from components of both authentic and spiritual leadership. Over the span of just 3 years, the church experienced a nearly 20-point increase in employee engagement, earning them the title of Best Christian Workplace. According to the Best Christian Workplaces Institute (2022), a 10-point swing in employee engagement is high. The fact that the exemplar experienced a nearly 20-point swing is extremely rare. The purpose of this study was to explore authentic and spiritual leadership development in the local church through the exemplar of this large evangelical church in Virginia. The findings confirmed that the exemplar has not only incorporated components of both authentic and spiritual leadership into their leadership development framework, but that staff and volunteers credit the exemplar’s intentional process with much of the success they have enjoyed over the past 3 years