Church work with youth

Michael Thiessen D.Min.

The purpose of this project was to respond to the identified crisis in disciple-making by exploring the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats of a Family-Integrated-Church ministry model.
To accomplish this SWOT analysis, there were four steps to this research project: A literature review, Biblical research on the family, twelve semi-structured interviews with FEB pastors, and an elders’ review of our FIC model at Grace Baptist Church in Alliston, Ontario. By doing this research project, I hoped to understand this ministry model better and sought to focus our local church disciple-making practices.

The information gleaned from this research project confirmed for me some of what I already knew anecdotally; there is a crisis in children’s and young adult ministry of which the family is a key part of both the problem and solution. The next generation needs to be able to follow their parents, who are worshipping, praying, and serving before them, in order to be made into passionate disciples of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Scott Mills D.Min.

This project explored the transformational growth of high school students who served children in homeless crisis by implementing a pilot program at the Fort Wayne Charis House. The findings revealed student growth in three goal areas: greater cultural understanding, greater appreciation for life situation, and greater motivation to serve. The project explored biblical foundations and the causes and consequences of families in homeless crisis. It also examined similarities between “service learning” in the public schools and integrative ministry. Through this program, students built critical thinking skills, positive relationships, and a sense of responsibility as they engaged in serving their community.

Samuel Lee Dallas III D.Min.

This research demonstrates that apologetics material integrated into evangelism training increases the personal confidence of middle and high school students in sharing their faith. The anonymous surveys of thirty teenagers involved in the research showed an overall 33 percent increase in confidence (on a self-scoring ten-point scale) after participating in such training. Additionally, an overall 49 percent increase resulted in their perceived abilities to answer challenging questions during evangelistic discussions.
Such measurements were also validated in practical application. Graded quizzes on apologetics-related questions taken by the students both before and after the training revealed an overall 98 percent increase in scores. Finally, the students showed an overall 91 percent increase in sharing their faith in the two months following the training compared to the two months prior. These numbers reveal not only improvement in self-perception, but objective measures make the case for the success of this ministry project.
Chapter 1 introduces the ministry need and thesis of the dissertation in response to the need. Additionally, a layout of the researcher’s Faith Pyramid Evangelism Strategy is introduced.
Chapter 2 provides a biblical and theological justification for integrating apologetics into evangelism training and provides a historical justification for such an approach.
Chapter 3 examines the specific goals of this research as it relates to the subjective measures of teenage evangelists, the knowledge the researcher has sought to teach the students, and the desirable goal for an increase in evangelism as a result of such training.
Chapter 4 reviews the specific training of the thirty middle and high school students completed in the weekend seminar. The lessons were arranged into five workshops, followed by a survey given to the students two months following the training.
Chapter 5 provides a conclusion via an in-depth evaluation of the ministry project, as well as suggestions for future plans in implementing such training.

Carissa Kay Henry

A Discovery Project of Equine Assisted Therapy in Relationship to God by Carissa Kay Henry:
The purpose of this project was to discover the degree to which a select group of Christian therapists understands the ways in Equine Assisted Therapy (EAT) can mirror young adults' relationships with God. The discover project consisted of an assessment tool created and implemented for qualitative and quantitative responses.
The most prominent finding was the Christian therapists have the ability to view the relationships of young adults with God and see those relationships improve through Equine Assisted Therapy. Application and recommendations for further research are offered for consideration.

Julie Michelle Welborn D.Min.

The topic of this thesis-project is the role of storytelling as a pathway to healing in retreat settings for high school youth. The thesis to be tested suggests that when personal narratives are coupled with biblical narratives, that a new and healthier narrative can emerge; and, especially to examine more clearly any inherent dangers in storytelling; and to explore what appropriate follow-up needs to be designed in the aftermath of such storytelling. This thesis-project takes in depth look at the role of story, Scripture, and the experiences of storytelling from adults who have facilitated retreats, along with adults who have participated on retreats while in high school.

Brian Jacob Barry

My local ministry context is a theologically conservative Anglican congregation, in which a substantial proportion of youth and children are or have been enrolled in home-based education. I designed and ran a pilot workshop for high-school students in home-based education, with a goal of offering training in boundaries, skills, and habits that allow for positive interaction with popular electronic media. A study of the biblical motif of sojourners and exiles provides a theological framework against which different models of Church and Culture are compared. It is found that Christians, as sojourners and exiles, embrace an alternative identity as the People of God, yet function as bona fide participants in their broader cultures, through which the missio dei is advanced. A robust eschatology prepares the Christian to navigate the inherent tensions and difficulties. A study of many efforts at formation around media identify three strategic categories into which these efforts fit, namely cultural abstinence, cultural conversation, and faith-formative practices performed within the Christian community. An eight-week media workshop was designed as a synthesis of these different practices, with focus on a Media Rule of Life, five skills of cultural conversation, and five corresponding spiritual practices. From the results of this pilot course, recommendations are made for development of future media formation approaches.

Christina J Semmel

This thesis-project is a qualitative study of five directors of national youth ministry training organizations. Through the lens of appreciative inquiry and employing critical reflection, it discerns best practices in training youth ministry leaders in the Roman Catholic Church in the United States and the underlying assumptions and values of such practices. Using relevant Church documents and transformative learning theory in dialogue with these practices and assumptions the author proposes the promotion of a ministerial habitus. In concludes with five recommendations for improving the field of youth ministry training, including a national document as a framework for guiding training and formation.

Kelvin A Aikens

This project demonstrates that integrating young adults into leadership positions within the church will rfacilitate the need of a systematic succession planning tool for the church. this project underscores the premise that people are more emotionally involved in an organization when intergenerational relationships are forged. Therefore, the focus of this project is to establish mentoring relationships to help get young people involved, especially in leadership roles where they can contribute to the church. This project was successful in providing directional information for young adults to understand their ministry fit and it revealed the mentoring process is not to be rushed.

Raymond L Webb

This project was designed to lead a select group of people to develop an on-going strategy for Temple Builders Community Church (TBCC) to evangelize and discipline young adults (ages 18 to 34) in South Orange County, California. The strategy defined the goals needed to evangelize and discipline young adults and to initiate the transformation of the culture at TBCC toward becoming one that actively seeks young adults. A cross-generational project team developed the strategy and goals using Young Adult Small Group Resources and a proven Strategic Planning model.

Won Jueng Lee

In this paper the author shows understanding of adolescence as an important period for youth spiritual formation. Christian spirituality is an intimate encounter with God, the source of change and maturity as a gift of God 's grace. Spiritual formation is a lifelong process, and adolescence is a valuable time to prepare for the spiritual formation. In Korean society, however, youths are suffering from spiritual and psychological poverty due to the college entrance exam-centered educational system and losing the opportunity of spiritual formation. Therefore the author presents three spiritual disciplines which are Lectio Divina, Spiritual Journaling, and the Centering Prayer for intimate encounters with God, spiritual satisfaction, and aiming to taking after Jesus Christ.