Social action and church

Jonathan M Romig D.Min.

The author hypothesized that the direct teaching and discussion of the biblical concepts and commands of human flourishing and the common good would give Cornerstone Congregational Church in Westford, MA a theological framework for engaging civilly in faith and politics. To test this hypothesis, the author taught a non-partisan ten-week sermon series on religion and politics and led an accompanying class discussion. Research study participants completed a pre-and-post survey to gauge effectiveness. The author concluded that all participants developed more of a theological framework for engaging in politics, some more than others. The author recommends pastors and churches engage in political discipleship.

DaeHwa Park M.Div.

The world faces the environmental crisis with climate change. The discipleship pathway of Good Shepherd campus (“Good Shepherd”) and Savage campus (“Savage”) of The United Methodist Church in the greater Washington area has been focusing on a personal holiness that neglects social holiness. Beginning with the congregational survey on Anthropocene, this project explores a variety of global responses to climate change, recent updates from climate experts, and new rational hermeneutics on literacy and scientific methods, so that the Milky Way disciples in small churches may challenge the policymakers to find a teleological road map for a final cause that sets the world free from economical, mental, and physical stresses.

Kip David Salser

The purpose of this project was to assess social needs of selected elementary students and their families in Longview, Texas, for First Baptist Church, Longview. Elementary schools involved in this project were The Bailey School in the Longview Independent School District as well as Birch Elementary and Parkway Elementary, both in the Pine Tree Independent School District. Utilizing the Community Assessment project model, the director undertook an assessment of the demographic data and community needs related to families with elementary students in Longview to establish the project’s foundation. Next, the director determined local resources available to meet identified needs of these Longview families with elementary students. At that juncture, the director explored and investigated regional models and methods of community needs-based ministry to families with elementary students to determine best practices. Finally, the intended results from this project were the identification and presentation of specific recommendations to the Church Coordination Council of First Baptist Church, Longview, by a Strategic Leadership Team, for the development of a community-needs ministry to selected elementary students and their families in Longview.

Jon Derek Fortenberry D.Min.

This project aims to equip Longview Point Baptist Church members to be involved in orphan care. The project coordinator argues that as the congregation has a greater understanding of the theology of adoption, the love of Christ for the fatherless, his commands for his people to care for the fatherless, and the great need for orphan care, that more people will be involved in orphan care at all levels of engagement. Chapter 1 lays the theological foundation for the project, an overview of the project, and its goals. Chapter 2 delves into the project’s specifics at Longview Point Baptist Church in Hernando, Mississippi. Chapter 3 details the rest of the sessions and how the project coordinator challenged the participants to further action. Chapter 4 evaluates the effectiveness of the project and how the church will continue to encourage and equip members to be involved in orphan care. It also examines ways to improve the project if duplicated in another context.

Gregory Heille

Preaching, in this paper, is broadly presented as the oral midrash by which individuals and communities reappropriate the past and, in the midst of present struggle, step forward into a transformed future. This is personal and communal struggle, made possible by the unfolding miracle of language, regulated by Scripture, and served by the preaching ministry of transformative leaders.

Chapter 1 presents Christian life as an open system, oriented toward transformation. Chapter 2 examines paradigm change in theology and presents preaching as a hermeneutical act in which the believing Assembly seeks historical consciousness by reappropriating tradition in the light of a new paradigm. Chapter 3 compares a methodological shift toward historical consciousness and personal responsibility in Roman Catholic social teaching to a more classical emphasis on law in catholic sexual teaching. Catholics approach the preaching act searching for meaning in this incoherent experience of differing methodologies and paradigms.

Chapter 4 studies language as an agent of paradigm change, first by setting preaching in the context of oral, written, and electronic culture.

Chapter 5 integrates discussion of the ideas of this paper by ten preachers and reflects on the preaching act as an act of choral listening, the importance of the self-definition of the preacher, and the implications of differing paradigms of authority for Christian life and preaching. Chapter 6 concludes the paper by exploring the gifts of insight and imagination by which Christians, in an act of conversion, turn toward God in the sacrament of preaching.

William Hisker D.Min.

The research study explores the theological and social-psychological forces that discourage the preaching of the prophetic message of the Gospel. The study was conducted with seventy-four volunteers and six permanent deacons in the Diocese of Greensburg, Pennsylvania. The study used a combination of quantitative and qualitative surveys and interviews. The hypothesis explored was whether or not the use of narrative techniques, specifically Narrative 4 story exchange would be useful as a technique for preparing congregations to be open to the challenges presented by Catholic social teaching. Additionally, the research sought to determine whether or not the six deacons who participated in the study would find narrative a useful technique in their preaching and evangelization efforts.

Participants completed an empathy profile before viewing one of seven different videos produced by the United States Conference of Bishops on the Life and Dignity of the Human Person; the Call to Family, Community, and Participation; the Option for the Poor and Vulnerable; Rights and Responsibilities; Solidarity; Care for God’s Creation; and the Dignity of Work. Participants were asked to rate the videos and indicate how often they heard preaching of the subject matter of the videos. Participants were also given the opportunity to participate in a Narrative 4 story exchange. Participants were then asked to complete the Interpersonal Reactivity Index a second time to see if there was a statistically significant change in their empathy profile. In addition, participants were asked to evaluate their experience with the story exchange. While there was no significant statistical change, as measured by the Interpersonal Reactivity Index, the interviewees demonstrated a high level of approval for the story exchange as a vehicle for improving the empathetic response of a congregation and as a useful technique for use in the preaching of Catholic social teaching.

Rachel McPhail Boyd

"The voice of the black church sounds the clarion call for community uplift by nurturing personal piety and fighting for communal liberation. This project is a framework for the design, implementation, and evaluation of a Social Justice Ministry (SJM) in the black church. The study utilizes a review of church literature, ethnographic interviews, pre-intervention survey, communications, community forums, training, and preaching to develop a social justice ministry. This study offers an approach to SJM composition and leadership that engages the voices of church and community to inform the work of, ignite energy regarding, and invite activism to eradicate injustice." -- Leaf [2].

Carlos Sanchez Worthy

As policies and decisions of elected and appointed officials within
governmental structures continue to negatively impact the lives of people for generations, it is important for disciples of Christ to actively engage with a theology that focuses on reforming these structures to serve as a conduit of God’s love, justice, and peace. As governmental, elected and appointed, officials at all levels fulfill their responsibilities through developing and passing policies, these documents serve as the moral thermometer that determine the well-being of a community in the present and for the future. This research examines how a local missional church developed and sustained a ministry of serving in public office with moral integrity that equipped missional leaders to participate in God’s mission through the redemption and restoration of their township into a beloved community.

James McKeown Quainoo D.Min.

The Church of Pentecost Canada is an ethnic Pentecostal denomination with roots from Ghana. Over the last thirty years she has grown numerically, spiritually and geographically across Canada. However, the church is confronted with the need to reflect and explore how to be more relevant to the ever-changing church and Canadian culture.
This portfolio reflects the exegesis of the context of ministry of the church at McKeown Worship Centre in Toronto and the branch in Edmonton. It focuses on strengths, challenges and opportunities, philosophy of leadership, and a research project that initially began with a heightened interest towards exploring soul care and social action. The research project used a guided Appreciative Inquiry approach to enable participants to identify, design, and implement integrative initiatives. A greater awareness and urgency for more social engagements with the wider Canadian community have been created among a cross-section of church leadership. There is the need to use the principles of Appreciative Inquiry further to engage the whole church to develop more contextual and intentional strategic approaches to revitalization.

John Matthew Weiler D.Min.

The purpose of this study was to explore the role of confession, repentance, and baptismal identity within the antiracist identity of four white Christians to further the work of antiracist transformation and organizing in the local church. The primary methodology for this work was exploratory, utilizing phenomenological, semi-structured, in-depth interviewing with a sample of four, white Christians at Eastern United Methodist Church in Michigan. The thesis was that baptismal identity, and the Christian practices of confession and repentance in the work of antiracism liberates white Christians to joyfully make space for all people to experience the liberating love of God.