Tennessee

Mondonico A. Williams

The purpose of this project was to research the field of African-American pastoral leadership in multiethnic churches in order to develop a leadership workshop for pastoral interns in The Pursuit Church Memphis, Memphis, Tennessee. The project director research a wide range of sources to gain knowledge of the best practices used by African-American pastors who lead multiethnic churches. The project director used the information to develop a workshop that will be used at The Pursuit Church Memphis, as well as other churches, churches planting networks, North American Mission Board (NAMB), and denominations that which to plant or revitalize multiethnic churches. The project director utilizes the research model described in the current New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary Project in Ministry Design Handbook to complete this project.

Chad Aaron Ramsey

The purpose of this project was to develop a multigenerational mission engagement strategy for First Baptist Church, Smithville, Tennessee. The project director used the strategy model to fulfill the purpose of this project. The project director conducted an internal audit on selected small groups at First Baptist Church, Smithville, Tennessee, to evaluate their level of mission engagement. The project director created an annotated bibliography of current mission resources. Upon completing the annotated bibliography, the project director compiled a report of best practices based on the annotated bibliography and interviews of mission leaders in local churches, the state convention, and the denomination. The project director recruited and led a strategy team through a series of mission trainings and strategy sessions to create a multigenerational mission engagement strategy. Finally, the project director presented the finished multigenerational mission engagement strategy to the mission team at First Baptist Church, Smithville, Tennessee, for approval and implementation.

Blake Cordaris Allen D.Min.

Replanting efforts fulfill God’s desire for spiritual flourishing and gospel advancement. The goal of church replanting is to go from dying to flourishing. There is no pleasure found in the closing of a church that bears the name of Christ. For this reason, dying churches need biblical solutions to address their current conditions. The purpose of this project was to develop a replanting strategy to equip Living Hope Dunbar Cave to reach the unchurched in Central Clarksville, Tennessee. Chapter 1 presents the history and ministry context of Living Hope Dunbar Cave and the goals of this project. Chapter 2 provides an exegesis of three passages of Scripture (Ezek. 37:1-6; Rev. 3:1–6; Acts 2:40–47) to show that replanting efforts fulfill God’s desire for spiritually flourishing churches and gospel advancement. Chapter 3 presents the practical reasons for church replanting, including biblical stewardship, encouragement, and community vibrancy through gospel advancement. Chapter 4 describes the details and descriptions of the project itself, recounting the project goals, content, and teaching methodology of the eight-week series. Chapter 5 evaluates the effectiveness of the project based on the completion of the project goals. Ultimately, this project intended to take the first step in equipping churches for church replanting.

Cameron Lee Williams D.Min.

The Adrianic Application Charting System: Navigating the Applicational Methods of Adrian Rogers as a Tool Set (Toolset) for Expository Preaching.

This project demonstrates the presence of a discernible applicational method in Adrian Rogers’ sermons and proposes axiomatic principles that may be extracted from the pattern of techniques he employs to achieve such a method. Further, axioms derived of the research are organized to establish a system of tools that may be employed to equip an expositor to increase the quantity and quality of applicational content, improving communication of application in weekly sermons. The system, envisioned to encompass the techniques Rogers employs to navigate application, relies on analogous tools germane to early Adriatic sailing practices.

Chapters 1-2 establish the premises on which the writer based his project. Chapters 3-8 research Rogers’ four techniques and develop his principles into Adrianic axioms for tooling. Chapters 9-10 express motivating insights, both practical and theological, behind the goals of the project. Chapters 11-14 test the expectations of the project in light of successes, examining the Adrianic tool set for weaknesses that might be bolstered for continued improvement of the system.

Appendices 1-2 graph the research and parameters of datasets. Appendix 3 depicts iconographic materials representing the tool set (toolset) to better illustrate the Adrianic system. Appendices 4-5 outline focus-group survey findings and relate metrics for gauging successful implementation of research.

Cameron Lee Williams, D.Min.
School of Theology
Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary, 2022
Supervisor: Matthew McKellar, Ph.D.

James Keith Adams

The purpose of this project was to develop an evangelistic outreach strategy for Fellowship Memphis. The project focused on local evangelism for the surrounding area of the two campuses of the church using demographic and psychographic research. Demographics describe who people are while psychographics explains what people prefer. The project director contracted with Church Answers to obtain demographics and psychographics. Dr. Sam Rainer disaggregated the data obtained from the report.

The goal of the demographic and psychographic analysis was to determine marketing and outreach strategies best suited for the community surrounding both campuses of the church. The demographics and psychographics of the campuses were similar, but the strategy planning team identified differences that would produce different focuses for each campus. The next stage of the project was researching best practices of evangelistic outreach utilized by effective churches. The project director surveyed and interviewed selected ministers from evangelistic churches to determine best practices in the field of evangelistic outreach. He then developed the strategy with the assistance of a strategy planning team.

Watkins Keith Pierce

The purpose of this project is to develop a revitalization strategy for the Clinton Baptist Association in East Tennessee. The project is derived from the strategic planning model. After conducting sufficient research, the project director will learn best practices in field revitalization. The project director will conduct a demographic study to verify the need of revitalizing the association. An internal demographic study will produce the facts and trends of the churches affiliated with the association. An external demographic study of the cities and communities of Anderson County, Tennessee, will be completed to increase awareness of community and generational needs and desires. The project director will assemble a strategic leadership team from the leaders of the associational churches. When assembled, the team will prepare and adopt a strategic planning process and develop a revitalization strategy. After the strategic planning process is created, the final step of the project will be a presentation of the proposed revitalization strategy to the messengers of the annual meeting, followed by the messengers’ vote on the proposal. The implementation of the revitalization strategy will begin in the project and will be completed after the approval of the project. The strategy implementation is outside the scope of the project.

Autura Eason-Williams

"How does a church, capturing God's vision of shalom, model a commitment to social holiness as a neighbor intentionally gathering neighbors to respond to a practical need in the neighborhood? The author embarks on a Christian service project, in which Capleville United Methodist Church and its neighbors implemented Samaritan Community Reading Project, which included an eight-week summer book club for families of pre-k through kindergarteners and the installation of a free library and community bookcases in the neighborhood. Parent surveys, reading logs, and reading autobiographies were collected to help facilitate relationships with new neighbors and gauge program effectiveness." -- Leaf [2].

William H Hay V

Understanding the Complexity of Family: Examining Family Systems and Processes of Relationship for Families and Congregation of the First Baptist Church of Woodbury, Tennessee is a project designed to share family systems theory with families and church. Through six didactic sessions (triangulation, anxiety, self-differentiation, over and under functioning, crucial conversations, projection) and reflective journaling, families are encouraged to recognize the processes of being family and the parallel processes of family that are present in the life of a congregation. Using quantitative and qualitative instruments, results show that family and congregational functioning can be improved through raising awareness of systems process.

Jason Scott McKinney

The propose of this project was to equip selected adults of First Baptist Church, Cookeville, Tennessee, in collegiate disciple making skills. The project director researched the field of discipleship to better understand the best practices of training others to make disciples. The project director studied curriculum writing to enhance the teaching during eight training sessions. Then, the project director implemented the project by training selected members of First Baptist Church, Cookeville, Tennessee, with the best practices to disciple college students. The training seminar was taught on Friday night and the following Sunday morning. The participants were trained with disciple making skills.

Wesley Brian Jamison D.Min.

Progressive churches continue to struggle with retaining youth, who often seen little merit in the church's traditions and rituals. These spiritual practices are essential to nurturing the strength and vision necessary to create a more just, equitable, and sustainable world. This project offers a model for integrating these practices into the regular activities of youth ministry as a way of reconnecting them to the struggle for justice. It was tested by adding the observance of the daily offices of prayer to a youth mission trip and examining the views of participants concerning prayer and its connection to justice before, during, and after the trip. Noticeable changes were measured during and after the trip, indicating that youth came to see spiritual practices are more important to the work of justice. These findings suggest that the church would do well to look to its own history of monasticism as a model for youth ministry in the post-Christian era.