Ministry

Bemnet Atraga Melaku Rev. D.Min.

This dissertation explores the practical pastoral challenges of the Ethiopian Catholic Ge'ez Rite diaspora community in North America, with a particular focus on the difficulty of accommodating the time-intensive celebration of the full form of the Ge’ez Sunday Divine Liturgy to sociocultural and economic pressures that often fill Sunday schedules with paid labor and community activities. After considering the lifestyle of this Diaspora Catholic community and consulting with community members themselves, this thesis proposes that there is a pastoral need for a more feasible (i.e., systematically and strategically abbreviated) celebration of the Divine Liturgy so that it can continue to be a liturgy celebrated with traditional integrity for the glorification of God and for the sanctification of humanity through active liturgical participation of the baptized. Through field research undertaken both in North America and Ethiopia that included ritual observation, liturgical participation, interviews, and surveys, this study examined various strategies previously used unofficially by different Ge'ez Rite Catholic communities to address some of these pastoral challenges. Drawing from these findings—and in conversation with significant issues in the historical, theological, pastoral, and cultural development of the Ethiopian Catholic Ge’ez Rite Divine Liturgy, this study suggests resources that could be used by Ethiopian liturgy experts and church authorities to arrive at a more feasible celebration of the Ge'ez Rite Divine Liturgy that might eventually be implemented officially for the Diaspora communities in North America to help resolve the ongoing pastoral challenges that these communities are facing.

Kristine J. Veldheer D.Min.

Focusing on the Bechtold Library at CTU, I will explore the extent to which aspects of decoloniality affect the practices of a theological library and its diverse student body. Keeping, producing, and providing knowledge comes with cultural assumptions about what should be kept in a library, the types of knowledge they should help produce and services they should provide. As a member of Western society, the CTU library carries a legacy of colonial thought which has shaped the existing library collection and influences the knowledge produced by library users. Using the work of Kwok Pui-Lan, I will look through decolonial and postcolonial lenses to reveal injustice and inform possible interventions.

willliam kevin fisher D.Min.

Explores pastoral theology in the context of the current opioid crisis (1996-2023), concentrating specifically on an Appalachian social location. Examines the mechanism of opioid addiction according to the NIDA model, long-term consequences of addiction, and treatment options. Delves into criticisms of the NIDA model and other factors influencing addiction, to include racism in drug policy. Explores the pastoral theology of Dr. John Swinton and the community mental health chaplaincy model. Suggests exploration of the community mental health chaplaincy model as an appropriate response to the public health crisis. Examines the works of John Swinton as an appropriate pastoral theological model that can be adapted to work with the opioid addicted.

Raja Selvam D.Min.

In this new era of communication, digital media has permeated our everyday lives, especially the lives of the young people — the Net-Generation — who grew up immersed in it. Within our current social climate, it is interesting to consider the effects that digital technology has had on a traditional religion like Catholicism. Indeed, scholars and religious followers collectively acknowledge that digital technology provides great opportunities for the institution and its followers while simultaneously realizing the challenges of being present online. It is argued that today digital communication technologies are not just tools for communication, but a comprehensive, thought-shaping, and culture-making reality of our time. Therefore, this study explores the development of a praxis of digital faith formation for young adults. In this perspective, it examines first, the specific forms of digital religious expressions take in general and in Roman Catholic ministerial praxes in particular, especially in an Indian context. Second, how can Indian Roman Catholic ministers, and the faithful whom they serve, be evangelically and technologically informed, engaged, and responsible users of rapidly evolving digital media? Third, how can ecclesial leaders be effectively persuaded of the importance of being open to new ideas about the use of digital media for the formation of youth as well as a myriad of other possible ministerial applications? While exploring these questions in an Indian context, this thesis analyzes a set of specific phenomena related to both the existent and potential interplay of ministry and digital technology. This thesis takes a modest but important step toward developing digital faith formation for young adults. Hence, this study aims to offer a practical theological analysis focused on formulating Digi-tech youth ministry and the theological underpinnings of this development.

Wilma Yvonne Nevers D.Min.

This Doctor of Ministry integrated portfolio presents a summary of key insights, themes and findings arising from an exploration of Christian leadership, with particular reference to the authors’ own ministry context as Director of the Tyndale Wellness Centre (TWC). The exploration includes a contextual analysis, literature review, biblical reflection, and the author’s personal reflection on lived experiences that led to a servant-leader philosophy of Christian leadership. The analysis informed the design and implementation of a field research project: Training Ministry Leaders Towards Supportive Psychotherapy Referrals to Tyndale Wellness Centre. The project addressed an identified need to help Christian ministry leaders learn how to support their members with mental health problems and refer them for psychotherapy. A training program was developed and piloted with nine ministry leaders and the outcomes analyzed. Findings indicated an overall increase in participants’ understanding of mental health, the importance of self-care, the nature of spiritually integrated psychotherapy and how to make supportive referrals. A recurrent theme in the research analysis was participants’ concern about clergy mental health as much as that of their members. Recommendations are made for further study and for possible uses of adapted versions of the training program in other contexts.

Thelma Herrera Flores

The purpose of this research is to develop a United Methodist ministry with Hispanic migrant and seasonal agricultural workers, also known as Campesinos, in the United States of America. The Campesinos encounter numerous struggles that go beyond the poverty of living standards, food, and education. This study will address a specific problem within the communities of Campesinos. Namely, the lack of spiritual leadership and guidance by clergy and laypersons within the church.

My methodology includes the development of an educational program that will enable churches to understand the plight of the Campesinos through bible study, testimonials, watching selected portions of videos, singing, and sharing fellowship Campesino meals. All with the purpose of stirring the church’s heart to action and leading them to a hands-on ministry with the migrant agricultural farm workers.

It is my hope that the United Methodist Church will reach out to the Campesinos to help them discover that Christ is walking next to them in the crop rows and drinking with them from the irrigation ditches. I believe in the beauty manifested through God’s love. The same love that can allow us to see that we are all the same. We all need Jesus.

Adam Chochran

The purpose of this project was to develop a holistic strategy to enhance religious support for the 135th Expeditionary Sustainment Command of the Alabama National Guard. There is a difficulty for National Guard Chaplains to cover units based on monthly schedules, unit locations, and staff requirements. This can serve as a hindrance to religious support to subordinate units. The project director will investigate the needs of religious support down to the company level. This will provide the information needed to assess the religious support needs. The project director will identify resources necessary to enhance the religious support strategy. The project director will identify personnel that will help in the holistic religious support strategy, in accordance with the command master religious plan. The holistic religious support strategy will guide religious support in the 135th Expeditionary Sustainment Command and its subordinate unit ministry teams.

Amy E. Dows

This project compares the expectations of churches providing intentional disability ministries with the expectations of members affected by disability. Questionnaires were developed for churches with disability ministries and for members or families affected by disability. The comparison of these questionnaires provides a glimpse into the expectations held by families and churches that provide disability ministry. According to the results of this survey, families tend to seek a faith community where their entire family is included and supported. They also believe that the church benefits by welcoming individuals with disabilities. Churches, in general, strive to provide a place that is welcoming to all but with little attention given to issues of assimilation, and churches tend to see little or no benefit to the congregation through including families affected by disability other than in ways that trivialize disability as charitable acts to those in need. Although these churches seek to meet the needs of families affected by disability, issues of assimilation to cultural norms and trivialization of disability continue to impact the practice of disability ministry.

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.

Michael Christopher Gayle Dr. D.Ed.Min.

Matthew 28:18-20 records Jesus’s command to His disciples to “go and make disciples of all nations,” a passage of Scripture referred to as the Great Commission. This command is at the heart of what should be the life mission of Christians today. Christians have found it increasingly difficult to execute this mission successfully for a variety of reasons. In today’s cultural environment, a level of resistance to the Word of God often renders conventional methods of sharing the gospel ineffective. In the face of this resistance, it is necessary for approaches to be developed by which unbelievers can be reached. This project sought to identify some of the issues that create obstacles to having meaningful discussions with unbelievers, and develop a method to help Christians bridge the gap between misperceptions and scriptural reality.