Vocation

Mark G Poppen

This project encourages the practice of entering into coaching conversations with those who wrestle with God's call. Readers interested in vocational discernment for future ministry leadership will discover that vocational clarity for ministry leadership emerges within the community of faith. Foundational contributions come from H. Richard Niebuhr's four-fold definition of calling, the relational dialectic of Martin Buber, the theological anthropology of Karl Barth and the vocational views of Luther and Calvin. Readers will expand their vocational vocabulary, consider a method of evaluating future ministry leaders and be introduced to the ministry of a clearness committee, a practice used by the Society of Friends for over 400 years.

Thomas E Richter

This project asserts the thesis that preaching about the doctrine of the priesthood of all believers can help move the members of Cullman First Baptist Church in Cullman, AL, towards an every-member ministry model of ministry. The project consisted of a seven-week sermon series and a concurrent collaborative small group. The project director evaluated his project through comparing a pre-project questionnaire with a post-project questionnaire, through sermon feedback forms, and through small group interviews. The research indicates an 8.8% improvement in congregational knowledge and excitement in the areas of self-understanding and sense of vocation as part of God’s royal priesthood.

David Kyung Park

The purpose of this project is to examine the effects of contemporary vocational theology on the spiritual lives of second-generation Korean Americans at Mosaic Christian Fellowship. The thesis asks whether the current approach to vocational theology helps this congregation with spirituality in the workplace. The primary research questions areas follows: do the current models of vocational theology help second-generation Korean Americans understand the significance of their vocations? Is it possible that the prevailing approaches contribute to the problems that this group already experiences regarding identity formation? After exploring these questions, the dissertation’s aim is then to investigate the efficacy of a possible alternative approach to understanding vocation for the second-generation Korean American. To support this research, the author conducted a survey of more than fifty second generation Korean Americans at Mosaic Christian Fellowship. Data was also collected from several non-Korean Americans for comparison. Two focus groups, involving fourteen participants from the same church, provided further data. These interactions showed that many of the subjects felt as if they were simply “cogs within the machine” and had a difficult time pinpointing the significance of their work using their current theological framework.

Dorothee Edith Tripodi

"By engaging in congregational analysis using Heifetz and Linsky's leadership characteristics, UPSem (Richmond) M.Div. seminary interns of the summer 2019 intensive and fall 2019 part-time academic year sessions defined internship experiences as either technical, technical-adaptive, or adaptive. The instructor, using ethnographic methodology combined with Heifetz's reflection process of observation, interpretation, and intervention, explored the interns' narrative findings concerning their ability to identify leadership challenges. The conventional wisdom that students would be limited in their ability to use Heifetz and Linsky's leadership characteristic due to lack of ministerial experience proofed unfounded. The outcome of this ethnographic reflection invites further exploration concerning a pastoral intern's leadership abilities in light of on-going vocational discernment, vocational identity, and authority in complex systems subject to denominational and cultural change." -- Leaf [2].

Dong Nam Shin

"This is a study of the restoration of the faith of modern youth called the N generation. Their present-day problems are seen as the limits of capitalist development and the capitalization of the church. For solving this problem, I propose the theological theories based on the Scripture's calling and Luther's and Calvin's calling. For seven weeks in young adult worship, I preach a biblical theory and lead the small groups. Thus, I would like to think again about the basic calling of faith and help them to overcome their problems and restore their faith by finding calling. For that reason, this project for young people help them to realize the importance of calling and give them the time of thinking about their calling. This project will provide strategies to overcome their reality rather than escaping." -- Leaf [2].

William Cato D.Min.

This project addressed a lack of opportunities for Christian vocational discernment at First United Methodist Church in Arkadelphia, Arkansas (FUMCA). The research question asked what effect, if any, the public speech of leaders would have on the vocational self-understanding of congregants. The hypothesis postulated that the public testimonies of congregational leaders, coupled with a sermon series, would produce an increase in the percentage of congregants who identify as called to participate in God’s redemptive work. While the hypothesis could not be substantiated, the project produced vocational agitation among congregants. Results indicated the need for follow-up measures to sustain lasting change.

Gregg Michael Caggianelli D.Min.

Can the integration of leading elements in the four dimensions of priestly formation contribute to the formation of good preachers? Building on the premise that a good preacher is one who is not only competent in the skills needed for good preaching, but is also a person who authentically lives in a way that gives witness to the Gospel preached, the author searches for how these preachers can be formed for our age.

Chapter One explores the intrinsic connection between God’s Word and God’s deeds as the pattern for authentic preaching. The investigation asks whether good seminary formation contributes to the formation of good preachers.

Chapter Two highlights the vision of St. Dominic and introduces the idea of the preacher’s formation using the work of Humbert of Romans. Noting similar patterns in St. Charles Borromeo and St. Vincent de Paul, this chapter leads into the reforms called for from Vatican II until the present. The Church’s formation documents become the foundation for generating an extensive list of specific formation elements identified for development in a candidate during seminary formation.

Chapter Three builds various assessments tools used in the pastoral appropriation, seeking to identify and highlight important formation elements from the four dimensions of priestly formation that contribute to the formation of good preachers.

Chapter Four extensively explores the qualitative and quantitative results, highlighting the significant correlation between the integration of leading elements of priestly formation and improved preaching quality.

Chapter Five suggests five ways for sharing this project’s findings, hoping that this thesis will allow seminary formators to accompany developing preachers in their understanding of how personal reflection across all four dimensions of their seminary formation contributes to their development as preachers able to not only preach well but live as witnesses to the Gospel.

Joy P. Dahl D.Min.

This study explored perspectives of work and workers, as well as potential connections between these perspectives and a lack of workplace-related preaching, equipping, and support provided by the church to congregants. This research, founded on a biblical theology of work, identifies implications for understanding church dynamics, and for dismantling beliefs and practices upholding the unbiblical sacred/secular divide.

The research engaged two groups within one church: pastors/paid church staff and congregants. The survey focused on: (1) value of work inside versus outside the church; (2) value of workers inside versus outside the church; (3) importance of work-related topics for preaching, equipping, and support within the church; and (4) adequacy of pastor/staff understanding of non-church workplaces and their ability to help congregants address workplace issues. This Doctor of Ministry project represents a unique study which evaluates perspectives of church workers and non-church workers within one church body regarding a primary area of everyday life often unaddressed or under-addressed by the church.

Two descriptive surveys, one for each group, garnered a 69.01% response rate from 71 pastors/staff, and a 9.62% response rate from 5,113 congregants. The surveys gathered quantitative responses, except for two qualitative responses regarding workplace demographics (for congregants only) which assisted the church in understanding the makeup of its non-church workers. The results of the surveys revealed that both pastors/staff and congregants within this church placed similar, high value on church and non-church work and workers. However, these perspectives did not translate into pastors/staff attributing high importance to work-related topics within church practices when compared to other topics. Additionally, both groups affirmed an inadequate understanding by pastors/staff of non-church workplaces and the daily issues congregants face.

The final chapter includes conclusions of the study and implications for future research. It also provides recommendations of potential next steps for the church.

James Patrick Bohanan

This project focuses on itinerancy in The United Methodist Church as a practice, in the life of the writer, and in the stories of multiple clergy interviewed and surveyed. The narrative research concentrates on the Susquehanna Conference of The United Methodist Church, though it also includes clergy from eleven other annual conferences. Five bishops and one general church executive were interviewed. The writer offers a theology of the itinerancy and encourages itinerant clergy to contemplate how they have been shaped as disciples, authorized as pastors, and sent as missionaries in the context of their itinerancy.

[Note about entry: Abstract submitted to the Atla RIM database on behalf of the author. The text appears in its entirety as it does in the original abstract page of the author’s project paper. Neither words nor content have been edited.]

Mark J. Laboe D.Min.

This thesis-project proposes that the work of Catholic mission effectiveness at a large, diverse Catholic university in the United States can be enriched through a rediscovery and re-founding of the theological notion of vocation, which can serve as a distinguishing contribution of Catholic education in an increasingly pluralistic society. Furthermore, focusing attention on the important role and vocation of mid-level leaders, who often hold a significant influence on organizational culture, can be a strategic focus for the work of advancing a culture of vocation as well as sustaining the institution's founding charism and mission in the face of the diminishing influence of the sponsoring religious community.