New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary

Johnathan L. Carr

The purpose of this project was to design a volunteer leadership development strategy for First Baptist Church, Thomasville, Georgia. First, the project director conducted an internal audit to determine a leadership profile of First Baptist Church. Second, the project director explored literature in the field of leadership development. He prepared an annotated bibliography and summary of best practices. Third, the project director led a group of selected leaders through a strategy planning retreat and developed a volunteer leadership strategy. Fourth, the project director presented the strategy to the pastor and Administrative Committee for approval. The implementation of the strategy
was outside the scope of this project. This final project report details the project director’s process to develop the volunteer leadership development strategy for First Baptist Church Thomasville.

Layton Grant Bamburg

The purpose of this project was to develop a revitalization strategy for Victory Baptist Church, Monroe, Louisiana. An internal demographic study of Victory Baptist Church provided revitalization data for Victory Baptist Church. The project director conducted research in the field of church revitalization to determine the most effective practices. The project director selected a strategy team to help develop a revitalization strategy. Once the strategy team developed a revitalization strategy, I presented the strategy to the staff and deacon body of Victory Baptist Church, Monroe, Louisiana, for
consideration.

I then utilized evaluation methods, which include, expert evaluators for the internal demographics, the most effective practices of revitalization, and the developed revitalization strategy. A pretest and posttest were used to evaluate the revitalization strategy team’s knowledge of revitalization. I, along with the revitalization strategy team, presented the strategy to the members of Victory Baptist Church, Monroe, Louisiana, for approval.

Curtis Alston

The purpose of this project was to enhance the project director’s doctrinal
preaching skills to increase congregational awareness of soteriology at the First Baptist
Church of Greensboro, Florida. I utilized the preaching skills enhancement model, and
the sermon series focused on soteriology from the Apostle Paul’s Epistle to the
Galatians. The Apostle Paul makes it clear in Galatians that believers must be aware of
their beliefs so as not to be easily misled by false doctrine. The same concern will be
presented in this project addressing the biblical understanding of salvation at FBC
Greensboro and the need for understanding salvation so as not to be easily misled,
manipulated, or misinformed on the doctrine.

The project developed through diligent research into doctrinal preaching best
practices and the doctrine of soteriology as found in Galatians. To ensure validity of the
project, a doctrinal sermon expert evaluated the doctrinal sermon form and delivery
effectiveness, and doctrinal content was evaluated by an expert theologian. The
congregation provided feedback for each sermon as well. The evaluative results were
analyzed and developed into a report that reflected the success of the project goals.

Douglas Pigg

The purpose of this project was to equip members of Firsts Baptist Church, Naples, Florida, with the necessary skills to be an effective decision counselor. The author used the Quipping Program Model comprised of four lessons. Lesson one explained the role and work of the Holy Spirit from John's Gospel. Lesson two explained the decision of salvation. Lesson three explained the decision of sanctification. Lesson four guided the counselors through practical application. The project resulted in the members of First Baptist Church, Naples, Florida, effectively enhancing the decision counseling ministry of the church.

This abstract was created prior to the change in the word count for RIM abstracts

Nicholas T. Wilbur

The purpose of this project is to develop a relational evangelism strategy to reach millennials of Cumming Baptist Church, Cumming, Georgia. The project director led selected members of Cumming Baptist Church to develop a multifaceted relational evangelism strategy that will minister effectively to the millennial population of Forsyth County, Georgia.

The strategy formation team met for six sessions to develop the strategy for the church. The project director instructed the team on demographic data from Forsyth County, information on millennials found through research, best relational evangelism practices, the biblical rationale for relational evangelism, and strategy formation technique. With this knowledge, the strategy formation team, led by the project director, developed a multifaceted relational evangelism strategy. Once completed, the strategy was presented by the project director to the pastoral staff, outreach ministry team, and deacons of CBC for approval and implementation.

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.

O. Henry Powell Young IV

The purpose of the project is to equip next generation ministers at Cross Church, in Northwest Arkansas, with strategic evangelism implementation skills. The student did so by exploring the fields of evangelism and strategy implementation in next generation ministries. The project included the design and execution of a curriculum workshop which will be used to train next generation ministers at Cross Church, Northwest Arkansas, in strategic evangelism implementation skills. Research regarding the trends of salvations and baptism rates in the Southern Baptist Convention from 2010 to present. Existing strategic evangelism tools were presented along with new material designed by the project director. The project resulted in the development of a next generation evangelism strategy workshop and the equipping of next generation ministers at Cross Church, Northwest Arkansas.

Jeremy Ryan Williams

The aim of the project was to enhance the project director’s skills in expository preaching from Old Testament historical narrative at Black Creek Baptist Church, Collinsville, Alabama. The proposed project follows the preaching-skills enhancement model. The project director researched the field of expository preaching for best practices. An expert in the field of expository preaching evaluated the best practices. Based on best practices, the project director developed a series of sermons for evaluation by an expert in the field of preaching and an expert in the Old Testament before they are delivered. After feedback, the project director delivered the developed sermons to the Black Creek Baptist Church congregation. Selected congregants provided input to the project director through listening guides. An expert in expository preaching evaluated the sermons through a video presentation. In the end, a final evaluation took place by the project director to determine the level of enhancement in the preaching skills in the field of expository preaching from historical narrative portions of Scripture.

Stephen Bradley Watson

The purpose of the project was to equip selected adults of Marion First Baptist church, Marion, Arkansas with essential team-based assimilation skills. Upon completing research of team-based assimilation practices and skills, the project director developed four equipping sessions. The project director held the four equipping sessions with selected adults from First Baptist Church, Marion, Arkansas. Participants learned about selected team-based assimilation skills and how to put selected skills into practice when interacting with guests, regular attendees, and members of Marion First Baptist Church, Marion, Arkansas. Participants discovered the importance of welcoming interactions with guests in order to increase guest retention and assimilate guests and regular attendees into the membership and ministry of Marion First Baptist Church, Marion, Arkansas.

David T. Um

The goal of this project was to develop a unified strategy for Antioch Baptist Church to make disciples from among college students in Boston, Massachusetts. The project director used the strategy planning model. The project director investigated existing disciple-making strategies popularized by Southern Baptist and non-Southern Baptist evangelical organizations as well as lesser-known programs in discipleship. The project director completed a systems audit by examining case studies of church members whose lives have changed significantly through discipleship. The project director studied the disciple-making strategies already used and currently in use at Antioch Baptist Church to reach college students in Boston, resulting in an organizational profile. The program director enlisted a team and held sessions to analyze the various discipleship programs and synthesize the most effective elements into a single unified strategy for disciplemaking. The project director presented the resulting strategy to the leadership of Antioch Baptist Church for official approval.